There is a myth surrounding acorns that states Acorns are poisonous and can’t be eaten! Acorns can be eaten, but you wouldn’t want to just pick one up and eat it. There’s a leaching process that must be done in order to make the acorns edible.
One of my favorite parts about living on a farm or off of the grid is getting to work with the animals. Chickens are usually the first animal people get on a farm – or sometimes even in a backyard.
There are literally hundreds of chicken breeds out there. You could look at pictures and decide which ones you want to raise according to looks but I recommend looking into some things. Important factors to consider when choosing a chicken:
The Autumn Equinox is one of my favorite seasonal transitions to experience. Don’t get me wrong – I love all of the seasons and I appreciate the changes, but Autumn is just the bee’s knees.
Living off the grid provided me with several encounters with nature in many forms – whether it was the weather, creature critters or the growing forest. Some of my favorite encounters were with animals and I love them all. I was far enough out in the woods that spotting wildlife was as easy as finding a game on ESPN. I have so many experiences but today I will share with you a few of my favorites.
The Big Bear
No matter the lifestyle you are living, there are bound to be certain worries that come along with it. I lived “on the grid” for most of my life. In 2012 my little family and I decided to plunge ourselves into the woods and off of the grid. As I studied, practiced, and prepared for this transitional tidal wave of a shift, I realized that my worries and concerns would now be different in many ways. It was interesting then, and still is today, to sit back and compare the differences.
Before electricity, the fireplace or wood stove was the heart of every home. For those of us that live off of the grid, we know that fire is life, just as it was back then. Fire is everything: it provides heat for warmth and cooking and provides light at night.
Everything about fire serves a purpose in one way or another:
“I love not Man the less, but Nature more, From these our interviews, in which I steal From all I may be, or have been before, To mingle with the Universe, and feel”
Quote From Lord Byron: Childe Harold's Pilgrimage
When I first journeyed off the grid I had to learn about keeping food the so-called “old-fashioned way.” Shopping is a little different when you trade in your refrigerator for a root cellar. However, root cellars are actually quite efficient. It's not that you have to change the way you eat, you simply have to change the way you shop. Root cellars are underground storage areas that stay at cool temperatures, even in the summer.
Going off-grid is a big lifestyle change. So much is different in various ways; there's a lot of research and preparation to be done, but it's worth it! I knew going off-grid was going to bring me back to the basics and that was just what I wanted. I had a feeling that after things got rolling on the farm that I would start to see a decrease in spending -- I just didn't realize how much I would be saving!
Did you know you could grow your own medicine? There are so many reasons to do it! One of the best reasons is for the many benefits that it provides you and your environment. If you don't have space in your yard for a big garden, don’t worry; many of the plants can be grown in containers. To have the Echinacea growing in your yard when the cold or flu strikes, or some Aloe Vera for burns is a blessing.
The benefits of growing your medicine garden/medicine wheel are many. The nutrition and healing properties of the plant are only a couple of reasons.