As caretakers of our little patch of earth, over the years we have noticed an increase in wildlife to visit our little Eden. Are you turning your home into an urban homestead?
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!
After a cold and drizzling beginning to July which delayed us a few week, and ‘thanks’ to the hot weather, we got around to extracting honey and bringing in nearly 55 lbs in just under two hours! From what I heard, this is only about 1/3 of the what’s still in the beehives.
Bye bye, cool July – hello heat! With the temps back to more normal “summer-like” weather, the critters water needs on the urban homestead need to be taken care of. That includes even the honey bees.
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.
Beekeeping is slightly more involved than say keeping ducks or chickens. Sure the bees do most of the work, but you have to stay on top of your hive maintenance – no slacking. Besides, bees are independent – they don’t listen to nobody!
Since we captured that feral freebee swarm back in April 2007, we’ve taken a pretty relaxed approach to urban beekeeping by letting the bees, well just “bee.” However, we are constantly checking the health of the bees and hives. Just recently, we noticed that one of the hives was different.
With the rising awareness of the honeybee crisis and popularity (trend) of backyard beekeepers there’s another looming threat that could potentially add problems to the already unstable bee situation – newbie “beekeepers!”
We are back! It was nice break but not really sure I can say I actually caught up or anything – but that’s life!
Another storm blew yesterday and dumped about 3/4″ of rain – what a tremendous blessings that was! The garden seems to have grown overnight. Everything is lush and beautiful.
Justin tallied up the [...]
Now to the biggest, best farming conference in the West!
Monterey Bay/Asilomar, EcoFarm Conference Jan 20-23
Before the conference started, we needed a place to stay for night or two before we were given our designated rooms on the conference grounds and were blessed with a place to stay beachside. (A big thanks to the Bakke family [...]
Meadow Vista Jan 17-18
Saying our goodbyes to all the wonderful folks at Nevada City Wild & Scenic Festival (read all about it in case you missed it!), it was time to mosey down the mountain to a little one stoplight town nestled amongst the pines, Meadow Vista, where we were to meet up with a [...]
We are back after a wet (cold) and wonderful trip to Northern California. Arriving home late last night after a long but gorgeous drive down the coast!
Details and photos of our trip coming soon (have to remember everything that happened – certainly crammed in a lot in such a short time) Have tons of photos [...]
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 [...]
Life goes on keeping us all busy as bees (we’ll show you a few of our bees if you scroll down a bit!)
Here’s another pictorial post for your enjoyment of some of the happenings here on the urban homestead.
Farmer Justin, like a machine, whips up a few dozen soil blocks
The soil blocker he’s using is [...]
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 [...]
and urban bees win, well from the likes of this article they do!
The national bee-keeping body has recently reported high mortality in the country near corn, sunflower and rapeseed fields. Bee deaths across Europe have been 30 to 35 per cent higher than average since the 1980s. French figures show that bees in urban areas [...]
Bees and wasps hang out on the sunflowers
Quirky sign
Where’s Farmer D? Can you spot him?
The heart of the home – the kitchen.
After a day’s work, dirty feet
This summer the season is ripe for more and more folks joining the modern urban homesteading movement. We are seeing more and more articles/books flooding the print and airwaves on the subject from growing your own food, raising backyard chickens even bees not to mention the preservation efforts that come with an abundant harvest.
Certianly a dramatic [...]
On the hives once again. Beekeeper D says that the bees have been doing their job. Filled up another super after the summer honey flow and a few weeks we’ll harvest another batch of honey soon (wonder what this batch will taste like?)
Brood and bees look healthy – which is good news.
Ok I have to admit it was really hard choosing photos for this sequence because Justin took like 300 photos of the hummingbird (pretty nice don’t you think!) . But seriously, give this guy a camera and boom there’s like a whole card filled with some great shots.
There’s this little hummingbird that visits the urban homestead [...]
Another busy weekend!
Later on going on a picnic with friends and our goats – yep another local “home holiday”!
I have a bit of catching up to do, not only here (like with the weekly meal wrap up post) but around the urban homestead. One friend commented to me yesterday when I was running around organizing [...]
It’s been a busy week here on the urban homestead – working bees, planting summer veggies, preserving and more. What more could a busy bee ask for but purposeful work that fills our days.
The camera these days is my constant companion since there’s so much goings on everywhere I turn.
So without further ado, another collection [...]
Another picture post. Enjoy!
Chillin’ chickens
More soil blocks filled with peppers
Wild bergamont
The beginnings of a summer garden
California currants
Huge radishes (these were grown in a homemade self watering container using ollas)
More delicious carrots
Cob oven
Checking in on the bees
This & That
As you can see from one of the photos, this year we’ve had one of our best [...]
Off comes the top box with the second queen that they isolated a few days ago
Keeping the bees calm with smoke
Beekeeper D checks on the new queen and her brood
A new hive joins the urban homestead. Long live the new queen!
Did you know? – Collectively, bees fly 24,000 miles and visit three to nine million flowers to make one pound of honey
Today was honey extraction time!!!!
But first it was time for the beekeepers to check the well “beeing” of the hives. They are well and the good news is that we have a new queen! [...]
Yesterday, we went in and checked out our resident bee hive and found that the supers were loaded with honey. Guess it’s all that citrus here and around that’s creating a good honey flow. Our street is right off a major street called ‘Orange Grove’ which, back in them days, was actually [...]
Well, it’s the end of the week (almost) and I just got through publishing three journal entries – one about the “ugly side” of urban homesteading, compost and urban bees.
There’s more where that came from so hopefully will have some more time tomorrow to get you all caught up – especially one about the meeting [...]
While perusing the internet, reading about others bees that are swarming in the area, I wondered why ours were happily content, going about their “beesness.” What was up, I wondered….
So, I approached our 30 year resident beekeeper (while he was working in the garden) and asked, “So, tell me, while other people’s bees are swarming [...]
It’s good to be home. The garden is growing, happy animals, busy bees, seeds to plant, warm earth to dig, loads of peas to pick and more.
We’ve done the cross country trip many a times before either by car or train so we knew what to expect; however, this trip was a little different because [...]
On Sunday, with the warmer weather and the spring nectar flow it was time to build up the hive. This was the first time opening the hive since late Fall. So this was a chance to see how they over wintered and spot if there were any diseases present.
Well, happy to say the feral hive [...]
(please note post was written yesterday – Wednesday )
Amen and pass the pitchfork. It’s a clear and sunny day! Honestly, the rain was getting a little much – too wet all at once.
No more soggy clothes and mucking boots for awhile at least.
It’s been so dreary and wet that we had to rig up a [...]
While our captured feral bees are snug as a bug in their hive, this latest report of GM contamination of honey has make home honey production even more vital.
Reacting to the test results, the company Breitsamer wrote that beekeepers are victims of genetic engineering; they themselves are not using GM, do not grow GM crops, [...]
Unlike our summer and fall events, please note the ENTIRE event will be held INDOORS.
What: Film Screening of POLLEN NATION & Local, Vegetarian Potluck
When: Sunday, February 22 (5:00 PM – 9:00 PM)
Where: 626 Cypress Ave, Pasadena CA (see map)
Cost: $10 (children under 12 are free) A small entrance fee is require as it helps pay [...]
Since we are on the subject of bees….
A Plea for Bees
Bees are dying in droves. Why? Leading apiarist Dennis vanEngelsdorp looks at the gentle, misunderstood creature’s important place in nature and the mystery behind its alarming disappearance.
As bees go missing, a $9.3B crisis lurks
The mysterious disappearance of millions of bees is fueling fears of an [...]
Distilled water, herbs, vinegar, honey concoction
Beekeeper D exclaims “drink up, bees!”
Justin attaches the feeder to the hive and the bees immediately go for the honey, herbal, vinegar concoction.
Calm Before the Storm
“Without husbandry, “soil science” too easily ignores the community of creatures that live in and from, that make and are made by, the soil. Similarly, [...]
Rain is making everyone giddy and jumping for joy. Rain, rain come & stay is our ditty. Or we can sing the phrase that Jordanne likes to say when she’s thrilled about something — “happy, happy, joy, joy”
It was pouring last night and showers still lingered throughout the day and well into this evening with an [...]
The guys worked on the bees yesterday afternoon. Beekeeper D says the queen is looking big and healthy. Broods are good and no sign of sick bees. The bees are still actively working the blue basil patches we have scattered throughout the front yard storing up their honey supply for the long winter.
Though Beekeeper D isn’t in [...]
It’s crazy! Everyone’s busier than a bee on a blue basil – well, our ’stead bees. Anyhow, we are just plum out busy.
Skuttlebut has it that the long overdue and anticipated upgrades to Freedom Gardens is close, really close! We’ve waited – and waited, biting our nails over delay after delay after delay. Hopefully this [...]
The great honey drought
Winter viruses and the wettest August for years have combined to leave Britain’s beehives dry
In 26 years of beekeeping, Ged Marshall has never seen anything as bad as the 2008 honey harvest. A miserable summer that has confined his bees to their hives following a winter bedevilled by deadly viruses [...]
Left to right: Jordanne, Blackberry (goat) & Jules, solar oven, backyard garden with earthen oven, outdoor solar shower
PROMISING RETURN TO THE PAST
A farm based in the middle of urban LA
August 9, 2008 La Opinion
Lourdes López
View Original Article
[English Translation]
The ordinary Dervaes house shines like any other one in the Pasadena area, located on the side of [...]
Local gardeners do their part to record possible ‘global weirding’
An army of local gardeners is tracking the impact of climate change on backyard flora
Early flowering is just one symptom of what Colorado environmentalist Amory Lovins calls “global weirding.” When weather patterns don’t match the season, it disrupts plants’ natural rhythms, like having someone set your [...]
While our other fruit trees have been loaded, this year the lack of flowers this year on our decade old 10′ high citrus has us concerned. Simply put very little flowers equals very little fruit. Our two orange trees haven’t really fully recovered from the freeze of January ‘07 (which hit the urban homestead hard) It takes [...]
Go back to simple food, simple clothes, simple pleasures.
Pray hard, work hard, sleep hard and play hard.
Do it all courageously and cheerfully. – Herbert Hoover
So when one has too much to say, don’t say nothing at all (nod to Thumper). Sometimes pictures speak more than words… enjoy.
Part of the backyard intensive garden
Anna apple trees loaded [...]
Bees, Plankton, and Canaries: Who is to blame; Them or Us?
Should our bees go extinct in as few as ten years, as many experts suggest, so go the majority of our most loved and nutritious human foods, including many of our fruits, vegetables, oil crops, clovers and alfalfas for our livestock and a more. Bees [...]
Can’t believe I failed to mention that last week’s heatwave made taking outdoor showers even more enjoyable and refreshing. We built our first outdoor shower back in 2003 and have been lovin’ it ever since. Can’t beat the atmosphere and view, sometimes even bees will visit while in the shower stall. Not to mention [...]
