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Aagot
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| Posted: Dec 28 2010 at 10:21pm | IP Logged
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Michele,
follow your dream for more than an acre.
I can't tell you how frustrating it is to live
on a couple of acres and not be able to pasture
our animals well. It is just enough to be a lot
of work but not enough to make the land work for
you. Also, there isn't enough diversity in the land
(forest, meadow, stream etc) to really make it a little
paradise.
That said it sure beats postage stamp so I shouldn't
complain at all.
Best wishes!
Aagot
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MicheleQ
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| Posted: Dec 29 2010 at 12:07am | IP Logged
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JennGM wrote:
| Woman and Post-War Reconstruction by Janet Kalven is one of my favorites. It really explains why a woman fits so well in a homestead, as it appeals to her nature in so many ways. |
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I just read it this evening and I loved it! It was written in 1944 but feels so relavent to today. At one point I almost felt like it was written directly to me --espeically when I read this part (notice the bolded items).
Quote:
| What are the conditions which woman’s nature requires on the land? First of all, the woman needs the small, diversified, family farm. The homestead, producing primarily for family use and only incidentally for sale should become the basic unit of the new agricultural pattern. The ideal of practical self-sufficiency can be realized on much smaller farms than are customary today, although the exact acreage will vary with local conditions. Because it is family-centered, organized first of all to supply all that the family requires for a full life, the homestead is deeply satisfying to woman’s nature, for she is a universality and a personalist. She is made to be everything to somebody, some person. That is why the large commercial farm with its hundred cows or thousand acres of wheat has little interest in her. These are specialist ventures, which usually make her a specialist in the kitchen just as they make her husband a specialist with milking machines or combines. But the small, diversified farm corresponds completely to her desire for variety and personalized relationships in work. She enjoys the homestead with its few cows to furnish butter, milk and cheese for her family; its few pigs for meat; its few sheep for lamb and wool; its small flock of chickens for really fresh eggs; a few bee hives for honey; perhaps a flock of ducks to add a note of color and humor to the farm yard. She wants to plant an orchard, a vineyard, a berry patch, an herb and flower garden, as well as a plot of vegetables. She is by nature of Jill of all trades, as Chesterton puts it, and finds relaxation in turning from her household tasks to weed the garden or milk the cow. She wants to know the animals individually, to give them names, even to make pets of them. On the family homestead, the birth of every calf is an event anxiously awaited by the entire family. Everyone knows the peculiarities of each animal, and this knowledge itself adds interest to the work. The homestead is on a human scale, giving rich possibilities for satisfying activity for every member of the family. If women think that agriculture means commercial farming with its crushing burden of specialized, impersonal work, they will take no interest in it and want no share in it. But if they see that the rural life movement means the small, diversified, family-centered farm, they will turn toward it enthusiastically and join the ranks of those who are moving forward to the land. |
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That's it for me exactly --a family-centered farm. 
God is good!
__________________
Michele Quigley
wife to my prince charming and mom of 10 in Lancaster County, PA USA
http://michelequigley.com
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JaysFamily
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| Posted: Dec 29 2010 at 9:15am | IP Logged
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I do want to post a warning about Mother Earth News. I believe that they are, by far, the best resource for sustainable and organic farming! However, they heavily push the population control agenda, so carefully discern any of their materials that you bring into your home!
__________________
In Christ,
Jaysfamily
wife to Jay
mother to DS(5)
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wifemommy
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| Posted: Dec 29 2010 at 9:55am | IP Logged
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Michele I love the quote it is so our family life  Annie
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mamaslearning
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| Posted: Feb 01 2011 at 7:10am | IP Logged
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I wanted to add one that I found at our library. Very useful for small size lots, even giving you layouts and what you can/cannot grow or pasture depending on the number of acres.
The Backyard Homestead
Here's part of the product description:
Quote:
| Put your backyard to work!..............From a quarter of an acre, you can harvest 1,400 eggs, 50 pounds of wheat, 60 pounds of fruit, 2,000 pounds of vegetables, 280 pounds of pork, 75 pounds of nuts. |
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__________________
Lara
DD 11, DS 8, DS 6, DS 4
St. Francis de Sales Homeschool
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florasita
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I so want to second what Micelle said about the booklets posted by Jenn . I am really enjoying reading these and the post war article is so what I needed right now trying to re-focus on family & homemaking .
Thank You so very much
Rox
__________________
May I rise & rest with words of Gratitude on my Breath
May I have the Heart & Mind of a Child in my Depth
May I forever remember to be a Light
May Peace Love & Hope be My Sight
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Hobby Farm Books?
