Looking back on our goals from last year Justin (Jethro) got his fish project underway,  the grey water project too.

Jordanne (Ellie Mae) revamped our two social networks, Freedom Gardens and launched Backyards & Barnyards and did get around to organizing a lot of mess.  Not to forget the launced her super amazing Natural Poultry Supplement Mix which is receiving rave reviews!

As for me (Granny),  the mountain of fabric and yarn still looms like a huge shadow but the craft-music room is coming along nicely.  Not sure if I am talking less and listening more – guess I’ll have to ask my family & friends that.

The 7K bonanza harvest wasn't the only highlight from 2010

We went back to Wild & Scenic located in the quaint mountain town of Nevada City and had a chance to meet our favorite author, John Robbins.  Had a workshop at the Eco Farm conference in lovely grounds Asilomar (didn't get to spend as much time on the beach as we'd like since it was soooo cold and rainy!).   Not to mention numerous articles and video pieces which all were featured here on the blog – our favorite being the recent So Cal Connect piece , I am Los Angeles , Private Chefs of Beverly Hills,  Sis and I were "Cover Girls" & with an article featured in this online magazine and I wrote about my home school experience for another

Our home made film "Homegrown Revolution" won  many awards including : Best Environment & Ecology Film North America - Swansea International Film Festival, U.K.; Prize of the Mayor of the Capitol City of Slovakia - Ekotop Film Festival of Sustainable Development, Slovakia; Best Short Documentary - Southern Appalachian International Film Festival, Tennessee; Honorable Mention: Westpac Award Best Short Film - Reel Earth Environmental Film Festival, New Zealand.  (You can purchase a DVD copy)

We traveled to back to the homestead in New Zealand where I was born (more pics and tales to come) and with our biggest turn out ever to a presentation on urban homesteading!

After the New Zealand trip: Other outreach opportunities included four university appearances by "Farmer D" and a presentation for a public school district's student gardens fundraiser.

On the urban  homestead

Keeping it real.  As with any journey, we had our ups and downs.

Passing of dear old Clementine (the poster chicken & darling of the UH movement) and our duck Amy after freak accident which never fully recovered from.

The cycle of life continued, Though there were sad deaths there was new life with four additions to our flock.  Our southern belles  - Annalee, Lulu Belle, Beulah and Opal.

Pushing the envelope in urban sustainability we added new projects:  hops for beer and 50 tilapia for aquaponics fish farming and wrote about the challenges that we face of growing food in the city.

Wrote about necessary Urban Homestead apparel and "Natural Beauty, "  "Homesteader Hygiene", & Living Without AC,  Washing Clothes by Hand & threw an amazing  "Girlie" Tea Party under $50!

Long time customer, Elements, who featured our many of our homegrown items on his menu unceremoniously dumped us (having money issues)   When one door closed, it opened up our produce to the public with the launch of the Front Porch Farm Stand featuring local foods and goods.

Weather continued to be a problem with a record heat wave in October & record rainfall in December

Though we had one of our best honey harvest in years, Varroa Mites (and early cold weather) wiped out all of our of beehives except one.

I dropped the ball on the Weekly Meal wrap ups (sorry readers) posts but I picked up guitar which I am enjoying relearning – well, except for the sore finger tips.   Ouch!

There you have it!  Some of the highlights of 2010,  I know I just touched the tip of the ice berg otherwise I’d be here all day.

So what our plans/goals for 2011?   That’s certainly a good question and a lot to digest ….  we do know are going to have sadly terminate some projects because of the lack of support.   It’s a bitter pill to swallow put sometimes you got to cut things that are weighing you down.  I’m talking to myself here… have to keep saying that!

Also like to thank all of you readers who have supported us via donations or purchases from our online store.    Not to mention all the wonderful letters, cards and emails.   THANK YOU!

While I try to shake off a awful case writers block, if you are new or a lurker to this blog, this is a good time to swap howdies or better yet TELL US what your FAVORITE post(s) of 2010 were!

So pull up a chair and give us a holler ya hear and hope 2011 is off to a good start for you!

Keeping records really helps you to see where you've been and where you want to go.  "Keeping track" is a must for any urban homesteader when it comes to what/how much we use, what we grow, how it's grown, etc, etc.

Besides stats, Farmer Justin has over a dozen "black books" detailing what he's planted, when, watering schedule and even when/how he fertilizes.  Not only that, but every month we print up a schematic of the garden with each raised bed and other planting areas identified by number. Based on that garden diagram, Farmer Justin systematically writes down what was grown in each bed. That way he has an idea from year to year what was planted, which helps us maintain a successful crop rotation.

For Farmer D's recent presentation at the recent EcoFarm Conference, we really had to update our graphs and stats.  The last records that were published here on the website went from 2001-2004.  The question was, " How well are we doing - now, have we gotten better?" The problem was nobody had the time to sit and do paper work, but the recent presentation helped spur us to action.

So, thanks to the Eco Farm presentation, we finally sat down and went through all the notebooks and bills, and we've put together stats that are up to date (2001-2009) WOOT!

Where We've Been, Where We are Going

Though the site is still a work-in-progress, Jordanne has published the graphs here for your viewing pleasure.

Check them out here where it says URBAN HOMESTEAD CHARTS & FIGURES

One of the real shockers came when we saw that we have, in the last few years, cut our water bill in half while maintaining our high harvest yields.   With an eclectic combination of reclaiming water, using ollas, polyculture and continuous mulching, we hope to continue slashing our water use!

Keeping track helps keep us on the right track!

And with any urban homestead one needs to see how well your project coming along from year to year.  Record keeping is all about comparing you with you.  Records tell you if you doing or did things right or wrong.  Urban homesteading is like a life-school and although actual grades may not be important the fact of improving your skills is!  And of those skills is documenting your journey.

We actually can do better in our documentation - yeah really!  Like how many cans of something we preserve/put up a year, how much do we spend on clothing or personal items, how much are actually saving by growing 95% of our produce etc, etc.

Putting a pen to it, things really start to add (or subtract) up! Oh and it should be fun too.   Just like in baseball, with every swing the batter tries to improve his average and so it is with urban homesteading with every step we try to improve/lighten our footprint and you can't know where you are going or how far you've come unless you've marked where you've been.

Keeping Track of Tracks

Have you started keeping track of your tracks in aspects of transforming your home into an homestead and your sustainable journey.  Has it been helpful and what records are you keeping?

Care to share your record keeping experience?

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 who made this possible.)  There we rendezvoused with friend and farmer, Sergio, who stayed the night with us and who also was there to attend the conference for the first time.

We did get a chance in between raindrops to take a small walk along the beach which was nice.

The 2003 EcoFarm Conference is where Farmer D gave his very first urban homesteading presentation.  Seven years later, we were back - to cover all that has happened here on the homestead.  The topic was perfect: "Big Rewards from Small Spaces."

Unfortunately, the rain just wouldn't let up - just went where there was a break, another deluge would drench the conference grounds.  Wave after wave of rain pelted the coast from the huge storm that covered the whole state of California.

So we couldn't really enjoy walks on the beach (bummer) but instead spent most of our time indoors - talking with people at our booth in the Exhibit Hall, checking out a few talks, attending plenary sessions with Wes Jackson, Eliot Coleman and Frances Moore Lappé,  taking part in the ever-fun seed swap (where we loaded up on more seeds) and hanging out in the dinning hall listening to some wonderful conversations about farm life.

At the farm conference, we met Chris of Chauffin Family Farm, who saw the film in Nevada City and invited us to visit their farm (will take a rain check on that, thank you!).  Thanks, Chris, for the wonderful and engaging conversation - not to mention the jar of olive oil from your farm.  You'll definitely be hearing more from us!

Also, Frances Moore Lappé signed a copy of Diet for a Small Planet for us. On the shelf here on the urban homestead, we have an old and tattered copy from the 1970s, so now we have a new, autographed copy (sweet!). We brought greetings from John Robbins, who is long-time friends with Frances Moore Lappé. She and her daughter, Anna, also work together - yet another example of passing a legacy to the next generation.

Saturday morning was time for Farmer D's Urban Homesteading presentation, which drew about 200 people to Merrill Hall, the main conference venue. (We didn't check the Chapel so don't know how many were there listening in to the live feed.)  The presentation must have been a popular one because when we got to the desk to pick up a CD of the talk, the stack was all gone!

Farmer D opened the presentation with a screening of the ever-popular Homgrown Revolution. We don't know quite what it is about this simple film-that-wasn't-supposed-to-be-a-film.  One of the EcoFarm vendors told us that her husband was in tears at the end of the film - it touches something deep down in people.

Farmer D then talked about what we had learned over the 20+ year urban homesteading experiment, especially when it came to front yard edible gardening (very timely with the bad PR some of these projects are getting - I'll touch on that in a later post).  Lots of people were taking detailed notes. He emphasized that

"Change happens slowly, but you must start now-small can be beautiful and productive"

Perhaps in our spare time (huh) we can have our friend Dan put up the entire talk on YouTube....lots to do!

On the last day of the conference, the sun finally came out - but, alas, it was time for us to go.  We all headed down to the beach after lunch for quick walk - the air, ocean and sunshine were mesmerizing.

We all were extremely tired - don't know why (actually,  in my case I think it's because of the sheets - yep, sleeping on bleached sheets something we aint used to here the urban homestead) and it's hard to be on the road moving from place to place.

Not to mention the worry of how things were at the urban homestead and Sergio's farm with one of the biggest storms we've had in years.  Thoughts of the long drive home brought us back to reality, and we said goodbye to the sand and surf.

With such a land based lifestyle, even when on the road, there's never really time off - your mind wanders back to the farm/homestead as you wonder what's going on and the projects that await your arrival.   We, and even farmer Sergio, were on the phone calling home - wondering the same thing: "How are things there - animals, garden OK?"

At the closing plenary session there was, shall I say, an "interesting" exchange with Elliot Coleman and Gary Hirshberg (of Stoneyfield) Definitely raised some interesting questions though we saw both sides seemed we sided more with Coleman.

Did leave us with a lot to think about - the future of food and organic agriculture.

Now for some photos!

Ahhh, the majestic ocean

Jordanne, me and Sergio enjoy a walk in the beach

Pelicans

Justin and Sergio wonder if they should bring some of the kelp home for their gardens

Enjoying the sand, surf and blue skies

Boardwalk

Welcome!

No better place to have a conference in the world than Asilomar!

Jordanne, Justin and Sergio checking out the tables of information

Justin and Sergio intently listen to a lecture about beneficial plants and insects.

Three farmer's hang out - Sergio, Chris & justin

Meeting up once again with Frances Moore Lappe

Jordanne & Sergio listen in on a talk in the lovely Chapel

Eating together

Hanging together

And now for the most anticipated event of the conference - seed exchange

Justin, Sergio and Jordanne check out tables full of all sorts of seeds

Justin and I fill up envelopes

Nothing makes a farmer happier more than seeds.... well, perhaps rain and a bumper harvest.

Man hands! Pen and little envelopes in hand, Justin fills up on seeds

Farmer D gives his presentation

Santa Cruz Jan 18

On the road again and the rain started coming down - pouring from the sky in torrents.  We aren't used to rain like this!

It was certainly a wet and wild drive!  Our next stop before the EcoFarm Conference was Santa Cruz to meet John Robbins (author of Diet For A New America and Food Revolution). Fortunately for us, a lady (thanks Helena!) whom we met in Nevada City had friends there who had some extra sleeping space.  What a blessing!

Before our scheduled visit with John Robbins and his family, we popped over to the University of California Santa Cruz farm to check out their growing grounds and Alan Chadwicks garden that was the seed of the biointensive movement here in the States.

We were jealous of all the land - and the view-- was worth a million (and more) dollars.  The farm land gently rolled off into the ocean on the horizon.   Just amazing vista -- yeah, I'm jealous!

Then it was off to meet John, Deo, Ocean and Michele Robbins and family. I had read Robbins' book Diet For A New America when I was a teenager. So it was a thrill for us to meet the Robbins family in person. Also, John Robbins kindly wrote a review for Robert McFall's HomeGrown documentary.

Actually, McFalls had another newbie food activist in mind to give a review on the film, but we wanted the film to go to folks that had touched our lives and shaped our journey - folks from the old days that are continuing the food fight today. People like Francis Moore Lappe, John Robbins, Wendell Berry & Wes Jackson.

OK, back to our visit!

We chatted about all sorts of topics, from uncannily similar stories of difficult choices Jules Dervaes and John Robbins made on the basis of deeply held principles to the (grim) state of the world and the necessity of a radically different lifestyle to skepticism about "green washing" and the "light green" tint of some of the current environmental 'movement'.

We felt a real connection with the Robbins family's multi-generational way of living and working together. The Robbins' son, Ocean, and his wife, Michele, and children, lived with them in the same house for many years; now, they live on the same property, although in a separate dwelling, and continue to work together.

John ended our visit by gathering us in a circle and saying a prayer - what a truly warm and touching moment that was!

Thank you, Richard and Dianne, for offering your place for the night.  We truly appreciated that.   And a huge thank you to the entire Robbins family whose work and passion continue to make a real difference around the world.

Now down to Monterey to the Eco Farm Conference!

But before we go, here's some photos.

The farm of UCSC

Old fashion farm implements - sadly, not in use.

Like a bee to honey, Mr Beekeeper checks out the bees

And Jordanne the chicken coop of course!

Next to the John Robbins family "compound"

Group shot with John Robbins and daughter in law, Michelle.  We briefly met Ocean - he had to leave very shortly after we arrived.

My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people:  those who work and those who take the credit.  He told me to try to be in the first group; there was less competition there.  ~Indira Gandhi

Deselected Because of Principles

Unfortunately, we won't be traveling to Sonoma Film Festival due the fact that the screening of Homegrown Revolution was going to be used to promote businesses and organizations for their gain at our family's expense.

In fact, we asked the organizers to respect the non-commercial nature of the film. They, in turn, opted to keep the commercial format of the session, de-selecting the film and canceling our appearance instead.

Like a farming friend said, "Their loss!"

So here's the updated schedule (lots of new venues have been added!) hope to see/meet many of our Northern California readers on our travels up north.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ITINERARY

Jan 15-17  Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival, Nevada City CA

FILM:
Saturday, Jan 16  at 7:13 pm in the Nevada Theater HOMEGROWN by Robert McFalls (52 min) screening followed by Q & A with the producer and subjects (them being us)

MEET & GREET the URBAN HOMESTEADERS:
Saturday, Jan 16, we'll also be tabling at Activist Center I" at City Hall from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm - come by our table for a wealth of information on turning your ordinary home into a sustainable urban homestead

COMMUNITY BREAKFAST with Dervaes Family as Special Guest:
Sunday Jan 17th 8:30 am -9:30 am at Sustainability Center 412 Commercial Street

DISCUSSION with the Dervaes Family URBAN HOMESTEADERS:
Sunday, Jan 17  at City Hall from 12:00 noon- 1:30 pm Homegrown Revolution - The Path to Sustainable Living in the City

Free to the public but donations requested and appreciated.

Jules Dervaes is the founder of the urban homestead movement and subject of the documentary, HOMEGROWN (showing Saturday, 7:13pm in Nevada Theater and Sunday 3:53pm in Stone Hall, Miners Foundry). He will be presenting an informal discussion about his and his family's adventures in growing their own food (as much as 3 tons a year from 1/10 of an acre garden!), generating their own solar electricity, making their own biodiesel fuel from waste vegetable oil, and raising 'citified' farm animals. See the popular, award-winning short documentary, Homegrown Revolution (16 min), that was shown at Wild & Scenic last year and is currently part of the festival's national tour. And have the opportunity to interact with Mr. Dervaes and his three adult children, Justin, Anais and Jordanne, who have developed an impressive range of self-sufficient living skills on their urban homestead, Path to Freedom.

FILM:
Sunday, Jan 17 at 3:53 pm in the Stone Hall, Miners Foundry Encore showing of HOMEGROWN by Robert McFalls (52 min)

FREEDOM GARDENS GATHERING:
Sunday, Jan 17 evening  6:30 pm Meadow Vista, CA (located 35 min from Nevada City).   Potluck, meetup and swap for Grass Valley & visiting Freedom Gardeners

If you would like to be a part of this gathering please email us at info(at)pathtofreedom(dot)com for the home address of this event.

See Wild & Scenic website for tickets and further details

Jan 18-19 "Somewhere" CA

TBD - that what and where. Not sure what we'll be doing between Wild & Scenic FF & Eco Farm Conference.  We'll let you know just as soon as we do. So watch this space for details!

Jan 21-23 Eco Farm Conference, Asilomar CA

NOTE: if you or someone you know is in the Monterey area, we need a place to stay the night of Wed, Jan 20 (from about 11 pm - 7 am) e-mail us if you are willing to accommodate this request.

WORKSHOP:
Saturday, Jan 23 ( 8:30 am - 10:00 am) Urban Homesteading: Big Rewards from Small Spaces Workshop

MEET & GREET:
We'll also be tabling at the entire 3 day farming conference located at Booth #: D43 / Exhibit Marketplace is located in the Surf and Sand Parking Lot at Asilomar

See Eco Farm Conference website for tickets and further details

Jan 24 Sonoma Environmental Film Festival - canceled!

Unfortunately, because of the festival's commercialized nature, the showing of HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION followed by Q & A session with the Dervaes family has been CANCELED!

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 ("Session G") on Saturday 8 am - 10 am

Register online for this exciting farming conference -- NOTE early bird "discounted" registration ends today NOV 30

CARPOOL to ECO FARM -- If you would like to share a ride up to this 3 day farming conference that will be host to speakers like Wes Jackson, Francis Moore Lappe and more -contact us or post in comment box below.

Jan 24 Sonoma Environmental Film Festival for the screening of our in-home production of HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION (Time TBD)

Host a Homegrown Revolution Screening and Urban Homesteading Presentation!

If you in vincinity of these venues would like to invite Farmer D to give his inspiring urban homesteading power point presentation and screen HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION between Jan 15-24 contact info@pathtofreedom.com  with your details and request information for discounted speaking/presentation pricing options.

SAVE THE DATE!

Seven years  (holy cow seven years!!!!!  sorry back to post) after Farmer D's first urban homestead workshop at the Eco Farm Conference in January 2003 where the first seeds of the modern urban homesteading movement were sown, Farmer D is once again taking part in this 3 day farming conference in January of 2010!

Eco Farm is celebrating 30 years and we are excited to be back and to be among the many esteemed speakers (Frances Moore Lappe, Wes Jackson, Eilot Coleman, Percy Schmeiser and more!) and workshop presenters slated for conference.

Last time (2003) we had the rare chance to hear Vandana Shiva rousing speech against GM crops.

The modern urban homesteading movement has certainly come a long way, especially in these last two years!  Sheesh, I can remember a time when we were the first urban homesteading blog/site on the internet (in 2001) and often wondered would anyone really care to read about our journey towards a more self reliant life.   Yeah, who knew the big impact this little blog has had worldwide.  

Now there are hundreds, if not thousands of people/bloggers now who are on a path or journey towards a more sustainable life in the city.  

The 1 1/2 hr Urban Homesteading workshop with Farmer D is slated for Saturday morning so mark your calendar!

When: Saturday January 23, 2010
Where: Eco Farm Conference -- Asilomar Conference Grounds Pacific Grove, CA
Time: 8:30 am - 10:00 am

More event information

Oh and as for Farmer D's signature closing symbol -- this time around the fist/trowel in the air will happen!