→ 2010-06-23 08:43:28 (65 Comments)
August 5, 2010
On the food front… The figs are finally ripe so we devoured our first fig quesadilla of the season. I know, sounds odd but it’s soooo delicious!
July 28, 2010
On the preservation front this week: pickling beets, apple pie filling, apple butter, elderberry jam, peaches in syrup, zucchini pickles and pumpkin butter (going to use those gorgeous pumpkins!). Next round should be tomato sauce and pickled peppers.
July 27, 2010
The summer harvest is now just started to pour in and what a blessings. We are so thankful for the bounty that the earth provides. This week we revisited and revived our 100 Foot Diet Challenge
July 14, 2010
I’m a little late in posting LAST week’s meal wrap up. Adhering to the old cliche “better late than never,” here’s the latest goodies that we’ve been enjoying
July 7, 2010
It’s been a tootie fruity week here on the urban homestead. We have fruits coming out of ears and what a blessing that is.
The homestead kitchen is hopping- trays of desserts, jars of jams and bowls of ice cream are churning out from the nourishing center of our little universe.
July 6, 2010
Tabbouleh was what’s for lunch/dinner most of the week. No “007″ complaints on that one. Absolutely love this summer salad. It’s so simple and tasty and uses a good handful of mint that’s growing like gangbusters and needs to be “controlled.”
June 27, 2010
The wonderful food from the garden keeps coming. What a tremendous blessings it is to enjoy such bounty that are grown just feet from our table!
June 23, 2010
The canning season here on the urban homestead has started with gusto! Though I have to admit I got a bit too enthusiastic and that caused the pickled garlic to turn a out of this world green/turquoise – not to mention turning me slightly red with embarrassment!
June 22, 2010
Learning practical food preservation has been something I’ve looked forward to every year and have come to enjoy. Looking at the colorful jars that are stocking the cabinet you get a real sense of food security …
June 20, 2010
Whew doggie! It’s been a busy week here at the urban homestead. Busy with bees (getting ready to harvest some honey!), battling bad bugs, moving the tender greens to cooler spot in the yard and getting things ready for a major can-a-thon.
June 16, 2010
Taking stock of what we have here in the urban homestead’s pantry for our next co-op order, a recent comment from a friend got me thinking. Been doing a lot of that lately, especially when it comes to our food staples that we don’t grow. Now, I am all for choices but sometimes I think Ma Ingalls had it, well, “easier.”
June 14, 2010
The garden is growing into an edible jungle! And what a feast to be had – there’s fresh veggies and fruits to be savored and soon saved. As we head into summer our meals are changing along with the season. Here’s last week eats on the urban homestead for you to savor with your eyes!
June 11, 2010
The loquat is a delectable but much neglected member of the pome family, which includes apples, pears, and quinces. Most look like a small apricot-colored pear, although they’re a bit more oval in shape. They range from one- to two-and-a-half inches long and have several glossy brown seeds in the center. The thin skin is [...]
June 10, 2010
Yesterday, we spent a wonderful afternoon across the street from the urban homestead with some very energetic 3rd graders who, for their science & social studies project, had to build a pizza box solar ovens. Not only did they do a great job of making the pizza box ovens, tbut hey also decorated the ovens [...]
May 17, 2010
Homegrown, homemade – meals. Weekly eats from the urban homestead.
Ok, I am going to have to do a better job of taking photos of the meals. Funny how you get out of routine for just a bit and, well, it’s a struggle to get back!
May 10, 2010
For those of you who would like to try out Chef Brian’s and Chef Manouschka food dishes from the show (watch it online here)
Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Rosemary Muffins with Candied Pansies
Mini Vegetable Casserole Topped with a Fried Duck Egg and Apple Butter
OvenRoasted Winter Squash Soup with Goat Milk
Vegetarian Cuban Black Beans with Fail-Proof Brown [...]
May 5, 2010
It’s spring! Well actually, this week it feels more like SUMMER!
And that means lots of fun culinary delights coming out of the urban homestead’s kitchen.
Combining edible flower, herbs and butter for a delightful treat to slather on biscuits or smother veggies.
Here’s a recipe for HERB BUTTER
Fresh From Our Garden to Your Table
Our front porch farm [...]
May 4, 2010
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 [...]
April 27, 2010
I admit, this is rather pathetic attempt at catching up to the last few weeks worth of eats. In truth, it should be 4 weeks, but with outreach, Amy and other stuff I lost one week’s meal entirely! We ate well from the garden, but I just didn’t get a chance to write it down. [...]
April 26, 2010
Recipe will make eight 16oz bottles
INGREDIENTS:
3 ounces of fresh ginger root (You can add more if you like strong ginger taste.)
6 tablespoons of citrus juice (Lemon &/ or orange)
3/4 cup of sugar (Natural cane is best. Light brown sugar gives an extra richness to the flavor.)
4 1/2 quarts of water
Some yeast from the supermarket. Bread [...]
April 23, 2010
One of the fun things about urban homesteading is growing your own herbs. Not only are you growing your own spice rack but tasty drinks, medicine chest and beauty products.
From teas to tinctures from herbal butters to brews herbs are one of the most useful things you can grow on your urban homestead.
Going Herbal on [...]
April 22, 2010
“Earth is crammed with heaven
And every bush aflame with God
But only those who see take off their shoes.”
— Elizabeth Barrett Browning, poet
April just on whooshed by and brrr is it ccccold.
Spring just up and left, it feels like December – we got over 5/8 of inch or rain and can you believe there’s snow on [...]
March 29, 2010
I don’t know what it is about this year, but weeks are flying by just too darn fast. I blink and next thing I know two weeks have past. Geez!
Before wrapping up what we ate these last two weeks, like to thank those you who took time to share your thoughts on the pay per [...]
March 29, 2010
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 [...]
March 24, 2010
Food is the center of our lives here on the urban homestead – we grow it, cook it and preserve it. Our lives center on the change of seasons, good harvests and bad. The fruits of our labor is reflected by what’s on our plates.
Talking with a friend the other day, he mentioned what if [...]
March 23, 2010
It’s been really busy here on the urban homestead. With daylight savings and first day of spring, the flurry of activity and projects have increased a hundredfold.
Back when we were teenagers, we read Euell Gibbon’s classic Stalking the Wild Asparagus.
Since then, we’ve self-taught ourselves to identify wild edibles and their uses – both edible and medicinal. [...]
March 19, 2010
by Anais in Barnyard, Garden, Garden, Goats, Greywater Reclamation, Homestead, Kitchen, Laundry, Posts by Anais, Water, Water
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 [...]
March 7, 2010
Well, I definitely did a better job at taking photos of the last two weeks worth of meals. Now that I am finally caught up, I hope to go back to just ‘Weekly Meal Wrap Ups’ minus the x2!
There’s new things in season and that means new eats to enjoy – like peas, mushrooms, cabbage [...]
March 2, 2010
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 [...]
March 1, 2010
by Anais in Ammendments & Fertilizers, Brewing & Fermenting, Fertilizers, Garden, Garden, Posts by Anais
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 [...]
February 28, 2010
Yesterday it rained (at times torrential) buckets, we got over 2 inches! What a tremendous blessing – great for the garden!
Around the urban homestead we’ve been busy. There’s so much to do, I can’t even begin to start. Spring is so about “happenings” don’t you think? And we are ready to roll… are you?
Linked’em
Oh, and [...]
February 23, 2010
Though winter is still lingering (there’s a huge storm set to pound the LA area this weekend!), it’s canning time again!
What’s in season is citrus and what’s on the stove top is marmalade! Thanks to a local, organic supply of citrus from Sergio’s farm we gals are back in the kitchen – jammin.
With the versatile [...]
February 12, 2010
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
~J.R.R. Tolkien~
I know I could have separated this post into individual entries; but, just going to give you a “vegetable soup” of sorts post (little bit of everything) to savor.
Monsoon February
Well, they were right. El Nino [...]
February 5, 2010
Here’s a two week worth rundown of meals we enjoyed here on the urban homestead
SATURDAY
Breakfast – homemade buttermilk pancakes with homepreserved strawberry sauce
Dinner – homemade flour tortillas, homemade spanish rice with organic black beans
SUNDAY
Breakfast – homemade skillet granola
Lunch – homemade vegetable soup (homegrown lima beans, broccoli, greens)
Dinner – homemade vegetable soup (homegrown lima beans, broccoli, [...]
February 4, 2010
Still a boat load of work that welcomed us on arrival home – the dreaded T word loomed. Justin was burning the midnight oil often this week. Occasionally one would hear verbal outburst – geez what’s going on in there? Can you guess? The tax man cometh!
With winter fleeting fast and spring ready to, well, [...]
January 14, 2010
Whoosh. That’s the sound of time flying by!
Where does the time go? One week, turns into two and I am already behind in putting up our weekly meals. Father time is going to need to slow down a bit.
Given that we are smack dab in the middle of winter and enjoying fresh [...]
January 13, 2010
Before we head up North (check out our itinerary of places we’ll be) here’s another pictorial dispatch from the urban homefront.
After the early cold snap, we’ve been enjoying some beautiful weather (yep, just in time for all those hoards of out of towners) Thanks to our beautiful weather, we probably have another slew of folks [...]
January 4, 2010
Busy as bees! One of our urban bees visits the blooming African blue basil.
and the humming bird hangs out in lemon verbena tree
Dispatches from the Homefront
With our some of “hopesolutions” in front of us and the old year behind us, it’s time to look forward! It’s a new year with new paths to travel.
Thank you [...]
January 1, 2010
“…You should always cast your eyes toward tomorrow. Sharpen your vision. Never be guided by the principle “everybody’s doing it…” Jules Dervaes Sr, (1913-1996)
Grandpa was a wise one with these words. Thought his sentiments would be a fitting start to a new year.
While folks maybe writing down resolutions for a new year, we are going [...]
December 31, 2009
On a weather note. We got some rain yesterday. Pretty much rained/drizzle/misted all day. What a blessings.
Ok now to what we urban homesteaders have been eating.
I’ve been behind it the meal wrap up so going to combine two weeks worth in one. Though our plates our not as bleak as Laura’s in the Long Winter, [...]
December 30, 2009
“With Pomp, Power & Glory the world beckons vainly, In chase of such vanities why should I roam? While Peace & Content bless my little thatched cottage, And warm my own hearth with the Treasures of Home.” — Beatrix Potter
Not sure if you are getting tired of these pictorial posts since comments have been sorta [...]
December 14, 2009
Last weeks our meals were altered a bit due to the frosty veggies and downpour (we got over 4″ of rain here at the urban homestead!!!!) We dug into the pantry and used up some of the dried beans we had stocked up.
Despite the rain and cold we did, though, enjoy a winter treat of [...]
December 9, 2009
I certainly didn’t do a good job taking photos from last week’s meals here on the urban homestead. Guess I was too busy taking photos of other things!
With the garden in a semi hibernation, we are enjoying more simple “one pot” meals like soup. And with an arsenal of trombonico squash stored in the garage [...]
December 7, 2009
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 [...]
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 [...]
