nostradamus

[Guest guest]

Dear Prabhus,

 

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

> A point for us on this conference is that threats of war give us impetus

in

> having ourselves ready at all times to produce the food and dairy products

> that we require and our fellow neighbors require. If war happens how will

> we get our food. Are we ready. Are we growing it and do we have the things

> in place to deal with the crops to bring it to the plate?

 

I find this paragraph of Syamasundara prabhu's worthy of sincere discussion.

>From the discussions on this conference it appears that many participants

are seriously thinking of individual devotees establishing themselves on the

land and providing for themselves as well as other devotees. This was in

discussion before the horrific current events developed. The more we learn

how this can be done on an individual level the more we can understand how

this can be done on a communal level. Since there are devotees already

attempting to discover how they can live off the land, I think we would

benefit to hear from them. Niscala prabhu has been giving us some insightful

entries on how she is working to establish herself on the land in Australia.

I thought I would give a little information on how my family is trying to do

the same.

 

On a personal level we have been working to

develop our farm with the goal that most, if not all, of our income comes

from

our farm. As many of you know already, Balabhadra works a full time night

job (5 days a week 8 hours a day) and then works in the daylight hours on

our farm. Enough income from our farm would allow him to retire from his

night job. The night job only provides a poverty level income which is

sufficient for us. Therefore the needed income gleaned from the land is

possible to achieve from the land.

 

Our biggest problem was the initial income to purchase the land and then to

build housing. Now we have 167 acres and three dwellings, our house, our

son's house, and a cabin for our daughter. We have refurbished the old barn

and are in the process of building a new one. An entire water system was put

in to accommodate 26 cows, mostly from the New Vrndavana herd. We have one

well on the top of a hill above our house with the intent of eventually

getting windmill to move the water. We have a 1000 gallon holding tank on

the hill over our son's house which can also be generated by a windmill.

Both houses were built into the hillside and of a cement basic structure,

much like a modified earth shelter. In the winter we use very little wood to

heat since the heat is contained very well. The houses face the rising sun

achieving warm sunshine in the morning. In the summer the houses remain cool

without air conditioning. Somehow our house seems to be cooler, i think due

to it being larger.

 

Balabadra, my daughter and I have a garden this year that has been

extremely productive and we have preserved by canning over 300 jars of

tomato sauce, chutney, stewed tomatoes, tomato soup mix, tomato chunks,

salsa, beans, bean

subj, 2 kinds of squash subj, and dried 8 boxes full of tomatoes, zucchini,

and squash. We have yet the apples to harvest from which we make applesauce

and can apple junks to make desserts.

 

This winter we want to see

how far we can go without buying any vegetables or fruits at the

supermarket. The winter here lasts about 6 months and to not have to buy

these items will save us sufficient money. We heat by wood of which we have

much in our forests. The teams of oxen we have are experienced in logging.

So much money is saved also by using wood and it gives a very personal

warmth.

 

Next year we want to plant some blueberry/raspberry plants in

the garden area along with more lavender and herbs. We still have jars of

raspberry and blueberry jam from the year before. Oh yes, I forgot to

mention the corolla or bitter melon that we dried from last year. We are

just beginning

to harvest them this year. They are delicious as chips.

 

On a daily basis we have had chard, kale, brussels sprouts, tomatoes,

potatoes, peppers, chili peppers, beans, squash, zucchini, and eggplant. The

carrots, beets and sweet potatoes have not yet been harvested. The bitter

melon is just now producing strongly. Needless to say during the warm months

we have sufficient produce to take fresh from the garden

 

We have one milking cow. Her name is Draupadi and she has been milking for 5

1/2 years. We sell her milk to two devotee families who are very glad to get

it. They pay a little more than they would at the supermarket.

 

The local people and the local devotees are always amazed at how much

produce we have. We have been giving some of it away because we can't

harvest it all. We have had some people pick their own and then pay. Since

the current events some devotees are commenting that here at Vrajapura farm

is the answer to how we all should be living and how the devotees can

survive. Yet, Balabhadra reminds them this is only the tip of the iceberg.

We know we have much more work and goals to achieve before we can claim to

provide answers. We need to grow and harvest grain (when we were in North

Carolina we grew dry land rice), have more variety of fruits and vegetables,

a more sufficient energy program set up by utilizing more our trained ox

teams, etc, etc. We are planning next year on planting more herbs, not only

for our own consumption but to market for income.

 

I am sure I forgot to mention something but I need to cut up some tomatoes

for drying. I am sure there are other devotees who have even more to share

on how they are discovering life on the land and what answers may come from

their experiences as to the providing the answers to Syamasundara's points.

 

Your servant,

Chayadevi

 

 

 

 

 

-

"Syamasundara (das) (Bhaktivedanta Manor - UK)"

<Syamasundara (AT) pamho (DOT) net>

"Madhusudani Radha (dd) JPS (Mill Valley, CA - USA)"

<Madhusudani.Radha.JPS (AT) pamho (DOT) net>; "Niscala Devidasi"

<niscala89 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com>

Cc: "Cow (Protection and related issues)" <Cow (AT) pamho (DOT) net>; "Vedic

psychology" <Vedic.psychology (AT) pamho (DOT) net>

Friday, September 14, 2001 2:58 AM

nostradamus

 

 

> As cow interested persons we can only remember the tragic links between

cow

> killing and social unrest and war.

>

> How many cows and other animals are being killed daily. In India alone

there

> are reported to be 30,000 cows killed each day.

>

> Despite our protestations war cannot be stopped because the wind of

conflict

> is the food of the population.

>

> In the SB Srila Prabhupada 1.19.3 points out that all the troubles of

> society are caused by;

>

> Sending cows away for slaughter, seperating the calves from their mothers

> and more suprisingly artificially milking the cow by heartless

individuals.

>

> We may complain and call out let there be peace but until the diet of the

> people is sympathetic to the laws of God war cannot be avoided. Even if

> sometimes it appears there is not war, then the Karmic consequences can be

> seent in terms of aborted children, social degradation etc..

>

> Hare Krishna People are peaceful people. They know the laws of God and

they

> live peacefully by trying to follow those laws. They know that unless

there

> is Godliness there will never be a peaceful society.

>

> A point for us on this conference is that threats of war give us impetus

in

> having ourselves ready at all times to produce the food and dairy products

> that we require and our fellow neighbours require. If war happens how will

> we get our food. Are we ready. Are we growing it and do we have the things

> in place to deal with the crops to bring it to the plate?

>

> Cow potection and OX working means that whether there is a war or not the

> food will always be produced the traditional way and naturally.

>

> ys syam

[Guest guest]

As cow interested persons we can only remember the tragic links between cow

killing and social unrest and war.

 

How many cows and other animals are being killed daily. In India alone there

are reported to be 30,000 cows killed each day.

 

Despite our protestations war cannot be stopped because the wind of conflict

is the food of the population.

 

In the SB Srila Prabhupada 1.19.3 points out that all the troubles of

society are caused by;

 

Sending cows away for slaughter, seperating the calves from their mothers

and more suprisingly artificially milking the cow by heartless individuals.

 

We may complain and call out let there be peace but until the diet of the

people is sympathetic to the laws of God war cannot be avoided. Even if

sometimes it appears there is not war, then the Karmic consequences can be

seent in terms of aborted children, social degradation etc..

 

Hare Krishna People are peaceful people. They know the laws of God and they

live peacefully by trying to follow those laws. They know that unless there

is Godliness there will never be a peaceful society.

 

A point for us on this conference is that threats of war give us impetus in

having ourselves ready at all times to produce the food and dairy products

that we require and our fellow neighbours require. If war happens how will

we get our food. Are we ready. Are we growing it and do we have the things

in place to deal with the crops to bring it to the plate?

 

Cow potection and OX working means that whether there is a war or not the

food will always be produced the traditional way and naturally.

 

ys syam