(FREE) October: The Sunny Side
Contributed by Liz Threlkeld / Owner, Sunny Creek Trading Post
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Take Messy Action: A tale of two trees
Hello again, Friends!
Thanks for being here! Let’s dive right in!
It seems most Americans are as disconnected from their food supply chain as they are the obsolescent homesteading way of life. However, for some, the cute farmhouse decor at Hobby Lobby is not enough to satisfy that deep-rooted, ‘old ways’ longing. Especially since COVID-19, many people are searching for ways to bring pieces of homesteading back into their modern way of living.
Homesteading can mean many things to many people, but somewhere at the heart of it all, you will usually find food. If you’re reading this article, there’s a decent chance that you have some sort of interest in your food, where it comes from and/or how to acquire it.
If you are intrigued by this way of thinking but haven’t ventured out, let me tell you about my two pear trees …
They are the same age, planted simultaneously, and get the same exposure to the elements and water. One tree is erect, growing straight into the sky, beautifully shaped, and its branches are growing relatively equidistantly. The other is growing in the unsightliest manner. Its branches start one way and twist out to another. Some grow straight up, others cross over several more, and many of them are bent way over like a rainbow. Do you know which tree produces the most fruit?
The disorderly tree. Every year it is loaded to the point where I have to purposefully knock off immature fruit to keep the limbs from breaking. The tree didn’t wait until it was perfect and ‘had it all together’ to start producing fruit. It just got busy doing what it was supposed to do.
Meanwhile, the other tree, which has produced a total of maybe 25 pears in three years, is super busy making itself look tall and beautiful but isn’t producing much fruit. Both trees can produce fruit, but one is more focused on it than the other.
So, dear Reader, if you think you must have it all together before taking the leap that you’ve been ruminating over, maybe consider the possibility that you don’t have to ‘have it all together’ before you do. Sometimes taking messy action and building the parachute on the way down is better than overthinking an idea into nonexistence. How do you combat “paralysis by analysis”? You take action!
So, here are some possible action items to help jump-start or boost your food procurement efforts:
Grow an herb or vegetable garden. Plants don’t run from you, kick you, bite you or send you to jail if they die of neglect so it’s a great place to start for beginners!
Start foraging for food by learning how to ethically harvest and safely identify edible plants.
Try a Hydroponics or Aquaponics system.
See the QR code.
Become a beekeeper. Fresh, local honey is widely used for medicinal purposes, never goes bad, has high nutritional value, and a responsible beekeeper can help increase bee population! Selling local honey can also be a lucrative side-business.
Learn to hunt and/or fish. There are modern tools for these old-fashioned skills which can be a great way to source food.
Raise a dairy cow or goat and enjoy fresh milk, cream and cheeses.
Raise an animal for meat and take it to a local butcher for processing and savor your nutrient-dense, homegrown protein!
One IMPORTANT thing to note: Be sure to check local, state and federal regulations before beginning any of these ventures, even if it’s on your own property.
Happy parachute building!
Liz Threlkeld
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Welcome to “The Sunny Side” where we’ll chat about all things homesteading! My name is Liz Threlkeld and I have been homesteading with my family in small forms or large fashions for most of my life. From growing gardens to DIY projects, to cooking and preserving, to raising and processing our own meat animals, we’ve learned a thing or two along the way. I’m excited to get to share some of this life with you. Ready? Let’s grow!
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