The bulk food pantry

Making use of "air space"

Humpf, the title of this post sounds like an 80's band. LOL

We all know that saying, "a place for everything and everything in its place."

Easier said than done for an urban homesteader's way of life.

When you start living a more simple, self sufficient life, how is that you actually accumulate MORE stuff?  It's a true and a simple fact.  Living a simple life is, in fact, not simple.   If you make food and goods from scratch, you need to store all those supplies  somewhere - anywhere!  Come on, folks, we all have to admit it sometime right?  Raise your hands if you got a stash of stuff just piling up with no place to put it.

Storing all the supplies is certainly a challenge on the urban homestead.   We have to use our space wisely; but we still seem to accumulate more stuff than  sometimes we really need.  Urban homesteading is not only about wisely using every available space to grow food and become more self reliant but using space wisely to store all our much need supplies that we need in this journey towards sustainability.

Organizing and maintaining an urban homestead is one of the most daunting challenges   There are  garden, food supplies, seeds, crafts,  etc., etc.

Doesn't always work, but we find having a daily chore schedule helps keep things a bit more tidy.   If you've brought stuff out for soap making or sewing, keep the container nearby so you can put the stuff back from where it came. A "once around the home and grounds" - putting up, sweeping, dusting and tidying.   Because we are  a working farm, within minutes of a clean up, things can go back to being unruly; however, if everyone does his part to clean up his surroundings,  it does help.   Each member of the household here is responsible for his area of expertise.  We try to follow the golden rule and be good neighbors and citizens of this Rose City so we are very conscious of keeping our homestead tidy and clean.

What creative organizing solutions have you come up with to store all your urban homesteading supplies?

One example is where Jordanne created an otherwise unused space for storing books, yarns and other crafty items in our bedroom.

Care to share?

A 4,000-square-foot back yard. Six thousand pounds of fruits and vegetables. Chickens, goats, bees. Urban homesteading done right.

View Video

Note :   This clip was shot in early summer.  We know have 8 ducks and Elements Restaurant (featured in one of the produce pick ups) unceremoniously dumped us (because of cost cut backs) and we are no longer supplying them with salad or other produce from our little city farm.

FUTURE FEAR SBS DATELINE (watch video)

Others are approaching the future differently, believing the biggest threats we’re facing are problems that we’ve caused ourselves. Richard Heinberg is one of the world's foremost peak oil experts, who warns that we’re addicted to fossil fuels and must adapt before they run out. David takes us to a Los Angeles suburb to meet the Dervaes family of so-called ‘urban homesteaders’. They've already adapted and are living self-sufficiently and almost entirely off-grid.But are they all being over cautious, or will the rest of us be under prepared?

Heinberg thinks that if we're going to survive, we need to change the way we live.

RICHARD HEINBERG: We've got to work together on this because individual survivalism just isn't going to cut it. You know, if I've got my vegetable garden and my neighbour is starving, then the only way I'm going to be able to continue eating is to stay up all night with my shotgun to make sure no-one goes over the fence. What kind of life is that? We're creating out of this paradise, Earth, we're creating a hell for our descendents. I think it's our duty, not just to somehow try to survive this but to change what we're doing and to create a survivable planet for everyone, for our communities and for our descendants.

I met a family that's doing just that.

JULES DERVAES: Some more tomatoes here, we're about 90% self-sufficient in the summertime because this is all our bounty.

Jules Dervaes lives in Los Angeles, right next to a major highway, but he's turned his backyard garden into a farm.

JULES DERVAES: These are heirloom squash from Italy, and they hang from the trellis here. Just watch your head.

He's got two daughters and a son.

REPORTER: How do you like this yourself?

JUSTIN DERVAES: I love what I do, so I can't complain. I've got a green thumb.

They grow 350 different fruits, vegetables, herbs and berries. They all survive on what's grown here.

JULES DERVAES: This is our barnyard. It's in the city, so we've got a nice little animal enclosure here. We've got five ducks, eight chickens and two goats.

And while I'm there looking at these goats and chickens, I can hear the traffic next door, whoof whoof up and down the highway, but you could be in the middle of the countryside.

JULES DERVAES: We're looking at a planet that has run amok. So you have to be sensitive about which direction you're going. If it's going the wrong direction, it's either you're going to turn around early or you turn around at the edge of the cliff.

Come up here to our store on the front porch - Nice to meet you.

They obviously had a fear for the future too of what's going to happen. But they're going around it in a different way.

JULES DERVAES: This is a completely different dream, we're talking about self-sufficiency, we're talking about neighbourliness, we're talking about a community of helping one another.

ANAIS DERVAES: It has the herbs from the garden. And we've already made some ice-cream. Yeah we have a hand-cranked...

JORDANNE DERVAES: It's cool, yes, it works for us. But it's a little scary because out there, it's no. It's, you know - you could actually forget about the bad things out there.

There seems to be this common strand running through America right now - A fear of the future, and a sense of doom. But I saw people responding in very different ways - from preparing to hide from change, to preparing to make change happen.

JULES DERVAES: So we figure we're preparing ourselves to live simply. I mean this here is riches, but people don't understand. If you look around, you'll see riches here but it's in the form of tomatoes and peppers and animals. So we're going backwards, and I say a step backwards is progress.

Afterthoughts

Though Mr Brill was here for well over four hours, tis a shame that the piece didn't capture the entire workings of the urban homestead - we'd need a whole show or two, there! A seasoned and well traveled journalist, was really taken with the place and after the filming as the sun set we sat down to a homegrown meal (which he enjoyed) there in the garden while Blackberry and Fairlight looked on.

We received an email from one of the SBS staff which said:

"We had so much wonderful footage and it was such a such a shame that we couldn't have included much much more of the Dervaes' in our piece (especially for me as a Researcher who sets up stories and then hands over the reigns to a producer and editor)."

Perhaps if enough folks write in?

The debate continues, what happens when the times turn bad? Escape or take a stand? There are the extreme preppers and practical preppers - what's the future going to be? Is sure is a scary thought, especially for us in the city who have, as urban homesteaders, taken practical steps towards positive change. Of course, it's not just an American problem like it sounded in the piece, we are all are on the same train - though some countries may be slightly behind we are all traveling the same track. One day we are going to have to deal with the future because it's happening now.

So what are you doing to prepare for an uncertain time? Which side are you on?

LOT OF PLENTY

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. This family of farmers grows 400 varieties of vegetables, fruits, greens and edible flowers and also raises their own livestock. But as a poster child for self-sufficiency, their green lifestyle does not stop in the garden. Almost all their electricity comes from solar panels and they use recycled cooking grease to fuel their cars. They’ve even found a money-saving method for washing up using water from their toilet. These are certainly not your typical city-slickers.

My Generation’s Val Zavala is welcomed into the home of these unique backyard trailblazers to discover the technique behind this well-sown clan

Courtesy My Generation AARP HOME & GARDEN

Just to clarify: We planted our first city garden back in 1986, killed our lawn and farmed in the front yard in 1990.   Because of the GMO treat, over 10 years we started to take our "hobby" urban farming efforts more seriously when we took on the challenge to grow 90% of our produce on a 1/10 acre.

:: Resources ::

Ollas

Solar Ovens

Homebrew Biodiesel Book

How to Grow More Vegetables

Barnyard in your Backyard Collection of Books

Tromboncino Squash from Freedom Seeds

Toilet Lid Sink

Opal - after the character in the Christy novel
AnnaLee - song sung by Gillian Welch, Dave Rawlings and OCMS
Lulabelle - another purdy southern name
Beulah - another song sung by Gillian Welch

The little peepers are sure growing fast!  They graduated from the kiddie pool to the big one last week and are eating greens.   Now that summer's returned and the temps are back to "warmer" the duckies are spending their days outside in one of the raised beds.  They can dig in the dirt and splash around their water bowl to their hearts content - better yet they are natural dose of sunshine rather than from the artificial brooder light.  We like to ween them off the light within a week but you have to do it right as they are still small and can get easily chilled.   After an afternoon outside, we bring them back in the house for the evening.   Getting them out and about helps them to develop stronger constitution and resistance to coccidiosis. Not to mention the swimming and letting them walk around  helps develop strong legs.  Of course Jordanne's specially formulated ducky supplement is added to their organic mash which contains essential minerals,  brewers yeast and tonic herbs.  BTW, over at BarnyardsandBackyards Jordanne's offering a FREE bag - enter the Natural Poultry Supplement Giveaway

Pretty soon the fluff will give way to feathers and they can join the backyard menagerie.

Jordanne snapped a great bunch of photos during the duckies latest excursions.

We are in the BIG pool now!

Synchronized swimming ducky style

Time to dry off and snuggle

Our new playground

Should we stay or should we go?

Look up in the sky - is it a bird, a plane?

Nestling under the wing - er arm for safety

Or in an apron pocket will do just as well

Marching home again - hoorah, hoorah!

Cute little backsides

Whew, we're pooped

There's a lot more happenings on the homestead besides the baby ducks. I hope to get around to posting pics from the summer garden, highlighting our meals and kick off another series called "Homestead Helpers"

Stay tuned!

Goodness gracious, great balls of fluff!

Khaki Campbell (a heritage breed) babies have arrived on the urban homestead. This batch will be our third go around raising Khaki Campbell ducks and we ordered more than we needed but we've split the order with two other people.  Heck if we had more land we'd keep all of them.   Can never had enough critters.

Khaki Campbell's are an excellent duck breed for the urban homestead.  Medium size, they are relatively quiet, 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.

Was it eight or so years ago when we raised our first batch of KC's? I can remember how scared and intimated we were wondering were we going to screw up somehow.  Anxiously watching their every move, were they warm enough, etc, etc. The second batch came four years ago and our anticipation of screwing up was lessen and with this batch it's like "ho-hum." However, one still worries over the little girls but it's not a big to do! Instead it's more comfortable, been down this path before routine.  Even our kitty seems bored....  I have to admit I did wake up 1/2 dozen times last night to check on the babies!

Check out these cute lil quackers. Everyone say "ahhhhhh"

Out of the box and into the brooder

Ducky luv

Checking out their new surroundings

Cuteness

This one we nick named "hot lips" because of her pink bill

What a trip! Stuffed our face with water and feed and now for some much needed zzzzz

Some camp out by the watering hole

Others by and in the feed trough

Sleep tight babies

Someone else is getting tired too. Spanky, out kitty, seems slightly bored with the new amusement

Ok you can stop drooling over the keyboards now.

Out of the twelve that arrived yesterday, only four will join our expanding backyard barnyard menagerie.  Five left with newbie urban homesteaders yesterday afternoon and three will leave us this morning to join another urban menagerie.

We'll start bonding with the four right away - it's really a good idea to handle them at an early age.  And if it warms up (yep still wearing a sweater - can you believe that?) we'll bring them out for a swim.  Jordanne's non conventional way of raising poultry is not something you read about in books but it works!

Now what to name them?

Suggestions?

Another Arrival!

In between us peering over the brooder ooohing and ahhhing over these fluff balls, Jordanne's mixing her natural duck supplement in the organic starter mash that contains brewers yeast and tonic herbs. You can now purchase it online - great for grown duckies and there's also a mix for chickens too.

Make sure to support Jordanne and her new efforts. What "effort" is that you say?

Remember the other day when  I said she was working on something and think now is a good time as any to make a HUGE announcement. Jordanne's launched a new social network just for animals called Barnyards & Backyards. There's still a bit of dust as the site is a work in progress; however, there's no need to wait -- come join this free community!

Barnyards & Backyard Features

Contributing articles from passionate and critter caretakers

Ask Mz Hennessey

:: Resources ::

How to Care for Baby Ducks

Khaki Campbell's - ideal for urban homesteaders

Natural Poultry Feed Supplement - contains minerals and tonic herbs.  Specially formulated by our head critter caretaker!

Number Nine! Little Homestead in City Celebrates Another Year

Pioneering a New Path

It's our Blogiversary!

Sharing our urban homesteading adventures started one hot July summer day back in 2001 with our first "journal entry." A entry which would eventually leave tracks that trail blazed the modern urban homesteading movement These last few years we have seen a drastic change in urban landscape as more city folks are taking control over their food, energy, fuel, and water supplies.

Actually, this milestone moment would have come and gone, due to the hustle and bustle of homestead life, had it not been for one kind and remembering soul who posted two simple words on my Face Book page "Happy Anniversary!" I wondered what on earth was this person alluding to, what "anniversary?" I was puzzled for a moment. Then it hit me! Could it be? Already? Yes, indeed it was!

We like to wholeheartedly thank you for remembering that milestone - it made for a very special moment! A moment that would have otherwise gone unnoticed and forgotten. Thank you!

And thank you to all our thousands, hundreds of thousands readers, who, over the years, have been following our pioneering journey. Not to mention those of you who have supported our continuing growth over the years either through donations or online purchases from Peddlers Wagon & Freedom Seeds .

Your support, kind words, encouragement and stories of your baby steps towards a more sustainable future have really lifted us up. And, for that, we are truly blessed and humbled.

Dervaes Family Blogs On, For a Better Future

Original Urban Homestead Blog Spurs a Citified Ecological Movement

PASADENA, Calif. ----- When the day's news of ever worsening crises causes heartburn, finding relief is as easy as visiting the Little Homestead in the City blog (http://www.LittleHomesteadintheCity.org) to see how the Dervaes family is progressing with their homemade remedies. This first-of-its-kind blog documents the daily activities of these city dwellers who have reached an extraordinary level of food and energy independence. By freely sharing their practices, the family has inspired hundreds of thousands of readers to pursue a sustainable future and has generated a 21st century urban homestead movement.

"Little Homestead" began in 2001 as an impromptu journal by Pasadena residents Jules Dervaes and his three adult children, Anaïs, Justin, and Jordanne, on their website PathtoFreedom.com -- the first, largest, and most comprehensive urban homestead site. Through their adventures in growing and preserving their own food, installing a solar power system, home-brewing biodiesel for fuel, raising backyard farm animals, and learning back-to-basics skills, these modern-day pioneers have revived the old-fashioned spirit of self-reliance and resourcefulness.

Anaïs recalls that, back when they first went public, there were no other blogs like theirs. "We hoped to encourage people to make similar changes," she explains. "My father said, 'Let's show what we do here'; so, nine years ago, we put our family life online. Since 1986 we were striving to live self-sufficiently in the city and we felt others could learn from our example."

The Dervaes homestead has experienced phenomenal growth. Over 6,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables are now harvested annually from the one-tenth acre garden. Likewise, the blog has greatly expanded, drawing over 35,000 visitors per month, and provides gardening tips, conservation ideas, environmental news links, photos, and more. In a popular feature, the family posts their menus of homegrown, home-cooked meals. Additionally, the primary website gets over six million hits per month from more than 120 countries--proof of a global "homegrown revolution" led by the Dervaeses' reality-based model.

The Dervaes family has garnered congressional recognition for their environmental outreach efforts and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, as well as on ABC's Nightline and CNN. They have received thousands of testimonials from readers who say their lives have been changed, in big ways and small, by the family's trail-blazing work.

Preparing for the future, while preserving past

Here's a NEW but "old" video shot a few years back,  in Fall 2007, and FINALLY online by a USC student working on a sustainable news piece

Courtesy All WOW videos

Friends and fellowship

Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration.

-- Charles Dickens

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.  So much time these days is spent away from home.  As urban homesteaders on the sustainable path, we start reclaiming our back our food, energy, water and waste but what about our entertainment?

Folks from all walks of life, all ages are invited to take part in our 'Saturday Socials'    It's all about good food, good friends and good times (ah I can just here the Cheers theme song now) .

You never know who's going to drop by!

For our most recent Saturday Social, Jordanne and I whipped up some scrumptious 'slaw (homegrown red cabbage, carrots, turnip and fennel) swiss chard with strawberry salad dressing and a double batch of avocado chocolate cupcakes.  The buttery avocados were courtesy of Farmer Sergio - thanks!

So why not try it at your home .   One night a month, invite folks over young, middle age, seniors).   It just may become a tradition as we transition towards a more sustainable future building a homegrown community.

It's time we take back control of our lives and start our own traditions.  Care to share how you have broken free and started tradition in your household?

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 but the crunch is on!

It will be good to get a fresh start - a new beginning as we head into our 11th year of sharing our journey online.

Urban Homesteaders Web Ring

Are you a blogger, urban homesteader, writing about your journey towards a simpler, sustainable and more self reliant life?

Since we are busy upgrading our blog, we figure, why not upgrade the Urban Homesteaders Web Ring image too!  We started this fellowship "Ring" a few years back and it's grown to 115 members.

< So here's the new one for ya'lls blog

1. To post this image on your blog, please remember to RIGHT CLICK and SAVE - please DO NOT COPY.

2. After posting this new image on your blog remember to link the image using this URL --http://www.ringsurf.com/ring/urbanhomesteader

Got a blog and not a member of the URBAN HOMESTEADERS WebRing?

Who Can Join?

For urbanites only who have merged off the freeway of modern life onto a more sustainable, simple & self reliant path. The community’s mission is to bring together city folks, new urban homesteaders who are taking steps to live a more self sufficient life in regards to their food, energy, water, waste, transportation, lifestyle and more.

Community Guidelines

Definition of "Urban": less than or no more than 1/2 acre to 3/4 acre.

Urban Homesteading Lifestyle: Doing more with less, growing a sizeable % (at least 50 percent) own produce (fruits, vegetables, herbs), raising citified animals (at least chickens, rabbits), composting, vermicomposting producing own alternative energy, alternative heating, using alternative transportation, back to basics skills (food preservation, soapmaking, sewing, breadmaking, etc), simple living, power down, unplugged lifestyle, homegrown diet, operating a viable home based business, home-unschooling, energy and waters conservation practices, greywater and rainwater practices and more!

Being the change we wish to see by living the solution on a daily basis.

Sign up here to be a part of the Urban Homestead Ring