i think we are set on meat for a while

[shadowpaints]

we raise our own beef, just got 700lbs of meat back a few weeks ago, just butchered a hog, so we will have about 320pounds of pork next week. we also have 45 cornish cross chickens that will be going to 'freezer camp' in the next week. on top of that we get 20+ eggs a day. we raise a large garden also. i so love not having to depend on stores for our food! we only really have to buy milk, Cheese and spices

anyone else out there that strives to be as self sufficient as possible??

 

[shannonw]

Wow, that is great! We moved from the city two years ago but only have a little over an acre so no room for cows. We do have a large garden this year though and a couple months ago got some chickens and ducks. We are getting a couple turkeys from a neighbor tonight. My only problem is I still have that mentality that they are my animals and could not bear to eat them...lol So for the poultry we will just be using them for their eggs. Now we do have four miniature goats that I keep threatening they better shape up or they are going to be dinner (but in all honestly I could never do that

).

 

[chandab]

We raise our own beef, don't eat pork and buy our other groceries. Our soil is lousy, so doesn't grow a very good garden, we tried for a few years, now the garden spot is a dog kennel and before that held a couple bottle calves. Don't know what I'd do if I had to go back to buying beef at the grocery store; nothing compares to home grown.

 

[Miniv]

BLESS YOU! We grow things in a garden, but otherwise no. I think being self sufficient is a very wise thing, though.

The closest thing we do is trade. We have friends and family who trade things with us for meat and eggs. I fully support the idea of being "self sufficient" and barter/trade!

 

[vvf]

We also raise our own beef. We only have 12 acres, not enough land to enough to grow our own hay... So we do have to buy all our hay and grain, which is a big expense.. But you can't beat the taste of home grown beef. We have raised a few hogs in the past, but really don't have the right facility to keep them, so we will usually buy a hog from a neighbor.

My husband also has a huge garden. So yes, we are pretty self sufficient too.

 

[Katiean]

I have in the past tried to raise a calf. I am a death sentence for young calf's. I think the longest one has lived with me is about 2 weeks. We raised a couple of turkeys once and no one would eat them. I will never pluck another chicken. No one in my family will eat rabbit and our growing season is just not long enough here. We are still having trouble with tomato's freezing. I love to can but I have to buy everything I can since my trees are too young to produce.

 

[minimule]

We plan to be. We do the garden stuff here and when we get to TX (hopefully by the end of this year

) we will have enough land to raise some beef, chickens, goats.

One of the places I looked at in TX was 42 acres. Gorgeous house, two concrete pads all ready for shops. It also had a 30'x100' commercial greenhouse!!!! I'd LOVE to have that place. It also had deer, turkey, qual, and doves living on the premises naturally.......if only.......

The thing is it was only $250K!

 

[MeadowRidge Farm]

We raise all of our own . Our farm is 160 acres, and we rent about another 200. We raise angus and when it comes time for pork, we just buy a few 40 # ers, from our neighbor and raise those. We dont do chickens but my hubby and son do put a garden in as well, plus ..my 3 month fall job is managing a HUGE produce farm-store, which ships all over the states, so we get all of our potatoes, onions, carrots, honey, fruits, etc..from there. We dont have to buy alot from the stores either. We dont eat any type of wildlife NONE..zilch.. only beef and pork, and chicken, which those we buy froma neighbor also, along with brown eggs. (still not sure what they call those eggs

Plus we live in a resort area, and next to our farm is a huge lake, stocked with perch and walleye, nice thing is hubby likes to fish..

so we also get our fish. Hubby and son also make gallons and gallons of maple syrup every year, which we sell at the produce store. I also can and freeze alot of things, and make all differant types of jams, jellies, salsa's, plus I love to bake and freeze things.

Shawna, I would LOVE to have a commercial greenhouse..that place sounds perfect!

 

[laughingllama75]

That is awesome! We do too.....we raise our own beef (12 head at the moment) our own hogs and our friend raises the chickens and turkeys in exchange for pork. we also do a big garden, and get from the farmers market too. this day and age, the last thing we want to do is depend on outside food sources. and we DO NOT want to be eating all those hormones and chemicals.

Oh yes! I can't forget my chickens! I have 35+ chickens, mostly layers. I sell some eggs too.