Going "Off the Grid" - One Family's Story

I have said time and time again that this blog is not about being a "survivalist" or being one of those people from the TV show "Doomsday Bunkers" on the Discovery channel.  (And I should add, that if it ever gets to the point where the end of the world is about to happen - aren't I going to be the one who's sorry?) But, instead - this blog is all about disconnecting a bit - and allowing ourselves time to enjoy life.  Putting down the phones or turning off the TV once in a while to enjoy a quick getaway vacation or just a relaxing afternoon picnic with the family.  Well, I was recently informed from a friend that this one family in North Carolina took steps to "disconnect" - and it snowballed.  In a good way.  I asked her to share her story - and she gladly accepted (thank you!) Here is her story - in her own words.  I have to say - I'm definitely inspired.  See more on her blog, http://www.offgridhomestead.blogspot.com

Robb and I had been entertaining the idea of homesteading since 1996. We were young and living in a small outdated apartment, and would have conversations about gardening and living off the land. In 1998 we bought a small farm house. We grew our first small garden and still entertained the idea of doing even more to minimize our reliance on the outside world.

 

 

A trip across the country and 10 yrs after our late night talks about living a simpler life, we found our dream home in 2006. A small house in the middle of the Pisgah National Forest, 12 miles of gravel in any direction, an hour to a store. It was the house we had been waiting for.

After the birth of our daughter in 2007 we grew a small garden. The following Winter we purchased our first flock of laying hens, and our Beloved Woodcookstove.

Our off grid Journey was a 5 year process. We started with the woodcookstove , heating our home with wood and removing our propane fireplace. From there is all kind of snowballed. We hooked up our woodcookstove so it heats all of the water in our home in the winter . We also do all of our baking and cooking with wood in the winter months. We have a passive solar hot water set up for hot water in the summer. In 2012 we purchased our inverter and controller for our off grid system, followed by the Solar panels and lastly the batteries. The entire system was installed by my husband. We disconnected from the power grid completely in October of 2013.

 

Now in 2014 we have numerous gardens, 60 beehives, laying chickens, Meat birds, 50 Shiitake mushroom logs, fruit trees, berry bushes, and a small hoophouse.

 

 We grow and preserve most of our own food and sell produce, honey,eggs, and chicken at the farmers market.

I would like to say that this is an easy life, but it is not. There is always something to be done, and you never feel quite caught up, especially in the spring and summer months. There is always gardens to be weeded, food to be preserved, hives to be inspected, and wood to be split.

There is also no greater satisfaction and a kind of peace that comes with living this way. It’s a satisfaction that, to us, cannot be replaced with anything else. It’s the good life, or as my Dad would say..”living the dream” .