A search hasn't shown up any previous threads on this, so here seems the appropriate place to sing the praises of these activities in helping to get to grips with prepping. I just realised how long this is, and I suspect that many/most of you will be familiar with these things already, but I hope folk find it interesting.
I grew up in a small northern Scottish town with a very handy Dad who taught me basic fishing, shooting (.22 and shotgun), how to hammer a nail and saw a straight cut. After living in Manchester, UK, for 26 years, six of them working an allotment garden, I was still a dab hand at DIY and veg/fruit growing but there's no fishing or hunting in the city and I had no experience with livestock, off-grid energy, construction, etc.
A few years ago, I volunteered on an 8 acre croft on the Isle of Rum. A stunning location, a massive lunch and all the tea and biscuits I could scoff in exchange for working with pigs, hens, ducks, geese, turkeys; solar and wind turbines; water straight from the burn at the top of the croft. Since then, I've looked after the croft solo several times, learning a huge amount, becoming an honorary islander and pushing my abilities and character in dealing with deer ticks and fearsome biting midges, dead pigs and ailing ducks, an experimental and very temperamental wind turbine design, chipping the ice off the inside of the windows, using a generator for the first time, gales tearing polytunnels apart, unblocking water pipes and much more. It's been brilliant.
My first Rum trip got me interested in seeing different set-ups. I joined WWOOF and got placements with a few hosts in England, giving my labour in exchange for skills, knowledge, bed and board.
What a mixed bunch of lovelies and lunatics! My various hosts introduced me to serious polytunnel growing (avocadoes in East Anglia is no mean feat), permaculture, sauerkraut (that wonderful dish), house-building, cows, medical herbalism, market-gardening, farm-to-shop processes, more in-depth food preservation (drying, bottling, pickling), wine and cider making, and much besides. One couple looked after me when I unexpectedly broke a rib, letting me stay on to caretake their smallholding while they travelled to see relatives. They also canoed me to the local pub, built in the 1560s and licensed in the 1600s, where we drank and sang by candlelight.
Some of the most important stuff I learned was how not to do things, including:
If you lack experience and want it, fancy meeting new people and ideas, and perhaps making some great friends, then I heartily recommend wwoofing and similar activities.
ETA: by god, sorry for all the typo-editing!
I grew up in a small northern Scottish town with a very handy Dad who taught me basic fishing, shooting (.22 and shotgun), how to hammer a nail and saw a straight cut. After living in Manchester, UK, for 26 years, six of them working an allotment garden, I was still a dab hand at DIY and veg/fruit growing but there's no fishing or hunting in the city and I had no experience with livestock, off-grid energy, construction, etc.
A few years ago, I volunteered on an 8 acre croft on the Isle of Rum. A stunning location, a massive lunch and all the tea and biscuits I could scoff in exchange for working with pigs, hens, ducks, geese, turkeys; solar and wind turbines; water straight from the burn at the top of the croft. Since then, I've looked after the croft solo several times, learning a huge amount, becoming an honorary islander and pushing my abilities and character in dealing with deer ticks and fearsome biting midges, dead pigs and ailing ducks, an experimental and very temperamental wind turbine design, chipping the ice off the inside of the windows, using a generator for the first time, gales tearing polytunnels apart, unblocking water pipes and much more. It's been brilliant.
My first Rum trip got me interested in seeing different set-ups. I joined WWOOF and got placements with a few hosts in England, giving my labour in exchange for skills, knowledge, bed and board.
What a mixed bunch of lovelies and lunatics! My various hosts introduced me to serious polytunnel growing (avocadoes in East Anglia is no mean feat), permaculture, sauerkraut (that wonderful dish), house-building, cows, medical herbalism, market-gardening, farm-to-shop processes, more in-depth food preservation (drying, bottling, pickling), wine and cider making, and much besides. One couple looked after me when I unexpectedly broke a rib, letting me stay on to caretake their smallholding while they travelled to see relatives. They also canoed me to the local pub, built in the 1560s and licensed in the 1600s, where we drank and sang by candlelight.
Some of the most important stuff I learned was how not to do things, including:
- don't pick (or get your wwoofer to pick!) two big tubs of nettle tops for pesto and then let them rot;
- don't start new ventures when you're recovering from very serious illness and also dealing with legal action;
- don't spend three years struggling up a steep hill with sacks of feed and only then think of constructing a decent path;
- don't keep more hens than you can manage.
If you lack experience and want it, fancy meeting new people and ideas, and perhaps making some great friends, then I heartily recommend wwoofing and similar activities.
ETA: by god, sorry for all the typo-editing!
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