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
As folks around the nation celebrate with friends and family, how about we all take this opportunity to share with one another what baby steps (or giant ones) that we have taken to become more independent from mass consuming culture and the corporate controls of our food, energy, fuel, water and our lives.
The wonderful food from the garden keeps coming. What a tremendous blessings it is to enjoy such bounty that are grown just feet from our table!
Our readership is growing by the day, so a warm welcome to all you new readers.
For those of you who are internet savvy you can follow happenings on the urban homestead on FACEBOOK and TWITTER!
Weeks are going by so fast, by the time I turn around I am already behind in posting our week’s worth [...]
Sunday was a busy day here at the urban homestead. I can’t divulge details or any photos pertaining to the filming due to a disclosure agreement but it has something to do with chefs, homegrown food and local foodies The filming crew was here from 7 am and left just before 7 pm taking over [...]
WHEN: February 9, 2010 / 7:30 PM
WHERE: Orange County Garden Club Silo Building at Orange County Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa, CA
88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626-6598
Jules Dervaes will show his award winning short film “Homegrown Revolution”-(BUY the DVD) and a presentation on the 10 Elements of Urban Homesteading
Thanks to those who wrote and offered us accommodations – appreciate all your offers.
Once again, here’s our Northern California itinerary schedule from Jan 15-23.
We kick off the year,right back where we started last year at the best environmental film festival in the West Wild & Scenic Film Festival
Here’s a blurb from their latest e blast:
Our [...]
Whoosh. That’s the sound of time flying by!
Where does the time go? One week, turns into two and I am already behind in putting up our weekly meals. Father time is going to need to slow down a bit.
Given that we are smack dab in the middle of winter and enjoying fresh [...]
Hope everyone had a lovely holiday.
Want to thank those of you who sent warm season greetings via email – and a special thank you to the Smith family of VA who went out their way to send us a box filled with yummy homemade spice cookies, a lovely card and $20 donation. Our family was [...]
(via Cow Girls & India):
When Manish, our main contact at Shikshantar (a local initiative to re-create Udaipur as a zero-waste “learning city”), informed me that our group would have the opportunity to meet with a California-based family of activists called “Path to Freedom”, I was curious but cautious. The prospect of yet another alt-minded, smug [...]
After Greece and Israel, the next stop for us and our short homemade film (HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION) was another environmental film festival in Torino (Turin) Italy (Italy’s first capital city and home of disputed “shroud of turin,”not to mention a chocolate hub and being of French and Belgian decent this was our type of town!
We rarely [...]
Happy Birthday!
This weekend Path to Freedom Urban Homestead celebrates 10 years online! Can you believe it, we are older than BLOGSPOT, YOUTUBE, TWITTER and FACEBOOK. What a milestone marker in our journey!
For over a decade now we’ve been sharing our triumphs, struggles and growth along with you. Over the course of the journey our project [...]
Last weeks our meals were altered a bit due to the frosty veggies and downpour (we got over 4″ of rain here at the urban homestead!!!!) We dug into the pantry and used up some of the dried beans we had stocked up.
Despite the rain and cold we did, though, enjoy a winter treat of [...]
We interrupt our regular posting schedule for some important news…..
Path to Freedom Urban Homestead needs your support. As the year comes to an end, please consider donating to help sustain our ever-expanding outreach and help us grow to the next level.
Our nonprofit is looking to raise some “grass roots” funds to help keep our webmistresses [...]
Heading north in mid January so get out those calendars and mark these dates!
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 [...]
Check out these two events in which the urban homesteaders will be a part of
One on Thursday Nov 19 FOOD FORUM-Eat Drink & Be Wary (Guest speaker Jules Dervaes who will talk about seed sovereignty
And the other on Saturday Nov 21 GREEN SCREENS FILM FESTIVAL screens HomeGrown Revolution with a Q &A session afterwards.
See [...]
The highly acclaimed and anticipated HomeGrown – 21st Century Family Farm (by Robert Mcfalls) is now available for community screenings via : http://homegrown-film.com/host.html
Please note: (Since we are constantly asked this) —
Despite popular belief, we have not received any monetary benefits from HOMEGROWN . Zip, zero, nada, zilch, nothing. So, although we greatly appreciate [...]
Check out another So Cal Film Festival screening of the inspiring, short film HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION
Jules Dervaes and family will attend the screening of Homegrown Revolution and be available in person for discussion and Q&A session.
Date: November 21, 2009
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Electric Lodge, Venice, CA
Address: 1416 Electric Avenue Venice, CA 90291 Map
Cost: $5.00 Single Screening Block [...]
Canning can become an addiction – seriously. Once you mastered the art, canned your own homegrown or local foods well it’s the end of tin cans in your life.
I started canning over six years ago and I’ve been a canning addict ever since. Well you gaze on a well stock pantry of food that you [...]
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2009
10:30 A.M. TO 3:30 P.M.
WHITE PARK, 3901 MARKET STREET, RIVERSIDE, CA. 92501
THE GREATER RIVERSIDE CONFERENCE OF SENIORS GIVING THE GIFT OF GREEN TO OUR GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT GRANDCHILDREN
THE CRISIS: Scientists have determined that civilization is not sustainable if carbon dioxide remains above 350 parts per million. It’s now at 387 ppm and [...]
For those of you who missed Monday’s interview the segment is online
Topic A for Monday, September 14th, 2009: The Family Business: Jules and Anais D:
September on Topic A takes on “The Family Business”: families with a tradition or galvanizing experience that give a personal dimension to the professional direction its generations pursue. Tonight we’re [...]
The ash, smoke and heat are finally gone – for now. What a difference a week makes! These last few mornings and evenings have been cool – cool enough for a light sweater in fact. So much more comfortable weather wise and not to mention one is now able to breathe better.
Lots of goings on [...]
The summer garden is still puttering along and providing us with a bounty of good food.
SATURDAY
Breakfast – homemade/homegrown blueberry pancakes
Dinner – homemade flour tortillas, homemade spanish rice (homegrown onions, peppers, tomatoes) with homegrown sauteed pepper and local avocado and onions (from Farmer S) with raw cheese
SUNDAY
Breakfast – homemade skillet granola
Lunch – leftovers from Saturday dinner
Dinner [...]
The meals last week were certainly very colorful and tasty. We are still working on using up the huge bag of carrots we harvested a few weeks back so we enjoyed an easy and very delicious carrot salad with almost each one of our meals.
The tromboncino squashes are young and very tender and sweet – [...]
Now we are starting to see inklings of a summer harvest – finally! The weather is cool for this time of year – nights and mornings especially. Could it be the coolest August EVER?
Here’s some of the gorgeous goodies we harvested this week. The fruits of our labor are finally paying off with the earth’s [...]
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) [...]
The weather is still cool for this time of year. I have to pinch myself – can’t believe it’s August!
I’ve noticed too that there’s not been many June bugs either. Spotted only two this week, last year we had a whole army of ‘em – it was like an invasion!
Well, we are just going to [...]
Screening this Saturday at
Rhode Island International Film Festival
Sat. Aug 8 @ 3:00 pm
Columbus Theatre Arts Center
Providence , RI
HOMEGROWN a FILM BY ROBERT MCFALLS
By dawn, the interchange of the 134 Freeway and Interstate 210 is already starting to thrum with traffic. But only a hundred feet away, the Dervaes family has been up for hours. Their [...]
What’s with the weather? Today and yesterday morning it feels like fall? I know the coolness will burn off once the sun comes out but it really doesn’t feel like the August we are so used to.
Jordanne and I were commenting on the sound – it changed. Yeah, sounds funny but it’s not. We can [...]
Really eatin’ good in the neighborhood last week from our garden’s bounty. What a blessing to have food that’s grown right in our backyard…. or close by!
SATURDAY
Breakfast – homemade/homegrown blueberry pancakes with homegrown strawberries
Dinner – homemade flour tortillas, homemade spanish rice (homegrown onions, peppers, tomatoes) with homegrown sauteed pepper and local avocado (from Farmer S)
SUNDAY
Breakfast [...]
A Homegrown Revolution Roots In Pasadena (PASADENA NOW)
By TRICIA AREND
Published: Monday, July 13, 2009 | 5:36 PM
Gardener and urban homesteader Jules Dervaes is growing a revolution in his Pasadena home. Dervaes’ little urban garden plot that could has led him to found the Path To Freedom and Little Homestead in the City, a sustainable resource [...]
Look at these beauties! Homegrown peppers
and colorful heirloom tomatoes (Cherokee Purple & Aunt Ruby Green)
There’s green (Provider) beans in the garden!
Local community gardener DS brought us a bag of citrus
& Freedom Farmer SG brought us a box of beautiful Ashworth Corn and Early Jesery Wakefield Cabbage from his organic farm
Here’s a little webby byte about Robert McFalls (52 min) documentary about our family’s urban micro farm.
All About HomeGrown By C.J. Adams (CoolPeopleCare.org)
Check out what Robert McFalls, Producer/Director of the film HomeGrown had to say about food, farming, family and film
Read full interview
HOMEGROWN Coming to a City Near You!
Don’t forget HOMEGROWN will be screening [...]
Thanks to FreedomGardens.org we been able to barter with a local farmer in the area. The most recent trade was for a couple pounds of cabbages for a few ollas and a couple jars of finished sauerkraut.
Have you hooked up with a FGer in your area and swapped yer crops. If not what are you [...]
Finally coming up for some air as we catch up on things here around the urban homestead.
You know, it’s been the gloomiest June on record since 1983. The grey gloom is not only stunting the summer growth of the garden but also it’s making us a bit gloomy as well! However, the gloom didn’t follow [...]
This Saturday at Cottonwood Creek Park in Encinitas CA on Saturday from 9 am – 1 pm a homegrown get-together!
Also at 2 pm the short film HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION will be screened at the Encinitas Public Library.
Full event details
Thanks to the folks at OC Rare Fruit Growers who invited us to one of their monthly meetings to give an hour presentation about our journey to live a more self reliant life here in the city (and we are still plugging away at it!)
Over 100 people showed up to hear Farmer D speak and [...]
There are going to be a few posts (this one and a few after) that are going to catch you up on the happenings which are now a part of our lives. For me, this online journal is all about keeping records of the events in our lives and, sometimes, such goings on happen in bunches!
After [...]
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 [...]
We chat with the people after the film, fielding questions, etc., about our urban homestead.
and enjoying the conversation!
Farmer D chats with the famous ‘Tangerine Man’
Justin and I talk with the producer Robert McFalls and Arthur who was the camera guy.
We traveled to the quaint town of Ojai (1.5 hrs) north of LA [...]
I greet some of our young LHITC fans.
May’s shaping up to be another busy month we’ll be in Ojai one week and OC (Orange County the next) Hope to see some of you there
Here’s our out & about schedule
MAY 16-17 New World Fair, Pasadena Convention Center (Homegrown Revolution film showing on Saturday at 5:30 PM) [...]
We topped a few milestones this week.
Freedom Gardeners grows to over 4,500 aggies. Jordanne is still wrangling with the upgrades and glitches but it’s getting there. She’s sitting next to me now about ready to do bodily harm to the computer so wish her (and her computer) well!
Homegrown Revolution (version I) reaches 200,000 views on [...]
EVENT DETAILS
HOMEGROWN a film by Robert McFalls SCREENING
with Dervaes Family as special guest
WHEN: Tuesday, May 19 ( 7 PM – 9 PM)
WHERE: Matilija Jr High School Auditorium, Ojai CA 703 El Paseo Road, Ojai California 93023
ADMISSION IS FREE
Hosted by FOOD FOR THOUGHT OJAI
FILM DETAILS
HOMEGROWN (52 min) By dawn, the interchange of the 134 Freeway and [...]
Growing Your Own Food
Benefits, Techniques and Resources
Monday, May 11, 6:30PM
Santa Monica Main Library, 2nd Floor
601 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Money is tight and putting your yard to productive use by growing
fruit and vegetables seems like a great idea, but how realistic is
this goal?
This event will explore the just how easy it is for one [...]
Last week we enjoyed the garden’s blessings of bountiful produce along with other locally grown treats that were gotten in a swap with a local Freedom Farmer
Also there’s one day that we enjoyed breakfast for dinner. It was one of those busy days – garden, hive and other work and one needing something filling and [...]
