Building my Homestead - Vermont

[VTHomestead]

So recently(closed in jan!) I purchased a 2 story saltbox in the mountains of vermont. I have about 2 acres of clearable farmable land and another 11 acres of mountain and forest lands, which backs up to 1000's of acres of protected state owned land.. this land can all be hunted and fished during season.



We have wild turkey, deer, bear, moose, squarrel, and rabbits that can be taken.

As well as trout, bass, walleye and other things.

End game is to be completely self sufficient and able to live off the grid. On my property I have two work shops built. One has electric and which I plan to turn into an indoor grow house for mushrooms year around. The other has a wood shed, and another workshop without power.

Electric/Woodstove Workshop


I will also be planting and starting an outdoor mushroom growing operation for shiitake's and hen of the wood.

1st Year Goals:
200 Shiitake Logs / 50 Hen of the Wood Logs
Garden
Chickens
Finish painting inside the house

10yr Plan
Off-Grid Solar
Functioning Garden
Chickens
Goats
Hogs
Establish Mushrooms as cash crop.




I have a lot planned and well, I figured I'd just introduce myself with my first post, and i'll keep this thread updated along the way! I'll probably have a lot of questions as well.

[blufford]

Do you have any maple trees for sap?

[Jennifer L.]

Looks great so far! Congratulations on getting started.

[julieq]

Beautiful, congrats! And welcome to HT! I do think that goats should be in your '1 year' plan though.

[Sculkrusha]

I hope your plans all fall in to place for you. It looks a bit cold there.........and you have.....BEARS ...YIKES im outa there.

Cheers....Scul

[VTHomestead]

Originally Posted by blufford

Do you have any maple trees for sap?

It's vermont! We have an endless supply of sugar maples.. I will be using the sugar maples for both sap, and to innoculate their sugary hard wood with mushroom spores in the spring

I have no intentions of building a sugar house, or doing large scale sugaring.. the last thing I want to do is run a bunch of hose in my woods.

I will probably tap a couple hundred trees next winter.

[highlands]

Welcome to Vermont!

Bears aren't so bad. They are easy to negotiate with. Coyotes and crows/ravens are more of a problem. Fishercat are a big problem. Occasionally catamount but infrequently. Get good working dogs to handle the local predators and pests.

Cheers,

-Walter Jeffries
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/

[VTHomestead]

Originally Posted by julieq

Beautiful, congrats! And welcome to HT! I do think that goats should be in your '1 year' plan though.

Goats are high on the priority list. But I wanted to be realistic.. I've got a lot of fence to build before I'm ready for goats. I need to fence off several grazing pastures in the trees and mountains. It's gotta be good fence or the coyote can dig under the fence and eat my goats i'm afraid.

[VTHomestead]

Originally Posted by highlands

Welcome to Vermont!

Bears aren't so bad. They are easy to negotiate with. Coyotes and crows/ravens are more of a problem. Fishercat are a big problem. Occasionally catamount but infrequently. Get good working dogs to handle the local predators and pests.

Cheers,

-Walter Jeffries
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/

Thanks a lot! I've seen your farm around(maybe at the burlington farmers market?) or when I was looking for a CSA or something! I've been here a few years now. Lived in Burlington and Winooski before buying this property in Huntington.

I grew up on a farm, and it's been a dream of mine to get back to a simpler life. I'm thankful for the job I have that's letting me chase my dream, but it's not what I want to do forever. What's your thought on mushrooms for a cash crop in Vermont. I don't see a lot of people selling mushrooms when I go to the farmers markets(that could be good or bad), but it would seem to me, that there is plenty of demand in our area for exotic delicious fungi! I'm an amateur mycologist and have been doing small scale growing for a bit now.

It takes a year before you get your first fruits from inoculated logs, i'm hoping next spring I can start selling at the locals farmers markets!

Any tips you can give on getting proper paperwork to sell @ farmers markets in VT? I know we make it pretty easy, but always good to know!

[Raven12]

Nice. Congrats.

[Sculkrusha]

Originally Posted by highlands

Welcome to Vermont!

Bears aren't so bad. They are easy to negotiate with. Coyotes and crows/ravens are more of a problem. Fishercat are a big problem. Occasionally catamount but infrequently. Get good working dogs to handle the local predators and pests.

Cheers,

-Walter Jeffries
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/

Hu Bears aint nothing over there, over here we have.......DROPBEARS, These suckers will tear yu apart