Come and listen to my story ’bout a man named Jed a simple pioneer, who kept his family fed
And then one day he was growin’ some food
When up from the ground come a mountin’ of doo…soil, that is. Black gold. Earthy.
Well, the next thing you know, ol’ J’s a ‘farmer extraordinaire
His kinfolks said, ‘Jed, please [...]
Winter, visited us briefly again last week. Thankfully for us it didn’t get too cold ( just windy and nippy)- but for others north of us the unseasonable cold snap along with hail, snow, freeze has devastated gardens and fruit crops.
The cold didn’t last very long temps are going to warm up yet again.
Are [...]
How much more can be squeezed here at our little plot in the city – you’d be surprised. There’s always improvement and maximizing/utilizing space better.
Every year we like to try out new projects, especially as part of our life-school training.
This is a new experiment of here on the urban homestead so there’s still lots of [...]
Good little article but there are some slight misstatements. 1.) We grow 99 percent of our PRODUCE not diet 2) We do buy supplement animal feed (grains pellets) oh, and our goal is “ZERO” food miles!
Path to Freedom conserves water while cutting ‘food miles’ from Dervaes family’s carbon footprint
By Carolyn Neuhausen PASADENA WEEKLY
On a quiet [...]
If you’ve seen our short Homegrown Revolution film (now available on DVD – purchase your copy here) where I say that we are “directly and indirectly self sufficient” from our little 1/10 plot here in the city.
BTW, the HGR film is NOT the same one that’s on YouTube (view here) which has over 318,000 [...]
“Air Jordanne”
I know, I know enough of the supposedly dwarf pea pictures. But we just couldn’t resist just one last one because now I think they are done growing! Pretty soon these peas will succumb to mildew and become goat food.
Peas on Steroids?
Remember the 9 foot eggplant that we grew one summer! (here’s a [...]
Before the onslaught of summer – heat and heavy harvest season that tax the plants and soil. It’s that time of year to give the garden a spring booster shot!
Here on the urban homestead not only is our primary effort to grow our own food – but soil. Number one thing to remember when starting [...]
Front porch farm stand
Getting to know your farmer and where your food comes from.
Our urban farming foray’s started back in the early 1990’s when Farmer D smother the front lawn to grow food. After 15 plus years supplying local restaurants we are now expanding our homegrown produce sales to be csa-like.
These days, folks are dropping [...]
We wrap up another busy week with a pictorial dispatch – highlighting our new grey water project and more!
Goat Walk & Talk
Student working on an profiling some local eco heroes for a NPR radio piece comes along on one of our goat walks. Jordanne shows her some wild edibles that are popping up all over [...]
Our family’s been urban homesteading for the last 20 plus years, but when we started actually documenting our journey online 10 years ago, we knew it wasn’t about “just doing it” but keeping track of what was done.
Keeping records really helps you to see where you’ve been and where you want to go. “Keeping track” [...]
It’s been awhile since we’ve posted how Amy’s doing these days.
She’s doing well. Slowly, oh so slowly, improving. Thanks to concern and feedback from one of our readers after I wrote her describing Amy’s present symptoms, we’ve both come to the conclusion that she could be very well suffering from a very, very bad pinched/pulled [...]
Organic matter is known as the “soul of a healthy soil.”
Adding compost to your yard or garden soil will help your plants grow bigger and healthier. The organic matter in compost helps soil hold on to nutrients and water.
Composting saves you money
Using compost as a soil conditioner or mulch reduces your need to purchase these [...]
Continuing our pictorial peek into life here on the urban homestead. As for the previous entry with the fish: FYI, we won’t be naming them anytime soon in case you are wondering!
Weekend Wanderings
Farmers Justin & Sergio visit the local nursery that’s right across the street from our urban homestead and check out the vegetable selection [...]
Wow, ya”ll put up a great bunch of comments/contributions to the Time Management post – check it out if you missed it. Thanks for some great dialogue!
There’s lots happening here on the urban homestead, I can’t even begin to start with details. So I am going to let pictures do the “talking.”
Once again here’s a [...]
Has this site inspired you, do you glean all sorts of helpful information, enjoy the many pictures of life here on the urban homestead? Do you want more? Would you like to help keep us going and growing?
The kind folks at Franklin Springs Media have give us Homestead Blessings DVD’s to giveaway this month [...]
Sorry, a little tardy on posting our harvest totals for February.
Here they are
Produce (fruits, veggies, herbs) 138 lb 13 oz
Eggs Chicken 63 Duck 19
Psst, join our growing (free) social network for gardeners
Path to Freedom’s urban homestead featured in LA Times BRAND X supplement (pg 12)
A Green Path by Jessica Hundley
First, there is the study in opposites; sprawl of concrete meeting a spread of fecund growth, white picket fence lining city street, the roar of freeway competing with the screech of a hen celebrating the laying of [...]
Our readership is growing by the day, so a warm welcome to all you new readers.
For those of you who are internet savvy you can follow happenings on the urban homestead on FACEBOOK and TWITTER!
Weeks are going by so fast, by the time I turn around I am already behind in posting our week’s worth [...]
The nettles that Farmer Sergio brought over a few weeks back are a fermenting in rainwater – I took a peek, er, whiff yesterday. Gooey, gagging, goodness. MMMMMM or ACK?
When applying the stinky sludge in the garden I would advise wearing old clothes and having some vinegar or lemon juice on hand to take the [...]
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
~Thomas Edison~
After a long winter, one never tires of seeing the peaches pretty in pink
Another projects and element of the modern urban homestead – DIY. Here’s a utility bench that the guys just finished putting on the back porch.
Picking salad [...]
Here’s a pictorial post from our weekly goat stroll in the Arroyo Seco on Saturday evening
The rains have brought mushrooms to the “Sherwood forest”
Wonder if these are edible? Does anyone want to try it?
Under the Colorado Bridge. Blue skies and fluffy white clouds
Moss grows on the rocks
The “Big Muddy”
Fairlight and sunlight
The ever dramatic San Gabriel [...]
“Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.”
–Anne Dillard, The Writing Life
I was sitting in the living room adjusting, testing my camera when I snapped this [...]
Well, I thought I was going to be posting about our travels, but it’s taking longer than I had anticipated – because there is so much to share! Still trying to catch our breaths here…. as the tidal wave of work washes over our return to the urban homestead!
I will hopefully get to the travel [...]
The new Urban Farm Magazine dropped by and did a brief interview with city farmgirl, Jordanne, and city farmer, “D.”
The Dervaes Family: Pioneering the Urban Farm
Take a tour of the Dervaes family’s urban homestead in Pasadena, Calif.
In the bustling city of Pasadena, Calif., lives a family of urban-farm pioneers. Jules Dervaes has spent more than [...]
After a water soaked week, the sun’s out and we are finally able to dry out after a good drenching. The two storms last week dumped 4″ inches of rain and boy did we need it – though we could still a couple of these storms a month until our rainy season ends in June.
Though [...]
A reader commented recently that she was inspired by LHITC to purchase her first apron – that’s great!
An urban homesteaders wardrobe is not complete without aprons (ok, I am speaking for us females!)
There’s something about aprons that really evoke a true pioneer urban homesteading spirit.
Aprons are very “eco conscious” if you think about it. In [...]
Looking to the right…..
To the left. The garden is all tucked in under covers
20, 26, 28 It’s not, um. shall we say “measurements” but what the thermometer’s read these past three nights. BRRRRR
Homesteading, urban homesteading for the matter, in the city – especially in Southern California– one really has it “easy” when it [...]
A glorious sight last night!
The clouds looked as if they were on fire and for some reason the cloud spectacular made me start humming Johnny Cash’s ‘Ring of Fire’ song. Weird how certain things touch off tunes.
Anyhow….
Our first winter rain storm came in yesterday morning and dropped over 3/4 inch of rain here on the [...]
This recent email is the reason why we decided to start sharing our simple lives online (back in 2001)
Thank you for sharing your lives via the internet. I have been observing your family for 2 years now. I did not know such a life could exist. My family and I have been so inspired that [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
There’s certainly a lot to be thankful for here on our little urban homestead.
Another pictureful post for you to enjoy.
Have a wonderful and blessed holiday.
Best friends. Lucie and Estella are like two peas in a pod. They hang out together and these Belgian banties, though small have such big attitudes are such a riot to [...]
an interview by Ronny Bagdadi of HEALING OUR WORLD magazine (volume 29 issue 4)
Path to Freedom is a grassroots family-operated urban homestead located in the heart of Pasadena CA. Surrounded by urban sprawl and just a short distance from a major freeway, the Dervaes family has steadily transformed an ordinary 66′ x 132′ city lot [...]
“Growing your own food is recession proof. You don’t have to worry about the prices. When you depend on other people you become powerless.”
- Jules Dervaes
Proof It Can Be Done: A Micro Farm in the Suburbs ( read full article)
In their latest issue they feature a slew of urban farming efforts – including our urban micro farm!
Here’s what Farmer D had to say:
Individual Residences
Examples of the use of individual residences for suburban agricultural use can be found in Pasadena California, and Boulder, Colorado.
Path to Freedom Since 1985, Jules Dervaes and his three adult children [...]
For those of you who have been following our injured duckies saga – here’s an update.
She’s been doing well but still has a slightly crunched/crooked neck. Within the first three weeks we saw a drastic (incredible) improvement giving her ligament/vitamin supplements, massage and water treatments. But now there’s been sort of a standstill (not that [...]
In 2003 we had the great honor to hear Vandana Shiva speak at the Eco Farming Conference (oh I have exciting news about their 2010 one, but that news comes later)
“There is a myth that there are agricultural societies, and then there are industrial societies and service societies, as if when you become an industrial [...]
Sunday night the fire goes up and along the top of the ridge (view from our garage roof)
The fire is still raving our beloved San Gabriels not only did it char many a hikers favorite trails and idyllic canyons (Upper Arroyo Seco, Millard, Mt Lowe), but yesterday a sad turn of events when it turned [...]
Fire burns right above the Rose Bowl
Massive fire raging over the San Gabriel Mountain range
This view is what the fire looked like last night from our garage roof
The Station fire continues to burn out of control scorching over 35 miles/20,000 acres. Yesterday we thought the smoke was bad but today – today is much worse. Everyone [...]
Just hot with scratchy throats and watery eyes that are coming from the fire.
Thank you for the emails, comments and even phone calls of concern.
Here’s the situation.
We are in NO danger from the La Canada ‘Station’ fire but unfortunately it’s spreading fast (jumped from 500 to 1,500 acres in just a few hours) and scorching [...]
We’ve noticed that in just the past few years our typical hot & dry climate is a changin’ and now there’s an explanation why our summers are more humid!
Steamy heat more common in California: study
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Bouts of extreme muggy heat lasting for days, once rare in California, are becoming more frequent and [...]
We are on a canning spree here on the urban homestead and it looks like it won’t let up anytime soon. Today we put up some tomato sauce and sweet pickle relish (pictures coming…. probably Sunday)
This week the peaches have ripen and peaches means jam and a few (er bunch) eaten raw. Covered in sticky [...]
image courtesy of Elements kitchen weekly enewsletter
Look what was in our email box today!
“We Love Freshly Picked Dervaes Greens… We make special salads featuring them, always lightly dressed so their fresh flavors are enhanced. The unique blend of mesclun greens (which might include anything from baby celery leaves to baby arugula or mizuna to kale) [...]
This week we have a few surplus veggies and fruit if you’d like to order.
heirloom tomatoes
italian summer squash (better than zucchini! )
and figs (green and purple)
If any of your local yokels are interested check out DerVaes Gardens and give us a call or email.
Thank you for supporting locally grown!
On the weather front, the sun finally came out yesterday which was very, very nice. We enjoyed it while it lasted because today is grey again and there is a chance of rain which is a miracle so late in the year!
Yesterday Justin sprayed the entire yard with garlic to prevent any mildew, blight, etc. [...]
