Off the Swedish grid
April 20, 2020 5:03 AM Subscribe
Tova and Mathias are living in a formerly abandoned fäbod (summer farm) in Talasbuan, Sweden. They started out with a couple of derelict log huts on a barren piece of land and little money. Their ongoing journey to make this into a livable, self sufficient home is documented in a series of vlogs.
A year in the Swedish wilderness is a more compressed overview of one year in their life. The 2hour video features a lot of beautiful nature shots but has less of the episodical drama of the vlogs.
Their website with background info, blogs.
A year in the Swedish wilderness is a more compressed overview of one year in their life. The 2hour video features a lot of beautiful nature shots but has less of the episodical drama of the vlogs.
Their website with background info, blogs.
Lovely! Thanks so much for the share.
posted by KleenexMakesaVeryGoodHat at 7:54 AM on April 20, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by KleenexMakesaVeryGoodHat at 7:54 AM on April 20, 2020 [1 favorite]
Cute but seems more of a photography and Patreon farm than I was hoping for. Plus their english blog is full of home birthing links which raises my eyebrow a bit.
posted by anthill at 8:34 AM on April 20, 2020
posted by anthill at 8:34 AM on April 20, 2020
I randomly picked "Off Grid Life: An ordinary day off the grid in Sweden," which shows him going to get water from a small river. He uses a hatchet to break the ice. Why not just grab some of the snow he's surrounded by, and let it melt in the cabin?
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:49 AM on April 20, 2020
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:49 AM on April 20, 2020
I've only watched the first half of the vlogs before making this post. I think that Tuva and Mathias are very nice people and I'm glad they are making these vlogs. If you've watched a couple of them you'll notice that they're not living this life for making vlogs or getting money. The vlogs are a sideproject. If work at home gets too much there's no time for vlogs.
This can be a bit frustrating for the viewer because sometimes you'll miss out on some exciting things happening on the farm or you'll miss updates on interesting projects started in earlier vlogs .
Patreon only came into the picture around vlog 20 or so. The vlogs have remained the same high quality throughout. I don't think it's fair to say it's a Patreon farm.
Mathias adresses the snow/water thing somewhere. It turns out to be far easier to get the water from the stream. If I recall correctly it takes too much time/energy to get enough water from snow.
posted by Kosmob0t at 9:15 AM on April 20, 2020 [3 favorites]
This can be a bit frustrating for the viewer because sometimes you'll miss out on some exciting things happening on the farm or you'll miss updates on interesting projects started in earlier vlogs .
Patreon only came into the picture around vlog 20 or so. The vlogs have remained the same high quality throughout. I don't think it's fair to say it's a Patreon farm.
Mathias adresses the snow/water thing somewhere. It turns out to be far easier to get the water from the stream. If I recall correctly it takes too much time/energy to get enough water from snow.
posted by Kosmob0t at 9:15 AM on April 20, 2020 [3 favorites]
It is frigging adorable when he says, ”I have no idea what this word is in English, but a small little house in front of the house where you come in and take your outer clothes off.”
posted by pickles_have_souls at 9:49 AM on April 20, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by pickles_have_souls at 9:49 AM on April 20, 2020 [2 favorites]
yeah, snow is much less dense AND it takes energy to thaw. I mean, you can always stick a can of it on top of your wood stove or what not to thaw, but that's not Plan A.
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 10:06 AM on April 20, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 10:06 AM on April 20, 2020 [2 favorites]
Water flowing in a stream has picked up minerals & such- so it has flavour. Rain or snow doesn't have that mineral content so it tastes kinda flat.
Its easy to melt snow though- keep a 10 or 25 gallon container beside the wood stove, add snow- once it melts, occasionally add more buckets of snow to that water. Happens by itself. Good for animals, washing, cooking, tea.
To collect stream water- you have to chop through the ice, and haul it whatever distance it is. but its delicious.
save that for drinking straight, or for your fancy cocktails.
(source- past 13 years).
posted by cabin fever at 3:23 PM on April 20, 2020 [3 favorites]
Its easy to melt snow though- keep a 10 or 25 gallon container beside the wood stove, add snow- once it melts, occasionally add more buckets of snow to that water. Happens by itself. Good for animals, washing, cooking, tea.
To collect stream water- you have to chop through the ice, and haul it whatever distance it is. but its delicious.
save that for drinking straight, or for your fancy cocktails.
(source- past 13 years).
posted by cabin fever at 3:23 PM on April 20, 2020 [3 favorites]
a small little house in front of the house where you come in and take your outer clothes off
The word he was thinking of is förstuga and is best translated as "vestibule", a common enough thing in a cold and wet country like Sweden, and probably the root of the whole take-your-shoes-off-inside mentality we've discussed enough here.
We're lucky enough to have a little place in the countryside too, but have yet to completely forsake city life. Another take on this theme, from the state TV production outfit SVT. (Previously.) Not sure if it'll work abroad, but maybe?
posted by St. Oops at 4:03 AM on April 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
The word he was thinking of is förstuga and is best translated as "vestibule", a common enough thing in a cold and wet country like Sweden, and probably the root of the whole take-your-shoes-off-inside mentality we've discussed enough here.
We're lucky enough to have a little place in the countryside too, but have yet to completely forsake city life. Another take on this theme, from the state TV production outfit SVT. (Previously.) Not sure if it'll work abroad, but maybe?
posted by St. Oops at 4:03 AM on April 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
This has been great background tv for my last couple days of cooking, thanks.
posted by quaking fajita at 12:23 PM on April 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by quaking fajita at 12:23 PM on April 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
« Older "Life is short. Eat dessert first." | A Stellar Mystery: How Could 100 Stars Just Vanish... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by notyou at 6:10 AM on April 20, 2020