#self sufficiant

[captainjonnitkessler]

I think I can trace my intense hatred for the whole "regulations are just corporate bullshit, building codes are just The Man's way of keeping you down, we should return to pre-industrial barter and trade systems" nonsense back to when I first started doing electrical work at one of the largest hospitals in the country.

I have had to learn so much about all the special conditions in the National Electric Code for healthcare systems. All the systems that keep hospitals running, all the redundancies and backups that make sure one disaster or outage won't take out the hospital's life support, all the rules about different spaces within the hospital and the different standards that apply to each of them. And a lot of it is ridiculously over-engineered and overly redundant, but all of it is in the service of saving even one life from being lost to some wacky series of coincidences that could have been prevented with that redundancy.

I've done significantly less work in food production plants and the like, but I know they have similar standards to make sure the plants aren't going to explode or to make sure a careless maintenance tech isn't accidentally dropping screws into jars of baby food or whatever. And research labs have them to make sure some idiot doesn't leave a wrench inside a transformer and wreck a multi-million dollar machine when they try to switch it on.

Living in the self-sufficient commune is all fun and games until someone needs a kidney transplant and suddenly wants a clean, reliable hospital with doctors that are subject to some kind of overseeing body, is my point.

#i know i've complained about this a hundred times before. AND I'LL DO IT A HUNDRED MORE #just. god. apply ANY critical thinking of whether your self-sufficient society can scale up to a population of 300 million #and that's just for the us!

[samwisethewitch]

Homemaking, gardening, and self-sufficiency resources that won't radicalize you into a hate group

It seems like self-sufficiency and homemaking skills are blowing up right now. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the current economic crisis, a lot of folks, especially young people, are looking to develop skills that will help them be a little bit less dependent on our consumerist economy. And I think that's generally a good thing. I think more of us should know how to cook a meal from scratch, grow our own vegetables, and mend our own clothes. Those are good skills to have.

Unfortunately, these "self-sufficiency" skills are often used as a recruiting tactic by white supremacists, TERFs, and other hate groups. They become a way to reconnect to or relive the "good old days," a romanticized (false) past before modern society and civil rights. And for a lot of people, these skills are inseparably connected to their politics and may even be used as a tool to indoctrinate new people.

In the spirit of building safe communities, here's a complete list of the safe resources I've found for learning homemaking, gardening, and related skills. Safe for me means queer- and trans-friendly, inclusive of different races and cultures, does not contain Christian preaching, and does not contain white supremacist or TERF dog whistles.

Homemaking/Housekeeping/Caring for your home:

Making It by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen [book] (The big crunchy household DIY book; includes every level of self-sufficiency from making your own toothpaste and laundry soap to setting up raised beds to butchering a chicken. Authors are explicitly left-leaning.)

Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair by Mercury Stardust [book] (A guide to simple home repair tasks, written with rentals in mind; very compassionate and accessible language.)

How To Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis [book] (The book about cleaning and housework for people who get overwhelmed by cleaning and housework, based on the premise that messiness is not a moral failing; disability and neurodivergence friendly; genuinely changed how I approach cleaning tasks.)

Gardening

Rebel Gardening by Alessandro Vitale [book] (Really great introduction to urban gardening; explicitly discusses renter-friendly garden designs in small spaces; lots of DIY solutions using recycled materials; note that the author lives in England, so check if plants are invasive in your area before putting them in the ground.)

Country/Rural Living:

Woodsqueer by Gretchen Legler [book] (Memoir of a lesbian who lives and works on a rural farm in Maine with her wife; does a good job of showing what it's like to be queer in a rural space; CW for mentions of domestic violence, infidelity/cheating, and internalized homophobia)

"Debunking the Off-Grid Fantasy" by Maggie Mae Fish [video essay] (Deconstructs the off-grid lifestyle and the myth of self-reliance)

Sewing/Mending:

Annika Victoria [YouTube channel] (No longer active, but their videos are still a great resource for anyone learning to sew; check out the beginner project playlist to start. This is where I learned a lot of what I know about sewing.)

Make, Sew, and Mend by Bernadette Banner [book] (A very thorough written introduction to hand-sewing, written by a clothing historian; lots of fun garment history facts; explicitly inclusive of BIPOC, queer, and trans sewists.)

Sustainability/Land Stewardship

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer [book] (Most of you have probably already read this one or had it recommended to you, but it really is that good; excellent example of how traditional animist beliefs -- in this case, indigenous American beliefs -- can exist in healthy symbiosis with science; more philosophy than how-to, but a great foundational resource.)

Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer [book] (This one is for my fellow witches; one of my favorite witchcraft books, and an excellent example of a place-based practice deeply rooted in the land.)

Avoiding the "Crunchy to Alt Right Pipeline"

Note: the "crunchy to alt-right pipeline" is a term used to describe how white supremacists and other far right groups use "crunchy" spaces (i.e., spaces dedicated to farming, homemaking, alternative medicine, simple living/slow living, etc.) to recruit and indoctrinate people into their movements. Knowing how this recruitment works can help you recognize it when you do encounter it and avoid being influenced by it.

"The Crunchy-to-Alt-Right Pipeline" by Kathleen Belew [magazine article] (Good, short introduction to this issue and its history.)

Sisters in Hate by Seyward Darby (I feel like I need to give a content warning: this book contains explicit descriptions of racism, white supremacy, and Neo Nazis, and it's a very difficult read, but it really is a great, in-depth breakdown of the role women play in the alt-right; also explicitly addresses the crunchy to alt-right pipeline.)

These are just the resources I've personally found helpful, so if anyone else has any they want to add, please, please do!

#homemaking #homemaking resources #gardening #urban gardening #self sufficiency #self sufficient living #sustainability #sustainable living #homesteading #nontrad homemaker #nontrad housewife #urban homesteading #solarpunk #cottagecore #kitchen witch #kitchen witchcraft #crunchy to alt right pipeline #book rec #book recommendations #resource #long post #mine #racism tw #racism mention #transphobia tw #transphobia mention

[1-800-luvmail]

[ read part two w/ könig here ! ]

reader who would rather eat cardboard than have their self sufficiency questioned vs cod men [ 1 / ? ]

price— who is fighting the urge to just take the jar and help you the minute he sees you struggle with the tight lid— tries to reason with you as you insist you've almost got it.

"sweetheart," he sighs, watching with his arms crossed as you continue your stubborn attempt, "why don't you let me have a go, hm?"

"it's basically open— this stupid lid just won't—" you grumble, more to yourself than to him. he's unsure which is more stubborn: the lid of the jar or you.

eventually, you do get it open.

"see! hah! i told you—" you grin, triumphantly holding the jar up for him to see.

"that you did," price can't help but be slightly amused, "many times."

"and i was right."

strangely, you never struggle with a jar like that again. not like you think much about it, just happy about your little victories. and now, you offer to open everything for him. price lets you.

he's never telling you that he's made a habit of loosening the lids before you can get to them, because, god that smile of yours as you succeed in "helping" him is just too adorable.

#val's 💭 #johnathan price #john price #captain price #cod mwii #cod mw2 #call of duty #john price x reader #sooo self indulgent like. target audience is me. #raise ur hand if you support in ur life but would rather die instead of ask for it!!!! #🙋 #like ok i actually am self sufficient i just feel the need to prove it way too much #anyways

[astrateiaa]

Happy (somewhat belated) birthday Anthy!!!! I love you dearly.

I think she deserves to make her own cake if she wants.

#I love someday together utena and anthy #I want anthy to learn how to make her own food and enjoy it #something something agency and self sufficiency and adulthood #there are no candles on her birthday cake #just cream cheese frosting applied messily by utena #yes the eggs are a reference to the world’s shell or whatever #revolutionary girl utena #rgu #shoujo kakumei utena #art #fanart #anthy himemiya #utena tenjou #happy birthday anthy #no image id #rgu fanart #my art

[starstruckodysseys]

adaine finally being able to relax and have a good time now that she can pay for her classes… fuck dude. horrors of capitalism fr

#her and jawbone… agh #girlie you are so self sufficient!! and for what!!! #dimension 20 #d20 #fantasy high #fantasy high junior year #fhjy spoilers #adaine abernant #reese watches fantasy high

[samipekoe]

happy valentines day to me only

#see the thing is like unlike with farcille im my only source of content here. i have to be self sufficient #so the visions never stop #who wants to draw scylla marcille (everyone raises hand) who wants to draw the wolf heads (everyone lowers hand) #my blog is going to become only read mores bc im not brave enough to post larcille in the open...sorry everypony...

[darkandstormyart]

me?? using jokes to cope with canon events that still hurt??? it's more likely than you think!

#the untamed #mo dao zu shi #cql #mdzs #the grandmaster of demonic cultivation #wei wuxian #wen qing #im back in my 'i liked my dumb incorrect quote so much i had to draw it' #self-sufficient again! :')

[forestduck]

#camping #bell tent #canvas tent #round tent #hot stove #aesthetic #camping aesthetic #hiking #bush craft #fire #fire aesthetic #wood #wood aesthetic #forest #forest aesthetic #forest core #off grid #off grid property #self sufficiency

[keepingitneutral]

Happier Camper's !

#art #design #nature #interior design #interiors #trailer #glamping #camping #california #happier camper #camper #travels #nomad #modular #sustainability #self sufficiency #fun #retrofuturism #glam #summer #holidays #freedom

[greenieart]

I was inspired.

#artemis entreri #legend of drizzt #forgotten realms #drizzt #LOD #self harm #tw sh #sh implied #sh scars #i think thats sufficient trigger tagging but if not lmk i suppose #anyway the neverwinter saga is the best series #everything i ever wanted and more #prepare for a flood of drartemis #FMDMGNDJGNDHDDJ #digital #fanart

[christenhelm]

Bring back the victory gardens ✌️

#victory garden #garden #self sustinable #self sufficiency #urban homesteading #homesteading #gardening #vegetable gardening

[beybuniki]

one thing i love about deku is that he's so sincere :( he's so unapologetically nerdy and loves to talk about his interests, but he's also so happy to let others share their interests with himmm, i love that mina teaches him how to dance and like he kinda sucks but he's SO commited to it!! and he helps jirou with taking notes in a productive way etc., idk i love those small moments i love how much deku respects other people's passions, it's also nice to see that, while he def is miles ahead when it comes to his quirk, he doesn't look down on anyone and is so willing to have others teach him sth hes so cute inko raises him so well

#and self sufficient hyper independent kids like bakugo hate kids like deku because it irritates them to see #someone not struggle with vulnerability like how doeshe do it without being overwhelmed by shame!!!!!!!!!!!! #a very specifc and infantile form of resentment imo

[petula-xx]

MAY 5 - 11 2024

Only a couple of sleeps left to go!!!!!

#International compost awareness week #compost #garden #gardeners on tumblr #gardening #home grown #self sufficiency #vegetables #minimal waste #zero waste #plants #organic food #composting

[iysure]

are you tired of being repressed? don’t you just want to be held?

#house of the dragon #rhaenicent #rhaenyra x alicent #searching up the phrases 'signify _thing' and 'self-sufficient' and seeing that they originated in the ~1600s and closing my eyes to this #if you know what piece of media this is referencing you win! #what do you win you ask? my respect and the knowledge that you delighted me (nothing)

[hedgehog-moss]

My greenhouse onions look like a school of fish, I love them! I wasn't sure I'd be able to grow onions in the aquaponic towers above the fish tank because, well, there's no soil and they're very squished in vertical towers, but they just went "no worries we'll adapt" and grew vertically in this nice ocarina shape

#crawling along #i am officially self-sufficient when it comes to onions! #which is a small but satisfying milestone #i've been able to grow enough for all my cooking needs continuously all year long #and also collect & use their seeds. so these are 3rd-generation onions

[toadstoolgardens]

Low-Maintenance Gardening

There are so many reasons to choose a low-maintenance garden. Gardening should be a peaceful and fulfilling hobby, not something that adds stress or causes pain. A beautiful, bountiful, low-maintenance harvest is possible!

Annual Crops for the Low-Maintenance Garden

These set it and forget it crops have a long season, don't need a lot of babying, and usually get harvested all at once. Many of these can also be grown in raised beds, and some in containers (potatoes grow great in a 5 gallon bucket!!) if that's best for you.

Ideal Annual Crops: These can all go into cold storage for up to 8 months.

Garlic

Onions

Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Winter Squash

Beans

Pretty Good Annual Crops: These need some attention after harvesting for them to last as long as possible.

Broccoli

Brussels Sprouts

Cabbage ^^^Refrigerate these 3

Watermelon (Go into cold storage whole and last 2-3 weeks)

Tomatoes (You can grow determinate tomato varieties for a bumper crop that's harvested all at once. Sit tomatoes at room temperature 2-3 days and then process. Freeze, can, make sauce with them, etc.)

Herbs for the Low-Maintenance Garden

Herbs are the ultimate low-maintenance crop. So many options and they don't mind being ignored and can easily be grown in containers.

Ideal Herbs: These herbs are perennials and come back every year with just a little work on your part. All you need to do is prune them down to 5 inches once in the late spring and once around August to keep them growing indefinitely!

Chives

Oregano

Thyme

Rosemary (If you live in hardiness zones 7-10)

Pretty Good Herbs: These are annual herbs so you'll have to plant them each year. Both of these are also favorites of pollinators and beneficial insects!

Basil (put basil sprigs in a glass of water in the kitchen, change the water every few days, and after a while they should root for easy planting)

Cilantro

Fruits for the Low-Maintenance Garden

If you have the space and means to grow fruit trees or shrubs, they're an excellent low-maintenance choice. They bear a crop year after year with a little pruning (prune once or twice a year) and adding some compost or organic matter (once a year).

Ideal Fruits: These have a long storage life and require little processing after harvesting.

Apples

Citrus Fruits

Grapes

Pears

Pretty Good Fruits: These have much shorter storage life.

Berries (Grow a ton of fruit without much coaxing, but highly perishable so need to be eaten or frozen/processed after harvest)

Pawpaws (If you live in hardiness zones 5-9)

Plums

Some Tips for Low-Maintenance Gardening

Spend 15 minutes a day in the garden, whenever possible. This daily visit doesn't have to be spent working, especially if you're lacking energy, time, spoons, etc. It can be spent observing, enjoying, and just being in the garden, which is just as important as the doing!! Notice the changes as the days, weeks, and seasons change. Enjoy the plants, insects, birds, and other critters you've invited into your garden.

Mulch like a motherfucker. After planting, mulch that garden! A good mulching keeps weeds at bay, making less work for you.

Stagger harvest windows. Plan your planting times so you only have one or a few crops coming to harvest at the same time. This also allows for full appreciation and enjoyment of each crop, hopefully without burnout or overwhelm!

Put it on the calendar. Write down planting, harvesting, and pruning windows for each crop.

Most importantly, BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF. Gardening, even a low-maintenance garden, is hard! You will lose plants. You will lose crops. You will make mistakes and have failures. You weren't able to get to the garden and all your sprouts died? That's totally okay and you can always start them again! You weren't able to harvest in time and the birds got all your berries? You're welcome, birds! Do your best, do what you're able, and you're doing amazing!!💖

Source

#gardening #low maintenance #low maintenance garden #self sufficiency #cottagecore #solarpunk