mouseover for names
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
« CHERRY? | Main | ROSES! »
June 29, 2009
It’s fruit season here on the urban homestead! Our dwarf trees are loaded with fruit. Coming up next– apple butter, apricot syrup and peach preserves…..
Oh and the blueberries are ripening as fast as we can pick em. We picked over 1 lb - which is a lot of little fruit! YUM.
The June gloom seemed to delay our fruit from ripening. The apricots are 1/2 and 1/2 Though the apricot fruit is slightly green, we ended picking them anyways because, over the weekend, the temperature is supposed to spike into the 90’s and we don’t want the fruit to crack (some are already slightly cracked) Besides, there’s a pesky little squirrel!
What’s fruiting in on your homestead?
Tags:
backyard fruit,
fruit,
the urban homestead,
Urban Homestead
Topics: Fruits, Garden, Posts by Anais | Tags: backyard fruit, fruit, the urban homestead, Urban Homestead
RELATED POSTS:
Comments
PATH TO FREEDOM
PEDDLER'S WAGON
FREEDOM GARDENS
"LITTLE HOMESTEAD"
DERVAES GARDENS
URBAN HOMESTEADING
Entries (RSS)
Loading ...
June 29th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Do you spray your fruit trees with any organic spray to keep away harmful bugs? If so what do you use?
We just planted apple trees and peach trees last year.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:27 am
We have blueberries! Everyone said they wouldn’t grow here because of the acidty levels of the soil, but I made it happen! A little peat, a little chicken poo and TLC, and those shrubs are covered with berries! I consider this my first *real* homesteading success!
June 29th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Rasberries… mmmmmmmmmm. We transplanted the canes from a friend’s house in early Spring. I’m surprised they did so well.
June 29th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
We have strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. We also have plums ripening this week. Now that the weather is finally hot, everything is starting to ripen at once. I even had one ripe blackberry!
June 29th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
It’s BLACKBERRY TIME here in our kitchen garden. I picked a pound and a half on Saturday with more ready to pick today!
June 29th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
I made a comment earlier this morning asking a question but don’t see it here. Not sure it went through.
I asked if you spray your fruit trees with any type of organic spray to deter harmful bugs. I just planted apple trees and peach trees last year and would like to deter organically any bugs that could harm the fruit or tree.
June 29th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
That pesky little squirrel has about 6 cousins who have stripped my 5 peach trees of almost all their unripe fruit. They eat some down to the pit, but most are simply chewed slightly and, when they fall to the ground, are ruined for anything but the ants. I’ve about given up.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
We have figs coming in slowly, mmmm love them ripe in yogurt or mash them up for muffins, or jam. Those darn squirrels! We had them at the other house, several. They’d pick off all the avocados as soon as they were ripe! And the’d take a nibble of our Persimmons too. The bigger ones would take some tangerines as well…grrrr… Currently, we have a very young cat that makes her rounds at our new place and keeps the rodents, birds and squirrels in their place.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Right now all we have is a little bit of citrus still hanging on. But, your fruit looks delicious.
June 30th, 2009 at 4:47 am
What’s fruiting? Well, some pesky critter ate up every single green cantaloupe or I’d probably have some by now. Tho they did leave a couple of watermelons. There are a few apples but not as many as we have some years. A surprise has been huckleberries. This is the first time I’ve tried growing them and they are growing into big bushy plants covered with berries. Some are starting to darken up now. There have been a handful of strawberries and raspberries. But next year we should have more.
June 30th, 2009 at 6:23 am
I don’t have fruit in my garden, but I have been picking mulberries from a tree in our church yard, and made some jam with them. Will be going back today to see if there are more that have ripened. Can’t beat the cost! Mary
June 30th, 2009 at 9:39 am
We have plum trees. The fruit, or what is left of it after the hail, is still small and green. Will not be ready for some time but that is Colorado for you.
July 1st, 2009 at 10:48 am
We have some gorgeous black raspberries and are starting to get blooms on our red raspberries. Also I have one lone fig after my toddler picked off all of the tiny figs i guess for fun. Our Watermelon patch is on it’s way to being full of Moon & stars Melons with tons of blooms showing up. Lastly we planted Old Melon an heirloom variety that has the most beautiful blooms and I can’t wait to see the fruit.
there are also quite a few fruit trees in our neighborhood that are left unpicked all summer so a little knock on the door and the owners are more than happy to have them picked rather than rot on their lawn.
July 4th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Last weekend my husband and I were working on a chicken coop and duck run in 111 degree weather. On a shade break we walked over to our little orchard and picked some apricots to eat. They were really hot from the sun and tasted like cobbler. It was amazing. My husband said THIS IS WHY WE HAVE THESE TREES, and thanked me for picking the tasty varieties rather than the standard ones. The cool thing was I didn’t have to heat up the house with the oven to have cobbler. I told the kids to run inside and get the whipped cream. We had a party under the tree and then the kids went swimming to wash/cool off. Such simple pleasures. (of course the whipped cream in the can was not home grown…)
July 5th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
It’s always such a shock for me to visit your website and see all of the things that are “in season.” Right now, we have strawberries and rhubarb for fruit. In another couple of weeks, the raspberries and blueberries will be ripe, followed by peaches and plums (if we can find them, because they’re rare in Maine), melons (if they were started in a greenhouse and are a fast growing variety), and then, apples in the fall. We don’t have a lot of choices up here for fruit … but I guess the trade-off is that we have real maple syrup :).