other than raising chickens what other cool stuff do you all do?

[AHappychick]

In addition to now raising chickens I have my veggie garden that I refer to as my farm. Being 20 minutes outside NYC it is more like a mini farm (but a girl can dream right) Anyway I grow just about everything I can fruits, berries, veggies of all sorts. No one in my family knows why I am so into the farm thing since we are all city folk and since there is no one around me that does what I do I find myself traveling to any farm or local farmers market to pick the brains of anyone who might have good suggestions.

I am a strict organic farmer so I am always looking for new and better ways to get the best harvests. I fish, shoot guns, and am a carpenter/mason as well.

I have seen that a few of you also raise bees and such. I would love to know all the cool stuff you all do so please list them here if you are so inclined. Call me a weirdo but I am really interested in learning and gaining knowledge from some of the other more experienced people on this site since it is clear that there is a ton of experience and knowledge in this forum.

 

[Shared Acres]

I'm a photographer and writer.

I also do crafts: www.roadtripdiva.etsy.com

I also do some design stuff: www.toystoryjunkie.cafepress.com

And I try not to kill my family. Because it is the holidays you know. : >

 

[ZooMummzy]

Quote:

I totally relate. It has been a longggggggg winter break already with all the snow up here. I still have 11 days to go...I hope they survive.

Other than being a Zoo Mommy to both animals and kids, I try to get in a little gardening between remodeling the house....research my family history late into the night and dabble in writing travel journals when we go to Europe.

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Besides chickens, geese and ducks. I care for horses, goats, dogs and a cat. I love to garden both flowers and vegetables. I love to bake, pies, cakes, cookies, etc. I am very active in my church and of course volunteering for the sports and other activities that my 3 boys are involved in.

 

[Beekissed]

AHappyChick, you sound like the kind of person who would enjoy our sister site: SufficientSelf.com

Several people on there who are into what you are doing and trying to find ways to do more of it. I think this next year will be a springboard for numerous self-sufficiency projects for our members.

I will be getting bees this spring, as well as a flock of Toulouse geese for down harvesting and grazing my orchard. I will also be buying two Dorper or Katahdin ewe sheep to start rotational grazing of my acre +. I hope to milk the sheep a little to try out my hand at making some soft cheeses . I also hope to get a couple of feeder pigs to fence into my garden spaces to plow up and fertilize my soil~then sell them at market. I will be selling eggs and vegetables at my roadside stand this year, as well as some handcrafted windchimes, quilted throws, hopefully some honey in the fall, and apples, applesauce, applebutter, eggs, cut flowers, potted herbs and perennials, soaps, lotions, lip balms.

The bulk of my formative years was spent homesteading off grid and I would like to return to a more simple lifestyle like we lived back then.

 

[Mourningdove]

I love horses and all aspects of farm life, but I don't have alot of land for it. I raise a garden, I can & freeze my mators and other fruits & veggies, raise chickens, I make quilt tops & quilt!

 

[EllyMae]

I'm a home health nurse but only work prn so that I can work my schedule around my family. I have a small farm that is growing fast. We just moved from a 2 acre homestead to a 13 acre literally in the wilderness of the South MOuntains, lol. LOVE it.

 

[Mourningdove]

oh hubby & I have a record store!

 

[debilorrah]

I read. ALOT! Like 2-3 books a week. Photography is a hobby of mine too. And when things get really rough, I drink. Is that a hobby? It's wine....

 

[ChandlersChickens]

I'm going to school (online) for my Master's degree in Psychology. I work full time as a Case Manager for the mentall ill. In my spare time I search for a job for my husband. He was laid off in October and has only had one interview.
If he could get a good paying job, I would gladly stay home with the chickens and kids!!