Living "Totally" Self-Sufficiently In The City

[Tycho]

I was watching CNN's coverage of a family that lives in Pasadena, California, a city a little ways inland from Los Angeles, and they grow their own food.

They have the normal amount of acreage for a suburban home and turned the front and back yards and the drive way, into a farm. They have solar power, and chickens and goats, sheep too I think.

The animals chew up their "green waste" from their crops, and they sell some of what they raise in a farmers' market.

Solar power heats their water and home, and powers their electronics.

They say they live on about $25,000 a year. It's a family of 4, btw - looks like a daughter and son, plus the parents.

The kids said that 10 years ago, as they were becoming teens, they were deemed "odd-balls," but since then, they've been deemed really "new-age and hip" for being so "green."

Oh - they also make their own ethanol fuel from a segment of their crops.

Do you think you could live "in society," while free from most of the constraints "of society?"

[Darth Jax]

i'm all about my creature comforts. i work to live and will pay for what i need. i don't have the time, nor desire, to be more self-sufficient.

[InsaneJediGirl]

Its pretty interesting, but unless the land is zoned for Agricultural or Ag/Residential use they could face some trouble, despite being "green".

I've grown my own vegetables for some time, simply to cut the food cost for the house. $2 per tomato is too much,plus I like knowing where they come from, no weird diseases. As for being totally self-sufficient, I'd go insane. This isnt little House on the Prairie anymore.

[sith_killer_99]

Do you think you could live "in society," while free from most of the constraints "of society?"

I did for 15 months in a third world country. LOL

But seriously, my parents had a house with a huge back yard when I was younger, we grew corn and a lot of other veggies. No live stock.

The food was pretty good, but hardly enough to live off. Solar power was pretty cutting edge back then, or at least out of the reach of common folks, so no alternative energy.

[CaptainSolo1138]

I did for 15 months in a third world country. LOLWell played, sir.

I'm not sure the trouble of being "self-sufficient" is worth the amount of money saved. Granted, that's a totally personal opinion. I would rather go to the farmer's market and buy a bag of carrots and save the time planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, etc.

[Blue2th]

Not very easily possible. I like modern conveniences. Wish I had the money to install solar panels on my roof.
Always thought they could at least turn those old roof turbines into some kind of energy collecting device. Don't think city ordinances would allow a windmill in every yard, but I think those would work.

I don't grow alot of vegetables, mostly just the easy low maintenance stuff like yellow squash, zuchini, tomatoes, and a few herbs. Catnip for the cat. Maybe a pumpkin or two. I'd be happy if I just grew tomatoes though. With the recent tainted ones, the price is high for them, and even if you buy the expensive tomatoes on the vine types, they still pick those green and let them ripen. They just don't have the taste you can only get if you pick them red off the vine yourself.

Been thinking about a small greenhouse for winter just for tomatoes.

[Tycho]

My grandfather used to grow his own tomatoes, amongst other vegetables. But he was REALLY proud of his tomatoes and he used to take photographs of his best ones!

[Blue2th]

My grandfather used to grow his own tomatoes, amongst other vegetables. But he was REALLY proud of his tomatoes and he used to take photographs of his best ones!

I'm going to do that when they get nice and ripe and post them in the: "Gardening the mostly dull thread"

[JimJamBonds]

Do they make their own moonshine as well?

[Tycho]

My grandparents? They never drank. And I mean never. My mother didn't when she was alive either. They didn't / don't believe people should dull down their senses or make fools of themselves at any time.

I don't know how it is that I am related to them. :crazed:

[DarthQuack]

I read in an New Yorker magazine article earlier in the year about a guy in Brooklyn converted his backyard into a farm for a month to live off of, really good article.....his wife wasn't too happy, but things like that seem better these days with the struggling economy.