Give Away: Back Yard Food Production!

I've really been blessed to do some fabulous give-aways, and this one is no exception! Marjory Wildcraft at Backyard Food Production has graciously offered to give-away one of her Food Production Systems DVD along with the Bonus Resource CD!!

I recently had the opportunity to sit down and view the DVD and I have to say, it's well worth the price. The principals alone that Marjory has learned is enough to get any homesteader on the path of being more productive and sustainable than any resource I've come across. But then she goes further by showing you how she's doing it right on her own homestead, shares honestly her own mistakes along the way (always valuable to know), and then supplies you with the best documents she found for tackling each area.

I'm a visual learner (and statistically, most of you are as well). Having someone show me what they're doing gets in my brain a lot better than just reading about it. And there's lots to learn! So much so, that I'll be watching these over and over to glean from them. The DVD is broken down into the following segments:

• An overview of how she began her journey and her homestead's situation in terms of climate and soil
• Watering solutions - sources, harvesting, and containment
• Gardening - how she raises enough to feed her family, and I mean all of it!
• Rabbits as a sustainable protein source
• Home butchering (rabbits are done in detail and then a couple of other small animals are addressed as well)
• Poultry as another sustainable protein source (more for eggs than meat, but she does discuss meat)
• Dogs as a working animal on your homestead
• Perennials: Orchards, Food Forests, and Edible Landscaping (Permaculture)
• Other Essentials: everything from solar food dehydration to hog panels!

It really was helpful having Marjory share what didn't work for her, and I was encouraged by the fact that she didn't do this overnight. She's very clear that every homesteader should start small and learn from each step before jumping into something bigger.  Honestly, I've wondered at times if being a sustainable homesteader was really possible in this day and age, but seeing what she's done on a small acreage with just a couple of hours each day to maintain what she's established has given me a renewed vision that it CAN happen.

During the video, Marjory will often reference a document that she's included on a separate CD for you to access. This is like getting a book of all the important, need-to-know information along with the DVD - primary sources! Some are from her state of Texas, but don't be mislead to think they won't help you. I spent some time going over the Texas Rainwater Harvesting document and it's an excellent 88 page resource for anyone, anywhere. It includes color pictures of examples along with detailed instructions for setting up your own system. All you'd need to do is find out your own state laws in order to be compliant locally.

Marjory doesn't just spend her time working on her homestead; thankfully, she still has a life apart from laboring to produce their own food. Besides being a wife and mother of 2, she speaks frequently about what she's learned to various groups. Recently she spoke at Brave New Books in Austin, Texas about "Why Your Grocery Bill Will Double This Year and What You Can Do About It", and it's free for you to watch on her site!

Enter The Give-Away!

1. To enter for a chance to win this excellent DVD and CD companion, visit Backyard Food Production and look around. Then come back here and tell me something you learned or why you would like to win this DVD. Leave me a comment and if you don't have a blog, be sure to include your email address.

2. Help spread the word and enter a second time! Just blog, facebook, or tweet about this give-away and you can leave a second, separate comment telling me you've done so.

3. Sign up to receive Marjory's newsletter or "like" her facebook page and you may leave a comment for another entry! (You'll find the email box for the newsletter on this page in the green sidebar).

This give-away ends Saturday, August 20, 2011 at 11:59 p.m.
THIS GIVE-AWAY IS NOW CLOSED.