Last minute gifts for the off-gridder in your life

Why yes, I am off-grid. And certainly you can feel free to send me gifts, but this is actually not about me (for once).

You have a son, a daughter, a mother, a father, or a friend who have moved off-grid. They’re self-sufficient. They raise animals, have canned all their produce from the summer, and, essentially, are so self-sufficient that they don’t seem to need anything. So what the heck do you get them?

How about some heritage chickens? ActiveLife Farm offers Australorpes and Rhode Island Reds, among other breeds. The farm in Colchester County, N.S. also raises border collies, if you’re inclined to present a loved one with an intelligent pup as well.

Wayfair.ca, among others, has an impressive selection of solar lights. They range from decorative garden lights designed to look like owls to more serious solar-powered security lights with motion detectors.

Cords of seasoned fire wood will warm the cockles of any off-gridders’ hearts, not to mention their hearth and home. Check online to see who has the best deal. Personally, on the South Shore, I like to get mine from Steven Mosher in Kingsburg. He’s prompt, delivers a mix of seasoned birch, oak and maple, and offers intelligent conversation to boot.

Speaking of wood, every off-gridder needs to own a copy of Norwegian Wood. This is Lars Mytting’s definitive book on everything you need to know about cutting, stacking and storing wood. His engrossing narrative encompasses the burning properties of different kinds of wood, the tools used to cut trees, and the numerous, proper ways to season wood properly so it will burn in your wood stove (and, yes, he discusses those too). (Look for a review of his book in the new year.)

As a former books page editor at a daily newspaper, and a long-time reviewer for The Globe and Mail, the National Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and many others, I love books. So let me recommend a few more: Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle traces her family’s “year in food life.” But it does so much more: Kingsolver, a terrific novelist and essayist, examines such issues as food security and local produce versus large-scale monocultures.

And the Woodlot Management Handbook by Stewart Hilts and Peter Mitchell assists you in understanding the land you own, and how to make the most of it - and not just economically. Perhaps, you’re a small woodlot owner who wants to conserve what you have for the wildlife. This book will aid you in that.

Maybe you’ve got some money to burn, well then, I have just the stove for you. Unique produces a series of speciality off-grid, propane appliances with a battery ignited system. We have one here, and it’s a marvel to cook on. Plus, yes, you can burn your money either on its four burners or in the stove.

Remember though, this time of year is not about what you get or gift, but rather who you spend your time with, and the memories you make. I wish everyone a happy holiday and a Happy New Year. In the new year I will roll out a number of new features, so stay tuned.