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!

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 is limited so please RSVP by calling 626.844.4586 or filling out the online reservation form

Event Schedule

5:30 PM - event starts / Freedom Gardens Swap N Meet

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM - local food potluck

7:00 PM - CONSUME THIS MOVIE! (80 minutes)

8:30 PM - discussion / pop quiz and win prizes!

9:00 PM - event ends

Film Details

See this movie when you're happy to be alive. Check out this movie when you want to make a huge difference. Absorb this movie again and again for profound insights about all our lives. But - whatever you do - Consume This Movie!”
— Ed Begley, Jr., Actor

Are Americans too materialistic? Are we willfully trashing the planetary ecology in order to serve the desires and drives of the ego? And what, or who could be driving this powerful force of seduction? Consume This Movie takes a critical look at social injustice, peak oil, resource depletion and our deep need to feel connected to each other through what we choose to consume. This 80 minute documentary also examines the frenzied pace of fast-lane materialism that is beggining to burn us out. We Americans are just now beginning to yearn for a simpler life, but is it too late? Have we set in motion a runaway train that threatens to undermine the ecological, social and spiritual cornerstones that make the pursuit of happiness possible in the first place? Walk, don't drive to see this powerful documentary film, while supplies last!

Woven into this exploration are interviews with Dr. Peter Whybrow, American Mania, Juliet B. Schor, The Overspent American, simplicity guru’s Cecile Andrews and Duane Elgin, photographic artist Chris Jordan, advertising expert James. B. Twitchell and Post Carbon Institutes Julian Darley among others.

Potluck

Bring something (preferably vegetarian) to contribute to the potluck - bring enough food for yourself/family and a bit to share. The primary focus of the ‘Locavore’ potluck is to promote eating whole foods, in their nature-made state, focusing on fresh food from local sources (or as local as possible)

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 a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Fair Trade.

Freedom Garden Swap N Meet

Join local homegrown revolutionaries - swap crops, seeds, expertise and more.

Growing for 21st century food security, FreedomGardens.org is a free interactive, online social community of gardening enthusiasts who are fed up with foreign oil, frequent food miles and high food prices.

To reserve space for this event fill out this easy regisration form or contact 626.844.4586

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 friendly, compostable dinnerware

Space is limited so please RSVP by calling 626.844.4586 or filling out online reservation form

Event Schedule

5:30 PM - event starts / Freedom Gardens Swap N Meet

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM - local food potluck

7:00 PM - clay pot irrigation demo followed by film screening ARE WE RUNNING DRY (80 minutes)

8:30 PM - discussion / pop quiz and win prizes!

9:00 PM - event ends

Film Details

“As in the rest of the world, significant water problems exist in the Southwestern states because of severe drought, urban development, agricultural uses and population growth. The overwhelming need to solve these issues in the United States and the world is crucial through education and planning. The severity of the American water crisis cannot be underestimated.”

Jane Seymour, Narrator, “Running Dry”

Nearly every state in the American Southwest is affected by a water crisis and is struggling with record dry conditions. On the heels of the American Southwest’s drought, and in an effort to raise awareness, The Chronicles Group with support from grants from the California Water Association, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the Southern Nevada Water Authority and other public and private entities, Vegas PBS will present “The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry?” directed, written, and produced by Jim Thebaut, president of The Chronicles Group, a Los Angeles based non-profit public information/education film production company

Featuring narration from Emmy® Award-winning actress Jane Seymour, “The American Southwest:  Are We Running Dry?” is a definitive look at how the water crisis affects the American Southwest states and its escalating economic toll.
Potluck

Bring something (preferably vegetarian) to contribute to the potluck - bring enough food for yourself/family and a bit to share. The primary focus of the ‘Locavore’ potluck is to promote eating whole foods, in their nature-made state, focusing on fresh food from local sources (or as local as possible)

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 a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Fair Trade.

Freedom Garden Swap N Meet

Join local homegrown revolutionaries - swap crops, seeds, expertise and more.

Growing for 21st century food security, FreedomGardens.org is a free interactive, online social community of gardening enthusiasts who are fed up with foreign oil, frequent food miles and high food prices.

To reserve space for this event fill out this easy regisration form or contact 626.844.4586

WHO:

The film’s featured farmers: Tezozomoc,

Sarah Nolan of South Central Farmers’ Cooperative CSA program

Jules Dervaes of Path to Freedom

Creators of Fallen Fruit

Cisco Pinedo of Cisco Home

WHEN:

Saturday, April 11th from 12:00 NOON to -4:00 pm

WHERE:

Whole Foods Market Arroyo Parkway

465 South
Arroyo Parkway,
Pasadena CA 91105 · (626) 204-2266

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Breaking News!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dervaes family short film HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION will be available for purchase at WHOLE FOODS Markets in Pasadena  (Arroyo Parkway and Hasting Ranch) and possibly Glendale once arrangements have been finalized!

Homegrown Revolution (15 min) is a short informational introduction to a homegrown project that has been called a new revolution in urban sustainability. In the midst of a densely urban setting in downtown Pasadena, radical change is taking root. For over twenty years, the Dervaes family have transformed their home into an urban homestead and a model for sustainable agriculture and urban living. Calling this project, “Path to Freedom,” the Dervaes Family shows that change is possible. As a family for this new paradigm, they harvest 3 tons of organic food annually from their 1/10 acre garden while incorporating many back-to-basics practices, as well as solar energy and biodiesel in order to reduce their footprint on the earth’s resources. Environmentalism and the health of our planet is a theme that weaves through the film. This film is a mere 15 minutes but is packed with the history and the successful outcome of this new urban sustainability movement. It is meant to inspire and encourage others - young and old - to take a look at what they have and realize that change can begin with a single step and can be created right in our own backyards.

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 is limited so please RSVP by calling 626.844.4586 or filling out online reservation form

Event Schedule

5:30 PM - event starts / Freedom Gardens Swap N Meet

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM - local food potluck

7:00 PM - film screening FOOD MATTERS (80 minutes)

8:30 PM - discussion / pop quiz and win prizes!

9:00 PM - event ends

Film

"Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine, And Thy Medicine Be Thy Food." - Hippocrates

"Food Matters is a must see for those looking to take control of their health."
- John Gray, PhD, NY Times Best Selling Author of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus

"Outstanding"
- John Robbins, author of Diet for A New America

"Anyone who is serious about their health needs to see this stunning film."
- Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Mother-Daughter Wisdom, The Wisdom of Menopause and Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom

"Thought provoking, informative, and compelling, this film matters."
- Rory Freedman, Coauthor of #1 NY Times Best Seller Skinny Bitch

Food Matters' is a hard hitting, fast paced look at our current state of health. Despite the billions of dollars of funding and research into new so-called cures we continue to suffer from a raft of chronic ills and every day maladies. Patching up an over-toxic and over-indulgent population with a host of toxic therapies and nutrient sparse foods is definitely not helping the situation.

‘Food Matters' seeks to uncover the business of disease and at the same time explore the safe, cheap and effective use of nutrition and supplementation for preventing and often reversing the underlying causative aspects of the illness. With the premise of the film being: access to solid information helps people invariably make better choices for their health.

The ‘Food Matters' duo have independently funded the film from start to finish in order to remain as unbiased as possible, delivering a clear and concise message to the world.

Potluck

Bring something (preferably vegetarian) to contribute to the potluck - bring enough food for yourself/family and a bit to share. The primary focus of the ‘Locavore’ potluck is to promote eating whole foods, in their nature-made state, focusing on fresh food from local sources (or as local as possible)

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 a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Fair Trade.

Freedom Garden Swap N Meet

Join local homegrown revolutionaries - swap crops, seeds, expertise and more.

Growing for 21st century food security, FreedomGardens.org is a free interactive, online social community of gardening enthusiasts who are fed up with foreign oil, frequent food miles and high food prices.

To reserve space for this event fill out this easy regisration form or contact 626.844.4586

The volunteers Kelly and Sergio hang out with urban Heidi and her goats

Freedom Gardens Swap n Trade table featuring Dan's lovely chard

The local chow line

Full of delicious food

Freedom Gardens Swap n Trade table filled with homegrown goodies

Getting ready to watch the film

Nearly 90 people gathered on a grey, slightly chilly and overcast day to enjoy a local foods potluck, soil block making demo, Freedom Garden Swap N Meet, a locavore's documentary and goat petting!

Certainly a jammed packed evening of food, fun and fellowship!  Of course, Blackberry and Fairlight were so pleased to be around people - they love people!   Jordanne told me that Fairlight practically adopted a kid (human kid that is) and followed him around, acting very attentive.  So cute!

Being spring and planting time, it was suggested we have a soil block making demo, which we did and will hopefully encourage more folks to get their hands dirty.   While I was putting together a flyer on soil blocks , I did a bit of research and found out an interesting tidbit that soil blocks were used in Mexico over 2,000 ago.

The principle of soil blocks is to provide a growing medium for your starts that does not use a container, that allows the small seedlings to have just a tiny amount of space to germinate and begin growing and be easily and safely transplanted (absolutely NO transplant shock).

Bottom line.. saves time, space, resources AND money…

We had an interesting problem crop up at this event which required quick action and even spurred a really neat idea for the next gathering.

Normally at these events there would be enough food for everyone - even for a second helping.  But this time around, it was not to be the case.  The food table was demolished at the first serving, leaving little leftovers and really no food for the hosts.   Unfortunately, we never got a chance to taste any of those amazing dishes.

Anyhow....

Having arrived at the table and seeing it pretty much decimated, Farmer D said "go get some of Dan's chard and make it into a salad."  Now Dan's gorgeous chard was located on the amazing Freedom Gardens swap table along with Sergio's delicious oranges.   Sure, I thought, with these two veggies I could whip up a simple salad.  So Justin ran across the street, got me a bowl, cutting board and a knife and I grabbed a jar of salad dressing (about the only thing left).  In less than 5 minutes I was able to produce a salad right then and there.

Such  quick thinking and creative ingenuity got Farmer D, Dan and Sergio in a spirited chat and, from that, an amazing little idea developed that we'd like to incorporate at our next event.   It's a super cool idea so stay tuned!

Enjoy more photos from the event

In April we have some exciting workshops, lectures and events on tap.  Stay tuned for the April calendar of events!

What: Film Screening of EATING ALASKA & Local, Vegetarian Potluck

When: Sunday, March 29 (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, screening licensing fees, sound system, and purchase of eco friendly, compostable dinnerware

Space is limited so please RSVP by calling 626.844.4586 or filling out online reservation form

Event Schedule

5:30 PM - event starts / Freedom Gardens Swap N Meet

6:30 PM - 7:30 PM - local food potluck

7:30 PM - film screening EATING ALASKA (57 minutes)

8:30 PM - discussion / pop quiz and win prizes!

9:00 PM - event ends

Film

A wry journey for the "right thing" to eat

"Eating Alaska makes us ruminate, laugh and stand in awe, all at the same time."
-Gary Nabhan, Author, Coming Home to Eat and Where Our Food Comes From

"Eating Alaska asks all the right questions and urges us to find our own answers. The film is a very useful and heartful tool for talking about food justice and food systems and to help all of us to create a new story about food." 
- Peter Forbes, Co-Founder  Center for Whole Communities

What happens to a vegetarian who moves to the last frontier?

Eating Alaska is a serious and humorous film about connecting to where you live and eating locally. It is about trying to break away from the industrial food system when that means not only buying fresh seasonal food from local farmers, but taking part in a world of hunting and gathering. Made by a former city dweller now living on an island in Alaska and married to fisherman and deer hunter, it is a journey into regional food traditions, our connection to the wilderness and to what we put into our mouths.

The film portrays a wry quest for safe, healthy, meaningful, and sustainable food that leads to climbing mountains with women hunters, scrutinizing food labels with kids, talking moose meat with teens in a small village public school, and exploring how others in the last frontier, Alaska Natives and non-Natives, are eating.

Eating Alaska takes viewers from a lower 48 farmer's market to the tundra to look for caribou, from fishing for wild salmon to visiting a vegan cooking class in Wasilla. Along the way we will visit with people who are grappling with what is on their plates and trying to balance living off the land with the convenience and speed of reaching for what's on the shelf at the supermarket. This is a story about connecting to where we live, urban or far from it, and coming to terms with what we eat and how we come by it.

{Please be advised this film does show the human impact of hunting and consumption of meat. However it is sensibly depicted without graphic images.}

Potluck

Bring something (preferably vegetarian) to contribute to the potluck - bring enough food for yourself/family and a bit to share. The primary focus of the ‘Locavore’ potluck is to promote eating whole foods, in their nature-made state, focusing on fresh food from local sources (or as local as possible)

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 a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Fair Trade.

Freedom Garden Swap N Meet

Join local homegrown revolutionaries - swap crops, seeds, expertise and more.

Growing for 21st century food security, FreedomGardens.org is a free interactive, online social community of gardening enthusiasts who are fed up with foreign oil, frequent food miles and high food prices.

To reserve space for this event fill out this easy regisration form or contact 626.844.4586

Eco Documentary & Local Food Potluck

By popular demand! Join us for another evening of food, inspiration and community. Space is limited so please reserve.

When: Sunday, September 14
Time: 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Where: 651 N Orange Grove (school adjacent to the urban homestead), Pasadena CA
Cost: $10 (what your donation pays for)  Children under 12 are free.

Reservation Details

Fill out this form or call today (626) 844.4586 to reserve

Event Schedule

6:30 - 7:30 pm - ”Local Foods” Vegetarian Potluck (no alcohol allowed on school campus)

8:00 - 9:00 pm - Film Screening' The Power Of Community' (53 minutes)

9:00 - 10:00 pm - Q&A, Discussion with Path to Freedom

The Power of Community - How Cuba Survived Peak Oil

“Our crude oil is a very bad thing for the environment. But we had no choice; it’s a mater of live or die.” -- Guillermo Leiva

Shimmering with life like a cornucopia of colorful vegetables, this vibrant, hopeful film brings to light one of the most important stories of the last two decades – how a small island nation responded to a sudden and dangerous drop in oil supplies. When Cuba’s hefty subsidies of oil, food and other goods ceased after the Soviet Union collapsed and the U.S. tightened its embargo, Cubans suffered terrible hardships. In a ‘peak oil’ crisis similar to one the entire world will soon face, electric power became intermittent, transportation nearly stopped, parts were unavailable, and without fertilizers and tractors, food production declined to precarious levels. But Cuba bounced back. This inspiring film offers us a living model of sustainability, as Cubans tell the remarkable story of their nation’s recovery and its transition to organic agriculture, renewable energy, effective mass transit, lowered consumption, better health, and stronger communities.

Potluck Details

Bring something (vegetarian) to contribute to the potluck - bring enough food for yourself/family and a bit to share. The primary focus of the ‘Locavore’ potluck is to promote eating whole foods, in their nature-made state, focusing on fresh food from local sources (or as local as possible)

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 a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Fair Trade.

Los Angeles Farmers Markets can be found here: www.farmernet.com/events/cfms

ATTENTION ALL SO CAL FREEDOM GARDENERS

If you are coming to this event and are a Freedom Gardener, let us know since we will be setting a special table(s) especially for you!

We are encouraging fellow Freedom Gardeners to use this community opportunity to meet up, swap crops, seeds and gardening experiences (or lack thereof!)

Let’s make this a truly homegrown event.

:: MAP & DRIVING DIRECTIONS ::

This venue is located in the foothills above Los Angeles, near the Rose Bowl, Old Towne Pasadena, Memorial Park Gold Line Station, and the 210, 110 and 134 freeways.

:: ZERO WASTE & LOW IMPACT ::

Path to Freedom strives to make our each of our events as “eco- friendly” as possible. We have instigated a “low or zero waste policy” by providing compostable plates, cups, and utensils to ensure there is no unnecessary waste. All other waste (i.e., plastic wrappers, glass bottles, food containers, etc) and food scraps are recycled, reused, composted or fed to our pet chickens, goats, ducks & worms.

Reserve today!

Yes, We Will Have No Bananas

By DAN KOEPPEL
Los Angeles

ONCE you become accustomed to gas at $4 a gallon, brace yourself for the next shocking retail threshold: bananas reaching $1 a pound. At that price, Americans may stop thinking of bananas as a cheap staple, and then a strategy that has served the big banana companies for more than a century — enabling them to turn an exotic, tropical fruit into an everyday favorite — will begin to unravel.

...Americans eat as many bananas as apples and oranges combined, which is especially amazing when you consider that not so long ago, bananas were virtually unknown here. They became a staple only after the men who in the late 19th century founded the United Fruit Company (today’s Chiquita) figured out how to get bananas to American tables quickly — by clearing rainforest in Latin America, building railroads and communication networks and inventing refrigeration techniques to control ripening.

....In recent years, American consumers have begun seeing the benefits — to health, to the economy and to the environment — of buying foods that are grown close to our homes. Getting used to life without bananas will take some adjustment. What other fruit can you slice onto your breakfast cereal?

But bananas have always been an emblem of a long-distance food chain. Perhaps it’s time we recognize bananas for what they are: an exotic fruit that, some day soon, may slip beyond our reach

Read article

What's Your Foodprint?

Are you re localizing your food habits and diet? What foods/fruits have you weaned yourself off of lately?

Our little motto that we strive to eat by "if it's not growing in my backyard then it ain't local."

It's harvest days here on the urban homestead! Picking potatoes, turnips, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, beans, broccoli and more.

SATURDAY

Breakfast - homemade, homegrown blueberry pancakes (made with homeraised eggs) and homemade, homegrown strawberry sauce
Dinner - homemade whole wheat tortillas, homemade spanish rice (homegrown green onions, peppers, cilantro) with organic black beans

SUNDAY

Breakfast - homemade granola
Lunch - leftovers from Saturday
Dinner - homegrown broccoli and chive organic pasta with cheese and homegrown salad

MONDAY

Breakfast - homemade granola
Lunch - creamed homegrown broccoli and organic Ca grown brown rice with homegrown salad
Dinner - same as lunch

TUESDAY

Breakfast - homemade granola
Lunch - homegrown green beans and organic Ca grown brown rice with homegrown salad
Dinner - homegrown green beans salad with organic garbanzo beans with homegrown salad

WEDNESDAY

Breakfast - homemade granola
Lunch - homegrown green beans with homegrown herbs (chives and tarragon) and CA organic rice with homegrown salad
Dinner - glazed homegrown turnips with homegrown beans

THURSDAY (CNN filming)

Breakfast - homemade granola
Lunch - homemade, homegrown herb pizza crust topped with homegrown tomatoes, zucchini, green onions, basil and chives and organic cheese with homegrown salad
Dinner - homegrown sun cooked potatoes with homegrown lemon thyme and chives with homegrown swiss chard salad

FRIDAY

Breakfast - homemade granola
Lunch - homegrown potatoes, homegrown broccoli with homegrown salad
Dinner - organic whole wheat pasta with homemade tomato sauce with homegrown herbs, homegrown baby field greens, homemade no knead bread and homegrown/homemade wine