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
I just wanted to let you know how much I love the calendar! It is exactly the inspiration I hoped it would be. Beautiful photographs and printed on that nice thick paper, really great quality. Thank you
-Elizabeth
LITTLE HOMESTEAD IN THE CITY 2010 CALENDAR
(11″ x 17″)
Looking for something to inspire you (and others) throughout 2010?
Buy [...]
Nothing says ‘I love you’ better than homegrown veggies
There’s a slew of photos from last weeks work and happenings here on the urban homestead (from cheese making to brewing a spring garden tonic with weeds) in queue but first I liked to take some time remind folks that spring is just around the corner and [...]
Before we head up North (check out our itinerary of places we’ll be) here’s another pictorial dispatch from the urban homefront.
After the early cold snap, we’ve been enjoying some beautiful weather (yep, just in time for all those hoards of out of towners) Thanks to our beautiful weather, we probably have another slew of folks [...]
Celebrating 10 Years Online 1999-2009
To commemorate our decade long online presence we’ve put together a pictorial urban homesteading calendar highlighting our favorite photos of the garden, animals, flowers, butterflies and more!
Don’t pass up this opportunity….
Support our growing online presence and outreach to the next level.
LITTLE HOMESTEAD IN THE CITY 2010 CALENDAR (11″ x 17″)
BUY [...]
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 [...]
Upgrades are happening as we speak to our homegrown social network – Freedom Gardens. FYI – the upgrades and database wrangling will be happening throughout the day so please be patient with us as we try to get the site back into ship shape.
However, lot of the bugs, glitches that were vexing and bothersome should [...]
At the Pasadena Smith & Hawkens store on Saturday April 18th over 40 plus people turned out to hear Jules Dervaes talk about composting methods he uses around the urban homestead. He covered about a dozen different types and composting methods that he’s used over the past twenty five years.
From simple methods like: mulching, [...]
It’s good to be home. The garden is growing, happy animals, busy bees, seeds to plant, warm earth to dig, loads of peas to pick and more.
We’ve done the cross country trip many a times before either by car or train so we knew what to expect; however, this trip was a little different because [...]
PTF outreach table – chock full of information!
Under the towering pines the green fair kicks off
Chatting about the urban homestead. Jordanne and I met the lovely Gallup Family (see blog post about the event for even more photos)
“We weren’t sure if the Dervaes family would actually be there, but they were, all of them, [...]
Winter sunflowers. That’s right we have a huge patch of self sown sunflowers that are in full bloom in January no less!
Garden in winter – assorted greens, garlic, broccoli, peas and onions.
A gorgeous head of broccoli.
Kumquats almost ripe. Though semi ripe, I just can’t wait and have been nibbling on them already! Enjoying the [...]
This is one of those eclectic postings, lots of thoughts and stories all rolled into one.
Sorta like a jumbled post… you’ve been warned.
An easy up and salvaged canvas curtains protect the last two beds of tomatoes. Looks like a circus tent!
Protecting the crops with tarps and row covers
First Frost
The storm blew out late Wednesday night [...]
Me yammering. Poor guy. See how much food is on my plate compared to his
Jordanne, who loves music, chats with Mr Mauser, one of the composers.
Farmer D chats with an old friend and used to be neighbor
Justin talks farming with a fellow farmer. Hmmm, wonder if there were any gardening secrets revealved. Yeah, like they [...]
We received word from producer/director Robert McFalls that he will be holding private screening of the much anticipated documentary, HomeGrown, at a private residence here in Los Angeles on the evening of December 6th.
This is an opportunity for our friends and supporters to meet the producer and subjects of the film.
PTF is offering you a [...]
Poster courtesy of CICLE.org
PTF will be out & about the month of November spreading inspiration and hope.
There’s a flurry of activity before everyone goes into winter hiberanation so get out your calendar’s and mark these dates!
Nov 2 – Green Summit – Leap Frog Into a Sustainable Future, Pasadena City College (10 am – 1 pm) Path to [...]
With so much news happening, I am afraid urban homestead happenings take second fiddle to the goings on around us.
Though I know most of you are probably more interested in what Fairlight is doing these days or how we are dealing with the harlequin bug infestestation, this blog not only is a sounding board for [...]
This whole year we’ve been saying that the PTF outreach and work is growing, thanks to your support (especially during these hard times) we are reaching and inspiring more and more people to travel a more sustainable path.
We’ve gotten to the point where we are growing by leaps and bounds and we are going to [...]
People milling around, petting the goats and (Jordanne’s in the middle answering everyone’s questions)
Lining up for food
Fill ‘em up! Six tables full of good food.
Happy goats
Happy volunteers
Eating and socializing
Everyone getting to know their table mates
The “Freedom Garden” table and our very own So Cal Freedom Gardeners contingent
Folks listen intently to the quiz questions following the [...]
Shiny happy people – a group shot. Left to right: Sascha, Eileen, Jordanne, Justin, Johan, Anais, Kelly, Jules, Struan, Lauren, Eitan, Cory, Janice (behind the camera)
Group of guys sporting the ‘Homegrown Revolution’ tees. Left to right: Sascha, Justin, Eitan, Johan, Cory, Jules & Struan
People filing past the six tables of delicious local foods
Corry, one of [...]
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
Here at the PTF urban homestead not only does one have to deal with everyday urban homestead life – there’s the ongoing outreach efforts.
I know many of our LHITC readers would like more postings of daily happenings here on the urban homestead. I ditto your sentiments exactly! However, this year [...]
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 [...]
While Jordanne and crew are working on the last of the plugins and coding for Freedom Gardens (nearing 300 participants! ) which will allow blog post feeds and more, the next online outreach effort is in the works for the Urban Homestead site.
We’ve also been brainstorming. One such idea was to host a online [...]
We are once again on the roller coaster weather ride. Last week it was cold, dreary and this week an unusual spring heat wave is bringing intense heat and hot temps to the LA area. The extreme flux in temperatures are leaving people and plants a bit confused – it’s like nature can’t make up [...]
A quick update for our daily readers, who may be concerned….
Sorry, we haven’t posted in a few days. So much has happened over these last three days. But there’s no need to worry, we have just been extremely busy with urban homestead life, outreach and media.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday ABC Nightline was out here filming [...]
PTF was out and about once again on Saturday for Pasadena’a Greening the Earth Day celebration at Memorial Park Thanks to those who stopped by our booth – nice to meet ya’ll!
Like to especially thank a few people: Janice thank you for the wonderful gift of homegrown tangerines. Laurie, we look forward to your plums [...]
Earth event at Vromans Bookstore, Pasadena
This week is shaping up to be a busy one! In between, spring plantings, caring for animals and other urban homesteading projects we are taking time off for outreach efforts promoting urban sustainablilty and inspiring urbanites to be the change.
Tomorrow PTF will be a the big Earth Day festival in [...]
Recently we were asked by a reporter who, in an email, asked:
“I am curious to know how urban homesteading has decreased your family budget on a monthly and/or annual basis? In other words, how much do you save by growing the majority of your own food? How often do you go the grocery [...]
Spreading the word around the community
On Thursday Farmer D took the train to downtown LA promoting urban sustainability at the Farmer’s Market on the front lawn of City Hall. Don’t forget on Saturday a few of us Urban Homesteaders will be tabling at Vroman’s Earth Day Celebration 11 a.m. – [...]
The power of ONE. One brochure and its inspiring effect.
Here are excerpts from an email we received from the M Family of Southern California:
The Dervaes Family,
We were given your brochure by a friend who purchases Jerusalem artichokes, which you grow, from the Redlands farmers market. He gave us the brochure as we have [...]
EARTH DAY ACTION PLAN
Be inspired to start your very own homegrown revolution.
Attention schools and community advocates/activists: it’s that time of year when cities, schools and individuals focus on becoming better stewards of the earth. If you are actively concerned and involved with environmental issues and would like to know how you can take food (and [...]
On Wednesday, after a long morning of interviews and filming, Farmer D along with Ellie Mae (sorry, Jordanne … I know enough already!) made a visit to the Westside to speak at a UCLA. Thanks, Pam and Eddie, for the invite, and a warm welcome to all you UCLA students!
UCLA’s Education for Sustainable Living [...]
It’s starting off to be a busy week. Besides on the happenings on the homefront, Farmer D will be giving a talk at UCLA tomorrow, there’s Earth Day preparations (thanks to those of you who donated to support our Earth Day outreach this year we’ve raised nearly a 1/4 of our [...]
Jules gives presentation at UCLA
Speaking Engagement
Jules Dervaes of PTF was invited to speak at Peter Sellars’ World Arts and Cultures class, Art as Social Action, at UCLA as a guest speaker along with food writer Michael Pollan on Monday (yesterday). Peter Sellars is known for getting his students to think [...]
