Can’t believe we are weeks away from saying “adios” to summer. And just when we thought Ms Summer wouldn’t show, she finally turned up after a pretty cool start.
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
We started this challenge a couple years back, and it was very popular and successful in getting folks to eat closer to home. With more and more folks growing their own food, we figure it’s about time we revive and relaunch this challenge!
As you grow along with your garden, you begin to gain a different perspective. Although it looks unkempt and even downright ugly, we let some aphid-riddled plants remain in the garden. Why? Although it may look like the black plague, those plants are harboring a powerful secret—a stealth weapon that will turn on the aphids.
“Afternoon tea is a great context for prayer, testimony, and even confession! The old phrase, “Tea and sympathy” really is a good idea for today’s busy world. – Eras of Elegance”
The FIVE winners, chosen by random.org, of our Homestead Blessings DVD giveaway are:
So how are you liking the new blog and boat load of new posts to boot (12 new entries in 18 days!)?
We took a bit of a break after the BIG revamp, but we are right back working on more improvements as we speak. There’s much more to come, but in the meantime, we’d [...]
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) [...]
What: Film Screening of CONSUME THIS MOVIE! & Local, Vegetarian Potluck
When: Sunday, July 19 (5:30 PM – 9:00 PM)
Where: 626 Cypress Ave, Pasadena CA (see map)
Cost: $10 (children under 12 are free) A small entrance fee is required to help pay for facility rental, dvd screening fee, sound system, and purchase of eco friendly compostable dinnerware
Space [...]
Jordanne lookin cute with her apron answers animal questions
Volunteers and Freedom Gardeners field gardening questions from the fair goers
Later in the day Farmer D & J come in to check in and chat with the volunteers
I just love this statement – “WILL WORK FOR FOOD SECURITY” because this lifestyle is one that’s in need of [...]
What: Film Screening of ARE WE RUNNING DRY & Local, Vegetarian Potluck
When: Sunday, May 24 (5:30 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 for facility rental, dvd screening fee, sound system, and purchase of eco [...]
On what would have been one of the HOTTEST days of the year so far, PTF and volunteers manned an interactive and information table exhibit at NBC’s GREEN IS UNIVERSAL Eco Fair and Universal Studios Hollywood.
A huge thank you to one of our fellow Freedom Gardeners who really put together an awesome FG table complete [...]
Dusting off the archives, just kidding. But, seriously, this CBS story was actually shot back in June 2008 and then a small snipped again in August 2008 when Mr Whittaker actually come to shoot his stand up walking in the garden sound bite,
After 9 months and many false alarms, the piece FINALLY aired last night.
(CBS) [...]
What: Film Screening of FOOD MATTERS & Local, Vegetarian Potluck
When: Sunday, April 26 (5:30 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 for facility rental, sound system, and purchase of eco friendly, compostable dinnerware
Space [...]
Eating Your Veggies: Not As Good For You?
If the economy isn’t grim enough for you, just check out the February issue of the Journal of HortScience, which contains a report on the sorry state of American fruits and veggies. Apparently, produce in the U.S. not only tastes worse than it did in your grandparents’ days, [...]
Here on the urban homestead we have very few gardening tools. We have our basic hand powered tools: shovels, rakes, shears, soil blocker, clippers and trowel.
The most used gardening tool here on the PTF urban homestead is the simple garden trowel. After going through several cheap and flimsy trowels, Farmer D found a sturdy stainless [...]
or sorta… kinda…. never really….
We bounced up and down the temperature gauge this winter leaving gardens and people alike scratching their heads in confusion.
The winter that wasn’t had to do with with a weather phenomenon with a pretty name — La Nina.
California teeters on the edge of the worst drought in the state’s history, officials [...]
An organic food group emailed Farmer D with a few questions. Thought I’d share Farmer D’s answers with you since they are some great reflections on food security and the green movement.
1. Where do you think the immediate opportunities lie for making progress in localizing the US food system?
For over 20 years, I’ve been gardening [...]
There’s a full moon out tonight, whoa-oh-oh ooh… or something like that. We are experiencing the brillant glow of a full moon. And last night, while I was admiring the moonshadow’s and checking on the animals before heading off to bed I even saw a shooting star over the chicken coop. Yeah, so big deal? Well, [...]
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 [...]
Orlando Home & Leisure Magazine, October 2008
A Landscape Good Enough to Eat
Save your money, improve your cooking and help save the planet by transforming your lawn into an edible landscape.
By Cindy Heroux
No, we’re not suggesting you chow down on that boxwood hedge or dine on dracenas, but there’s a growing movement called “urban farming” that [...]
Plots of opportunity on urban eco-farms (The Natural Food Merchandiser)
by Vicky Uhland
The Dervaes family’s 1,500-square-foot vintage Craftsman bungalow, set on a standard city lot a mile from downtown Pasadena, Calif., is an unlikely homestead for a working farm. And yet Jules Dervaes and three of his children manage to grow 350 varieties of plants and [...]
Back in the early days of this site, Farmer D had time to write and here’s one of his reflective musings recently featured on BuisnessMatters.net
So, after having goose stepped for so long in this maddening cultural parade, I chose this instant, this cause, to exchange my marching boots for some gardening ones.
Read full article
Though, [...]
Just grow one small area, do it well. Then, once you have got it right, grow more – Allan Chadwick
Don’t forget the Tally Hoe Contest ends this evening 9:00 pm PST (winner to be announced on Monday!)
Also in September we once again are hosting a FILM & FOOD NIGHT- spread the word about this inspiring film [...]
It’s been an abnormally, unseasonable cool week. Feels like late October or even June. I wonder if this could be the coolest August on record? We don’t really know how the cooler weather will affect the last of the summer crops or if this just just temporary and September and October will be scorchers.
Farmer [...]
Looks like we are not alone in our garden assessment. As one reader put it “we skipped a month somewhere.” Yep, it’s like we missed summer – weird.
Many of those who commented had some things growing well, while others not so well either due to weather or not enough bees.
Last week we made the tough [...]
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 [...]
“If every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce, we would reduce our country’s oil consumption by over 1.1 million barrels of oil every week. That’s not gallons, but barrels.”*
From Oily Food, by Steven Hopp.
That was Then, This is Now.
In response to the [...]
Hey Lucie, got any teeth in that beak of yours?
The unsolicited media request haven’t stopped. That’s good, in a way, because it means that urban sustainability and food security are important and relevant issues.
With the recent Living Green Channel, KPFK radio and largest Spanish paper La Opinion highlighting the urban homestead lifestyle this week [...]
…. biodynamic/French intensive gardening (often referred to as “the method”) has slowly gained a reputation among organic gardeners in North America … largely through the efforts of Chadwick and John Jeavons (of Ecology Action of the Mid-Peninsula in Stanford, California). It was Jeavons who eventually took the technique—which Chadwick had synthesized from the intensive gardening practiced [...]
Freedom Gardeners of the World, Unite! Photo Copyright 2004 Path to Freedom
Seeding Change: Website Seeks to Liberate Diets—and Wallets—from Supermarket
Site’s “100-Foot Diet” Brings Local Food Movement Home
PASADENA, CA. – July 7, 2008 – Think of it as Facebook meets the Farmer’s Almanac: A social networking site for backyard pioneers who want to fight soaring food [...]
Clay pot irrigation tomato bed. Cassidy, our cat, sleeps among the rows of tomatoes
Plants are heavy with sun ripen tomatoes. No salmonella worries on our farm!
Summer blooms.
It’s a jungle out there. Lady bug earth oven nestles amongst the garden greenery
Backyard garden growing up!
The garden giants take over! The four corners of the yard are [...]
Thanks to Linda for inviting PTF to speak at the Pasadena Smith & Hawken store. We appreciate her enthusiasm and encouraging support. Also thank you to all the S&H staff there for a warm welcome.
Power Point Highlights
The presentation lasted over an hour. Here’s an overview of what Farmer D had to share about some of [...]
We are often asked which garden tools we use most here on the urban homestead/farmstead. We use a practical approach to our urban farming operation. Our gardening tools are pretty low tech and simple.
Here’s what’s in our tool shed (many of which are second hand or tools we’ve had since living on our 10 [...]
It’s finally catching on, the homegrown trend is growing!
Home-grown vegetables grow in popularity
LONDON (Reuters) – Almost 70 years after Britons were urged to Dig For Victory to produce hearty home-grown food to help the war effort, domestic horticulture is coming back.
Across the Atlantic, where mortgage defaults, plummeting property prices and spiraling oil costs have driven [...]
CNN in the garden with Jordanne
In addition the the CNN crew coming out to the urban homestead this week, we are working on modifying another power point for an upcoming gardening talk at Smith & Hawkens store in Pasadena.
In between our busy schedule and regular urban homestead happenings we are trying to see if [...]
Dear Homegrown folks,
I’m 55 years young, a pastor in Arizona. born in New York, went to Woodstock (the original one), happily married and have 5 delightful grandkids (and one on the way). I saw your YouTube “Homegrown Revolution” http://youtube.com/watch?v=mCPEBM5ol0Q back in March of this year, and that last line – that if you want to [...]
We received another shipment of ollas today. For those of you who have ollas on backorder – the wait is over! Thanks for your patience.
We’ve been increasing this effective clay pot irrigation method here on the urban homestead. To conserve even more water this season, we are adding ollas many of [...]
:: SALE :: Attention all Victory Gardeners save $2.00 on GARDENING BY THE MOON CALENDAR.
Growing your own food? These calendars are full of growing informative to help make this growing season a more productive one.
Gardening by the phases of the moon is a technique that can speed the germination of your seeds by [...]
Guava’s are ripe!
Finally the guavas are ready for the picking. Justin brought a couple pounds in the other day and they just permeated the entire house with their delicious tropical scent.
What a wonderful treat to have such fruit growing in late winter, early spring.
Nice & tidy, another succession planting of peas
OK, where did I leave off. Oh, yes our crazy goat’s antics.
Life on the urban homestead is certainly full of jumbles and un jumbling which stories and pictures to post can be hard. Oftentimes I feel I am repeating myself – after seven [...]
Good morning everyone, it’s a three entry day here on the journal.
Here are a few web updates:
Still working on some plug ins that should be installed/ready (we hope) by next week. Nothing’s easy peasy lemon squeezy but we are making progress. Some plug ins include: 1. recent [...]
Welcome to all new participants who signed up – the challenge is certainly growing by the week! Jordanne informs me that the 100footdiet.org site is slowly creeping towards a launch date, so grab your seeds, shovels, hoes and let’s get this challenge growing!
This week we have a collection of wonderful homegrown/local meals along with [...]
Welcome to all new participants who signed up this week – the challenge is growing by the week!
This week we have a collection of wonderful homegrown/local meals and while participants mull over this year’s victory gardens plans and preparations.
Reading Dirt while winter gardening and foraging efforts have been limited was able to [...]
It’s really a blessing to still be harvesting fresh tomatoes… in February, no less. Of course, they are not as sweet and tasty as summer tomatoes, but they are certainly a wonderful addition to our meals. Speaking of meals, our popular post { Real Food – menu suggestions via Home Matter’s Most} of the urban [...]
