Freedom Forest Life | Self-Sufficiency

Every year we like to grow something new, something that will take our self-sufficiency up one more notch, even if its just something small ... One more edible that we use that we can provide for ourselves, from our land.

This year we grew a variety of Pumpkin that is specifically for seed.
Seeds that can be eaten raw because they are hull-less - that look just like the ones you buy in supermarkets and health food shops.

The variety we grew is 'Kakai'
We had a few MASSIVE fruits that I haven't de-seed yet, I started with the smallest of the crop the other day and I am VERY IMPRESSED with how the seeds have formed up and also with the volume of seed that came out of just a small Pumpkin!

Pumpkin seeds are highly nutritious offering significant plant-based protein (around 30%), healthy fats (including omega-3s), fibre, and essential minerals like magnesium, zinc, iron, and phosphorus, along with B vitamins. They are also rich in antioxidants too.

We do use the more rustic large seeds from all the other pumpkin varieties we grow too, but those we soak and roast to make the hulls palatable (method here 👉 youtube.com/shorts/jWCTtf7wcG... )
By growing Kakai as well, we now have a source of raw seed too, which will be delicious added to salads or used as a replacement for nuts.


And finally, so that nothing is wasted, our chickens get to enjoy all the flesh of the Kakai pumpkin, as it is not as flavoursome and dense as the varieties we grow for eating.

Always fun trying something new in the garden and reaping the rewards in the kitchen AND growing AMAZINGLY nutritious foods for yourself 💚✌️🌿

(Kakai is the Pumpkin I am holding in the 2nd picture)

#selfsufficiency #foodsecurity #growyourown #pumpkinseeds #lifeskills

Skip the Carousel

1 2 3 4

2 days ago | [YT] | 87

Freedom Forest Life | Self-Sufficiency

Potatoes really are one of the BEST Self-Sufficiency foods you can grow for yourself - they are our main staple carbohydate here!
Harvesting New Potatoes by May might sound impossible, but with the right timing, it is absolutely achievable and NOW is the time to get your seed potatoes if you would like an EXTRA EARLY HARVEST 🥔
👉 https://youtu.be/Kc0dBQn8S7M

In this video we share our full start-to-finish method for growing EXTRA early Potatoes so we can enjoy a fresh harvest right in the hungry gap, when fresh homegrown food is least abundant!

We hope you enjoy this weeks video and it gets you buzzing for the growing season. We'd massively appreciate if you can give our video some 'Hypes' via the mobile app and we look forward to seeing you in the comments. 💚✌️🌿

6 days ago | [YT] | 109

Freedom Forest Life | Self-Sufficiency

Happy New Year All
We look forward to sharing our projects, progress and self-sufficiency adventure with you in 2026 and we really hope that it gives you ideas or inspiration for your own journeys towards a life more connected to Nature, Our Food, OURSELVES and ultimately Mother Earth 💚🌍✨
Today we started the New Year by lifting the big insulated roofing sheets up onto the outdoor kitchen structure, with the help of Dan's friends - massively grateful for the extra man power, it would of been a real challenge on our own!
If you haven't seen our latest Outdoor Kitchen build video, check it out here 👉 https://youtu.be/X8s5KW1whvI

We massively appreciate all your interest and continued support and we hope 2026 brings Love, Contentment & Magic for all 💖✌️🌿

1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 119

Freedom Forest Life | Self-Sufficiency

We are excited to share the next stage of our Off-Grid, Outdoor Kitchen Build with you all 👉 https://youtu.be/X8s5KW1whvI

Raising these massive Sweet Chestnuts posts feels like the first big miles stone and now we have a visual space, we have been able to plan the layout of the kitchen, which I also share in this video.

If you enjoy this video, we would massively appreciate if you would give it a 'THUMBS UP' and also give it some 'HYPES' from your YT mobile app. 👍🌟🙏

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays and we look forward to seeing you in the comments 💚✌️🌿

1 week ago | [YT] | 74

Freedom Forest Life | Self-Sufficiency

Update : Video is now live 👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8s5K... (only took 8hrs to upload) 😆
Hi Folks - We are hoping to have a video out for your today, but the upload is being incredible slow!!!!

Having taken a few days off over Christmas, we didn't get this one uploaded ahead of time like normal.
Hoping many of you will be taking some quiet rest time between Christmas and New Year and will enjoy watching just as soon as I can get this video to you.
Seasons Greeting 💚✌️🌿

1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 83

Freedom Forest Life | Self-Sufficiency

Happy Winter Solstice All 🌲
We hope you can relax into some restful Wintering over the next few days as we sit with our longest nights, safe in the knowledge that the light is returning ✨

👉 🎥 https://youtu.be/cvMvB-enY1o
Make yourself a cuppa, snuggle up by the fire and enjoy a few minutes of Christmas themed nature with us as we embrace slow Winter days in the forest, gathering holly, ivy, and evergreen cuttings to make our Christmas decorations and wreaths the natural way.

Wising you a beautiful restful holiday and sending out our love and thanks to all 💚✌️🌿

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 118

Freedom Forest Life | Self-Sufficiency

This is a typical lunch for us - an example of an 80% Self-sufficient meal. Homegrown Carrots, fresh eggs from our Hens and DELICIOUS Roasted Pumpkin & White Been Hummus ... with just the bread being bought in from a local bakery who uses organic flour, (Organic is a must for me, for the occasional wheat products that we do buy in)!

You can watch my SIMPLE Hummus Recipe short here 👉 youtube.com/shorts/NyXsPu4Z74...

This Hummus has deep delicious flavour and will make a great addition to your festive food offerings this holiday season.

Any questions, feel free to pop them in the comments below 🧡✌️🌿

#recipeideas #pumpkinrecipes #selfsufficientmeals

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 96

Freedom Forest Life | Self-Sufficiency

Hi folks,
Its been a while since we've made a Vlog! Here's how December is looking ...

👉 https://youtu.be/tI4oYM07A_U

Join us for a 'Real Life' week on our self-sufficiency farm in the South of England.
We share some of the seasonal jobs we work on during Winter - Chicken Care, a huge Compost WIN and lots of Woodchips.
I've also shared a simple recipe idea in this video and to finish up we go foraging for our natural Christmas decorations.

We hope you enjoying seeing what we've been up to here - If you do enjoy this vid we would massively appreciate if you can give it some 'HYPES' and help it reach more lovely people like you, help us overcome the challenges of the Algorithm and grow! 🌱 🙏

Seasons Greeting All

💚✌️🌿

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 121

Freedom Forest Life | Self-Sufficiency

Hi Freedom Forest Community,
WE NEED YOUR HELP ... We need your HYPES!!!
Youtube has fairly recent released a new interactive way for you to help BOOST the 'small creator' content that you love.
In the FIRST SEVEN DAYS of us releasing a new video, if you click the 'HYPE' button below the video (ON MOBILE APP ONLY) you wil be sending out a clear message that will help Youtube to recognise our content more and BOOST OUR ALGORITHM.
Its only available for the first week that a new video is out - you get three 'Hypes' per week!
Our last video has been out for just under a week, so if you fancy helping to boost it, click here and give it a 'HYPE' 👉 https://youtu.be/vB-XGB99bSE

⭐️ How to find Hypes ⭐️ From your youtube mobile app, load our latest video, then click 'more' to open up the description details, click 'Hype points' then click the BLACK BAR at the BOTTOM, it will say something like 'Hype 220 Points' and youve done it 🌟


If you enjoy our content and what we share, we would massively appreciate your SUPPORT, so please continue to 'Hype' our new videos each week when we release 🙏 This will also help to let Youtube know that you appreciate #humanmade content too and will help smaller channels like ours to be seen and given the chance to thrive!

BIG LOVE & THANKS Family 💚✌️🌿

#helpusgrow #hypes #smallcreator

4 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 123

Freedom Forest Life | Self-Sufficiency

We are so excited to have our gardens and self-sufficiency story featured on  ⁨@GrowVeg⁩.
The video is now live, so be sure to check it out here 👉 https://youtu.be/nlCdAvG-rD8?si=EoEQG...
We had such a fun day with Ben and camera man Shawn, they were both so easy to work with and helped to fill us full of confidence for the filming and what we share too.
This was filmed back in July, so we have been eagerly waiting to see this 'GrowVeg' video creation, and we think they have done an amazing job!
Let us know what you think in the comments too?
💚✌️🌿

1 month ago | [YT] | 104