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2 Kids Off-Grid

2 Kids Off-Grid

By Tikvah Mindorff

2 Kids Off Grid is fundamentally a show about starting an off-grid farm in Canada. We are sharing our story, starting right at the beginning, to talk about each of the baby steps that we have had to take to live sustainably and off-grid on 20 acres.

So this show is a little bit of storytelling, mixed together with financial planning, and project management.

I try my best to keep it goal-oriented and helpful. Each weekly recording is therefore paired with a blog post with all the related research and summarized information to help you on your way.
Currently playing episode

2 Mamas and a Pizza Shop

2 Kids Off-GridMar 11, 2022

Truth & Reconciliation Part 2

Truth & Reconciliation Part 2

Episodes with music are only available on Spotify.

This week we are continuing to learn about the Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, hitting tenets 42-72 and going back over the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People in order to better understand the context of this next section. We'll be finishing off this overview of the Calls to Action next week. 

Jul 08, 202235:02
Truth and Reconciliation Part 1

Truth and Reconciliation Part 1

Episodes with music are only available on Spotify.

This week it's Canada Day which brings us all the memories of last year's breaking news- the discovery of hundreds of gravesites at the locations of residential schools in Canada. I am relatively new to most of this information, so it seemed appropriate to take some time out to learn about the 94 recommendations made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This week and next we will be going through the document in detail to read it all, clarify the parts we need some background on and talk about how we can make our own contributions to help our Aboriginal neighbors. 

Jul 04, 202237:29
Are We Preppers?

Are We Preppers?

Episodes with music are only available on Spotify.

Are we preppers? What is a prepper and why is it going mainstream? I share whether we'd consider ourselves preppers and how we want to work with our community to build climate resiliency through farming.

Jun 17, 202229:37
Pals with PALs

Pals with PALs

Episodes with music are only available on Spotify.

This week I share our experience taking the Non Registered Firearm Safety Course so we could obtain our Possession Acquisition Licence (PAL). I share a little about our motivation as farmers to get our license, some details on how a firearm is useful around the farm, what permits are required and the next steps for us on our journey to grow and process the livestock we raise on the farm for meat. 

Content Warning: This episode contains content that discusses Firearms, Pest Control, Butchering and Slaughtering Livestock. 

Jun 10, 202227:43
Merry Month of May

Merry Month of May

Episodes with music are only available on Spotify.

Spring has fully arrived at Duskwood Farm! This week I talk about all the wonderful opportunities we have had to get involved in our new community including a seed swap, a welcome event for newcomers and all the perennials we have kindly received from friends and neighbours. 

Jun 03, 202228:51
Trials and Tribulation

Trials and Tribulation

Episodes with music are only available on Spotify.

We're continuing to celebrate our first year here in Nova Scotia with a full review of all the 15 things that came our way unexpectedly over the year, with our solution, how much it cost us in time and money and what the lessons were that we learned for the future. We don't like to focus on the negative more than we have to, so look for this recurring theme once a year. 

May 20, 202233:25
A Year in the Clear

A Year in the Clear

Episodes with music are only available on Spotify.

This week brings us to the first anniversary of our big move to Nova Scotia. In honour of all the CFAs (Come From Aways) who decided to pack up their lives to try something new, I polled our community on Instagram and Facebook on their experiences moving to the Maritimes and how it measures up to the grand generalizations or stereotypes we had before we got here. 

May 13, 202231:32
Queer Out Here Part 2

Queer Out Here Part 2

Episodes with music are only available on Spotify.

This week we wrap up the interview with Vic and Brynn over at Crow's Commons. In our conversation, we talk about living through their last three seasons living in a canvas tent with a wood stove, particularly how they made it work unexpectedly staying there through the coldest and snowiest winter in Nova Scotia in the last 3 years. We talk about how they are mindfully working on incorporating groups like our indigenous, differently-abled and LGBTQIA2S+ to try to make a space in our community for everyone to live healthy and intentional lives. They wrap it up by sharing their plans for the future of Crow's Commons and their plans for the upcoming year.

May 06, 202229:25
Queer Out Here

Queer Out Here

Episodes with music are only available on Spotify.

This week I introduce our new friends Vic and Brynn, co-creators of Crows Commons to talk about their journey from living in Edmonton to finding their new land and home in Springfield, Nova Scotia to start an accessible housing collective. This is a two-part episode to be continued May 6 when they share more about their dreams for their new home and their experience building a house with just their wits and hands and living in a tent through a Canadian Fall, Winter and Spring.

Apr 29, 202229:60
The Trees

The Trees

Episodes with music are only available on Spotify.

This week on 2 Kids Off-Grid, I share the recent chain of events that helped us solve our main farming question for 2022: How can we create a revenue stream without investing a large amount of time and money into our farm. Through community connections and some friendly advice from local farmers, I joined the Lunenburg County Christmas Tree Producers Association and had my eyes opened to the large industry of tree and brush producers in Nova Scotia. 

Apr 20, 202231:20
Malagash Mushroom Making Magic
Apr 14, 202226:51
Where Personal & Farm Finance Meet
Apr 08, 202231:08
So You Want to Start a Farm Part 2

So You Want to Start a Farm Part 2

Episodes with music are only available on Spotify.

This week's show features the second half of last week's interview with Angie Lafferty, the manager of Business Development over at Farm Credit Canada. I tie back the advice she shared to our own progress in understanding more about the farming industry as well as how it helped us focus our efforts over the past year. 

Apr 05, 202235:47
So You Want to Start a Farm

So You Want to Start a Farm

Episodes with music are only available on Spotify.

This week's show features Angie Lafferty, the Manager of Business Development at Farm Credit Canada. Angie talks with me about the resources available through her organization, which is a crown corporation that exists to support Canadian farmers. Hear about the organization, its structure, the resources available and tips for new farmers looking to build a profitable farm in Nova Scotia.

Mar 27, 202231:35
Online Off-Grid

Online Off-Grid

This week's show features Bill and Sarin, the creators and moderators of the popular Facebook Group "Off-Grid Nova Scotia". They started the group back in 2014 as off-grid enthusiasts. The group has exploded in popularity from 600 to over 6000 members through the pandemic. Hear about why they started the group and some of the major themes that have been popular over the years as they build a community around this unique lifestyle in Nova Scotia.

Mar 16, 202227:33
2 Mamas and a Pizza Shop

2 Mamas and a Pizza Shop

Episodes with music are only available on Spotify.

This week's show features Kelly, Kim and Teryn over at 2 Papas pizzeria in New Germany, Nova Scotia. They picked up their life in Newfoundland to relocate to Nova Scotia and embark on an entrepreneurial journey. Hear their story as they highlight working together as a family, moving to a rural community and some words of wisdom for others looking to start their own path to self-employment. 

Mar 11, 202225:38
Welcome to 2 Kids Off Grid

Welcome to 2 Kids Off Grid

Episodes with music are only available on Spotify.

Welcome to the first episode of 2 Kids Off-Grid. This week's episode talks about what motivated us to move across the country in a camper and buy 20 acres in rural Nova Scotia. Tune in this week to hear our story, like so many other homesteaders across Canada, who moved to find a better lifestyle and balance in our hectic world. 

Mar 02, 202228:31