# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > General Homesteading >  Exploring my New Property

## Chris

I took the family up and we spent several hours exploring our new property on Saturday, the kids got tired of course but I would have stayed longer, we didn't even see half of it.

So I bought 20 acres of mountaintop in Chattanooga. It covers two geologic formations, on one side it is a pretty thick soil layer and some sandstone on top of the limestone, with some rock outcroppings and other formations, on the other side its very thing soil and mostly limestone. The first side is all hardwood, oak and hickory and maple and beautiful. The second side changes to more soft woods, including some big old cedars. 

It is really cool, in addition to the views I've got some very big trees. The biggest oaks are over 40" in diameter, I have probably 5 or 6 over 36". The biggest maple is approaching 40" and looks to have survived a fire at some point, some day I hope to tap it for syrup. There is also a big american persimmon, which was hard to find. I have a tree survey of the hardwood section but even still traipsing over 10 acres trying to find a specific tree among hundreds, but I think I did finally find it. All the trees are super tall though, being a forest stand, with the canopies 50+ feet in the air, I don't see how I'm harvesting any of this fruit, I did find some unripe drops on the ground so I'm pretty sure I found the right tree. 

I plan to raise pigs in this forest, I'll need to build a paddock but then let them roam and eat all the acorns and hickory nuts. Just one or two a season. 

There is a natural spring though the aquifer isn't strong right now. There is also a nice dry riverbed that only gets action in the rain, but its cool because it has all these rocks on it that have naturally collected, if I follow it all the way down it drains into the Tennessee River (not my property all the way to there though). 

I did see one oak with a resurrection fern on it, something I've never seen before in the wild, which excited the gardening nerd in me. 

I swear there must be ginseng around too, it is the perfect habitat for it, but I keep getting faked out by virginia creeper. 

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dropped persimmons I collected
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one of the biggest trees, a huge oak, and check out that vine hanging off it
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Closeup of the resurrection fern
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resurrection fern on oak
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I'm not sure what this is. It isn't virginia creeper because it has petioles, but I don't think its ginseng because the serrations on the leave seem pretty large.

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## Chris

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This is virginia creeper, no petioles. 
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View off the back half if you hike up to where they cut the power line access, a half mile trail to get up there, not bad.

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## Adventure Wolf

That is awesome! Nice property. I am jealous.

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## Wise Old Owl

Thanks for sharing...

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## Batch

The vine is almost certainly grape. They are a great source of clean water. But, my experience with really big vines and water is not good.

Still really good for smoking food.

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## DSJohnson

Congratulations!  Owning a piece of the woods is the best thing that ever happened to my family.  I hope it is great for you and yours!

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## natertot

Really nice piece of land! Congrats on the acquisition. Looks like you got some work ahead of you, but should make for some good family time.

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## hunter63

Congrats.....Great when a plan comes together.
All the dreaming, looking, working, learning....now has a place to used.

You are going on another adventure......enjoy.

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## 1stimestar

Oh gorgeous!  Can't wait to hear and see more of it.

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## Rick

Congratulations, Chris. I know you've been working on this a while. I know you're glad to finally make it a reality and to make the move.

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## randyt

nice country

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## hunter63

I see the power line....I'm thinking "deer stands"....and a long shooter.....But that is just me.

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## madmax

We're a little further east in the summer.  Great place to be.  Congrats.

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## Solar Geek

Wonderful pictures and congrats! We have that same 5 leaf plant/vine here in Central WI and it wraps around small trees and strangles them. 

You are blessed to have found your place - we treasure our acreage and thank God each day that we can actually live here. 
Have fun!!!!

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## hunter63

I have the vines as well.....looks funny in the fall....the leaves turn a blood red when the rest of the tree is still green.

Was told they were wild grapes...but I cut the vines when ever I can...like SG said, they strangle the trees.

You will be surprised how much the landscape changes for season to season....It just amazes me.

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## LowKey

The thing that isn't virginia creeper looks like a small tree. Chinkapin oak maybe? Any others around?
Congrats on the new property!

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## Davidlastink

Congratulations.

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## Chris

I really don't know if this is a persimmon or not, we didn't have them in Michigan and I'm only familiar with the asian fruit in the supermarket, which I know is different from the common american persimmon.

So the fallen fruit we collected split on our counter and these massive nuts/seeds came out. I put a pecan in for scale. Do American Persimmons produce seed like this?

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## Chris

is that a buckeye?

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## hunter63

That what I thought and still think.....
I carry one in my pocket everyday for arteritis.....(old folk remedy )

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## crashdive123

Chestnut/horse chestnut/buckeye

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## Chris

There was one buckeye tree marked as well, so I was in the wrong place on the map.

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## hunter63

Save some and give then away to friends for sore hands.

They seem to work(?), but I think a lot of it is more just belief and the fact that when you play with it, keeps your hands moving....stiffness seems to relieved?....

Helps if you give them a line about the Old Medicine Women in the cave that said the incantation over it....LOL.

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## Chris

I finally found some actual wild ginseng on my property. I'm sure of the ID this time, even found a little red berry. 

I also found some wild onions... and what I think are ramps. I'm not 100%. They look like ramps (wild leeks), they were growing in the right sort of place, but.... the "bulb" portion wasn't as "bulby", some, not all, but some pictures I've seen show a bit of a burgundy flush to the stem, and most concerning is that supposedly they're usually not around come Fall, the leaves die back in late Spring. So... I'm confused. Ramps often get confused with deadly lily of the valley, but I also fairly sure these aren't that as the leaf arrangement was way wrong. 

Mine didn't so much look like this:
http://eatdrinktc.com/wp-content/upl...llow-Farms.jpg

but did totally look like this:
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/JPE...hole.Photo.jpg

both are ramps, I guess. But this is obviously Fall, not Spring, and everyone says you can't find them in Fall.

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## hunter63

What do they smell like?....stuff from the wild onion/leaks ramps/chives families..... all seemed to have the onion smell.
I have Lilies of the Valley in the yard (domestic)....and have all died back in like August?.....and have no smell.

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## dwarvenranger

Very cool, congrats.

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