Scott Middlekauf
Scott lives in Hawaii
Posts by Scott
Start-up costs for this experiment
Q: How much land would a family of four need? Any wildly ranging estimates and/or completely blind guesses would be greatly appreciated. A: In a lower Puna environment,which is where I live on the Big Island, a family can grow all their own food in a permaculture style orchard on a 3 acre parcel with [...]
Continue reading...My response to an unhappy mainlander
Q: I was thinking about you guys again, as my life becomes so unpleasant here, as I contemplate whether I could ever actually live a simple sustainable life, as you all do. A: Firstly, I’m sorry you are unhappy with your life. I, too, spent over ten years feeling sad, scared, hopeless, and disconnected with [...]
Continue reading...A sweet life
We live in an unusual tropical environment (near Kapoho, on the Big Island of hawaii) where growing our own food is enjoyable. Sustainable food production is different in Hawaii than in most of the mainland United States. In many parts of the world, growing all of one’s food without the use of machinery for farming [...]
Continue reading...My new mission statement
I was talking with my wife, Karin the other day about how I feel about our farm and the world situation, and she said,”We need to revise our mission statement. We’re not telling the truth about why we’re doing this project”. I’ll tell you: I used to have lots of idealistic energy about teaching people [...]
Continue reading...The Hunt
Just the other day, we got two young female ducks from a friend, and one of them flew off and got lost in a real thick part of the woods east of our land. I felt sad about her plight, and went out calling and quacking after her. I was practically swimming in an ocean [...]
Continue reading...On why i never leave the land
My reasons for rarely wandering beyond the end of our 1/4 mile driveway: It’s partially habit, and partially inspiration, and partially ease. Really, Karin and Lauren and the folks living here are the most fun to hang with. There are so many fun projects to do outside here, and the rest of the time I [...]
Continue reading...Refrigeration off the grid
Energy Efficient Refrigeration by Scott Middlekauff I used to be among the hordes of off-the-grid homeowners in search of an affordable method of keeping my food cold. My ice chest was affordable, but little else. My tiny propane fridge cost $800, required frequent trips to town for fuel, cost over $200 per year for propane, [...]
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