For a couple of years leading up to our property purchase, I was a regular viewer of an “off grid” homesteading YouTube channel. The channel was produced by a couple about our age. They left their city life for one of simplicity in the country once their kids were grown and out of the house. The couple had purchased 11 acres of land in Missouri with a “barn” already on it. The husband built a 600 square-foot log cabin with his own hands, and has since added other buildings such as an outdoor kitchen for summer cooking).
They did not drill a well, they did not have septic put in, nor did they hook up to any power source (gas, electric, propane). The couple installed a gravity-fed rainwater catchment system after about 4 years of living on the property. They utilize a wood-burning stove for heat and winter cooking (they also utilize a sun oven and a propane grill for cooking). They use a composting toilet, so to speak (a bucket with sawdust; they swear up and down it doesn’t smell😊). They raise much of their own food. And… they eventually learned that they had settled near an Amish community and have since become friends with many of those in that community. It is through their friendships that they have learned and built upon many of the nuances of living off-grid.
When searching for properties in Wisconsin’s Driftless area, we knew that there were Amish communities scattered throughout but we didn’t know exactly where. We also didn’t know how large the population was.
The first time we looked at our property, we arrived about 20 minutes before our scheduled showing. Because of this, we drove around a little bit to kill time. In doing so, we noticed that the house at the end of the road had children playing in the yard who appeared to be dressed in the “plain clothing” typically associated with Amish communities. We also noticed a buggy and a scattering of farm animals (including horses); we also noticed that there were no motor vehicles in the driveway.
We had also come to learn through our realtor and others that our property is near several Amish communities. We’ve come to see many an Amish horse and buggy driving around our “neighborhood” and find the narrow tracks they leave in the gravel road.
In general, this is important to me because I would like to eventually learn how they are able to live “off-grid”; I would like to get to the point of essentially doing the same or to at least have back-up systems in place and be prepared to function off-grid if need be. It’s also important to note that this is not such an important goal for Ed; although, he is willing to humor me to an extent. And while my “off-grid capability goal” is down the road a bit, I take comfort in knowing that there are people nearby who are able to live off-grid and who are able to thrive doing so.
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