Living off the Grid

Living off the grid... Not being dependent on commercial power, water, sewer, food.  This is an idea I have toyed with for years.  And up until recently it was just a pipe dream.  Wind and Solar power were so expensive to get started that it would take decades to break even.  But in these "Green" days those power sources are much more readily available and affordable.  Maybe now is the time to see how feasible it is for our family.

We have enough land that we could raise chickens and goats pretty easy.  Though not enough land to raise any cows.  But chickens and goats would take care of eggs, milk and cheese.  We can even raise some chickens for eating.  We have a small garden now but will be doubling it next year and maybe even tripling it.  I can raise all the veggies that we will need through the year.  If I build a coldframe we can have greens a majority of the year.  I would need to plant some fruit trees to give me the fruit we would need for the year.  We are already on a well and septic.

I have spent years upon years canning and freezing fruits and veggies.  I have even canned on a wood burning stove.  I already have a HUGE stockpile of canning jars and two canners.  We also own a commercial dehydrator and a smoker so dried and cured things would be no problem.  I have a ton of storage for all the canned foods.

So you may be asking yourself "Why would anyone be considering this?".  Well that answer is very complex and has many facets.

 First and foremost, I believe that our society has become too dependent on commercial products.  This has become very evident in the last few years with the substantial rise in disease in our country.  I have already started removing as many processed foods I can.  I have started making most things from scratch again so that I can control what goes in to my families food.  I can grow just about everything that we eat.

Second I believe that this dependence has weakened this country to near the breaking point.  If we don't start taking back our independence we will not survive this recession (nearing depression).  Modern convenience has giving rise to a society that does not know what to do when they can't go buy what they want or need.

Third,  Greed has taken over this country.  Nuf said...

I still have some dilemmas to resolve.  Cell phones, internet, Satellite TV...

While we won't be off the grid tomorrow... We are taking small steps to move toward being independent of the commercialization of this Great Country!

The journey continues...