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Hi, really appreciate your comments about the editing 🙏 It is not our intention to portray the working generation don't care for sustainability, more to sow seeds of possibilities. We did not inherit this land, we come from regular everyday families/lifes too. When he was younger Dan stayed working in a job he despised for as long as he could, saving hard until he had enough to buy the initial part of this land 11 years ago, Which was not even for sale ... but he made it be! We both worked full time for many years giving every spare minute and bit of energy we had to create the beautiful bountiful land we now get to enjoy - believe me it has not been easy, but it is a way of life we both fully commited to. It does for sure take more thinking outside of the box in this modern world, but there are ways and hopefully with this lifestyle seemingly becoming a growing movement/desire, things will change! Permaculture teaches how to adapt and work things out for the situation you are in, there is no one size fits all for how you can make it happen .... Allotments, Elderly people that have gardens they can't maintain any more as an exchange, voluteering for veg boxes & to learn the skills. No where did we say this was easy... most of us however can find time or focus for something we are truly passionate about... and by doing this, over time, it has meant we have been able to adjust our lifestyle overall to give more time to the land... it has take a lot to build up and it certainly didn't come ready made for us, but every year we improve the set up. Determination and a few calculated risks along the way is what has made this possible for us. The purpose of what we share is to hopefully help inspire others and show that it is possible to eat well and live more gently and healthily on this earth, certainly not to hit any nerves ... I do too get fustrated for the fact that this way of life has been made so hard for humanity now when it is simply the nature way we should be living, that being said.. even just growing a small box of salad in a tub outside is a massive step in the right direction and gives huge reward. Start small and see where it takes you ... I'll drop an older video in here for you telling more of dans story and feelings. 💚✌️🌿 th-cam.com/video/5a4eM_HP94E/w-d-xo.html

Hi Craig, great reasons - LOVE IT and really apprecaite you sharing 🙏 Ahhh, leaving an even more bountiful legacy - beautiful and so important together with the leason learnt, taught and shown in doing so 💚💚💚

Hi, Great questions 👍 space is something we are blessed with and grateful of here for sure, which does give us more opportunity to experiment (and then share our results). The main things though we feel, in any garden no matter the size, is diversity. If space is more of an issue, for sure maybe don't dedicate a whole bed to Taro, but you could dot it in with other crops, like potatoes, or like we did outdoors in the main bed, in with our sweet potatoes, which you may have seen in some of our previous vids. This way, if you get a crop failure from a main crop (like we did), you still have somethings that came out of that space. Interplanting is a lot of fun and can be very productive too. Appreciate you watching 💚✌️🌿

@@freedomforestlife Great answer! Thanks

So glad you enjoyed the vid - appreciate you watching & commenting 💚✌️🌿

Wow, great memory 💚 Thanks for watching ✌️🌿

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👍 Thanks - will look in to this more 💚 Thanks for watching & messaging ✌️🌿

Thanks you - I hope so too! 🤞 Appreciate you watching & commenting 💚✌️🌿

We did that this year - they can sniff them out a few acres away I reckon unfort 🫣 appreciate you watching & commenting 💚✌️🌿

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Thanks Sherri, I'll check it out! 🙏💚✌️🌿

We don’t suffer with slug damage at all on the SP, we do have some BIG slugs here, surprisingly and thankfully our crops don’t seem to suffer to badly though… we have a lot of bird life and frogs too, so maybe that helps us. Thanks for watching 💚✌️🌿

Hi, so glad the video was helpful, we have a whole Yacon playlist on our channel with more vids that you might enjoy. Great that you plants have flowered too. We use any type of woodchip we can get our hands on, ideally medium to well rotted, so if you get it freshly cut just leave it in a pile somewhere for a few months - a year 😃 that really interesting what you read - we hadn’t come across that before and our soil here is naturally slightly acidic, which is also prob why it grows so well for us … also makes sense as it in seeming to love the woodchips so much, as often it is said they can be slightly acidic if lots of conifer too 💚 thanks for messaging and happy growing ✌️🌿

@@freedomforestlife Thanks for taking time to reply and for the woodchip info. Yacon foliage succumbed last night - oca still going! So need to be brave and dig up the crowns first. I'll be working through your videos on tubers - the only one missing is chinese artichokes which started well and just stopped growing when potted into final pots. I noticed some small tubers already at the time so hoping I'll get one or two shoots in spring.

'Harvested' this morning in haste. Jer. Artichokes had an inch of frozen soil so was worried, but the straw had protected the yacon soil which was soft and lower leaves OK. Dug out 3 good sized crowns with some tubers. Largest (crown + tubers all together) about 12" x 10"; others not much smaller and all have really solid crowns, so delighted with them. Considering they were the tiny plantlets offered by seed companies, I'm amazed at the growth. Tasted one - no real taste to me, but crunchy like an apple yet not as hard on teeth. Very more-ish. Perhaps the flavour comes out better when left to sweeten?

@@heloisahodierna7699 So happy for you that you have had a good harvest - we fine it to be a very reliable and hardy grower - so glad you have experienced the same. Yacon dry slow roasted (takes longer than you think it would) is quite a tasty way to enjoy it ... I don't add oil as that seems to make it feel slimmy, but if you cook it until it started to carmalise slightly it yum. JA and Yacon both make good crisps too when de-hydrated 💚 Enjoy ✌🌿

@@freedomforestlife Thanks for that info. I'll bear it in mind for trying sometime. Snow this morning - like your location it's all very unusual for us at any time, let alone in November - usually just wet and sodden!

Hi, Great to have you with us 💚 Do you add flavours to the the boiled taro or eat it on its own? And what are you favourite things to add to it please? Would be great to know 🙏 Thanks for watching ✌️🌿

@@freedomforestlife I didn't add anything If you like add with ice cream it's taste good like deserts

Hi, thats great that you are giving Yacon a try 🙌 it should be absolutely fine in your climate, we find it overwinters better in the ground for us here than in pots - we do give each plant a VERY GOOD mulch though. Keep your pot on the drier side, is my recommendation, as the rhizome can rot if its too moist whilst its not actively growing. Our dog does love to eat the Yacon so we have to keep an eye on him.... squirrels are a problem with our fruits here too, but they leave the Yacon alone and its not Rats favourite either it would seem from our experience so far. Happy growing and thanks for watching 🙏 we have a playlist with more Yacon vids which I drop the link in for if you would like to see more ✌️🌿 th-cam.com/play/PLOidPRQofoMO7DbnFE7dT9EQBNsKncF72.html

@@freedomforestlife Thanks for the additional info.

@@freedomforestlife Today we are in the high 70's and I expect my little macon to grow reasonably well until the day temp get into the lower 60's. I may set up a hot box for it since I have some spare window frames available. Yes I need to be careful with the watering. Also stuck in some CMC 40 cassava cuttings into the same pot and they will rot if it is too moist. CMC 40 is a new Brazilian variety that will give tubers in one growing season for us. I have looked at the political and economic situation of my country and the rest of the world and think I should try to be more self sufficient. I have a bit over two hectares of land on a slope and we get 60 plus inches of rain most years, but my drainage is not bad even with a clay hard pan about 20 to 30 inches down. Major issue would be a hurricane blowing down and maybe uprooting the plants. We get hit about every 5-10 years here and last one was about 4 yrs ago for us. Best nut tree for me is blight resistant chestnuts. Blue berries and their relatives grow wild here. Mulberries do very well. Apples not so well, but the correct pear varieties do very well as will persimmons both native and asian. Perry pears seem not to like it here. best wishes

Absolutely! The fact that is hasn;t been spray with goodness knows what, prob washed with anti bac... all of these things defo make homegrown better for our biome... and then connection with have with it and the freshness ... SO GOOD 💚 I think the Taro is extra good because it is a form of resistant starch, so it ferments in your large intestine and feeds good gut bacteria, unlike fast burning carbs which will digest fast in the small intestine. Appreciate you watching and your great comment 👍✌️🌿

Thank you - I will look it up. I do need to get more adventurous with cooking Taro ... just learning 🙏 Thanks for watching 💚✌️🌿

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I think he was tired by then, was getting late in the arvo and he had been out with us all day ... he likes a slower start or an afternoon nap these days!!! 😃

Glad you enjoyed it - appreciate you watching ✌️🌿

Hi Liz, thanks for the tip, we will try it steamed 💚 Happy growing ✌️🌿

Hey Paul, yep, I defo think you'd need a polytunnel up there for them! Thanks for watching 💚✌️🌿

Thanks for your comment, the bigger one is a different variety to the 'giant' ones available here called jacks giant and thai giant..the guy i got it off gets very big corms each year outside in the UK, so quite exciting

Hi, thats great to know - thanks. I don't think we have found a purple fleshed one yet .... is it very strong purple? as I do think, last year, some had a slight hint of purple to them when I was cooking. Thanks for watching 💚✌️🌿

@@freedomforestlife Not a deep purple, but more than just a hint. It's gorgeous. And tastes so good - a realisation I've come to appreciate more now that I have no easy access to it. But because of you, I'll try grow some, regardless of variety.

Hi John, its more of a texture than a taste is how I would describe ... Its a bit like courgette, in that it takes on the flavour really well of whatever it is cooked with, from what I've found so far ... but havent been very adventurous just yet ... a cross between potato and coconut texture-wise . Thanks for watching, next time we make a vid, i'll try to remember to talk more about that 😃💚✌️🌿

@@freedomforestlife thanks for reply, 💕 your channel

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🤣 Thats hilarious!! Made me smile. You do get some ornamentle varieties, that only have very small cormes... so prehaps your house plant might not be the best one to try 😉 Hope you are well 💚✌️🌿

Hope it lived up to the anticipation 😉 I am excited for you gardening next year 🙌✌️🌿

Hey Sue, great to hear ... they are such a beautiful looking plant too 💚 Will keep an eye on Weedy and see if he updates about that - I've defo got a lot of chillies to pick before frost comes on tuesday, so they need a use 🤣 Will have to look up wood vinegar, not heard of that before 👍🙏 Appreciate you watching & sharing the info ✌️🌿

🤣🤣 Taro cards 🤣🤣 really interesting about the naked mole rat! 👍 💚✌️🌿

Probably lack of predators and UV rays?

We were thinking spidermite too Su, need to sit down and have a little research! Grateful for you advice, helps us to get on the right track 🙏💚✌️🌿

​@freedomforestlife You and Su may be correct,,, my initial reaction was it could be a SpiderMite infestation, too. Kindly check out an illustrated guide called TaroPest ( published by Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research - 2008). 🌞💚🤝

Good on you for finding and sorting a farm like that…. Hopefully in time more farms we offer this 💚 appreciate you watching and your comments ✌️🌿

Love it Joan - good on you 🙌 and thanks for watching right to the end 😉💚✌️🌿

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Great to have you with us 💚✌️🌿

Hi, where abouts in NZ were you? I was in Raglan (NI) - such a beautiful growing climate there 💚 One of the named varieties we did actually buy from a seller in Ireland on ebay, but can't remember the name as was a few years ago now - sorry. 2 we bought in a local garden centre, so they are out there! They have been a bit slow gettin going, but prob because we had them in pots for a year or more, they are growing and we've had the odd flower on them, so a little more time and hopefully they will take off 🙏✌️🌿

@freedomforestlife hi guys, Thanks for replying to me. I spent a couple of years on the west coast of SI. Taught me a huge amount about self sufficiency. I find the climate here in Ireland to be extremely similar and I'm enjoying trialling growing food here

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