Joe and Liz have always had an interest in becoming more self-sufficient and now are going to start putting their feet to the fire and turn words and dreams into reality. Lucky for you, you get to sit back in relative safety and enjoy the ride as they aim to achieve their dreams of creating a self sustaining, off the grid, micro-homestead in the middle of a city.
Is this even possible? We certainly think so!
Together, they have 6 kids with ages ranging from 6 to 21 years old. Currently, Joe and Liz live with the younger 4 kids in a 1200 sq ft home, but the oldest (who is Joe's foster daughter) is also living with them temporarily with her boyfriend and their newborn daughter until they find their way into their own place. All in all, there are nine people and sometimes 10, staying in their small home.Wow!
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| Updated Photo Coming Soon! |
To complicate things the kids have their fair share of allergies, the two most difficult ones being corn and dairy. If you've ever looked at the ingredients on the side of anything, almost always there's a corn derivative of some sort. Corn Syrup, Corn Starch, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Oil, Maltodextrin... Yeah, the list goes on and on. Good job Corn marketer extraordinaire! That stuff is in everything! With that said, they've had to make a lot of food from scratch to avoid the stuff. This requires a lot of fresh ingredients that gets a little pricey when you are feeding this many people! With all that being said, this journey to self-sufficiency is not just a dream, it's almost a necessity.
Over the last couple of years they've played with the garden and had some luck. It has added a nice fresh supply of veggies throughout the summer and into the early fall, but is no where near the size needed to become a sustainable operation. Especially with both of them working full time and only being able to manage it sporadically and not with much zeal.
This year they are pledging to make some changes. Some of the things they want to implement and add in the next couple of years are:
- Increasing the size, variety, and production of the garden.
- Chickens
- Fish Farm
- Add Alternate Energy Sources- Off the Grid
You know just in case if the #SHTF and #ITEOTWAWKI.
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