I've been having a lot of dreams lately about yurts. There are three or four different dreams, that have been repeating themselves almost every night for the last two months. Perhaps my subconscious is trying to yell something at me.
These different dreams share a similar theme, they all address food security issues.
For example, one dream occurs in the near future. There has been a breakdown in the long distance food supply for some reason. Lack of fuel, major strike, political unrest, all or none of the above, I don't know. Dream doesn't say why. But it happened and it didn't happen yesterday. It's been several months, approaching a year without the major industrial food supply and people are slowly starving. There is an intense interest in Victory Gardens (small home garden plots where once there was emerald green lawn). But what does all this have to do with a yurt?
In this dream, some philanthropist has hired me to give free lessons to the community on how to harvest, process, dry and store seeds, which I give in my yurt. Yurt is awesome for this because the walls can be adjusted to let more or less air in, depending on the weather.
Another yurt dream involves a time when it has become illegal to grow or even cook your own foods. 3D printed soy and corn based meals are considered the only 'safe' alternative, for some reason. Maybe the bees finally bit the dust, or some major food safety scare, or whatever. But it's considered not only illegal but impossible to grown your own vegetables. Yet, here I am, living off-grid in my yurt, blissfully unaware of this known fact, that it is impossible, and have a lush garden filled with tasty things from grain to flax, to mangel wurzels for my goat.
The third yurt dream that really stands out is one where I live where I do now, have the garden I have now, save seeds, raise sheep, grow and cook my own foods, all things I do know. Only difference is that I have a yurt. A lovely large-ish yurt. In this yurt I host small tutorials on how to do everything from plant seeds, to ferment wine, to bread baking, to miso club gatherings, to curing and smoking meat.
This dream is my favourite because it could be possible.
Maybe that's the motivation I need to make this yurt happen. Maybe it needs to be less about me, and more about teaching self sufficiency. That is what a yurt symbolizes to me, self sufficiency - and to use the yurt for teaching those skills to others. Now that would be wonderful.
I have the skills to teach, and the love of sharing what I know with others. The act of getting my arse in gear and organizing actual events - and getting the word out - that is my major shortcoming. But here's motivation to remedy that.
But then again, I need a yurt first... catch 22.
How can I use these dreams to inspire me? One of the biggest obstacles to having my own yurt is funding. Why not take the idea of food sustainability and monetize it slightly? I can sell seeds!
Yurt Seed - what do you think? Good name for a line of seeds?
It could look something like this:
Burgundy Grain Amaranth
A. hypochondriacus
Open pollinated
Grown by me since 2012, plant has grown true every year
Seeds harvested in 2014 for planting 2015-16
Germination test (in progress)
Beautiful bright red plant, grows 1.5 to 2m tall. Useful in floral arrangement, or mature for seed which can be used in cooking, ground for flour, or for planting. Young leaves also tasty and cook like spinach.
Includes instructions on how to grow, how to harvest, how to save seeds, and three recipes for cooking.
$6 for 5g seeds (roughly 3000 to 6000 seeds)
$2 for 1g seeds (roughly 500 to 1200 seeds)
shipping not included
I imagine the price is okay. The local seed company charges a couple dollars more for the same amount of seeds and includes minimal growing instructions and no recipes. Or maybe I should charge the same amount as them because I'm harvesting and sorting by hand instead of mechanically like they do. Then again, I also want to encourage people to grow their own food, and if I price it too high, it becomes prohibitive to those who need it most. No, I think I like this pricing. It is what I would feel comfortable paying for the same amount of seeds.
So far the only seed I have ready is the Amaranth, but as I sort through my seeds, I may find more ready to sell. I don't know if it's a good idea or not, but it's worth a try. Especially if it stops the nightmares I keep having of a dwindling food supply.
