Last week I was in the big BIG smoke – Sydney. It was hot, busy, smelly and crowded…everything you’d expect from a big city. One thing I didn’t expect to see was some inner city streets dotted with worm farm compost systems and veg planter boxes, lovingly set up by the forward-thinking city council. As I walked through the tight streets of Chippendale these little gems put a smile on my face. Then I walked out into the main street where I got slapped in the face with the reality. Thousands of cars, take away outlets. The mass market. Well I had to pinch myself and try not to be pessimistic about the situation.
It’s hard to face the reality that the main population, the millions of individuals whose consumer choice could make this world a better place, they just don’t seem to have the drive to care. There is a massive amount of people that do care, they do make an effort. But let’s be honest – ‘the people’ – the majority of the western world are more focused on other more important ventures in life…a better paying job, a newer car, that new model leaf blower, and what’s on the telly. I always get angry people complaining when I do posts like this, but it’s just the reality.
Where we are as a species is challenging at this point in time. We can no longer fend for ourselves. We rely on the masses to survive. We’re more like ants than ever before. Really there are only a few roles that we all play, and those roles ‘contribute’ to society to keep the engine working. But if that engine collapsed, how would we all go as individuals? If you walked into your supermarket and there was zero food on the shelves, then you went to the next supermarket and saw the same thing, what would you do? Think of the millions of people all living in the city with zero food, all the restaurants closed, no take away, no food at your family and friends place. What would you do?
We rely so heavily on ‘the system’. We trust in it unconditionally. We complain when food prices go up because of a natural disaster or because of an increase in fuel costs. We are smothered with choice and convenience. We’re made to feel that food is and should be a competitive high art form by television cooking shows, and that we should be everything wonderful all the time 24/7.
It’s all bullshit. You strip the elements of that system away, the logistical supremacy of chain supermarkets, the television, the convenience take away outlets, the drive through lifestyle, the magazines that make us feel like we need to improve ourselves…and so on.
Imagine how we’d all react.
All these thoughts and more were on my mind this morning as a did my daily ritual of checking on the progress of our future backyard supermarket, ie the veg patch. It made me want to try to live with less. I think I need to have a garage sale and reduce my ownership of stuff.
thanks for this, I needed it. :)
I love this post Ro.
It’s hard to not get upset about the oblivious state people are in regarding their food. I know I feel the same way when I visit family and friends in the big smoke.
But we ARE on the cusp of revolution. Things ARE changing, albeit slowly. Ten years ago no one would ever have dreamed there’d be vegie garden beds in Chippendale. I know. I lived there.
Humans change slowly. But don’t get down about it. You are so inspiring with how you chose to live. And by writing your blog and your book you are inspiring me and others to think and change our behaviour. You are making difference.
You’ve gotta be happy about that.
x
That’s why I pinch myself (metaphorically) now when I see the real world and get frustrated. I have to keep true to the good life! Things will change. They have too! You’re living the good life and you once lived in Chippendale! Anything’s possible! Much love!
Amen to Michelle! She’s so right! Maybe it’s also a problem of population numbers, we can’t all live on a patch of land, I would love more than my 2000square metres, but getting on in age, means it’s difficult to handle more! I grow all our veges, and have chooks for meat & eggs, but would love to go back to having a cow and pig! I think what gets me most, is the blind adherence to a processed food lifestyle, with it’s concomitant health disasters, and how much that costs us as a society!
Thanks Mary Ann,
My patch of soil is not large by any means, but it is the size of a normal urban backyard, which I guess is more than someone with an apartment balcony! I think if we could all just do what we can if that means just buying from local growers and cooking with whole foods….it’s a start. Great to hear your yard is so productive!
Michelle is right, humans do change. I was once the person who bought stuff, without thinking about it, threw it out, bought more, worried about the car I drove, the clothes I bought and didn’t care about what I ate or how I got it…now, in my late thirties with a young family, my husband and I are about to attempt to grow all our own veggies this summer without needing any help from the supermarket. We are having garge sales, giving to the poor and educating our children about what life is REALLY about along the way. I have to say, I have never felt happier. Going out in the morning to check the chooks and the seedlings makes me smile. I am just a normal mum in the burbs…but the burbs are changing…I can hear other chickens in the street and I swap what we grow with neighbours. The more people I talk to about “coming over from the darkness!” the more that have said they too have felt an urge to get back to basics. It will take time, but I think change has to start somewhere. Somewhere is here. :)
Wendy this is beautiful to read. BEAUTIFUL!!!!
Hey Rohan,
I live on 20 acres in Northern Tassie, I moved to Tassie about 8 years ago from Melbourne with the vision of doing just as you do but some where along the way it just hasn’t happened I seem to spend my days/nights working to pay the bills, school the kids and so on. Apart from raising a few sheep and breeding rare breed pigs its been 5yrs since I have tended a veg garden and I can’t remember the last time I went hunting or fishing with my sons.
I came across your blog recently and I check my emails daily waiting for your next post so as I can dream about what could be but reading todays post thinking of my life back in the big smoke its time I pulled my finger out and start living cheers for your inspiration.
No problems mate! Sounds like you have a piece of paradise there! I can only dream of having that much land! It’s a hard balance, I know I’m there too. I gave up television and that’s given me a whole extra life of time!
I love my nightly telly watching! But I love my edible suburban garden too – so I find balance and take the time to enjoy BOTH : o) That’s what I think nature demonstrates to us, every day: the tremendous value in balance…
Very true! Balance in all facets of live seems to be he key! Thanks for dropping by.
like you said a few posts ago….its all about the choices we make, whether to sit in front of that telly or whether to go outside and plant up those seedlings you got started a month ago….as a farmer, both animal, wheat and grain, we get angry people too…lots of them…people who say we whinge too much, that our lamb is too expensive…the only water we use on our crops falls from the sky (or doesn’t)…we only cart water for our animals when there is none for them to drink…our 12 year drought was over, we flooded, homes were lost…now our dams are drying up again…my backyard supermarket is looking healthy, mainly because that is our only supermarket where we can get fresh food from without getting in the car….we eat only the meat we produce and the wildfood that surrounds us (you are a constant inspiration, especially with your rabbit recipes…im an ex city girl & ex vegetarian and my oh my, the wonders of rabbit)…what these people in the cities are going to do keeps both my husband and i up at night…we worry about their inability to provide through lack of knowledge and lack of ability…we can see this food crisis, we are living this food crisis…we often stop to wonder why we do what we do and what we will do when the shit hits the fan….we will continue to grow food for other people….we will continue to grow food for ourselves…we have made this decision….this is our choice….
Whitney, this is another super rad comment left today! I love this story of yours! Are you in Vic?
we are in the mighty wimmera, farming in a place called wal wal….about 2 hours from ballarat…loving your work
Humans change, for sure, but geez they’re slow to catch on sometimes, at least in my neck of the woods. There is no farmers market in Toowoomba, despite being a city of 120,000 surrounded by the most fertile soils in Australia. The city has one very average community garden ruled by an old biddy who makes newcomers feel very unwelcome. The Carnival of Flowers, which attracts 10’s of 1000’s of visitors each spring, includes a big gardening competition that doesn’t even have a category for vegie gardens.
Dummy spit over, but sometimes the place feels very inhospitable to food lovin’ smallholders like myself, but all you can do is keep plugging away, setting an example and hoping others get a taste of how rich life can be when you live simply and seasonally. A lot of people are afraid to change. They’re terrified actually, so I think part of what those of us who’ve found the good life need to do is give people confidence to take the leap. You do it brilliantly on your blog and in your book Ro, so keep it up mate. Same goes for you Michelle, if you’re reading. And Kate and Bren. Love your work, all of youz!!
Thanks Justin! Amazing the irony of Toowoomba being surrounded by the best soil but having little in the way of progressive sustainable thinking.
Keep doing what you’re doing Justin. You’re the local beacon of hope in dark Toowoomba.
Hey Roh,
Sounds like a tough and overwhelming reality to colide with for someone who sees the big picture and can’t help but join the dots and see where that type of comsumptive behavior can lead our species.
I always think of a massive flock of birds ( like the ones you see way out west) sitting on the ground busy eating or preening. Then there is some sort of spark usually brought about by a stimulus or change in the environment and a few perceptive birds decide its time to move. the following pattern of the realisation by the rest of the flock (usually just following the leader) sees the whole flock move and the flock moves as one to a new safer place or position.
You mate are just an early mover. The success of your blog and your book is ( in my humble opinion) is a reflection of the larger flock starting to move and follow you. There will always be straglers ( sometimes they dont make it) .
Your are doing a great thing by leading by example. That is always tough..
I am stoked to hear that you are back in your natural habitat and showing the world how its done mate..
Cheers
Dave
what an ace analogy…love the birds reference, so damn true
You’re too kind Dave!
What a rad metaphor!
I love reading your blog. And, I totally agree with you on our state of humanity. I’ve had a vegetable garden for several years in our yard. I am fine-tuning it each year. We live in an older neighborhood, homes are somewhat close together but, we have woods interspersed. A couple of years ago I put up deer fencing to keep them from eating everything in sight. However, our two immediate surrounding neighbors can’t stand looking at the fence, which isn’t that visible. When they came around to complain I obtained a permit for it and moved it in closer to our house. They are still angry. Everyone else who has seen it thinks we have an amazing garden and so do I. Several other gardeners in the neighborhood and myself exchange seeds and gardening tips. I would love to have chickens but, the neighbors would absolutely freak out. They are into total immaculate yards and constant leaf blowing! Fortunately, I have a friend who began keeping chickens last year. She now has 40, sells the eggs locally. Your garden looks like it’s flourishing. We are getting into fall here, storing vegetables, planting garlic, and getting the gardens cleaned up for next spring. Take care.
Charissa,
It sounds like you’re ticking all the boxes, but you’re up against the monster that is the wall of change. Keep fighting, what you’re doing is bloody wonderful. Mad love for your efforts!
Great post Rohan. I feel the same when we occasionally leave our patch of dirt in the outback and venture to the city. The consumerism is insane and totally overwhelming. We are not fully self sufficient but we raise and butcher our own meat, grow a lot of vegetables, keep chooks, make beer and bread etc. We often ask ourselves how long we would survive for if we were cut off from ‘town’…I think we could survive for a fair while and that makes me feel quietly content. Do you know what I mean?
I’m the same. We are not totally self sufficient……but semi self sufficient. Thats all we cane do Jane!
I don’t see any angry comments (yet!!) and that speaks volumes to me, as does your post Rohan. We live on the coast near Wollongong, and have a veritable fish shop just down the road (we are very fortunate I know). But we also have a lot of rabbits roaming the streets… do you know if they’d be ok to eat – assuming we could catch one of course!!
Hello Rohan, I couldn’t agree with you more. Thank you for your post.
Peace resides in the simplification of our world and my happiness comes from making things grow in the dirt at my feet. To know that others feel the same way is joy.
Plant on!
Great post. I live in London and find the huge population of ignorance here frustrating but small changes are happening and of course these things are somewhat slow moving in a huge city full of people with all sort of varied values. I live in a flat without a garden but have recently been researching and attempting to grow what I can on a small balcony and inside the kitchen. We give our unwanted material things to charity instead of throwing them into landfill and utilise ‘free cycle’ whenever we can- sharing goods that you dont need anymore with someone who does. I wish more people whould make these small changes which would then lead to bigger changes over time. All we can do is encourage and continue to talk about it. And for now I will continue to make each of my changes a little bit bigger as I go.
Thanks for your words – I nodded all through your sentences.
I live in a city and I buy as local as possible, mostly at a demeter farm nearby. Now, this fall (I come from Europe) I start to build a big box for planting vegetables behind our “house”. – I want to be a “city farmer” :-). And I will try to have hens on our flat roof, but I will probably have big problems, because we just rent the place…
I love your blog, your so inspirational! Thanks.
Best, iren
I’m with you all the way! I live in Wales and generally try and avoid the supermarket for all but a few bits and bobs and actively encourage my readers to buy locally at small suppliers, grow more, eat seasonally and consume less…I also use ‘freecycle’ one day we will all have to return to this way of life i’m sure of it!
Can’t decide what I like more – your thoughts or your photography.
Even though I’ve ripped up most of my yard for a garden and make frequent trips to the woods, I’m not sure how much longer I can live here and stay sane. I think I’m down to months, definitely out of years. I need to stop envying what you are doing and just do it.
Reblogged this on Big Dreams of a Simple Life and commented:
I just love this guy. I love his heart. I love his lifestyle.
So looking forward to having my own little patch of ground for the veg and the chooks. :)
Was just thinking about it the other day- IF the supermarket WAS empty of food- at the least I could go home and have dinner consisting of one egg sprinkled with herbs and few peas on the side….. have to start somewhere….. but it does beg the question we each need to be doing a little more.
I know what you’re saying. I’d manage to survive, but it would be a pretty plain old diet!!! But I guess thats the question I ask myself so that it makes me think ‘what more can I do’
I can always do more! I must!
I loved this post, and the comments are great so far too. My family and friends are probably sick of hearing me rabbit on about my garden but they sure like being given any excess! We just got two cows to raise for beef and they will also mow the paddock for us. I must admit though, with a toddler and another on the way it can be hard to find the time and energy to keep up the vegie garden etc. What motivates me is that my 1.5 year old loves to pick her own strawberries! (unfortunately she tends to wolf them all down before I get any!).
Thats what it’s all about! My girls feast on strawbs and cherry toms in summer. Thats the way it should be, it’s so natural. The girls don’t ask, they just eat. Seems like a good system to me! Lovely to hear your story! I’m jealous of your cows!
Another great post Ro.
I think a massive part of people doing this is just the act of starting. I remember having dreams of a larger block or a less sloping one, whilst ignoring the front yard where we now harvest our produce. Once we made a start, things just gathered momentum and eventually it can’t be stopped – it becomes exciting and consuming! :-)
That’s why I love Costa’s verge gardens in Gardening Australia… it’s tiny increments that build momentum up a street and before you know it – bam – the whole street is producing their own veg. How freakin awesome is that.
My plans for this summer are more veg beds out the back, an apple & pear orchard, and citrus orchard, almonds and apricots on our front street verge, along with a couple of pigs and hopefully two goats… all this on our 1780m2 fairly sloping block 5mins from a major regional shopping centre.
All of that a few years back I would have thought couldn’t be done here; often it is just the act of starting that allows us to see all of the possibilities, rather than the limitations.
ps – thanks for the book you sent to Em; the spine is already broken and the pages dog eared!
You’re so right. It’s the first step that can be the hardest. I always recommend that a person should just plant a few tomatoes for the first summer, love those plants then make the garden bigger the following year. Then you’re a home grower, and hooked for life!! Glad you like the book brother!
I so agree with you! I’m not new to making things from scratch or growing my own food but i do have a long way to go. This past summer really put things in perspective for me when the summer heat hit early and hard and killed off almost my entire garden save for two eggplant plants. I thought I was really prepared for the summer heat to come but not enough I guess. Living in the desert and trying to garden is really hard and I am so thankful to have local farmers who do know what they are doing and can provide food for me.
After this experience though I really had to think about what would happen if there hadn’t been grocery stores or farmers markets? I thought about all the pioneers who came west and lived in the harsh Sonoran desert.
You’ve got a voice and people are listening, keep talking!
Love reading your stuff. Just wanted to share something sad that I witnessed yesterday.I went to an apple orchard to buy some apple boxes to make raised garden beds, and there, before my very eyes was this huge piece of machinery wrenching out old apple trees, deemed to be non productive to the apple grower. He said that the price he was getting for apples today, is less than 20 years ago! How sad is that? Sue in Malmsbury
I’ve heard the same story about avocados. Heart breaking how business rules over practicality. Thanks for sharing.
This is a very poignant and inspiring post. I lived on a deer farm not far from Auckland, NZ, when I was small, and mum had a vege patch and everything. I miss picking the peas (though I think I ate more than I picked!). My dad in Boyup Brook, WA, had some veges. I have herbs in pots now, and can’t wait to expand into more and more veges. Yum.
Excellent post! May the community of like minded folk continue to grow.
Good luck with your garage sale.
i agree with you so very much and i jealous the way you live.
Hello from Greece
Katerina FF
Hello from Greece!! Wow that’s great! Thanks for visiting!