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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
« AROUND THE URBAN HOMESTEAD | Main | WEEKLY MEAL WRAP UP x2 »
November 27, 2009
Tradition here on the urban homestead if for our family to get together on holidays and work on new projects. Thursday was a gorgeous day - sunny and warm. Perfect for working outside.
We look forward to such holidays. It’s like the regular routine around the urban homestead takes a new turn.
One year we spent Thanksgiving removing by hand the 30′ x 30′ concrete slab, the other working bees and another, well, my memory is blurry but all I know is there’s always something exciting going on.
This year the project was building another shed. This shed will house the honey equipment. One thing we’ve learned about homesteading in the city you need lots of storage and we’ve outgrown our garage! It’s also a challenge to use space wisely and it seems that every fall, when the cleanup gets going, we always tend to find that we have more usable space to do something with!
While we occasionally helped with the shed building work, we gals had other plans of our own. Normally, we’d have dinner at a friends house potluck style, but this time we spent a simple, quiet evening at our home. So it was baking and cooking for us. Jordanne, the baker, made a peanut butter pie while I got things ready for dinner. Not to mention a bit of tiding up for Saturday and our annual Harvest Gathering here at the urban homestead. I even snuck in a few rounds of knitting while listening to a CD a friend gave us - actually have four knitting projects in my basket and I am itching to start a few more. What is it with the cooler weather and what it does to us knitters. It’s an affliction I tell you.
Thankfully, we got a lot of work in yesterday as the weather’s taking a dip (cold!) and there’s a chance of rain later today and tomorrow.
Hope everyone else had a wonderful day with family and friends and like to say “thank you” to relatives and friends who wished our family a ‘Happy Thanksgiving.’ We are truly thankful for so much: our readers, family and supporters
Goods & Supplies for the Urban Homestead
Oh, and while others maybe rushing around early this Black Friday, you’ll find us hanging out with the critters, picking today’s produce, some gardening work (end of the week means Justin is out with his regular spraying routine — EM, etc) and other typical morning chores.
I will, however, remind you that if you absolutely need to purchase something this holiday season - consider buying from our online store that supplies goods and tools for the urban homestead. Not to mention many of these items are used by us (many which I’ve written about and posted pics) and also you’ll be supporting our many sites and our growing outreach (which I will go into in a later post)
Thank you for your support!
Farmer D eyes to see if the ground is level
Cleaning up the area around the hives for the new honey shed
Measuring twice, cutting once. Justin saws the wood by hand.
Up go the walls of the new honey shed
Basket of knitting projects (hat, two scarves and a few dishcloths)
Our 19th meatless Thanksgiving.
and decadent dessert
Tags:
Bees,
Concrete,
EM,
holiday,
homegrown holiday,
homesteading,
homesteading in the city,
honey,
the urban homestead,
Urban Homestead
Topics: Garden, Homestead, Posts by Anais | Tags: Bees, Concrete, EM, holiday, homegrown holiday, homesteading, homesteading in the city, honey, the urban homestead, Urban Homestead
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Comments
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November 27th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! What a productive day at the Urban Homestead!
November 28th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Glad to see a bit of knitting time was thrown into the mix as well.
November 28th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Thank you for presenting yet another alternative to Madison Ave. commercial T-Day and Black Friday chaos. It made me smile and was like a breath of fresh air. Your day sounded productive, serene, and fulfillingly tranquil. Time to rethink my holiday routine! Thanks for the inspiration!
November 28th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
PS … The sunoven from peddlerswagon.com is on my Santa Wish List! I’ve been very, very good Santa … well, sorta!
November 29th, 2009 at 4:05 am
Yay for knitting! From the picture, you are knitting granma!s favorite discloth i guess? Would be nice to see you on ravelry.com.