I just got my email from 5 acres and a Dream. It is one of my most looked forward to emails. Leigh is walking the walk and doing an amazing amount of things to make sure they and the animals on the 5 Acres survive in good and bad times.
She has just finished a new series of books about making do with your own produce and materials and using simpler methods of building preservation.
The books are:
How to Bake without Baking Powder.
How to Grow Ginger
How to Make Amish Whitewash
How to get Cream from Goats Milk.
These are the kind of books we all need to have in our library's. Hard copy...books that will be accessible in the most dreadful of times or easily used out on a front porch as you watch your milk goats graze.
Ralph and I find we are continually learning about all sorts of things. We use the Internet an amazing amount. The world of Blogs was something we had not used so much until we discovered "Thoughts From Frank And Fern".
It led us to an amazing group of dedicated bloggers with a vast wealth of knowledge they want to share.
This willingness to share what they have learned is a remarkable thing and we beleive is building a strong and resourceful community.
The commitment to teach what we learn on our small farm endeavors is something often lost in busy modern life and I think that is a huge loss to human education. Not school education but education someone has worked through, struggled with and succeeded at, hands on education that let's you stand by your garden and see both success and failure, to look at your poultry and see your birds doing what you hoped they would, dealing with mistakes of too many roosters at once and dealing with it.
This is the kind of learning that gives both challenges and immense satisfaction. Leigh and her Husband show that planning, research, hard work and determination really do make us all we can be and much better off both physically and mentally.
Now take the time to go and visit Leigh at 5 acres and A Dream...it is well worth it!
Great post, Fiona! The blogosphere is a rare community of amazing people with so much knowledge amongst them. I like how bloggers are so open about their trials and errors, letting the rest of us learn without having to go through all the heartbreak. Leigh is my go-to girl for just about everything! You and Ralph are also the source of so much good information - you do the research and we get the benefits.
ReplyDeleteLeigh's information is just solidly good! Ours....well it like a cross between a zoo and an experimental farm....we are just glad to help if we can!
DeleteI saw those books she posted about. Seemed like they would be very handy to have.
ReplyDeleteRalph and I worry about the loss of access to the Internet so we strongly beleive hard copy and hands on information is crucial to any operation if things get horrible.
DeleteThat's a philosophy most survivalists adhere to. It used to be, people would print off reams of pdf files on their old dot matrix printers and store it in binders somewhere safe. I try to keep hard copy on hand of books that are useful, and just have ebook copies of those that are primarily for entertainment.
DeleteI have to echo and agree with all you said about Leigh and what she and her husband are doing on their little homestead. The fact that she so freely shares with all the rest of us makes her a real and respected treasure.
ReplyDeleteRalph and I have 15 acres and hope to be able to provide for ourselves like Leigh and her husband do on their 5, in Kentucky you have to have at least 10 acres to be considered a farm. Leigh proves 5 acres is realistic with good management.
DeleteRalph and I have 15 acres and hope to be able to provide for ourselves like Leigh and her husband do on their 5, in Kentucky you have to have at least 10 acres to be considered a farm. Leigh proves 5 acres is realistic with good management.
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