Back to Nature--And Mosquitoes

I have been contemplating the whole hippie idea of going back to the land and living either off nature's bounty, or by working the land by hand in order to enjoy economic self-sufficiency. Without question, camping is fun, but imagine how difficult it would be to survive by foraging. It would also be more healthy if more people lived on small farms, but many factors go against this wisdom.

On the topic of being a modern caveman, the basic fact is that it is impossible for most to do it. Foraging is a highly complex skill that requires a familiarity with native plants and how to gather them. Many ecosystems cannot tolerate more than light foraging, and this includes the semi-dessert that exists in 1/3 of the United States. Forests provide vastly more food, but imagine hundreds of people trying to doing it. The land would quickly get trashed, and the wildlife would be disrupted in their lives. The average person is a novice, is not disposed to deeply research, and might eat a poisonous mushroom.

Our ancestors were nomads, and anthropologists understand the challenge surviving by gathering. A band of forty could exhaust nearby resources in only a few weeks, including both plants and prey. For Pre-Columbus Native Americans, only those tribes in wooded land with plenty of rainfall could afford the luxury of permanent settlements. Southern economies were based on intensive agriculture, so even these stone-using people were forced to civilization once their populations expanded.

On the bright side, foraging is a unique and useful skill, and since few people do it, the spoils are wide open. Gathering edible mushrooms and wild berries and things such as acorns and pine nuts is excellent exercise, and the bounty is nutritious, but a person must develop a taste for wild foods. Also, these things were not bred for human utility, so extra processing is typically required. Acorns, for example, are bitter and must be washed several times after being crushed in order to remove the tannins. It is also important to prevent foraging from disrupting local wildlife.

Living on an organic farm, or even just gardening in the back yard, can be financially and healthfully rewarding, but there are reasons why not everyone is a farmer. Working by hand is hard work, sometimes in hot weather. Even some elderly people do it, but the strain is uncomfortable or even dangerous to many. Small farmers also exist in poverty, and cannot financially compete with large-farm efficiency. A person must be committed to alternative living for such an arrangement to financially succeed, because utilities and mortgage would otherwise swallow the hopeful. They must also be content to not have much cash in hand.

The advantages of living in a city, by comparison, is the proximity to many services and also to both similar and dissimilar people. So many jammed into the same living space can be stressful, but environmentalists constantly point out that it is better if more people live on less acreage. Not everyone is up to the challenge of managing land, and the best people to do so are those able to conserve it. Distance from the city means distance from stores, utilities, and also emergency services. Self-reliance can become very uncomfortable at times.

Living close to wildlife also means being close to things such as poisonous snakes, coyotes, and ticks and mosquitoes; and so anyone wanting to live close to nature must accept all the things that go with it. These critters can pose a risk to human health, as well as prey on livestock and garden vegetables. Living in nature means working with it, but sometimes also combating it, especially when your tomato patch is in jeapardy.

Country living is a profession that requires specialized knowledge, like any other, and anyone wanting to do it must first undertake research. They must understand what it all entails, and must accept the work and challenge that attend it. Hippies understand that knowledge makes the difference between hard work and enjoyment, and for every technological solution there is a gentler alternative. If a person takes the time to learn all these things, then living in nature can at times roughly approach paradise.

 

and the black flies..

 

Great post Independence

 

Mostly a great post. Just a few thoughts for you...

This is conventional theory... If you are combating nature, you are not living with it. Bugs eat certain plants because that's what they require, so you plant something with those plants that repells that bug.

Even in terms of mosquitos and biting insects and the like... You CAN'T win against them.

You change your landscape, you use plants and animals to work with each other to achieve your aims...

The only thing that MUST be done first, is to accept that there will be work involved and to start.

There are untold numbers of stories of people who knew nothing at all about living away from towns and cities who have went out and built homes that spawned generations.

There is no case where someone with knowledge has done it without work.

Knowledge IS important, don't get me wrong... but knowledge is useless without the work to go into it.

 

Protecting your crop from deer and other animals means a very high fence or quite possibly a green house. Hands-on experience is important, but a LOT of people have wasted a lot of time or money because they were not educated beforehand. Some have died because of ignorance. Please, read up and consult an expert before heading out.

 

A lot of people have died stepping out their front door too...

But as for what you just said...

Hands on experience, comes from working with your hands and gaining experience... that has zero to do with being educated before hand.

 

Okay... let's try this a different way...

Someone can come here and know EVERYTHING there is to know about gardening, animals, self-sufficiency and so on... and never do a thing...

Someone else can come here with NO knoweledge about it and actually start doing things and learn what they need to know over time...

Which do you think will last longer?

 

Is moving with passion so important? Try gardening on a small scale before you buy acreage and try a full-scale farm.

 

Yes.

I think you slipped off the track of your argument somewhere... lol

 

I garden, and it takes a lot specific understanding to work with plants, especially by hand. If I moved out to a farm without that prerequisite understanding, then I would fail. For example, broccoli cannot grow fast enough in one season without fertilizer. An organic farmer must sow broccoli in fall and then allow it to overwinter so that it grows in spring. Broccoli needs cool weather in order to successfully form heads, and it survives over winter. Should I build an organic farm...and that is my intention...then I will benefit from having worked with these plants before.

Although, yes, I see issue with the phrase "full-scale farm." I mean an organic farm, not an industrial farm where thousands of acres are manages with a giant tractor.

 

Well, what can I say to that...

If you feel you don't have the ability to learn as you go, as many many many people throughout history have, then I wouldn't presume to argue with you about it.

Most people (or at least those who would do more then learn about it beforehand), do have the ability to learn as they go however.

Also, if you think the success of broccoli is the measure that you want to go by..... well, I can't say much to that either, besides that most people would plant a variety of things... those that didn't work the first time, they would then try a different way (perhaps after some research) and then try it again.

I am curious though... why are you tying so much into learning things beforehand?

After all, I never said that knowledge was bad or that people shouldn't seek it... I said that it having that knowledge is not a prerequisite to starting.

 

Learning as you go can be a real pain in the butt, especially if your life depends on it. Survival skills are best learned in advance. If you are moving out into the woods, or developing a piece of land along organic lines, then you are taking a huge risk. Idealism is great, but preparation makes the experience more enjoyable. Most people do this expecting pleasure, not a grind for survival.

 

Okay... I'll try again...

Look around the board... not just this section, but others as well.

See how many examples you can find of people who already have enough excuses to not make a change in their lives... and then see how many people tried and failed (died)...

You will find many of the first... a whole bunch that tried, gave up and went back to conventional life, and very very few that died as a result of trying...

People do not need more reasons to stay sitting on their ass waiting for a more appropriate time to start...

 

Who's sitting on their butt? I am gardening, and I am learning how to manipulate soil to build an earthen structure. I am also saving money. There is a real financial side to this. I believe I am going to succeed, because of careful planning. I have learned a lot about plants that i did not know previous, and my ability to apply this to a larger scale will grow with time. It might not suit your tastes, but I am learning many skills in a safe place before heading out.

 

26 years old... living at home with your parents... telling others about independance....

Yeah... I've spent about enough time on you....

 

In a bad economy, you learn to use every financial strategy necessary to get the things you want. Besides, I do not currently live with my parents. I have been going to school and studying other professional interests as well.

 

The old fashioned mosquito net is still the best defence against being tormented when ashore and is a useful item to carry with you. Lice and fleas are a problem in many places ashore, particularly in low cost accommodations. Citrosa plants work.

 

gotta post to join, dude. These are my induction posts.