After two years of being screened at many film festivals and community viewings throughout the world, we have published (in its entirety) our award winning short film Homegrown Revolution for free viewing on YouTube.

It has been a crazy ride and exciting to have an award winning film and we sincerely thank those of you who supported this film in many ways.  A big THANK YOU goes out from our hearts to those  who supported us, purchased this video, screened it, shared it or simply let the film's message lead you to a new way of looking at your yard. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! We really appreciate it.

Our unlikely little film was a surprise success story.  For those of you who don't know the history, I'll recap briefly.  For those of you already know it, go ahead and skip to the end of this post to watch Homegrown Revolution.

Homegrown Revolution was made in a whirlwind three days after a last-minute invite for Dad to speak at Peter Sellars' UCLA class in 2007.  Jules Dervaes was to be the lead-in and local authority on sustainable food to Michael Pollan's presentation.

By now, we had given so many presentations, the explaining of our project and "Urban Homesteading" was becoming a tad redundant - there are only so many clever ways we could explain what we have been doing the last 16+ years.  Plus, the fact that this was a night class had many of us expecting a room of yawning and under-caffeinated students blinking sleepily at their laptop screens and surfing Facebook, content to get class credit simply for being a body in the seat.  Short of handing Red Bull out to everyone, we seriously thought NO ONE would wake up for this Urban Homesteading and sustainable food presentation.

Looking back at the time, I realize how far the movement has come to the point it is today.   It wasn't long ago at all, but in 2007  the movement was just blooming and I was finding out that most students didn't care or know about Urban Homesteading -- or even anything environmental or sustainable.   There's always the usual small but core group of students who were into changing the world and activism but we knew we had to reach to the others in the class that might not even have a first thought about the food they ate or about gardening.

At the family meeting / lunch following the invite, Dad turned to me (since I have unofficially become the tech geek / "electronic gadget whisperer" of the family ) and inquired about a video slideshow we had put together for a virtual tour of the Urban Homestead called "One Step at a Time."  This video brochure had been published on our website at the time  since it was first uploaded in 2004 (soon to be uploaded to YouTube for kicks).

As I am not a video editor and had no training at all, my foray into  messing about with video clips had been a sink or swim experience.   After mucking about in Adobe Premier, I had managed to put together some footage that resulted in One Step at a Time and that short film seemed pretty cool when it was made; but I was now slightly embarrassed about it and wanted to give Dad something newer and peppier for the students.

Anais and I got to work in those three days before the presentation.   We had multiple tapes of footage of the garden, animals and various projects throughout the yard but very little of ourselves.  So, I spliced those with some of the news media interviews for a  narrative effect.

I really wanted to do little interviews on our  own footage; but given the short amount of time and our aversion to being filmed by one another, it just wasn't happening. (NOTE: Seriously, I did try.  I approached Justin with a camera as he did his biodiesel brewing and asked him in  my best TV reporter voice to explain what was doing.   I received an  "are you kidding me?" stare for my troubles.  Turns out, it's hard for  us to be enthusiastic about giving each other interviews.  Try explaining to someone who already knows what you are doing, what you are doing.  It isn't easy. )

For fun and to appeal to the college kids who were my own age, Anais and I added in some well known musical favorites to create a edgy  mash-up type music video.

Turns out, as R.E.M's moody guitar in "Drive" snapped up the students' attention at  the first minute to the final frame of the fist-in-the-sky rallying  image and the drumming strains of "Revolution Cry", we had gained this class' full focus and subsequent and  enthusiastic ovation and shouts.   Yes, even the too-cool-for-school jocks of UCLA's NCAA basketball team were into it.

Later that week, we decided to publish Homegrown Revolution on YouTube (cut to 10 minutes since YouTube wouldn't allow videos of  longer lengths at that time) and it kind of went viral for a time and gained over 500,000 views.

We started to use Homegrown Revolution for an intro to Jules Dervaes' workshops and presentations and considered it a type of "video brochure" or "infomercial" to Urban  Homesteading.  Fast forward to late 2008 and we received a phone call from the awesome  folks at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival asking if we wanted to  submit our film for consideration.

I seriously had no idea what they were talking about!   Film?  What film? We don't have a film, I thought.

They soon convinced us that they were really asking for Homegrown Revolution which one of their members had seen on YouTube.  This touched off a flurry of more video editing.  Since the original version contained a lot that was not our footage, we began to re-shoot a lot of scenes and I soon had Homegrown Revolution up to over 25 minutes long.  But because Wild & Scenic had accepted Homegrown  Revolution into their program as it appeared on YouTube, we knew we  had to keep it to 10 minutes.

In the end, the final product came out  at 15 minutes after we all refused to cut out anything more.  There was also concern from some of Film Festival folks about remaking  Homegrown Revolution so much that it would no longer feel like the  original version so we felt a little restricted in our creativity.     I did try to obtain the rights to some of the footage / interviews that appeared in the original version but with so little time to  remake the film, it turned out easier to just re-speak most of it  instead of dealing with all the paperwork.    Again, all this had to  be done in a short amount of time - definitely not enough time to be at one's full creativity.

Unfortunately, although most of our words as they appear in the 2009  version of Homegrown Revolution had been spoken to interviewers  previously, it was hard getting family members to say the same lines  with enthusiasm and with the same passion as they had when speaking to  someone "new" and curious to what we were doing.  Looking at the film today,  I can see all the mistakes and where it could all have been better.

But this was a collaborative project done by all of us -- with each family member taking part in the filming, editing and structure of the film.  Neither of us had any previous film editing / filming experience but we hope the passion and enthusiasm show through any technical flaws and other problems.

It's also important to note that the film was made entirely in-house on computers powered by solar/green sources.  All transportation was done in a biodiesel-fueled car and all camera/mic batteries were rechargeable and charged with solar energy.  Waste was kept to a minimum – paper composted or recycled and all publicizing materials printed  on post consumer paper.

We are humbled by the impressive impact Homegrown Revolution had in  the film festivals both nationally and internationally. It  was never created for a film festival circuit but has a true homegrown, homemade story behind its creation. Today,  whenever I am frustrated by learning something new or seeing where I fail in trying to get something perfect, I just need to look at where our little film that could has taken us.

I am compiling a  tally of the festivals and known public screenings to be published at HomegrownRevolution.com but here are the AWARDS and HONORS Homegrown Revolution has gained so far:

WINNER

Best Environment & Ecology Film North America,
Swansea International Film Festival, UNITED KINGDOM

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

El Capitan Film Award
Yosemite International Film Festival, CALIFORNIA

Best Sustainability Film
Green Screen Environmental Film Festival, CALIFORNIA

Robert T. Nanninga Award for Excellence,
Cottonwood Creek Film Festival, CALIFORNIA

-----------------------------

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Westpac Award Best Short Film Runner Up
Reel Earth Environmental Film Festival, NEW ZEALAND

NOMINATED - Best Film, Climate Change & Sustainable Technology
CMS Vatavaran Environmental & Wildlife Film Fest, INDIA

FINALIST
European Spiritual Film Fest, FRANCE

Footage aired on Oprah's 2009 Earth Day show

You can still purchase the DVD here for community screenings or to just own a copy. We're still sending the film out to festivals who request it, so if you know of any film festivals or other opportunities, continue to send them our way. Thanks!

Pssst...!

Sharp eyed or observant readers might notice we now have a new YouTube address:  http://www.youtube.com/urbanhomestead

We'll still have the http://www.youtube.com/dervaes one but we might FINALLY be getting into sharing how-to videos.  We are launching this new channel for video clips showing snippets of life from the Urban Homestead as well as some how-to videos.

So be sure to subscribe to this new channel to get all the latest videos - thanks!

Welcoming the kids

Kicking off spring with our first school tour of the season.

The tour started off by explaining what an urban homestead is and how it can reduce our dependency on outside sources.

"From the things we have to do before we can learn them; we learn by doing them." -- Aristotle

As we went through our front yard, we explained that not only is the yard our “grocery store" but it is also our "pharmacy”  as we pointed out all the edible plants and herbs.

Upon entering the backyard, the kids began to “oooh and aaah” as a whole new world opened up right before their very eyes.    We asked the students if they knew how many miles their food traveled and gave them tips how to eat more locally.

As we gathered into the main patio and the students took their seats, the fun began!   First,  it’s “Smell 'n Tell”  as we  handed  out fragrant herbs from the garden to test their olfactory senses.

It’s not only about smell but taste, too.  So,  I whipped up some fresh chard wraps stuffed with hummus and tabouli (made with homegrown mints, green onions , parsley and canned tomatoes).   Jordanne pedaled the bike blender to mix up some vanilla yogurt & berry smoothies.   Both were tasty treats for everyone.

Last, but not least,  the "Backyard Barnyard" circus got  paraded out over squeals of delight, as everyone wanted to pet the chickens, ducks and goats.   They were  fascinated how soft the chickens' feathers were and the way the black feathers shone with a tint of green.  The ducks never fail to get laughs as they waddled out. Blackberry, the pygmy goat, as always, was the star of the show and she loved every minute of it.

We wrapped up the educational tour with a Q & A, discussing what small changes they could implement in their daily lives to become a more responsible consumer and caretaker of the planet.

Take a tour along with us...

Pointing out all the edibles in the front yard

Explaining about where our food comes from

Handing out the herbs

Handful of herbs

Smell n tell test

Slurping down pedal powered smoothies

Showing off the fish

and goats

Passing goodies to eat

Rainbow chard

Homemade tabouli

Chard leaf, hummus and tabouli

Makes for a yummy and healthful snack

Eating the chard wraps

Monterey Bay/Asilomar, EcoFarm Conference Jan 20-23

Before the conference started, we needed a place to stay for night or two before we were given our designated rooms on the conference grounds and were blessed with a place to stay beachside. (A big thanks to the Bakke family who made this possible.)  There we rendezvoused with friend and farmer, Sergio, who stayed the night with us and who also was there to attend the conference for the first time.

We did get a chance in between raindrops to take a small walk along the beach which was nice.

The 2003 EcoFarm Conference is where Farmer D gave his very first urban homesteading presentation.  Seven years later, we were back - to cover all that has happened here on the homestead.  The topic was perfect: "Big Rewards from Small Spaces."

Unfortunately, the rain just wouldn't let up - just went where there was a break, another deluge would drench the conference grounds.  Wave after wave of rain pelted the coast from the huge storm that covered the whole state of California.

So we couldn't really enjoy walks on the beach (bummer) but instead spent most of our time indoors - talking with people at our booth in the Exhibit Hall, checking out a few talks, attending plenary sessions with Wes Jackson, Eliot Coleman and Frances Moore Lappé,  taking part in the ever-fun seed swap (where we loaded up on more seeds) and hanging out in the dinning hall listening to some wonderful conversations about farm life.

At the farm conference, we met Chris of Chauffin Family Farm, who saw the film in Nevada City and invited us to visit their farm (will take a rain check on that, thank you!).  Thanks, Chris, for the wonderful and engaging conversation - not to mention the jar of olive oil from your farm.  You'll definitely be hearing more from us!

Also, Frances Moore Lappé signed a copy of Diet for a Small Planet for us. On the shelf here on the urban homestead, we have an old and tattered copy from the 1970s, so now we have a new, autographed copy (sweet!). We brought greetings from John Robbins, who is long-time friends with Frances Moore Lappé. She and her daughter, Anna, also work together - yet another example of passing a legacy to the next generation.

Saturday morning was time for Farmer D's Urban Homesteading presentation, which drew about 200 people to Merrill Hall, the main conference venue. (We didn't check the Chapel so don't know how many were there listening in to the live feed.)  The presentation must have been a popular one because when we got to the desk to pick up a CD of the talk, the stack was all gone!

Farmer D opened the presentation with a screening of the ever-popular Homgrown Revolution. We don't know quite what it is about this simple film-that-wasn't-supposed-to-be-a-film.  One of the EcoFarm vendors told us that her husband was in tears at the end of the film - it touches something deep down in people.

Farmer D then talked about what we had learned over the 20+ year urban homesteading experiment, especially when it came to front yard edible gardening (very timely with the bad PR some of these projects are getting - I'll touch on that in a later post).  Lots of people were taking detailed notes. He emphasized that

"Change happens slowly, but you must start now-small can be beautiful and productive"

Perhaps in our spare time (huh) we can have our friend Dan put up the entire talk on YouTube....lots to do!

On the last day of the conference, the sun finally came out - but, alas, it was time for us to go.  We all headed down to the beach after lunch for quick walk - the air, ocean and sunshine were mesmerizing.

We all were extremely tired - don't know why (actually,  in my case I think it's because of the sheets - yep, sleeping on bleached sheets something we aint used to here the urban homestead) and it's hard to be on the road moving from place to place.

Not to mention the worry of how things were at the urban homestead and Sergio's farm with one of the biggest storms we've had in years.  Thoughts of the long drive home brought us back to reality, and we said goodbye to the sand and surf.

With such a land based lifestyle, even when on the road, there's never really time off - your mind wanders back to the farm/homestead as you wonder what's going on and the projects that await your arrival.   We, and even farmer Sergio, were on the phone calling home - wondering the same thing: "How are things there - animals, garden OK?"

At the closing plenary session there was, shall I say, an "interesting" exchange with Elliot Coleman and Gary Hirshberg (of Stoneyfield) Definitely raised some interesting questions though we saw both sides seemed we sided more with Coleman.

Did leave us with a lot to think about - the future of food and organic agriculture.

Now for some photos!

Ahhh, the majestic ocean

Jordanne, me and Sergio enjoy a walk in the beach

Pelicans

Justin and Sergio wonder if they should bring some of the kelp home for their gardens

Enjoying the sand, surf and blue skies

Boardwalk

Welcome!

No better place to have a conference in the world than Asilomar!

Jordanne, Justin and Sergio checking out the tables of information

Justin and Sergio intently listen to a lecture about beneficial plants and insects.

Three farmer's hang out - Sergio, Chris & justin

Meeting up once again with Frances Moore Lappe

Jordanne & Sergio listen in on a talk in the lovely Chapel

Eating together

Hanging together

And now for the most anticipated event of the conference - seed exchange

Justin, Sergio and Jordanne check out tables full of all sorts of seeds

Justin and I fill up envelopes

Nothing makes a farmer happier more than seeds.... well, perhaps rain and a bumper harvest.

Man hands! Pen and little envelopes in hand, Justin fills up on seeds

Farmer D gives his presentation

Saying our goodbyes to all the wonderful folks at Nevada City Wild & Scenic Festival (read all about it in case you missed it!), it was time to mosey down the mountain to a little one stoplight town nestled amongst the pines, Meadow Vista, where we were to meet up with a Freedom Gardener for a social potluck.

After nibbling all day at the film festival, what a wonderful sight to see - the table full of homemade/homegrown food.  The food spread was awesome! Thanks to everyone who brought a homemade, delicious dish - there was even some flavorful home brewed beer via the folks at Foothill Home Companion - perhaps she'll be blogging about our visit soon!

Looking around the roomy and well-organized kitchen, I couldn't help but wander over to the pantry that was lined with lovely glass jars (that looked like mine) filled with staples.

Feeling right at home, we spent the night in an adorable "Mary Janeish" bedroom and woke up to the sound of Julia hand grinding coffee and whipping up a batch of cornmeal waffles (delicious and very filling).  Thanks!

After a lively and scrumptious breakfast, it was time to wake up the ladies (aka the chickens).  While the guys talked about bees and gardening,  we gals went out to meet the hens.   Jordanne checked out the cute chicken coop (it matched our house paint colors!). I was fascinated by the chickens wandering out in the rain looking for bugs in the yard.  I thought, "These ain't no So Cal birds scared of the rain!"  Our chickens are wusses.

Then it was time to tour their Freedom Garden - that included His and Her beehives -very cute.

Julia told us a wonderful story about her seed sowing (her first time starting off!).  Of all the seeds she ordered, our very own Freedom Seeds were the only ones that germinated! That made us proud indeed.

She and Gary also described going out to the garden to pick spinach for dinner - only it never made it into the house because it was so deliciously tender.

Before we left, Jordanne and I knitted a few rows on Julia's friendship scarf while we talked about goats, ducks, chickens and more.  We could have stayed with Julia and Gary for days, but it was time to head down to the coast.

Thank you, Julia and Gary, for your gracious and warm hospitality!

Driving down the mountain to the coast through torrential rains, we commented how this visit was very refreshing and nourishing to our souls.  What a joy it was to see you and your husband recount stories from your homestead, Julia!  It was like we bonded with a kindred spirit.

We even lamented that you weren't closer: "Otherwise we'd be up there every day!"

I strongly sense there are some baby ducklings in your future so look forward to hearing about the latest additions to your homestead.

The beach and our meeting with author and food advocate John Robbins up next.

But, first, some photos!

Awesome & colorful food spread.  Delicious!

Jordanne check out the colorful (green & brown) eggs from Julia's flock of hens while Julia buzzes about her kitchen with apron and 'Homegrown Revolution' tee

Group shot of Freedom Gardeners!

Homemade cornmeal waffles topped with local butter and homegrown blackberry preserves.

Julia's husband and handyman Gary give us a pet Fleaddle to take home.  "Fleaddle" now sits on the fireplace at the urban homestead.  Isn't he a cutie!

Julia shows us photos of her summer garden

Hey there, hennie!

Checking out the bees, er hive , since no bees were to be seen because of the rain

Breakfast club!

A woman's domain.  Girlie chatterings in the kitchen

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 providing you with dispatches from the urban homestead here at Little Homestead in the City,  pay for web-hosting fees, upgrade our websites, purchase public screening licenses for documentaries to show at film nights, and further our outreach as urban homesteading and farming ambassadors.

Consider giving a small donation ($10, $15, $20 or more)

Help us, help you, help others

OR check out our SUPPORT page for other ways you can support this work by purchasing garden & urban homestead supplies and seeds!

2009 HIGHLIGHTS
• School tours of the urban homestead offering hands-on learning experiences
• Canning workshop with local Jr High School students
• Working with local college students in their sustainability studies
• Invested our time to help answer questions via phone, e-mail or in person
• Film & Food Night monthly community events
• 10 Elements of Urban Homesteading - Tips on living a self reliant life in the middle of the city presentation
• Composting 101 workshop
• Growing Food in Small Spaces presentation
• Save Our Seeds presentation
• Our free social network, FreedomGardens.org, of backyard gardeners grew to over 5,800 members
• Participation in and tabling at a slew of community Earth Day festivals and Eco Fairs
• Launching of a new seed company, FreedomSeeds.org, to save seeds from corporate control
• DVD of Homegrown Revolution film short made available for community, educational and individual showings, as well as screening at film festivals worldwide (Greece, Italy, India, Spain)
• Little Homestead in the City celebrates nine years online. First and most comprehensive blog on urban homesteading
• Newly designed and re-launch of Path to Freedom Urban Homestead main site, including new photo gallery, online calendar and more

Path to Freedom Urban Homestead is a project of non profit Dervaes Institute 508 (c)(1)(A)

Next, stay tuned for another HUGE picture post... spoiler alert....  There's a few candid shots!

Anaïs and Jordanne Dervaes give a video tour of the Pasadena homestead where they keep chickens, ducks, and goats (VIEW ONLINE VIDEO FEATURE running time 4:00 minutes)

LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE ONLINE EXTRA

By Wendy Witherspoon LAmag.com, October 19, 2009

If you've ever looked at your pet dog (especially after "cleaning up" the lawn) and wondered when he was going to start pulling his own weight, perhaps it's time to introduce a new member to the household: a barnyard animal. Chickens and quail, for instance, provide delicious fresh eggs, while rabbits produce nutrient-rich droppings that can be dumped right into your garden's soil for fertilizer.

The Dervaes family's homestead in Pasadena is the gold standard for how to keep farm animals in an urban space, so we returned with our video camera to take one more peek. Just behind the bountiful vegetable beds there's a pen that holds 15 animals (with various coops and interior spaces for sleeping), but there's no smell and hardly a peep.

The flock certainly seems to contribute more than most urban pets, but these particular birds may be a bit smarter than your average barnyard banties. Consider some of the names. For the ducks: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy (from Louisa May Alcott's Little Women). For the chickens: Estella, Sissy, Lucie, Bella, Dora, Lizzie, and Sairey (literary kudos to you if you guessed Charles Dickens).

If you're already measuring your backyard for a chicken coop, make sure to consult local codes online before demanding that Fido share his space with a fluffy new friend—most cities allow chickens and ducks, for example, but they vary on the number. And if you find you're up to code, you might get a pet that adds a little more to the household than just some sloppy kisses (but those are good, too).

VIEW ONLINE VIDEO FEATURE: running time 4:00 minutes

Farmer D shows a ball of cotton we grew here at the urban homestead - we give each kid a ball of cotton to take home

The kids squeal when they see the tromboncino squash

Animal petting time.  I pass around one of duckies for the kids to pet

Jordanne takes another one of our ducks and goes to those in back rows

One of the highlights when the kids come over is petting Blackberry.  After the kids did their share of petting her, Jordanne led her back into the enclosure the kids simultaneously started chatting "bye bye Blackberry, bye bye Blackberry, bye bye Blackberry!"  So cute.

Before heading back to school the kids see if they can spot insects and butterflies in the front yard

They found some!

The kids just love visiting "the farm" as they call it

After one class was done, it was time for another.  This one comprising of preschool and pre-K

No, we all aren't having some weird sneezing fit.  It's the always fun smelling test we do with the kids.  Before hand we pick a bunch of fragrant herbs, pass it around the kids and then

Have them crush the leaves and smell!

Then come the animals for petting time.