Caretakers of creation

Celebrating Creation & Holy Week with all sorts of outreach!

Although we couldn't attend all the events we were invited to (sorry, folks, perhaps next year!)  due to conflict of schedules with Holy Week, we still did have a jam packed week!!!

In Pasadena, there was a  "Harvest Homesteaders" canning class, now going on three years in a row.    Jordanne and  I agreed that these girls were the best yet.   All the jam made that morning will be donated to a local food bank.  Great job girls!

Next, Jordanne and Farmer D headed off to another school where they were guests at a school assembly (where our two bantie chickens made appearances).

After watching our film Homegrown Revolution,  all the kids were chanting "Blackberry, Blackberry, Blackberry!"   Farmer D spoke to the kids about the importance of "food miles."  The students  were all eyes and ears!

Then we were  off on a small road trip where our family was the  special honorary guest, once again, of the wonderful community of Palm Springs.   We had to leave Justin behind.  Well, actually, he REALLY wanted to stay home because, just as we were about to leave, I spotted a pretty decent swarm going into one of Justin’s traps (more about the free-bees later!)

After the screening of our award winning film and Q & A session, a local organic dinner was served - pretty neat to see a dish of nopales (cactus).    A BIG thank you to Leslie, Ward,Geraldine & Yolanda for their extraordinary hard work and warm hospitality in Palm Springs and to local teacher Lauren and administrator Jill for some great interaction with kids.

The weather was pretty wild in Palm Springs - it WAS REALLY windy!   "White caps" were spotted in the pool of the spa where we stayed.

The drive was LOVELY.  Usually on road trips, I dose off; but Southern California is gorgeous this time of year, the hills green and gold with wild mustard.  And, last, but not least, on the way home we stopped  in Corona to see our favorite farm and farmer to pick up some wonderful farm bounty.

I sure wished I could have enjoyed the trip and outings more.  But earlier  that day, I reached up and something "popped" (shudder) and I had back/shoulder pain the whole time.  Man,  it hurt so badly I could hardly lift my arm to give out HUGS (they ended more like awkward chest bumps!)

Once home, I put a hot water bottle on my back and after a good night's sleep, my shoulder is MUCH better.  Ahhhh.   Sure glad it’s better. I was worried there for a bit,  knowing I had a arms length of “heavy duty” chores waiting when I got back.

Hope everyone had a blessed and meaningful Holy Week.

Cutting up local organic strawberries purchased from farmer's market

Mashing!

Filling up the jars

Putting on the tops

Morning assembly

Educating about food miles

What's in the box?

A BIG squash!

Estella shows off

Desert Hot Springs

Introducing the film to eco particpants

This guy had a pretty cool wind mill - I want one!

Ahhh, paradise.

All eyes and ears

Making connections

Inspiring the youth

If we are afraid to be different from the world, how can we make a difference in the world? ~Rev. John I. Jenkins

Our family had a busy weekend.    As Justin reported,  there  is there a flurry of spring plantings –a  couple hundred soil blocks made and two hundred strawberry crowns in the ground.

But we also had a local outreach work on Saturday which was held at a private home for a gathering of ladies young and old .   The theme was about "bringing the revolution home" and  how we must re-skill  in order to be less dependent on  outside resources or "the yellow pages."  Before starting the talk, we all sent up prayers for the people in Japan, noting how thankful and  blessed we all were even to have  a chance to be there that morning. After having witnessed  the destruction in Japan, we realize that  no amount of planning and preparation will save us from nature's wrath.

Narrowing down the “exodus from the home/bringing our lives back to the home” to seven points,  this brand new "lecture" with the  open discussion that followed focused on the  baby steps we all can take to slow down and take control over our modern "24/7' lives.

1. Work
2. School
3. Leisure (entertainment, sports, dating)
4. Meals
5. Communication
6. Goods & Services
7. Religion/Spirituality

I certainly gleaned a few ideas from the lively discussion that followed.

What great fun we had yesterday. Everyone is a stir and your younger sister had the girls all excited! Thank you! - MH

I think this was my favorite outreach group as I loved chatting with the younger girls who were so excited over the topics that were covered.   Many thanks goes  to MH for the invite & to the host family for the warm and generous hospitality - thank you!

Looking back on our goals from last year Justin (Jethro) got his fish project underway,  the grey water project too.

Jordanne (Ellie Mae) revamped our two social networks, Freedom Gardens and launched Backyards & Barnyards and did get around to organizing a lot of mess.  Not to forget the launced her super amazing Natural Poultry Supplement Mix which is receiving rave reviews!

As for me (Granny),  the mountain of fabric and yarn still looms like a huge shadow but the craft-music room is coming along nicely.  Not sure if I am talking less and listening more – guess I’ll have to ask my family & friends that.

The 7K bonanza harvest wasn't the only highlight from 2010

We went back to Wild & Scenic located in the quaint mountain town of Nevada City and had a chance to meet our favorite author, John Robbins.  Had a workshop at the Eco Farm conference in lovely grounds Asilomar (didn't get to spend as much time on the beach as we'd like since it was soooo cold and rainy!).   Not to mention numerous articles and video pieces which all were featured here on the blog – our favorite being the recent So Cal Connect piece , I am Los Angeles , Private Chefs of Beverly Hills,  Sis and I were "Cover Girls" & with an article featured in this online magazine and I wrote about my home school experience for another

Our home made film "Homegrown Revolution" won  many awards including : Best Environment & Ecology Film North America - Swansea International Film Festival, U.K.; Prize of the Mayor of the Capitol City of Slovakia - Ekotop Film Festival of Sustainable Development, Slovakia; Best Short Documentary - Southern Appalachian International Film Festival, Tennessee; Honorable Mention: Westpac Award Best Short Film - Reel Earth Environmental Film Festival, New Zealand.  (You can purchase a DVD copy)

We traveled to back to the homestead in New Zealand where I was born (more pics and tales to come) and with our biggest turn out ever to a presentation on urban homesteading!

After the New Zealand trip: Other outreach opportunities included four university appearances by "Farmer D" and a presentation for a public school district's student gardens fundraiser.

On the urban  homestead

Keeping it real.  As with any journey, we had our ups and downs.

Passing of dear old Clementine (the poster chicken & darling of the UH movement) and our duck Amy after freak accident which never fully recovered from.

The cycle of life continued, Though there were sad deaths there was new life with four additions to our flock.  Our southern belles  - Annalee, Lulu Belle, Beulah and Opal.

Pushing the envelope in urban sustainability we added new projects:  hops for beer and 50 tilapia for aquaponics fish farming and wrote about the challenges that we face of growing food in the city.

Wrote about necessary Urban Homestead apparel and "Natural Beauty, "  "Homesteader Hygiene", & Living Without AC,  Washing Clothes by Hand & threw an amazing  "Girlie" Tea Party under $50!

Long time customer, Elements, who featured our many of our homegrown items on his menu unceremoniously dumped us (having money issues)   When one door closed, it opened up our produce to the public with the launch of the Front Porch Farm Stand featuring local foods and goods.

Weather continued to be a problem with a record heat wave in October & record rainfall in December

Though we had one of our best honey harvest in years, Varroa Mites (and early cold weather) wiped out all of our of beehives except one.

I dropped the ball on the Weekly Meal wrap ups (sorry readers) posts but I picked up guitar which I am enjoying relearning – well, except for the sore finger tips.   Ouch!

There you have it!  Some of the highlights of 2010,  I know I just touched the tip of the ice berg otherwise I’d be here all day.

So what our plans/goals for 2011?   That’s certainly a good question and a lot to digest ….  we do know are going to have sadly terminate some projects because of the lack of support.   It’s a bitter pill to swallow put sometimes you got to cut things that are weighing you down.  I’m talking to myself here… have to keep saying that!

Also like to thank all of you readers who have supported us via donations or purchases from our online store.    Not to mention all the wonderful letters, cards and emails.   THANK YOU!

While I try to shake off a awful case writers block, if you are new or a lurker to this blog, this is a good time to swap howdies or better yet TELL US what your FAVORITE post(s) of 2010 were!

So pull up a chair and give us a holler ya hear and hope 2011 is off to a good start for you!

Jordanne & I kicked off community outreach with canning classes at a local high school. A morning's jamming session resulted in 24 jars of strawberry jam that will be donated to a local food bank. The girls really enjoyed the fruits of their labor and of course had FUN!

Chop, chop

Mash, mash

Stir, stir

Yum, yum

Filling the jars

Into the water bath they go!

The following day Jordanne & I participated in a fair at next door's middle school selling soaps, produce and preserves (our front porch collective is growing - email info@dervaesgardens.com if interested in joining) It was great to hang out and finally meet many of the parents and teachers that we see pass our home on a daily basis.

To market with local produce and goods

Our friend henna's hands

The week of outreach ended at another local school, this time at the beautiful campus of Cal Tech.

Over 100 people packed the room for the presentation and, for a treat, we brought some homegrown guavas and preserves for folks to enjoy after the film screening and presentation - which was devoured completely!

Full house

Folks line up afterwards

Answering questions

Chatting with neighbors

In the lobby for meet and greet

Thanks to Lauren at Westridge, the folks at New Horizon (and our friend Romana), along with Rose & Ronnie, Net Impact Group and Cal Tech for such a great and productive week.

Would you like to invite PTF to give a presentation or workshop at your school or community event? contact us

Have a great weekend everyone, I'll be back next week with snapshots and tales from the urban homestead.

With slipping Freedom Seeds & Urban Homestead Supply sales and donations on the decline due hard economic times, it's come as a great boost to our morale when reader's step up and show their support!    We were happily surprised and extremely grateful to the The Ridgewood Boys of Kentucky who are holding benefit concert for Path to Freedom's growing outreach.

This father and son duo serve up cld-time and early bluegrass music throughout Kentucky, central Tennessee, and southwest Virginia

Date: November 26, 2010
Time: 8:00 PM
Location: Kentucky Coffeetree Cafe
Address: 235 W Broadway Street Frankfort, KY 40601
Cost: Donations

Full event details

Let's see that they have a great turn out ya hear!

Check out online CALENDAR for more upcoming EVENTS

Sure wish we could have a fiddle, bluegrass old-timey benefit concert in these here parts.

The other day I slid open the garage door and this cool looking box greeted me!  Of course. I knew immediately what it was.    I couldn't believe my eyes, where did this wonderful observation hive come from?  I didn't remember any big packages coming in lately so yelled to Justin in the garden, "Where'd you get the hive, did you buy it?"     "No, I made it!"  he answered back.     What a nice surprise!  He must have been waking up early in the morning because none of us here knew he was working on it, or otherwise we were preoccupied with other things to even notice.

It's great to have an observation have back.  Dad, being a Dadant supplier, had one in Florida which he would bring to the county fair.  Folks would crowd around our booth mesmerized by the fascinating insects.

Now, we have an even cooler observation hive made out of recycled materials that we can bring with us on our outreach excursions!  Pretty neat huh?

:: Resources ::

Observation Hive Links

Starting an Observation Hive

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?

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 a beautiful calendar of stunning nature and simple living photos–and be encouraged to grow more of your own food! Plus you’ll be supporting an important work of educating others how to be more self-sufficient.

The calendar is a wall calendar, and each month has a different picture. Some months have a group of pictures. The pictures are of nature and simple living topics and reflect the seasons of the year to a certain extent.

BUY NOW for $20.00 (plus $4.00 shipping)

THANK YOU

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 you know what that means!

Seeds, Goods & Supplies

Over 90% of the vegetables we grow here at our little farm in the city are featured and sold on our online store FreedomSeeds.org (it's our first year so are aware that the variates are limited but, hey, it's a start!)

In addition our other online store PeddlersWagon.com carries goods and supplies for the modern day urban homesteader featuring items that we actually own and use around our urban homestead.

Some of the best selling items this year are the handy dandy Soil Blocks, 2010 Growing by the Moon Calendars, the sturdy Wire Vegetable Basket and Ollas - clay pottery that drips!

Though it's just a wee wagon full of goods I am sure there's something useful that you could use.

Purchases made through these stores goes directly into the non profit to continue to keep this site online and our outreach growing.

Show your "lovin''" appreciation by supporting this site (count the ways)

Thank you all.

Upcoming Engagement

This Tues, Feb 9 (7:30 PM) Jules Dervaes will be giving a presentation at the OC Fair Grounds.

Check our online calendar for details.

Hope to see you there!

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 wanting to move to the already crowded and congested sunshine state.  Well,they can certainly take our place.  We'll trade for a some wide open spaces any day!

This wonderful weather is a bit unsettling; it's either going to turn out to be a mild winter or its saving up for a cold snap of some sorts.  I have a sneaking suspicion it's the latter.

(note this post was written early in the week, the weather's changed Today - it's RAINING!)

Chop, chop.  Time for getting spiffy and some in home barbering services.  I believe I did a post a few years about about our hair cutting ventures.  We gals cut the guys and us gals cut each others.

These days around the urban homestead you'll spot some unusual pieces of this, that and whatever as the guys work on few new projects.

Let's now play a game of " I Spot!"  Strolling around the urban homestead, I spot.....

This project

This one

and that one

and another one!  Have an inkling this one has to do with a greywater system.

Jordanne works on finishing a window box.

and the guys reuse some of the broken up urbanite near the new garden shed.

And then take time to fix and old kitchen faucet that started leaking (not good for our water saving measures)

Certainly some serious work going on these days.  Winter is a good as time as any to get a jump on the new projects because once spring comes around planting fever will take over and then it's farming time!

In the garden there are....

Happy faces.

Loads of pretty limas!

Thanks the wonderful winter weather, the garden is growing.  We are even (get this) enjoying FRESH tomatoes in January.

Tomatoes and lettuce fresh from the garden to our table.  Tomatoes!  Yeah, I know, I said that already!

Forest of peas

Already topping the cages!

Greens are growing like weeds!

Bed of collards

And Pac Choi

Cabbages

and broccoli.

Justin pours a concoction of organic nutrients into the raised beds.

Here's some news!

Justin gave me some interesting information regarding our garden's production and water use.   In 2004, at the peak of our garden's production (harvested over 6,000 lbs from our 1/10 acre), we used an average of 1000 gallons of water per day (of course, the majority of that came in the summer time)

Now, hold on before you hit the roof.   Going to break it down for you.

An Average American uses 150-175 gallons of water per day.  We are using only about 100 gallons per person and our entire water bill for the year comes to only $600 (which isn't bad considering how much food we grow)

It's not like we use lots of water - personally.   We do laundry about once a week, take a bath once a week and only use about 5 gallons per bath, and use about 4 gallons of water for dishes, also we follow the "let it mellow rule" when it comes to flushes.  But every bit counts.

We are very conscious about water so it's hard to define personal vs garden.  So about 90% of our water use is for food production.

Now, of course there are  lots of improvements in the water arena here on the urban homestead, but here's the good news!

In these last five years we've cut our water use in half! Whoot.  We are now using ~ 500 gallons a day while maintaining about a 5,500 lb average.

What that means is that our soil is getting better.  Not to mention with the use of clay pot irrigation and other water saving measures we are slowing going about saving water and keeping our high yields.

Under the bridge.   It's the city I live in, the City of Angels.....

On another one of our weekly goat walks in the Arroyo Seco.   Here we are walking under one of the freeway bridges that spans the seco.  The goats and humans are a mere dot!

Purple haze.  On the way up the seco to the car, we and the goats (happily nibbling on sycamore leaves) enjoy a beautiful sunset.

One of our clients who we met on one of our goats walk  (yep, never know who you'll run into!) and now buys eggs from us came by the other day to show us some of his amazing photos of American history.

This one if of his friends Coyote (a Wailaki Indian) and his companion Clem (left) and John (Preservation of Predatory Animals) and his canine companion Clem (right) Both  were influential in bringing back the wolves back in Yellowstone.

Unfortunately, these two rescued beauties (wolves) met a tragic death when their pen was broken into by (reportedly a woman) and were poisoned with tainted meat.  People can be so cruel!

Jordanne shares the photos and the story with Farmer Sergio who dropped by with some produce from the farm

Yoga pose.   Goats take their afternoon naps seriously.  It's their time just to veg out, chew their cud and just be darn cute.

"Who me?" Yeah, Blackberry I'm talking about your cuteness.

Taking down the laundry and enjoy popcorn clouds and blue sky

Taking stock.  Sorting out the home preserves.  Certainly was a busy canning season last summer and we are enjoying the fruits of our labor this winter.

Ahhh.  The goat yoga pose again. Blackberry, in a sort of trance,  enjoying some of that warm winter sunshine.

Hey, Blackberry, anybody home?  Blink, blink.  Guess not.

Amy's (the injured duck) enjoys the warm weather and her time in the water.  For those who have been following her saga - read about her story.

She still gets daily (sometimes twice) massages.  I am noticing a change in her body and the warm weather did help.  Seems like the sustained trauma was in the neck/wing area and every time I massage that area she gets worse for a bit and then she starts to look better.  I keep the massages short but thinking I should do it more frequently because it is seeming to help.  Notice this week. however, she's scratching at her neck more.  Assuming this excessive scratching has something to do with tingling sensation that she's feeling - healing perhaps.

I commented to Jordanne that it's weird that she can bring her head all the way out and forward to drink like a normal duck and yet she still rather scrunch her neck when she walks.   She is a resilient one, I have to say, after what's she's been through!  Especially when we hadn't a clue what was going on and second guessing ourselves all along the way.

Sprouting grains for the chickens and ducks.

With much of our greens from the garden going to the clients there's little leftovers for the critters so during the "shortage of extra greens season" it's time to get sproutin'

Jordanne packs for the upcoming trip and Cassidy wants to come along too!

With the warm weather the bees are out in droves and when afternoon sun hits the hives the intense, sweet aroma perfumes  the air.  Yum.

I am sitting on the back porch knitting (another hat which I plan on bartering for a whole load of nettle - more on what we are going to do with the nettle in a future post) and  Fairlight comes to check out what I'm doing

Then Blackberry wanders over... sniff, sniff...

"You got any of my favorite sycamore leaves?"  No, silly.

Spring?

Wait a minute, it's too early!

The warm weather is sure fooling a few of our fruit trees into blooming.  While other parts of the country may be in a deep freeze, we are enjoying unseasonably warm weather.  But, for how long?

An update on the weather.  It's changing!

Chance of rain this week (update: it's RAINING!) and more showers are expected for a better portion of next week.  Of course, we are thrilled with the rain chance - means that the master rainmaker Himself will be taking care of our garden while we are gone.

Of course, we are going to need more where that comes from.  So far this rainy season we got about  6" inches and normal is about 19" so we have a lot of catching up to do and only a few more months left.

Taters!

I can just taste these melt in your mouth beauties with a meyer lemon and herb butter sauce.  MMMMMM

:: Field Hand Appreciation :: CD $5, CM $100 Thank you for your donation of support. Your tax deductible support will help us grow on to the next level.

Also thank you to S & EW $50 and thank you note which read:

"Dear Dervaes family,   We wanted to send a little thank you to help start the new year.  You're an inspiration to us all.   Reading our posts online inspired us to work harder to be self-sufficient and gave us joy in what would have been a otherwise dark year.  THank you and here's the new year!  B & S W"

Thank you B & S for your heartfelt letter.  Such words fill us with great joy and we are certainly touched.

Your contributions make possible hosting, technical and outreach support. They are very important for our survival.

We do have some exciting plans for our network of sites, outreach but we need your support more than ever,

To be honest, times are tough (our operating costs have increased) and, if we aren't able to cover the outreach, we may have to make a few cut backs.

Imagine if every Freedom Gardener (6,000 +) or our 1,000 + daily readership to the blog donated just $1.00 we'd just have enough to cover 1 years worth of hosting.

Here's how you can help.

Don't forget, we are also offering Little Homestead in the City calendars.

THANK YOU