There seems to be an ongoing discussion with visitors to our property about what we should be calling our way of life living on 15 acres of land a half hour from Grande Prairie. We aren’t farmers as we do not grow any crops and we have no animals. We aren’t really acreage dwellers because that is usually those with a house on 1 acreage of land amongst a bunch of other similar properties in a subdivision. As much as I am trying to forage and create with things we find growing on our property, I would not say we are homesteaders. We are perhaps trying to be permaculturists (reuse/repurpose what we have, grow a garden, collect rainwater, provide a haven for wildlife). I just know that whatever we call ourselves, we are discovering things that have become essential to maintaining this way of life.
A big part of maintaining a property is lawn and weed control. In a normal summer with regular rainfall, our yard could easily be overcome with waist high grass by fall if we just let it go. We probably cut about two acres worth of our yard. We started out with a leaking gas powered weed whacker, a 2007 riding lawn mower that wouldn’t shift past 3rd that I could not get into reverse and our gas mower that I could never start. Considering that I am the one usually dealing with the grass cutting, this became an issue. Now we have the brush cutter that can also be a weed whacker, a new riding lawn mower and, after replacing the air filter, our old gas mower starts like a dream.
We didn’t purchase any new equipment for raking and gathering leaves but I wanted to share a tool that I hadn’t thought of using before. Raking leaves isn’t really a necessity for us like it is for those living in an urban community. I did decide to rake the dried leaves this spring after they had had a chance to break down a bit over the winter. I have used them in the last few months to toss on the garden as mulch or as a brown layer in my composter. To assist in picking up the leaves, I have started using an aluminum grain shovel as a kind of leaf dustpan and it works amazingly well! I would scoop them up with the shovel and toss them in a large garbage bin dumping it near the composter to create a pile there. Light weight and no more bending.
We spent our first winter out here with just shovels to deal with the snow. Of course, that was the winter where it snowed and snowed and snowed. We bought a snowblower that March on clearance and it has made life easier. Granted, a truck with a push blade would take less time, but would also cost thousands of dollars more. This snowblower works for deep drifts and I can still use the shovel closer to the house and vehicles to get some exercise.
Another task that I enjoy is cleaning up and removing brush from our “forest” in an attempt to create walking paths for us and the deer/moose. This also allows the wild Saskatoon bushes to get more sunlight. I pile the branches in different spots which the birds love for nesting and small animals use for shelter in the winter. To tackle this job, I initially thought I could use a handsaw or maybe an axe. Neither works well for removing branches or cutting down a dead tree. Now we have a battery powered chainsaw, a folding pruning saw and a pair of ratcheting anvil loppers. I only use, or get Chris to use, the chainsaw when the tree is too thick to use the pruning saw or a tree has fallen across our trail and I want it removed quickly. The loppers can take off most of the branches and then I just drag the tree to where I want to stack them. The pruning saw can cut down a smaller tree fairly easily.
Another issue we encountered early on was moving things from one location on the property to another. From our large shed to the garage attached to the house is about 100ft. We store extra wood and building materials in the shed. The house came with a metal utility cart with fold down sides and tiny wheels. We tried using it to transport wood, branches or weeds for the first summer. We quickly realized that the cheap wheels caught on every rut in the ground, things would fall off of it because it was quite narrow and because of its wire mesh frame, when transporting things like soil, weeds or leaves you needed to line it with a tarp.
We purchased a Gorilla cart and that has made our lives so much easier. It can be attached to the back of the riding mower with a pin after you remove the handle. It can carry 1200lbs of weight and its wheels bounce nicely over bumps. The only issue we find now is fighting over who gets to use the cart; we really need a second one.
As we try to build up our food forest and garden, we start to think about canning and preserving. I have been making jams and relish for years and I highly recommend that anyone that decides to can anything should own a canning kit. I must have used this set at least 100 times over the years and haven’t had to replace any of it. A set of jar tongs, a magnetic wand to get lids out of boiling water, a ladle and a wide funnel.
Since we have been in this house we have purchased a steam juicer. I would recommend it to anyone who gets a lot of berries, apples or even an abundance of vegetables. It makes the process of juicing so much easier as you skip the stage of having to drain everything through cheesecloth or a pillow case. It was a lifesaver for me last fall/winter as I juiced Saskatoons multiple times after last year’s bumper crop. I plan to foray into using it for apples this fall as my sister has offered to let us pick their apple tree. I have tried chokecherries, haskaps , saskatoons and raspberries so far.
Another item on my wish list was a food dehydrator. We owned one years ago that we had bought for making beef jerky. It eventually died and went to small appliance heaven and we, at the time, didn’t feel motivated to buy another. Now, with fruits, vegetables and herbs I want to use it as a different way to preserve food. I received a dehydrator for Christmas from our eldest son and have used it only a few times to make banana chips, sun dried tomatoes and have attempted to make fruit powder. In the next few days, I will take one of my large zucchini, cut it into thin strips to dehydrate it and make zucchini flour.
Little by little we are buying things that help us get these jobs done a bit more efficiently while also being less hard on the body. Sometimes spending money on a quality product that works is worth its weight in gold. We have already found that sharing our opinions about the gorilla cart and steam juicer have prompted others to purchase them to make their lives easier.
That is my goal. If even one of these items makes a light bulb go on for even one person reading this, then I have done what I have set out to do.
Having spent a month last year on the farm, I totally appreciate and understand this post. I especially enjoyed your effort at defining exactly what you are doing out there. I think you nailed it. I equally feel that what you are doing is very special.
I seen that gorilla cart, at the horticultural show!