recurring yurt dreams and an idea about seeds

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.

Powering my Quest for Yurt Love

How much electricity do I need to meet my basic needs?

I've looked at a lot of different housing alternatives from nylon tent to camper, and now yurt.  Watching my daily power usage, and more interestingly how I live when the hydro goes off, I think I have a fair idea of what I need to be comfortable.

Assume that water and heat are taken care of by other means, my electrical usage is really quite small.  

Lighting:

Given my druthers I have very few lights.  

• Outside lighting: When I'm outside after sunset on the farm, I seldom use a flashlight.  The moon is tremendously bright most of the month, and when it's cloudy, the light reflecting from the city against the clouds is sufficient to do my chores.  It's only finite work (small hand generator flashlight) or hunting monsters (big meg light with batteries that last 6 to 10 months) that I really need outside light.  Though, I admit, I do like having an outside light hanging next to the front door to welcome me home after a midnight stroll.  
• Inside lighting: I very seldom have lights on in the house when I'm home alone.  I like the dark not just because it's easy on the eyes but it hides me from any fictional monsters that might lurk in my closet.  There are however a few tasks in the house that one needs illuminated.  
• Cooking: Any knife work needs good lighting, as well as cleaning up the dishes afterwards.  But the main cooking can be done in dim light as it's mostly taste, smell and texture.
• Crafting: About 50/50 dim and strong light, depending on the craft.  Spinning, wool prep, some weaving... they can all manage with low light, but sewing, fancy weaving, spinning novelty yarn, &c. all need strong light... then again, I'm usually to tired to do the fancy work at night, so basically it's a day task
• Reading and writing: This needs strong light, but it's another one of those tasks I do best during the day as my head clouds as the day progresses.
• Entertainment: 
• I watch TV because it is there, but if it wasn't...would I miss it?  I don't think so, not a lot anyway.  We have lived without cable before, in fact, the only reason we have it now is so the Ancient can watch Jeopardy.  Though I do like watching occasional videos.  When the electricity goes off for days on end, the only time I totally despair is when I miss Dr Who.  Everything else is Humdrum.  Assuming there will be a garden and livestock, I'll have plenty enough to do in a day without TV, and get more done without it snaring me with it's glow.
• the only other thing would be my e-reader.  This needs charging once every 3 to 4 weeks, and takes about 2 hours to charge AC.  I think this is necessary because so many books have soy and other chemicals I'm sensitive to in their ink/paper, whereas the plastic (most) ereaders are made from is fairly stable (it doesn't off gas).  This greatly expands what I can read.
• Music/Radio: This is the only true necessity for me.  Silence is painful and having music and/or radio is the only cure.  Though this may have improved since I last looked, I haven't seen a solar or wind up radio that lasts 12 hours of play time between charges.  So something with replaceable batteries, or rechargeable ones.
• Electronics: computer?  As much as I enjoy the internet, I also find it frustrating and distracting.  I'm of two minds as to whether I want it in my future home or not.  Sometimes it's wonderful because I can look up information that I need urgently, or order books from the library.  I love blogging, but I worry that it's just adding to the clutter overload of the interweb.  And wading through that clutter when I need to find some useful information is a major time sinkhole.  There are also games that distract me.  Other electronics include camera - which would be used less with less blogging, and 
• Communication: I'm an introvert in almost every meaning of the word.  I'm awkward with people and find I'm very insecure about interacting with others.  I can put on a show, pretending to be confident, but it's exhausting.  I could see myself content with very little human contact.  The problem is we need others.  Even in my hermit life, where I spend every day with my sheep, I still need others.  This may seem contradictory, but I love teaching skills to others.  My favourite thing I did this summer was to mentor a friend to start a vegetable garden - her very first garden.  Helped her turn the soil, showed her how to plant the seeds and from there, offered help when needed.  I've spent most of my life gathering skills like gardening, spinning, sewing, cooking, fermenting... all completely irrelevant in the modern world.  However, I wonder... in the future, these might be the very skills people need.  What if global transpiration breaks down and we rely entirely on local food supplies?  Every lawn will be dug and replaced with potatoes, beans, grains... Like they were in England during The Great War.  How many people can make a four foot by 5 yard bit of dirt produce 4 crops a year and feed 6 people all the veggies they need?  I can.  Maybe in the future, other people would like to too?
• So I guess I do need some form of communication with others.  A land line is simplest, but requires hook up to the grid.  Probably a basic cellphone like I have now - my phone makes phone calls and nothing else.  Costs a fair bit for someone who uses 4 minutes a month, but if it was my only phone line, it might be up to 10 min a month.  I've tried pay-as-you-go in the past and found it beyond my capacity to keep up with.
• Also, internet.  I feel weird not having any at all.  I can always travel to the local library and use the wi-fi, but that's a pain and people expect instant email response these days.  Maybe a basic wireless system that I can hook up to my laptop just for simple things like reading, emails, forums... that's about all I would want.  Something slow enough that I don't feel compelled to use it hourly.  

Laptop, phone, ereader, some lighting, radio, perhaps a fan in the summer, and... I can't think of anything else.  But there will always be something else that comes up.  I'm thinking that if I calculate the absolute maximum I think I'll ever need and double it... things should be golden.  

For those of you who craft, you may wonder why I'm not including the sewing machine.  The truth is, I don't get on well with electric ones.  All my sewing is either by hand crank or treadle, so why would I want to convert to electric?

And a clock... Well, I have a beautiful clock that winds up with a key.  It lasts about 8 days between winding.  No electricity needed there either.

How to power my yurt?  I want to be as independent and off grid as possible, so solar, wind, water... all these are possible ways of producing my own power.  A small wind generator may only produce a tiny trickle, but it adds up over time.  Water... well that depends on proximity to a stream or other flowing water, but can be quite powerful.  Solar would have to be my main source.  Which is convenient because I just happened across a system that would be perfect:  Goal Zero Yeti 150 Solar Generator Kit has both solar panels and battery/controler thing.  At the time of writing, it's $400 plus shipping, customs, duty, exchange rate...except, apparently there are shops nearby that sell this company's products, so a bit of research is needed.  Based on previous orders from the US, I'm assuming that shipping and customs will total $200, so a total estimate of $600 for a simple solar power system for my yurt.

If it was just me living in the yurt, that system would be ample.  However, with friends and/or family, we would need something greater.  

Not anywhere near ready to order a system yet, so I'll keep researching and if I find something that else that catches my fancy, I'll let you know.

How big a yurt to live in?

If I were to whittle my life down to the most basic elements, how much space would I really need to live? This get's me wondering, what are the basic elements in my life.

Cooking is probably the most important thing I do in a day.  I enjoy delicious, healthful foods, but it's not just that.  When I became ill, I found that what I eat had a huge influence on how I felt.  Most of my symptoms, especially pain, can be limited by eating well, and aggravated by eating processed and wrong foods.  But then again, it's not just that either.  What makes cooking the most vital element in my life is the motivation to live a life that is not wasteful.  I want to be respectful to what I eat.

This last bit is difficult to explain, but let me try.  If the ingredients of my dinner are something I can grow myself, I do it in a way that leaves the soil healthier than how I found it.  If it's an animal I'm eating, I don't let any piece of the critter get tossed in the trashbin just because it's not pretty wrapped in plastic.  Even if that means butchering my own meat in order to know that nothing is wasted.  If I have to buy something, I don't want any of it to spoil out of my carelessness.  This is what I mean when I say I want to be respectful to what I eat.

Although an electric hob and oven are convenient, I can also cook on a woodstove or even open fire.  I'm not going to assume that electricity is going to be part of my yurt lifestyle, so I need to take into account how to cook and store my foodstuff when I calculate how much space I need in my home.

I also have the skills to live without a fridge, even though I would miss it.  Perhaps an icebox for summer months would be better suited to my needs.

On top of that, a prep and cleaning area, as well as somewhere to store my food.  Perhaps something like a medieval cupboard:

The walls are thick wood for strength and to act as insulation, limiting temperature variations.  The holes are generally covered inside with fabric.  This allows the food to breath, but prevents flies from getting at it.  Once you get away from modern preservatives and air tight caning techniques, it's actually very important for food to be allowed to breath as this greatly extends shelf life.

One of these alone wouldn't be big enough for anything but daily use.  Harvest from the garden is either fermented or dried, so there would need to be room for crocks and sacks of food storage.  Although some  things like root vegetables can be stored in clamps over the winter season.  

So, food and food storage take up the largest amount of space in my life.  Even though I know I will be supplementing my diet with some store bought ingredients (like salt, flour, &c) I do hope to be as self reliant as possible.


After cooking come those unavoidable necessities in life: sleeping, toilet, ablutions, cleaning, &c.  Clothes and blanket storage, all sorts of things to consider here.


When breaking down life into it's most basic components, one can't forget hobbies.  My craft supplies include a smallish loom, spinning wheel(s), sewing machine(s), fabric, wool, wool prep tools... Saying it's a hobby is not giving this the respect it deserves.  This really is a necessity - not just for sanity sake, but also to repair things and earn some pin money.

I could whittle it down to the most basic components, one hand crank sewing machine, one spinning wheel, but come shearing time, there are many fleeces that are worked through slowly during the year, and the ones stored up for felt making for repairing yurt walls...  But even still, trying to fit it all into one small space will be a challenge.


Generally, when people talk about tiny housing, they say a person need about 200 square feet for their daily life.  That would mean a yurt roughly 16 feet across.  It would be a major adjustment, but for the most part, 200 square feet would be a good starting point.  A tight squeeze with food and craft storage, but manageable.

However, take into account that I would want at least 4 foot square cooking area, plus space around it so that things don't catch fire, 200 square feet seems a bit small.  Let's pretend I have 20 square feet cooking area, so really what I would want is a living space of at least 220 square feet.

A radius of 8.5 feet gives us just over 220 square feet floor space.  This means the smallest yurt I would be fully comfortable living in is 17 feet across.

A bit larger wouldn't go amiss, however, too large and I run into problems like finding space to put it, needing more materials, and needing more fuel to keep it warm in winter.

I don't have to start with the full size.  What I can do later on is build a second, smaller yurt.  If I put two doors in my first yurt, then I can connect the two yurts together.  One yurt for living in and one yurt as a studio space.  


This thought experiment has made me realize a few things.

First off, although I can live with less of everything, including space, there are a few things that I won't give up, primarily my diet and crafting.  These things require space.

Although 200 square feet is possible, having extra storage space like a root cellar and crafting area would be very nice.

So to begin with, a 16 foot yurt would be perfect temporary dwelling, with a view to expand if I find myself in a more permanent place.

Also, given how limited the space is, I would want to make furniture to make the most of the limitations.  So I should include this in my plans for my yurt.