PATH TO FREEDOM
PEDDLER'S WAGON
FREEDOM GARDENS
"LITTLE HOMESTEAD"
DERVAES GARDENS
URBAN HOMESTEADING
Entries (RSS)
December 2, 2009
We interrupt our regular posting schedule for some important news…..
Path to Freedom Urban Homestead needs your support. As the year comes to an end, please consider donating to help sustain our ever-expanding outreach and help us grow to the next level.
Our nonprofit is looking to raise some “grass roots” funds to help keep our webmistresses providing you with dispatches from the urban homestead here at Little Homestead in the City, pay for web-hosting fees, upgrade our websites, purchase public screening licenses for documentaries to show at film nights, and further our outreach as urban homesteading and farming ambassadors.
Consider giving a small donation ($10, $15, $20 or more)
Help us, help you, help others
OR check out our SUPPORT page for other ways you can support this work by purchasing garden & urban homestead supplies and seeds!
2009 HIGHLIGHTS
• School tours of the urban homestead offering hands-on learning experiences
• Canning workshop with local Jr High School students
• Working with local college students in their sustainability studies
• Invested our time to help answer questions via phone, e-mail or in person
• Film & Food Night monthly community events
• 10 Elements of Urban Homesteading - Tips on living a self reliant life in the middle of the city presentation
• Composting 101 workshop
• Growing Food in Small Spaces presentation
• Save Our Seeds presentation
• Our free social network, FreedomGardens.org, of backyard gardeners grew to over 5,800 members
• Participation in and tabling at a slew of community Earth Day festivals and Eco Fairs
• Launching of a new seed company, FreedomSeeds.org, to save seeds from corporate control
• DVD of Homegrown Revolution film short made available for community, educational and individual showings, as well as screening at film festivals worldwide (Greece, Italy, India, Spain)
• Little Homestead in the City celebrates nine years online. First and most comprehensive blog on urban homesteading
• Newly designed and re-launch of Path to Freedom Urban Homestead main site, including new photo gallery, online calendar and more
Path to Freedom Urban Homestead is a project of non profit Dervaes Institute 508 (c)(1)(A)
Next, stay tuned for another HUGE picture post… spoiler alert…. There’s a few candid shots!
(1 votes)
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Filed under: Grow the Future, Posts by Anais |
Tags: canning, community, Compost, Composting, earth day, eco fair, event, events, film & food night, Garden, greece, growing food, homegrow, homegrown, homegrown revolution, homesteading, little homestead in the city, outreach, photo gallery, posting, save our seeds, school, Seeds, self reliant, support, the urban homestead, tour, Urban Homestead, urban homesteading, Website
Keep This Site Growing: Did you get some inspiration or glean an informative tip from this post? Please support this site by either making a tax deductible donation or a purchase from our online store. Thank you!
December 2, 2009
They always say a picture is worth a thousand words and that would mean this entry must be worth 32,000 words!
So without wastin’ any more words, here’s another pictorial post of stuff and happenings around the urban homestead these past couple days.
Oh, and if you are enjoying these picture post as much as me then look for another “Around the Urban Homestead pt 3!”
The Animal Yard
The sign should actually say “welcome to the funny farm” but that’s another story!
Fairlight polishes off one of Farmer Sergio’s persimmons. Sheesh, get a napkin will ya!
Though her nickname is “her ladyship” her eating habits are far from ladylike. Just don’t tell her I told you that or she may give me one of her “don’t you dare” glare and disapproving butt with her head
The molting season is winding down, now dealing with broody hens and you know how they are at this stage — all in a huff and getting a bit uppity with the others. With their poofy cheeks they go around tuck, tucking everyone so best stay out of their way.
Busy butts digging for bugs and look at those cute fluffy butts! How come chicken backsides are so darn cute? OK, either that or we are spending waaaaay to much time here on the farm.
With colder nights the goats spend their evening in the part of the garage that’s been converted into a goat pen. Maaaaaaa
In the Home
Jordanne organizes the urban homestead’s library (you can get some of our favorite titles at our online store)
Cassidy’s takin to sitting in the “recipe basket” that sits in the dinning room and stores all our favorite recipes here on the urban homestead. No, it’s not organized nor is it alphabetical… one day!
New curtains in the girls’ bedroom. With three walls of windows our room gets like a deep freeze in winter (our bedroom was a late addition to our 1917 simple craftsman house built for a woman that had TB). Literally if we had meat it would be perfect meat locker…. well just about. Anyhow, Jordanne’s winterizing with curtains (the buttons are courtesy of our vintage button collection) Since the curtains were a bit long the buttons shorten them up and bit and I think it looks downright lovely with the antique accents
In the Garden
Bee visiting the flowering basil
Lima beans
Snow peas climb upwards
Oranges
Field of greens
Flowering marigold
Farmer D & Farmer Justin attached the row covers to the hoops
Beneficial birds look for the bad bugs among the peas
Another flock of wee little birds hangs out in the fig tree. The urban homestead attracts all sorts of urban wildlife!
Some man-made “wildlife”
Young radishes
Many of the seeds you see growing here on the micro farm can be purchased from our online seed store FreedomSeeds.org
In the Kitchen
Sprouts
Another weekly batch of kombucha ready to mix with lemon verbena syrup
Pouring
and bottling
Miscellaneous
Recycling cardboard is food for the worms
Moving right along in the honey shed construction
Our family gets interviewed by German radio
View from the back porch (sun ovens, cob oven and solar cone composter)
Free, recycled grease ready to be brewed into biodiesel by our brewmeister, Justin
Backyard bees
Dinner bell
Justin works on the one of the diesel cars
Filling up with homebrewed biodiesel
Yarn projects - hat’s almost finished!
(5 votes)
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Filed under: Chickens, Citified Farm Animals, Goats, Homestead Life, In the Garden, In the Kitchen, Low Impact Living, Posts by Anais, Urban Farming |
Tags: the urban homestead, Urban Homestead
Keep This Site Growing: Did you get some inspiration or glean an informative tip from this post? Please support this site by either making a tax deductible donation or a purchase from our online store. Thank you!
December 1, 2009
Life goes on keeping us all busy as bees (we’ll show you a few of our bees if you scroll down a bit!)
Here’s another pictorial post for your enjoyment of some of the happenings here on the urban homestead.
Farmer Justin, like a machine, whips up a few dozen soil blocks
The soil blocker he’s using is about 15 years old and has been one of the most valuable tools used here on our micro farm.
Filling up a tray with soil blocks
I’ve lost track of how many post LHITC has dedicated to the makin’ of soil blocks - here are a few
Saturday social with friends. Some even take up knitting for the first time!
Catching up with old friends
Connecting with new ones
and knitting!
While walking the goats we are always in the presence of the graceful Colorado Street Bridge
The goats check out the view from below
Pruning time. Farmer D cuts away at the “fruit tree hedge” that runs along one of the urban homestead’s fence line.
Checking on the bees before winter.
This Queen is a beauty and a big girl! Can you spot her?
Star fruit. These two beauties are the first we have harvested since we purchased the fruit tree 7 years ago. Farmer D jokes they are worth a couple hundred dollars a piece and that he’s going to “bronze them!”
Fall tomatoes
Jordanne cleans the animal yard while Fairlight looks on in approval
Covering up. The raised beds get winterized with a light row cover
Honey shed work continues
Up go the sides!
Jordanne treat us to a new dessert — homegrown/made guava jam and cream cheese pastry. YUM!
Monthly co-op pick up time. I wait for the truck driver to unload the goods.
Oh, and don’t forget you can order seeds and garden supplies from our online stores PeddlersWagon.com and FreedomSeeds.org all proceeds help support this site and help us grow onto the next level
(6 votes)
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Filed under: Homestead Life, In the Garden, In the Kitchen, Posts by Anais |
Tags: Bees, Soil, the urban homestead, Urban Homestead
Keep This Site Growing: Did you get some inspiration or glean an informative tip from this post? Please support this site by either making a tax deductible donation or a purchase from our online store. Thank you!
November 30, 2009
Heading north in mid January so get out those calendars and mark these dates!
Jan 15 - 17 Wild & Scenic Film Festival, Nevada City CA for the screening of Robert McFalls film HOMEGROWN on Saturday and Sunday (Time TBD)
Jan 20-23 Eco Farm Conference, Asilomar CA holding an Urban Homesteading “Big Rewards from Small Spaces” workshop (”Session G”) on Saturday 8 am - 10 am
CARPOOL to ECO FARM — If you would like to share a ride up to this 3 day farming conference that will be host to speakers like Wes Jackson, Francis Moore Lappe and more -contact us or post in comment box below.
Jan 24 Sonoma Environmental Film Festival for the screening of our in-home production of HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION (Time TBD)
Host a Homegrown Revolution Screening and Urban Homesteading Presentation!
If you in vincinity of these venues would like to invite Farmer D to give his inspiring urban homesteading power point presentation and screen HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION between Jan 15-24 contact info@pathtofreedom.com with your details and request information for discounted speaking/presentation pricing options.
(2 votes)
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Filed under: Events & Outreach, Posts by Anais, Urban Farming |
Tags: eco farm conference, homegrow, homegrown, homegrown revolution, homesteading, robert mcfalls, Urban Homestead, urban homesteading, wild & scenic film festival
Keep This Site Growing: Did you get some inspiration or glean an informative tip from this post? Please support this site by either making a tax deductible donation or a purchase from our online store. Thank you!
November 29, 2009
Since I am like a week behind in posting meals that we’ve enjoyed on the urban homestead, am going to combine the week before and last week’s meals. aka “two weeks’ worth”
Enjoy!
Summer vegetable medley
SATURDAY
Breakfast - homemade pancakes
Dinner - homemade flour tortillas, homemade rice (homegrown peppers, tomatoes) with homegrown red peppers and cheese
SUNDAY
Breakfast - homemade skillet granola
Lunch - leftovers from Saturday
Dinner - homegrown roasted eggplant, red peppers with pasta
MONDAY
Breakfast - homemade skillet granola
Lunch - OUT
Dinner - CA grown organic rice with homegrown squash, red peppers and greens
TUESDAY
Breakfast - homemade skillet granola
Lunch - homemade homegrown vegetable soup (greens, peppers, eggplant, squash)
Dinner - homemade homegrown vegetable soup (greens, peppers, eggplant, squash)
WEDNESDAY
Breakfast - homemade skillet granola
Lunch - homemade homegrown vegetable soup (greens, peppers, eggplant, squash)
Dinner - homemade homegrown vegetable soup (greens, peppers, eggplant, squash)
THURSDAY
Breakfast - homemade skillet granola
Lunch - homemade/homegrown herb pizza crust topped with homegrown tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and mozzarella cheese
Dinner -OUT
FRIDAY
Breakfast - homemade skillet granola
Lunch - leftover pizza with homegrown salad
Dinner - homemade/canned tomato sauce with pasta and parmesan cheese with homegrown salad
Winter squash
Tropical treats from our backyard and trades other fellow gardeners/farmers in the area
Chopped tromboncino squash
Wild rice (thanks to Erik from Minnesota ) pilaf with smashed squash
Melon (from Farmer Sergio), homegrown pomegranate and pineapple guava salad
Another huge tromboncino destined for the pot
Squash with pomegranate syrup and tangerine (from Janice K) salad
Vegetarian thanksgiving
Watermelon from Farmer Sergio
Colorful and tasty salad (Tangerines from Janice K - thanks!)
Last week here on the urban homestead was squash week! Squash for lunch, squash for dinner. I don’t know about you but with the cooler weather one can never have enough, warm and tasty winter squash! Definitely getting our daily allowance of vitamin A (beta carotene) from the squash and Vitamin C thanks to the citrus and tropical treats. Also enjoyed few unseasonable treats for this time of year- melons courtesy of Farmer Sergio.
SATURDAY
Breakfast - homemade pancakes
Dinner - homemade flour tortillas, homemade rice (homegrown peppers, tomatoes) with homegrown red peppers and cheese
SUNDAY
Breakfast - homemade skillet granola
Lunch - leftovers from Saturday
Dinner -OUT
MONDAY
Breakfast - homemade skillet granola
Lunch - homemade homegrown vegetable soup (greens, peppers, eggplant, squash)
Dinner - homegrown winter squash with homemade wild rice pilaf (wild rice courtesy of Erik in MN) made with homegrown celery and herbs
TUESDAY
Breakfast - homemade skillet granola
Lunch - homegrown tromboncino squash topped with homegrown/made pomegranate syrup, homegrown salad topped with tangerines (trade with Janice K) and homegrown pomegranates
Dinner - homegrown tromboncino squash with homemade wild rice pilaf (wild rice courtesy of Erik in MN) made with homegrown celery and herbs
WEDNESDAY
Breakfast - homemade skillet granola
Lunch - homemade homegrown vegetable soup (greens, peppers, eggplant, squash)
Dinner - homegrown tromboncino squash with homegrown salad topped with tangerines (trade with Janice K) and homegrown pomegranates
THURSDAY
Breakfast - homemade skillet granola
Lunch - homemade/homegrown herb pizza crust topped with homegrown tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and mozzarella cheese
Dinner - homegrown squash, homegrown salad with tangerines (from Janice K) and tofurkey
FRIDAY
Breakfast - homemade skillet granola
Lunch - leftovers
Dinner - homemade/canned tomato sauce with pasta and parmesan cheese
(4 votes)
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Filed under: 100 Foot Diet, Challenges, Homegrown Diet, In the Kitchen, Posts by Anais |
Tags: meals, the urban homestead, Urban Homestead, weekly meal wrap up
Keep This Site Growing: Did you get some inspiration or glean an informative tip from this post? Please support this site by either making a tax deductible donation or a purchase from our online store. Thank you!