Early summer garden

It's about time for another round and reader favorite -- "Pictorial Post!"   Bringing to you once again snapshots from the Urban Homestead.  Enjoy!

Late spring greens

Out with the spring crops and in with the summer ones

Beneficial border on the parking strip

Strawberries

Hollyhocks

The countdown to ripe tomatoes begin!

Heirloom roses

Blueberries!

Red poppy

Basketful of berries

Larkspurs

Blackberry

Climbing roses

Peaches

Apricots

Grapes

Fence line of trailing nasturtiums

Garden in the afternoon

Green beans in the garden

Summer starts

Squash climbing its way up

Peppers

Garden projects

'Quackers"

Calendula

Cucumbers

Home brewing biodiesel

Knitty & kitty. Cassidy share the bed with three of my latest knitting projects

Jammin' Strawberry preserves and grapefruit marmalade

Red Roses

Marking out the succession summer plantings

Morning on the front porch farm stand

Goats at play

Jordanne practicing guitar

Jordanne talks to a reporter about city chickens

Visitors enjoy refreshments in the garden

Laundry day

What's going on at your homestead?

This recent article stresses the importance of how we all should start taking gardening seriously.    Growing your own food in the city: it’s a challenge but a good one - an a very important on too!

Garden As If Your Life Depended On It, Because It Will - Alternet

There are at least five reasons why more of us should take up spade, rake and hoe, make compost and raise good soil and garden beds with a vengeance, starting this spring and with an eye toward forever.

READ MORE

It's officially Spring and what a rocky start  weather wise.   We spiked into the 90’s for a few days and then dipped back under 60 with gray skies  and drizzle.  Crazy!

Busy, busy, busy - bees, biodiesel, soil blocks, picking, packing, watering, planting, building, etc. Where does the time go?  Not complaining; it’s good to have longer days to work on the farm here in the city.

Sis handed me a “to plant list” of things she needs for her home canning operation.    She makes a mean jalapeno jelly and wanted to make sure that I didn’t forget to plant them!

Squash, tomatoes, peppers and beans are all up and ready to transplant into the garden.   The new strawberry starts are filling in nicely. We are expecting to harvest berries in early June and the potatoes are just about ready to be dug up.  I know I’ve been looking forward to homegrown potatoes – they are way better tasting than the store.

The small invasion of aphids is now under control, sweet!  We spotted a couple ladybugs and have already noticed a huge difference on the chard and kales.    Thanks to the exceptionally warm weather last week, the greens seem to have grown a few feet (ok, inches) overnight.  We are now offering a slew of assorted greens at the front porch farm stand.  Sis is manager and CEO ("chief" for short) of the front porch farm stand and she’ll be posting more of what the stand has to offer.   It’s a wonderful feeling to feed the family and be able to offer the surplus produce to folks who are wanting to eat closer to home.

The hennery is cranking out eggs – yeah!

Last week, I helped a friend who manages a few urban bees divide a few hives for spring expansion.  Of course, we had to suit up on the HOTTEST day of the year (so far).   It was sweltering!  Hive work waits for no man, so we both suited up.  Long pants (I HATE long pants), long sleeve shirts and were sweating buckets just after a few minutes work.   I got some delicious honey comb in trade for a couple of hours work. What a treat and worth the (sweaty) effort!

The rescued hive is still here, bees going to and fro. It’s a wonderful site to see bees working the citrus.

March Harvest Tally

252 lbs Produce

Eggs      Chicken 91   Duck 160

2011 Tally to Date

663 lbs Produce

Eggs      Chicken 117   Duck 345

ORGANIC GARDENING

SQUARE FOOT GARDENING

EDIBLE LANDSCAPING

VICTORY GARDEN

SEEDS OF CHANGE

THE PIONEER WOMAN

SIMPLE LIVING

LOCAVORE

HOMESTEAD GARDENS

BACKYARD FARMS

GAIA

VEGE

HONEYBEES

HOMEGROWN

BIODIESEL

BICYCLING

GARDENER

URBAN HOME & GARDEN

COMPOST MASTER

HOMEGROWN HARVEST

LIVING HOMEGROWN

HOMEGROWN HIPPIE

PLANT THE SEED

GARDEN GIRL

URBAN FARMING

HOBBY FARM

URBAN FARM

BIODYNAMIC

GROW BIOINTENSIVE

SLOW FOOD

CERTIFIED ORGANIC BY CCOF

If anyone is offended by these common trademarks, please contact the respective trademark owners!

Back in the late 1990's, the GMO corn food contamination forced our family to radically rethink our growing efforts by turning our typical "hobby" garden into a full scale micro farm which provides our family with over 90% of our produce, annually harvesting 6,000 lbs on just 1/10 acre plot.

Since then we've learned to eat and making a living off and from the land.  We are city farmers who are transforming our urban landscape into a viable productive plot.

As the weather gets colder, gardening get's harder; however you can still join/ take the 100 Foot Diet Challenge!

Pssst all you poultry lovers, there's another GIVEAWAY at Barnyards and Backyards

OK, now for some garden shots!

Tropical treats: pineapple guavas

Young mesclun green mix

Ollas and greens

Flowering fall tomato

Squash blossoms

First horn worm of the season

Jujube fruits from a farming friend

Fall green beans (www.FreedomSeeds.org)

Sweet red marconi peppers (www.FreedomSeeds.org)

Eggplant

There's a "homegrown revolution" underway? Are you a part of it? What have y0u done  to reclaim your food supply?

Some of the towering tomatoes are coming down. Started those in late winter and they are on their last legs. Going to fry up a few green tomatoes! Planting the last summer succession of crops and slowing moving into fall crops.

Soil blocks are full of assorted greens.

Harvesting  loads of squash, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and even peaches. It's summertime and the garden's growing fine!  What a blessings!

Seed varieties courtesy of www.FreedomSeeds.org featuring seeds grown by the people for the people

Sunrise touches flowering artichoke

Heirloom pumpkins

Busy bees

Peaches!

Hops

It's an edible jungle

Front yard, edible landscaping

Turning over beds

Herbs, vegetables and fruit

Towering tomatoes, climbing squash and flowering fennel

Tromboncino squash - watch your head!

Lemon cucumbers and peppers

Not to early to get a jump on the fall plantings. Soil blocks with seed starts.

How's your gardening growing - getting a jump on the fall plantings?

Growing Right Along

Though I know it really has nothing to do with the title of this post, there's so much news and projects in the works I don't even know where to start.

Some important things to mention so listen up and listen carefully!

Jordanne's working on a couple "top secret" projects. HINT: has to do with one of her favorite things.

I know ya'll have be clamoring for recipes so she's also working a a recipe sharing sort of thing that will feature recipes from LHITC.

Not only that but upgrades to our gardening social network, Freedom Gardens, is in order and so to with the popular photo gallery. The most hit page on our website is getting yet another face lift and even more photos!

Are you totally excited and impressed like I am?

Well then, here's where I am going to add a gentle reminder that LHITC is ad free. If you enjoy daily reads here, gleaning information and inspiration here's how you can go about supporting our growing outreach. Or send a big box chocolate to keep this girl going as she works into the wee hours of the night to tackle some of these projects.

After a cool start weather wise, 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.

Now for some incredibly yummy photos. Going to mix in a few shots of what we harvested (many of the seed varieties can be purchased from our seed store Freedom Seeds) along with what we have been eating.

Heirloom tomatoes

Basket of peaches

Apples

and more apples!

Part of the winter squash harvest Pumpkin, Baby Blue Hubbard and Burgess (www.FreedomSeeds.org)

Chantenay Red Core Carrots (www.FreedomSeeds.org)

Eggplant, tomato and basil bruschetta with tabouleh

Peacevine Cherry Tomatoes (www.FreedomSeeds.org)

Veggie patty with beans and carrots

Double Yield Cucumber (www.FreedomSeeds.org)

A whooper! Cherokee Purple Tomato (www.FreedomSeeds.org)

Tabbouleh with tomato and summer squash pasta

Homemade/handcranked peach ice cream

Homegrown toppings for pizza

Sun cooked pizza in sun oven (www.PeddlersWagon.com)

Provider Green Beans (www.FreedomSeeds.org)

Homemade/handcranked strawberry ice cream

Vegetable pot pie with cucumber and tomato salad

Tomato, cucumber soup with herb croutons

WEEK OF EATS AT THE URBAN HOMESTEAD

All food items are homemade/homegrown/home preserved unless otherwise specified

Our Food Pledge

If not from backyard, then locally produced
If not locally produced, then organic.
If not organic, then family farm.
If not family farm, then local business.
If not local business, then fair trade.

SATURDAY

Breakfast - blueberry pancakes with strawberries
Dinner - flour tortillas with spanish rice, topped with sauteed green peppers and red onions

SUNDAY

Breakfast - apple crumble
Lunch - Saturday dinner leftovers
Dinner - avocado and tomato sandwich

MONDAY

Breakfast - apple crumble
Lunch - tomato and squash pasta with tabouleh
Dinner - tomato and squash pasta with green beans

TUESDAY

Breakfast - apple crumble
Lunch - veggie pot pie with cucumber and tomato salad
Dinner - leftovers

WEDNESDAY

Breakfast -apple crumble
Lunch - tomato and cucumber salad with herb croutons
Dinner - leftovers

THURSDAY

Breakfast - apple crumble
Lunch - vegetable patty with carrots and green beans
Dinner - herb pizza dough topped with tomatoes, basil, peppers, garlic with carrot, raisin citrus dressing salad

FRIDAY

Breakfast - french toast and honey
Lunch - roasted eggplant, tomato and basil bruschetta with tabouleh
Dinner - no knead bread, fresh tomato sauce (tomatoes, onions, peppers, parsley, basil) over spaghetti with salad

What summer time treats/feasts are you enjoying in your neck of the woods?

"The challenge is simply to create a meal at least once a week with homegrown food. It’s a great way to improve your nutrition, become more self sufficient and decrease your carbon 'food print.'

"Food miles are important [because of] the carbon footprint that's hidden in our cheap food. It's like 'look at our cheap food,' but someone's paying somewhere for something because it's not cheap when you ship. [Food] coming from Chile or New Zealand, that's a lot of trucking. If you can't see [the cost] right off the bat on your bill, you're going to see it in the health care bill for the planet.” --  Jules Dervaes

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!

Pick up your trowels and start growing your own groceries!

100 Foot Diet – Growing Closer to Home

It wasn’t that long ago (1940s) that people planted Victory Gardens when it became necessary for them, due to wartime shortages, to grow their own food. Now, it’s our turn.

If you want to fight against peak oil, climate change and our consumerist culture, then join us and start a living protest right in your own back (front) yards. Be the change, live the solution! Use your yard (or balcony or porch steps) not only to grow food but also to cultivate a healthier and more fulfilling life.

There have been 100 mile diet and other eat local challenges.  But we homegrown revolutionaries are upping the ante by reducing the mileage to a few steps – to right outside your back or front door.

The challenge is simple. Beginning as soon as you can, prepare a meal at least once a week with only homegrown vegetables, fruit, herbs, eggs, dairy products or meat, using as few store bought ingredients as possible.

The purpose is plain – the waging of an all-out fight against the forces that keep you dependent on the system of petroleum fueled food. The degree to which you rely on today’s artificial corporate structure determines the extent of your vulnerability. Resolve to lessen your dependence on outside food sources.

The result is revolutionary. As you take back responsibility for your food supply, you’ll experience the empowerment and fulfillment that comes from learning the basic skills of providing for yourself and your family.

Let’s sow the seeds of freedom and get our hands dirty to fill our plates.

:: Guidelines ::

A meal must be comprised of food grown on your property or garden plot (literally or figuratively within – 100 feet – of your front or back door). If non-homegrown ingredients are needed, then we suggest following these modified locavore guidelines:

If not from BACKYARD, then Locally produced (our "homegrown" addition)
If not LOCALLY PRODUCED, then Organic.
If not ORGANIC, then Family farm.
If not FAMILY FARM, then Local business.
If not a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Fair Trade.

:: Getting Started ::

If you are already growing your own.  Great than move on to the next step.

But if you are new then plan what food you can and would like to grow.

Your first meal might only have a few herbs from small pots growing in your window or sprouts sprouted in a jar.  Look around where you live and locate a space to plant a small garden.

Begin with “foolproof” plants, such as herbs. Also find out what your neighbors are growing and ask your local nursery which plants and varieties do well in your area. (Read Jules Dervaes's gardening advice in this recent Rose Magazine article.)

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, but still do most of the work yourself so you know what to plant the next year. Gardening for yourself is rewarding.

Garden as a family: “Especially when they bring it to the table, they’ll eat it if they grow it.”

Soil is the key to a successful garden. It is alive and needs to be well, so nurture it. It may take a long time to obtain healthy soil because nature takes a long time.

Be patient and never quit.

Barter Up!

Talk your neighbors on either side of you into gardening, too. Maybe they have an over-loaded lemon tree. Could you trade zucchinis for their lemons?

:: Moving Forward ::

Once you have planted your garden and have prepared a weekly homegrown meal, consider how you can expand your “farm,” increase your garden’s productivity, and, thereby, cook more homegrown meals per week. Then take a further step on the path to independence and freedom by learning to preserve your garden harvest (we'll be also relaunching our HARVEST KEEPER Challenge to help you with putting up the bounty).

:: Keeping Track ::

Keep track of your progress. If you wish, once a week you are invited to leave a comment with a link to your Freedom Gardens' profile or your own blog, or, if you don’t have a website, sign up for a free Freedom Gardens account or describe your meal in the comment box below and let others know of your progress.

:: Participating ::

If you like to take part in this challenge, post in comment box below. There is also a forum topic at Freedom Gardens for the 100 Foot Diet Challenge. (You need to sign up and log in to be able to post in the Freedom Gardens' forum.)

Participating on the Internet?

Feel free to use the ‘100 Foot  Diet Challenge’ image on your blog/site  if you are a taking part.  PLEASE REMEMBER when you use this image to  “SAVE AS”  to avoid using our bandwidth and LINK the image to the challenge here (http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2010/07/26/100-foot-diet-challenge )

And if you are a blogger who already participated in this challenge don't forget to update your links and images!

Spread the homegrown movement: share, email, post this challenge – the more people participating the better.

Planting a Freedom Garden means:

- More nutritious food & better health
- Food security
- Improving quality of life
- Saving money
- Reducing food miles, fuel & energy dependence
- Reducing excessive packaging and effects of climate change

Take control over the quality of your food and improve your health and immediate environment.

Let’s start right here, right now! And, remember, this growing & eating challenge should fun! Can you dig it?

:: Resources ::

Freedom Gardens - free social network for modern day victory gardeners

Freedom Seeds - non GMO and Monsanto free seed source

Homegrown Revolution - inspiration to get growing!

Little Homestead in the City - inspiration to grow and eat closer to home

Terms to search: biointensive, polyculture, square inch gardening, composting, soil re-mineralization, weekly meal wrap up for inspiration

Lil' Garden Warriors

"perhaps you notice a congregation of ladybugs on a rose stalk.
Don't invoke the old nursery saying and ask them to fly away home.
Their house is not on fire. Your roses are, with aphids,
which the ladybugs are feeding on - and you can
bless yourself that they have come to your rescue."
- Eleanor Perenyi

IPM (Integrated Pest Management)

When Farmer D gives his Urban Homesteading Presentations ,one of the topics he discuss is 'Attracting Beneficial Insects.' [btw Farmer D has a new website!]

He likes to point out that as gardeners/farmers, we need to learn to take a step back and “let nature be.”

Case in point:

Always, there is a period of time when you are tempted to get rid of every aphid in sight. Aphids are not a plant’s friend—in fact, they can really damage a plant in a matter of days! Ladybugs are the cavalry that ride to the rescue. But, a gardener must be willing to sacrifice some plants and let the aphids alone so that the ladybugs are supplied with rations? Destroy the aphids and the ladybugs will desert.

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.

Looks unsightly but....

Look what lies beneath! Where there are bad bugs there's good ones too!

Ladybug hatchery. More baby lady bug larvae

Onward ladybugs! Munching away at the aphids

The lady bug army has arrived!

Beneficial Buffer Zone

Amidst the tens of thousands of oozing little bugs is the perfect nursery for ladybugs to lay their eggs. When the larvae emerge by the hundreds, they feast on the aphids, developing into adult beetles that continue to consume a diet of aphids.

Last week, Justin was about to go in and “tidy up” along one of the fence line because the aphids had gone wild and were taking over the pumpkins (their leaves were looking rather pathetic) Just as he was about cut down the old withering pumpkin leaves he spotted hundred of so baby ladybugs!

We will just let the sap-sucked pumpkin leaves be this season's ladybug habitat sanctuary or "beneficial buffer zone" until the lil' ladybugs fly away… not too far, hopefully!  I think they rather like it here and we like having them here on the homestead.

Moral of the story:

Before you go all Rambo on aphids, take a step backwards and let nature be.

:: Resources ::

Integrated Pest Management

How to Attract Beneficials to the Garden

Conservation Buffers

List of Plants That Attract Beneficials and Bees

Afternoon tea party - California style

"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"

We aren't one to celebrate birthdays ourselves but we do like to acknowledge our friends' "special day," especially the elders in our lives who have become our mentors and guideposts.

On Sunday we gals had the pleasure of hosting a small tea party to celebrate a woman who is 86 years young.   We invited over a few friends whose lives have also been touched by "the knitting lady."   We girls wouldn't be knitters/crocheters had it not been for her - a skill that we have forever and that we can share the pleasures with others.

Not only were we celebrating a productive and blessed life  but it was also a chance to "go posh" for the day and dig thru the china cabinet and blow off the dust from our hand-me down tea and silver sets - all the while muttering to ourselves that "we should REALLY do this more often!"  No, we REALLY should!   Tea parties are fun!

Thanks to the blessings from the garden (which provided much of the food for this party), the tea set and silver from our (now passed) grandmother we were able to throw this party for12 for  less than $30.00 - less than it would cost one person to go out for dinner here in Pasadena.  Talk about savings!  It really pays to grow your own.

For a couple years Jordanne & I worked at local tea shop so we learned all about English High Tea from making sandwiches to setting the perfect table.  When you host a tea party it's all about the surroundings (ambiance) good, simple nibbles (like tea sandwiches, scones and "sweets") and decorations especially with edible flowers and herbs.   Teas are not only about pleasing the palate but the senses.  Tea parties  are a perfect time to slow down, enjoy good conversation and step back in time.

Our menu for this afternoon included: egg salad sandwiches with watercress (we were low on eggs so thanks Sherilyn for sharing yours!), cream cheese and herbs (chive, sorrel, tarragon) sandwiches, strawberry bars, carrot salad with citrus dressing, rose petal grapefruit juice (thanks to Farmer Sergio for the delicious citrus) and, of course, tea.  We had some Irish Breakfast bags in our kombucha making tea stash.

How do you take care for widowed or the elderly?

:: Resources ::

How to Host a Tea Party

Host Your Own Victorian Tea Party

Hosting a Victorian Tea Party

Tea Time!

Adding the finishing touches on the sandwich trays

Cream cheese, herb and nasturtium sandwich

Egg and watercress sandwich

Strawberry bars

Carrot and citrus salad

Tea time!

Jordanne starts serving

Beautiful day and setting

Good food and fun

Say "tea!"

Betty enjoys the evening

Hugs for Betty

The FIVE winners, chosen by random.org, of our Homestead Blessings DVD giveaway are:

1. Melissa Hummel - Art of Canning

2. Sweet Briar - Art of Canning

3. Laura 'Living Our Way' - Art of Canning

4. Joanie H - Art of Growing Herbs

5. Laura Williams - Art of Sewing

Please email us with your address!

Didn't win, then visit our Urban Homestead Shop today and purchase Homestead Blessings DVD - choose from nine different titles

The Art of Dairy Delights
The Art of Cooking
The Art of Sewing
The Art of Canning
The Art of Gardening
The Art of Growing Herbs
The Art of Bread Making
The Art of Candle Making
The Art of Soap Making
The Art of Quilting - NEW!

Even the though this giveaway is over you can still

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