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Urban Homestead Facts
LOCATION
Pasadena, CA
(Northwest Pasadena, one mile from downtown Pasadena)
PROPERTY SIZE
1/5 acre (66' x 132' / 8,712 sq.ft.)
GARDEN SIZE
~ 1/10 acre (3,900 sq.ft. / ~ 66' x 66')
GARDEN DIVERSITY
Over 350 different vegetables, herbs, fruits, berries
FOOD PRODUCED
6,000 lbs annually
challenging for 10,000 lbs in 2008 (read more)
URBAN HOMESTEAD SUPPORTS
4 full-time adults, volunteers, and many clients
ENERGY USAGE
6.5 kwh day (and going down!)
SOLAR POWER PRODUCED
9000 kwh ( as of 10/20/08)
GALLONS OF BIODIESEL MADE (since 2003)
1,500 gallons (as of 2/12/08)
"EARTH IMPACT FOOTPRINT" 5.2 acres per person
Tally Ho 2008
PRODUCE
4,340 lbs (9/31/08)
EGGS
Chicken 921 & Duck 1028 (10/22/08)
HONEY
25 lbs (10/20/08)
Steps Taken
Everyday Steps
Growing 99 % of produce
- 6,000lbs on 1/10 acre
Food Preservation/Storage:
- canning
- drying
- freezing
In the Kitchen:
- baking/cooking from
scratch
- yogurtmaking
- breadmaking
- cheesemaking
- sprouting
- cast iron cookware
- no dishwasher or
microwave
Food Choices:
- buying in bulk
- organic
- local
- eating seasonaly
- reducing "food miles"
- fair trade
- vegetarian(over 17 years)
Raising Small Farmstock:
- chickens (eggs/manure)
- ducks (eggs/manure)
- dwarf rabbits (manure)
- dwarf/pygmy goats
(milk/manure)
Composting Methods:
- making/using EM Bokashi
- vermicomposting
- composting food, garden
and green waste
Fuel:
- homebrewing biodiesel
- running diesel car on
biodiesel(~4,000 miles a yr)
Energy Conservation:
- "powering down"
- cut daily energy use in 1/2
12 kwh to 6 kwh a day
- 12 solar panels
- "green" power
- rechargeable batteries
- line drying clothes
Energy Efficient Appliances:
- washing machine
- refridgerator
- water heater(gas)
Energy Efficient Electronics:
- computer/printer/copier
- TV(no cable)/VCR/ DVD
Energy Efficient Lighting:
- compact fluorescent bulbs
- olive oil lamps
- oil lamps filled with
biodiesel
- homemade soy & beeswax
candles
- daylighting
- solar tube
Non-electrical Appliances /
Hand-powered
- blender
- toaster
- grinder(s)
- popcorn popper
- solar oven(s)
- hand washer/wringer
- pedal powered grain mill
- straight razor
- handcranked radio
- mortar & pestle
Natural beauty/no makeup
Homemade Non-toxic
Beauty Care Products
- toothpaste
- deoderant
Biodegrable/Non-toxic
Cleaning Products:
- vinegar
- baking soda
- lemon juice
Natural Health Practices:
- homeopathy
- herbal remedies
- prevention
Water Conservation Efforts:
- low flush toilets
- toilet lid sink
- reusing laundry water
- limit toilet flushings
- limit baths/showers
- mulching
- handwatering
- clay pot irrigation
- solar outdoor shower
- front load washer
- food not lawns
Hand powered garden tools:
- push mower
- broom, rake
- trowel, shovel
- hand clippers
Self-employed
Working at home:
- honey business
- produce/flower business
- craft business
Crafts & Skills:
- winemaking
- survival skills
- edible landscaping
- sewing
- leatherwork
- fiber arts
- animal husbandry
- holistic care
- tinctures
- carpentry
- plumbing
- building
- haircutting
- bicycle repairs
- soapmaking
- candlemaking
- herbs
- urban farming
- website design
- photography
- self publishing
- video & graphics
Living Simply:
- making use or do without
- bartering
- monthly shopping trips
- reduce, reuse & recycle
- second hand clothes
- salvage/thrift store
- consume less
Passive Cooling:
- no AC
- wood floors
- blinds
- windows
- screen doors
- edible forest
- "living" screens
- solar attic fan
Heating:
- no central heat
- woodstove that uses
scrap wood
- dress in layers
Walking the old paths:
- tithing
- day of rest
- stewardship
Saving seeds
Unschooling
Beekeeping
DIY Projects:
- solar oven
- cob oven
- solar outdoor shower
- depaved driveway/patio
- installed solar panels
- roofing
- sheds, etc
- animal enclosure, etc
- this website
- urban homesteading
Using canvas bags on
shopping trips / no plastic
Transportation:
- biodiesel "veggie" vehicle
- 4 "car free" days a week
- walk
- bike
- carpool
- mass transit
- cross country train trips
- 2 airplane trips in 25 years
"Green" Home Upgrades:
- metal roof
Outreach/helping others
along the path
CURRENT TRAILS
Growing 10k on 1/10
Rainwater
Waste water recovery
Support
We Support
« GROW THE FUTURE | Main | GROW YOUR OWN GROCERIES »
April 27, 2009
The garden’s growing and that means produce is coming in that needs to be eaten, sold or preserved.
Now that we’ve gotten past the flush of Earth Day activities it’s time to get caught up with our lives and projects here on the urban homestead - there’s definitely lots to be done!
Falling back into our normal routine I do hope to get around to more homesteady activities that have be on my to do list for too long!
Hopefully these latest photos will give you a sense of all the good things happening….
Loquats ready for baking and preserving. I found a tasty loquat cobbler recipe that I’d like to try, not to mention a batch of loquat jam and butter. Has anyone stumbled across any unique recipes for loquats?
In the kitchen, eggs from the ducks & chickens and bartered bunch of citrus. Breakfast anyone?
Edible peas enjoying the much cooler (and even damp) weather
Anna apples grow bigger and start getting touches of pink. I can’t wait to make my favorite apple butter recipe - always the first to be polished off in the pantry
Young blackberries emerge from the brambles. Dreaming of blackberry cobbler with a bit of cream….
Dwarf citrus and festive nasturtiums brighten up the day
Ollas ready for irrigation
In go the ollas below ground … next come the tomatoes
Chickens hanging out
Spring garden with smatterings of summer plants like cucumbers, beans and eggplants.
Complete with ladybugs
Old Clems hangs with young Bella (who’s doing better in case you are wondering - but just as Jordanne suspected she has a heart problem)
This photo makes me think of one thing! Cookies and milk?
First strawberries of the season! Whoop de do! Strawberry bars are just around the corner. Not to mention strawberry jam, strawberry syrup on pancakes and just plain ol strawberries straight from the bush.
The bucket brigade. Time to feed the garden! Sorry don’t know what the urban famers here were whipping up here. I snapped this photo just I was heading out…..
Tags:
earth day,
Garden,
the urban homestead,
Urban Homestead
Topics: Homestead, Posts by Anais | Tags: earth day, Garden, the urban homestead, Urban Homestead
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April 27th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Thank you for the beautiful photos. We cherish each and every one.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:24 am
The pics are GORGEOUS!! Thanks for posting them! It always gives me such great ideas for my garden space! Be sure you post recipes; I was especially intriqued by the strawberry bars.
April 28th, 2009 at 3:41 am
Looking good!
Loquats already? Mine will take at least a month.
Cheers!
April 28th, 2009 at 3:59 am
I do love seeing pics of your garden. It makes me impatient to start digging and planting in my gardens. But up here in Ontario Canada we aren’t quite ready for spring planting yet. Frost warnings don’t end till the middle of May.
A good sign is that the strawberries are just now showing buds.
April 28th, 2009 at 5:10 am
Wow…those pics are beautiful. We’re at least a month away from any substantial harvest, so it’s nice to live vicariously through you. And now, I want some Oreo’s and milk.
April 28th, 2009 at 5:11 am
And PS….I’m with Michelle….do tell about the strawberry bars.
April 28th, 2009 at 5:57 am
We have been having loquats all over town. One of my neighbor’s has a tree just burdened with them and I keep trying to convince myself to ask if I can pick some. I’m also seeing them on public property.
We also have mulberries getting ripe on roadsides right now, do you have those?
April 28th, 2009 at 6:06 am
Thanks for the wonderful pictures! They are so encouraging and inspiring! As Andrea said, ” it’s nice to live vicariously through you”!
April 28th, 2009 at 9:57 am
Y’know… this post made me realize part of the reason I’ve had zero success with growing my own… I’m so accustomed to SoCal that I have NO IDEA what edibles go with what seasons here in SW Texas!! No wonder I end up losing all my attempts to the weather!
Also, as I’ve been reading your posts by feed for quite some time, I had no idea how awesome your new site design turned out! Good job!!
April 28th, 2009 at 10:18 am
WOW! I just found you all today and I am blown away! Everything you are doing is so amazing and inspiring. I can not wait to start a homestead of my own. I was waiting on more land but your family is an example of why that is not always necessary. Thanks so much and keep it up! I have you bookmarked now so I will be checking back in!
April 28th, 2009 at 11:00 am
Gorgeous, gorgeous! I love the “cookies and milk” comment…too funny.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Everything looks so delicious. We are also having a very weird weather spring and I don’t know what on earth is up with the garden. FINALLY having some salad. As soon as everything is ready here it is bolting. From cold, grey and rain to heat and sun overnight. Shocking, but beautiful!
Food Down Under is one of my favorite places to get recipes. This is where I found a million things to do with mulberries!
They have some ideas for loquat, hope it helps! http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-b.....i?q=loquat
April 28th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
You can do pretty much anything with a loquat that you can do with an apricot. Hmm, I wonder how well they dry?