Self Sufficiency in 2016

Nester John Ince takes a look at ways we can each utilize our homes to become more self reliant. 

By John Ince

It’s like having Whole Foods in your back yard. A 20’ X 20’ garden plot will bless you with more tomatoes, cucumbers, squashes, beans, peas, lettuce, spinach and anything else you can find a seed pack for at Southern States than you can possibly eat. You’ll learn to can, freeze, pickle and gel delicious fresh food that can see you through the winter. You’ll get good exercise and a tan as you till, hoe, weed, and harvest your organic bounty from March to September.

Self Sufficiency

For protein, add chickens. Six hens will give you six eggs a day sending you scrambling for new soufflé, meringue, mayonnaise, and quiche recipes. You are supposed to put them in a pot after two years but you may find it hard to retire these hard working girls so completely after all they’ve given you. Hint, a rooster really complicates the happy chicken coop and might make the neighbors a little grumpy too.

Self Sufficiency

That same sunshine that grows your garden can ease your utility bills too with a solar panel array. We’re seeing more and more of them on rooftops in the city and the counties. The technology is improving rapidly and Investment Tax Credits are easing the installation costs. I heard of a $7.00 electric bill today and that was with summertime AC running. Solar panels will pay for themselves in a few years and will definitely enhance your real estate value.

Self Sufficiency

You don’t have to get off the grid completely and stop shaving..but it’s nice to know you could. Gardening can be a rewarding family enterprise and chickens will provide you with much more than just eggs. Their personalities are engaging and their humor contagious. Whether you are in the city or on a farm the bounty of the earth is a gift that gives in so many ways.

Self Sufficiency

Before beginning your farm, be sure to check local and neighborhood regulations.

John Ince is an Associate Broker with Nest Realty. He is our country property specialist with three decades of experience in farm and estate brokerage in the Charlottesville area. He is a respected expert in the farms and estate field of real estate and is happy to answer questions about horse farms, cattle farms, vineyards, raw land, or just a nice place out in the country. To learn more about John, visit his website, CharlottesvilleCountry.com

Photos courtesy of John Ince & Hans Splinter
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One Response to “Self Sufficiency in 2016”

  • Gabriela Zabalúa

    Written on

    Nice post by John Ince. Word of advice: don’t name your chickens. If you get to know them and their personalities, you are bound to fall in love with them. They are hysterical. When freezing the cherries, consider pitting them first!

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