That's pretty much what I'd like to be doing, but that type of gardening isn't applicable to my environment. We do however have an abundance of berries and such that can be picked for free by anyone. The growing season is short here so you'll need crops that store well over winter, such as root vegetables.

Learning how to live off the grid with your specific set of conditions is an excellent idea in every regard.

That garden here would be full of snakes.. spiders.. possums. Birds. You would need 24/7 security guard to watch it.

I am sold on the off grid, passive house though at the moment. Cooling and heating it naturally. 

I do like the romanticism of old houses though. Where I live is all Victorian. When I was in the mountains it was an old weatherboard from 1900. Super cute. 

A log house would be the natural choice around here I would think. 2 people can build one. It's sturdy and insulating and can take the temperature extremes from -30C to +30C easy. You'd need to grow root veggies and gather mushrooms and berries and hunt. I could definitely live like that.