Caretakers of creation

Celebrating Creation & Holy Week with all sorts of outreach!

Although we couldn't attend all the events we were invited to (sorry, folks, perhaps next year!)  due to conflict of schedules with Holy Week, we still did have a jam packed week!!!

In Pasadena, there was a  "Harvest Homesteaders" canning class, now going on three years in a row.    Jordanne and  I agreed that these girls were the best yet.   All the jam made that morning will be donated to a local food bank.  Great job girls!

Next, Jordanne and Farmer D headed off to another school where they were guests at a school assembly (where our two bantie chickens made appearances).

After watching our film Homegrown Revolution,  all the kids were chanting "Blackberry, Blackberry, Blackberry!"   Farmer D spoke to the kids about the importance of "food miles."  The students  were all eyes and ears!

Then we were  off on a small road trip where our family was the  special honorary guest, once again, of the wonderful community of Palm Springs.   We had to leave Justin behind.  Well, actually, he REALLY wanted to stay home because, just as we were about to leave, I spotted a pretty decent swarm going into one of Justin’s traps (more about the free-bees later!)

After the screening of our award winning film and Q & A session, a local organic dinner was served - pretty neat to see a dish of nopales (cactus).    A BIG thank you to Leslie, Ward,Geraldine & Yolanda for their extraordinary hard work and warm hospitality in Palm Springs and to local teacher Lauren and administrator Jill for some great interaction with kids.

The weather was pretty wild in Palm Springs - it WAS REALLY windy!   "White caps" were spotted in the pool of the spa where we stayed.

The drive was LOVELY.  Usually on road trips, I dose off; but Southern California is gorgeous this time of year, the hills green and gold with wild mustard.  And, last, but not least, on the way home we stopped  in Corona to see our favorite farm and farmer to pick up some wonderful farm bounty.

I sure wished I could have enjoyed the trip and outings more.  But earlier  that day, I reached up and something "popped" (shudder) and I had back/shoulder pain the whole time.  Man,  it hurt so badly I could hardly lift my arm to give out HUGS (they ended more like awkward chest bumps!)

Once home, I put a hot water bottle on my back and after a good night's sleep, my shoulder is MUCH better.  Ahhhh.   Sure glad it’s better. I was worried there for a bit,  knowing I had a arms length of “heavy duty” chores waiting when I got back.

Hope everyone had a blessed and meaningful Holy Week.

Cutting up local organic strawberries purchased from farmer's market

Mashing!

Filling up the jars

Putting on the tops

Morning assembly

Educating about food miles

What's in the box?

A BIG squash!

Estella shows off

Desert Hot Springs

Introducing the film to eco particpants

This guy had a pretty cool wind mill - I want one!

Ahhh, paradise.

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!

Fairlight loves the attention

In the garden

Farmer D talks about how much food is grown on our little city plot

Filming gets you hungry! Sitting down to enjoy a homegrown and cooked meal

The KCET crew enjoys the food

Our first appearance on the local PBS station KCET was in 2003 which featured a little blurb about our garden.   We're back!

Val Zavala visits the urban homestead and this segment will be featured So Cal Connected and air

Friday Dec. 10th at 8:30 pm
Saturday Dec. 11th at 6 pm
Sunday Dec. 12th at 6:30 pm

Once it airs it will also on be on their website at kcet.org/socalconnected

Oh and don't forget the FREE URBAN HOMESTEADING event this coming Sunday.  Hope to see you there!

Eating out Thursday night.   Yep, this is a rarity, a rarity I tell you, for us farm folks!    A friend of ours who knows we like to leave early suggested we stop by his favorite restaurant right across the street from the Santa Monica Library for a bite to eat before the presentation.  Not only was it nice to sit and relax with some good eats before the presentation but our friend generously paid for the meal - "his treat." Thank you so much H for your kindness and generosity.  We truly appreciate it!

Middle eastern food - hummus, fallafel, pita bread, french fires with horseradish/yogurt sauce. mmmmmm

Nearly 60 folks turned out for the Urban Homesteading presentation at the Santa Monica Library hosted by Santa Monica Food Co-operative.  Thanks for the invite back!

It was great to see some old and new faces.

Host a Urban Homesteading Presentation

Would you like to have Farmer D give his popular, engaging and informative presentation at your group/organization/community event?

Here's how

:: Field Hand Appreciation :: AMcC $25  Thank you for your donation and letter.  Appreciate your words of support.

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

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 20 years cultivating his 8,700-square-foot urban farm with the help of his three adult children, Anaïs, Justin and Jordanne.

The Dervaes family's example of sustainability stands out in their quiet suburban neighborhood. The front yard is a lush agricultural oasis yielding 6,000 pounds of produce annually, which is sold to local restaurants and farmers’ markets. Their farm livestock (goats, chickens, ducks and rabbits) replace the typical suburban pets and contribute to garden compost. In addition, the Dervaes family has undertaken other sustainable pursuits such as solar-power paneling, homemade biodiesel fuel and water reclamation projects.

In 2001, the Dervaes family launched Path to Freedom to document their urban-homesteading progress and to encourage others to adopt a sustainable lifestyle. So far, their website has attracted urban farmers from more than 120 countries. The shift in perception toward sustainable living and urban farming emboldens Jules Dervaes in his endeavor to reduce his carbon footprint. “This is a sustainable family,” says Jules. “Our plan is to make a sustainable community.”

Check out the VIDEO INTERVIEWS

Would you like to see more videos from our little homestead in the city?  Then let the folks at UF magazine know.  They want to hear your feeback!

--------------2010 URBAN HOMESTEADING CALENDAR!-----------------

Like what you see here, looking for something to inspire you (and others) throughout 2010?

Buy a beautiful calendar of stunning nature and simple living photos--and be encouraged to grow more of your own food! Plus you'll be supporting an important work of educating others how to be more self-sufficient.

The calendar is a wall calendar, and each month has a different picture. Some months have a group of pictures. The pictures are of nature and simple living topics and reflect the seasons of the year to a certain extent.

BUY NOW ($20 plus $4 shipping) and support this site.

oh my, I just opened my calendar which came this afternoon!!!!! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT!

The size is perfect, its on firm paper, and the pictures are beautiful. Buy this calendar, you won’t be disappointed. My teenagers said February looks delicious. They are all looking up their birthday month and looking at the pictures. Thank you, and I hope they sell, because I want one next year (a 2011 of course.)  - cena

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 have gradually transformed their 8,700- square-foot  (800 sq.m) Pasadena property, which includes a 1917 craftsman bungalow, into a bountiful suburban homestead.

Its central feature is a 4,300-square-foot (400 sq.m) organic garden containing more than 350 varieties of edible and useful plants and producing more than 6,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables annually.  The garden is a testament to Dervaes's  belief that small properties can be used efficiently to "produce in every way possible."  For example, he continues, "A fence line is not just a marker of privacy, but an opportunity to grow peas and beans."

The expansive garden, however, is just one illustration of the Dervaes's holistic approach to independent living in a suburban environment. The Dervaes family also raises chickens, goats, and goats, not just to provide eggs and potentially milk, but also to manage the garden waste.  The animals eat leftover greens and, in turn, supply fertilizer for the garden.  The family's home features technological elements, including solar panels, energy efficient appliances, and biodiesel processor, to decrease reliance on nonrenewable energy resources. And the Dervaeses purchased these and other items with money made from the sale of homegrown, specialty salad greens to local restaurants.

While the Dervaeses move toward self-sufficiency, they recognize the importance of community and interdependence.  The homestead adapts well to its context, and the frontyard landscaping is a carefully considered blend of herbs, vegetables, fruits, and  flowers that provides visual appeal and continuity with the surrounding single-family homes.  "I give a nod to the city lifestyle and then try to change people's minds about the responsible use of the land," acknowledges Dervaes.

---------------

With trends, like with urban homesteading, sometimes people get carried away and forget the basic principle or the golden rule - "being a good neighbor"  So Farmer D's simple advice to ask yourself before taking the plunge is "would I like to live next to me"  If you can answer with a positive " YES" then you know you are on the right track of not only being an urban homesteader but a responsible citizen and neighbor.

More musings on being a good urban homesteader coming up....

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!

Farmer D on Canadian radio with host Carol Off. The interview will air on tonight's edition of As It Happens, along with a credit for this weekend's screening of Robert McFalls documentary Homegrown at the Planet in Focus film festival in Toronto.

Broadcast times are always subject to change if something crops up on the news agenda but, as things stand right now, the edited version of your interview will air sometime in the second half of our program.  There are two ways to listen online, either through the live streaming of the program tonight (to any one of five time zones) or through the posted audio on our website, which will be there tomorrow and will remain online for at least a year.

Live streaming:  TODAY
URL: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ and look at the "Listen Live - Radio One" line-up.

As It Happens will begin to go to air at 6:30 p.m. Atlantic time.  It's a 90 minute show, and there different times here when you can hear Part 2, where they have slotted Farmer D's interview.  There will be an newscast and may be another interview (or two) before ours:
at 3:00 p.m PT (6:00 p.m. ET) - Click on the Atlantic feed
at 4:00 p.m.PT (7:00 p.m. ET) - Click on the Eastern feed
at 5:00 p.m.PT (8:00 p.m. ET) - Click on the Central feed
at 6:00 p.m.PT (9:00 p.m. ET) - Click on the Mountain feed
at 7:00 p.m.PT (10 p.m. ET) - Click on the Pacific feed

Posted audio on CBC website:  TOMORROW OR LATER
URL: http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/logs.html and look for Friday, October 23.
Click on "Listen to Part 2 of As It Happens" and fast forward till you find your interview.

HOMEGROWN - 21st Century Family Farm Screening

Hey don't forget, you can catch a screening of Robert McFalls HOMEGROWN this weekend at the Planet in Focus film fesival iin Toronto Canada

Oh and if Farmer D sounds like he has a cold on the radio - it's because he does.