Meet a family who achieved what most people would think impossible in a big city. On less than 4,000 square feet of land in the heart of Pasadena, California, the Dervaes family gets all the food they need from their own backyard
On the homefront there’s a lot happening. Yeah, well guess it wouldn’t be normal if I didn’t say that everyone is busy. Sometimes I feel like a broken record, but tis a farm life. Fellow homesteaders would understand of even exhibit some of the symptoms! LOL
The little peepers are sure growing fast! They graduated from the kiddie pool to the big one last week and are eating greens.
Khaki Campbell (a heritage breed) babies have arrived on the urban homestead. Khaki Campbell’s are an excellent duck breed for the urban homestead. Medium size, they are relatively quite, good layers (they don’t go broody) and are consider land ducks so all the need is a shallow tray of water to be happy.
We can’t sing the praises enough of clay pot irrigation, an ancient method of plant irrigation – considered the original drip irrigation system. And yes the ollas are 100% LEAD-FREE
On the food front… The figs are finally ripe so we devoured our first fig quesadilla of the season. I know, sounds odd but it’s soooo delicious!
For centuries every culture has been on a question for beauty but these days our obsession with beauty is proving not only to be toxic and deadly. Every year millions of woman get sick or die because of what they are putting on their skin and hair.
Though we haven’t posted much in the way of the ongoing impact our little film has had, we are happy to report that our homemade film is still growing strong.
Our short film, Homegrown Revolution (you can buy the DVD here) will be screening at home and abroad.
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
This week on the urban homestead, it’s Jane Austen meets Laura Ingalls. Apparently, the word’s out: the urban homestead is the place for tea! Jordanne and I hosted another tea party, this time for Jordanne’s friend who’s getting married this month.
After a cold and drizzling beginning to July which delayed us a few week, and ‘thanks’ to the hot weather, we got around to extracting honey and bringing in nearly 55 lbs in just under two hours! From what I heard, this is only about 1/3 of the what’s still in the beehives.
I’m a little late in posting LAST week’s meal wrap up. Adhering to the old cliche “better late than never,” here’s the latest goodies that we’ve been enjoying
Farmer of food now turned fish farmer, Justin, checking on his aquaponics experiment. He spent a good 5 minutes or so floating the net back an forth, “Here fishy, fishy!”
My Halal’s Kitchen interview with Jules Dervaes, whom we can learn so much from about living a life free of the constraints of super-consumerism and significantly reduce our carbon imprint on the earth…
Not only is it their means of sustenance, but it is also a business. This business, and their way of life as a whole, have become a blueprint for people across the world who want to go back to the basics of self-sufficiency.
[the] Dervaes Gardens sits practically on top of a Pasadena, California, freeway and is only blocks away from the famous Rose Bowl. Outside are all the trappings of twenty-first-century life: automobiles, satellite dishes, supermarkets, car washes, and stores…
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.
June is the tipping point month were things can either go up hill or downhill … and fast! So far, we are holding steady. Some things are growing well, while others not so much.
It’s wonderful when our site and lifestyle has such a broad appeal, the range of readership is incredibly diverse and reaches worldwide. As caretakers of creation, we are blessed that our journey has inspired and informed millions over the last decade.
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!
We’ll wrap up a busy week with another pictorial dispatch from the homefront…. Word on the honey front is that we should be harvesting some soon – perhaps Sunday! Everyone can’t wait to try out Justin’s new “toy.” It’s a new stainless steel hand-cranked honey exacter – it’s a beaut.
Whew doggie! It’s been a busy week here at the urban homestead. Busy with bees (getting ready to harvest some honey!), battling bad bugs, moving the tender greens to cooler spot in the yard and getting things ready for a major can-a-thon.
Taking stock of what we have here in the urban homestead’s pantry for our next co-op order, a recent comment from a friend got me thinking. Been doing a lot of that lately, especially when it comes to our food staples that we don’t grow. Now, I am all for choices but sometimes I think Ma Ingalls had it, well, “easier.”
It’s been awhile since we’ve done a pictorial dispatch from the urban homestead. So ya’ll ready for one? This one features a lot of the garden but that’s a focal point in our lives now – picking, packing, eating, selling surplus and pretty soon, putting up the harvests!
The FIVE winners, chosen by random.org, of our Homestead Blessings DVD giveaway are:
So how are you liking the new blog and boat load of new posts to boot (12 new entries in 18 days!)?
We took a bit of a break after the BIG revamp, but we are right back working on more improvements as we speak. There’s much more to come, but in the meantime, we’d [...]
Homegrown community! Come join us at Cottonwood Creek Park in lovely Encinitas CA on June 6
Here’s a NEW but “old” video shot in Fall 2007 and FINALLY online by a USC student working on a sustainable news piece
Funny thing has happened here on the urban homestead! With the recent shacking up of two scrub jays to raised their brood in one of the pineapple guava trees the mocking bird, who last year stole many a flower (potential fruit), is no where to be seen.
Urban Homesteading not just about bringing food, goods, services closer to home but making the home center your life. One of the steps backwards we have taken is bringing “socializing” home.
You never know when friends drop by the urban homestead for a visit – even better they never know what to expect!
Now that the urban homestead movement is well, “trendy” So, what’s in a name? What is the movement of urbanites who are growing their own food, raising barnyard in their backyards and “putting up” in the kitchen.
Urban homesteading is about taking a step backwards and living a more simple, purposeful life but doing it in an inner city environment – surrounded by the modern world.
Gardening is not a solo job – you rely on a realm beyond your understanding and faith that hard work will bring forth results. But there’s more to that than dirty fingernails and sore backs. It’s about giving back and we implement that practice by “tithing” our first fruits, returning them to the soil from which they came.
Whew, we did it! Took us longer than we expected but it was well worth the wait and as about as close as an Amish barn raising experience we city folks get!
On a cold, drizzly, gray day in February two chefs were dropped off at the Urban Homestead.
See what happens when they have to whip up a tasty meal with ingredients from the garden and pantry in this “foodie’s” drama.
“Red Heads” we gals show off our aprons and the now growing “red” cabbages from the garden
Awhile back I posted about our urban homestead wardrobe and how aprons ( our “domestic armor”) were vital apparel. Not only are the feminine but they help with the dirty work that needs to be done here on the [...]
It’s spring! Well actually, this week it feels more like SUMMER!
And that means lots of fun culinary delights coming out of the urban homestead’s kitchen.
Combining edible flower, herbs and butter for a delightful treat to slather on biscuits or smother veggies.
Here’s a recipe for HERB BUTTER
Fresh From Our Garden to Your Table
Our front porch farm [...]
Here’s a sneak peek!
We are almost ready for re-launch of the spiffy new Little Homestead in the City “Blook” (aka blog book)
Jordanne could use a bit of encouragement as she’s on the homestretch and dealing with all the headaches that come with moving and coding. A couple of pieces of chocolate helped her thru today [...]
Winter, visited us briefly again last week. Thankfully for us it didn’t get too cold ( just windy and nippy)- but for others north of us the unseasonable cold snap along with hail, snow, freeze has devastated gardens and fruit crops.
The cold didn’t last very long temps are going to warm up yet again.
Are [...]
Another local write-up about the urban homestead that includes Jordanne’s Ginger Soda Recipe (note we use glass bottles but for the article recommend using recycled liter soda bottles for safety reasons)
Farming a 1/10 Acre Urban Homestead by Chris Bertrand / Mountain Views News
The Dervaes family live simply and richly, farming their Urban Homestead in Pasadena
On [...]
One of the fun things about urban homesteading is growing your own herbs. Not only are you growing your own spice rack but tasty drinks, medicine chest and beauty products.
From teas to tinctures from herbal butters to brews herbs are one of the most useful things you can grow on your urban homestead.
Going Herbal on [...]
“Earth is crammed with heaven
And every bush aflame with God
But only those who see take off their shoes.”
— Elizabeth Barrett Browning, poet
April just on whooshed by and brrr is it ccccold.
Spring just up and left, it feels like December – we got over 5/8 of inch or rain and can you believe there’s snow on [...]
Good little article but there are some slight misstatements. 1.) We grow 99 percent of our PRODUCE not diet 2) We do buy supplement animal feed (grains pellets) oh, and our goal is “ZERO” food miles!
Path to Freedom conserves water while cutting ‘food miles’ from Dervaes family’s carbon footprint
By Carolyn Neuhausen PASADENA WEEKLY
On a quiet [...]
This first work order to humans was “to dress and keep the garden,” a command to do the work necessary to tend a garden , along with a compassionate care over animals that reside there.
Thank you all so very much for your care and concern over our lil Amy (named after a character in Louisa [...]
We wrap up another busy week with a pictorial dispatch – highlighting our new grey water project and more!
Goat Walk & Talk
Student working on an profiling some local eco heroes for a NPR radio piece comes along on one of our goat walks. Jordanne shows her some wild edibles that are popping up all over [...]
