Urban Homestead History / Timeline

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Just a brief insight to the path that we've taken .... It's been narrow, long and winding with plenty of switchbacks, u-turns, and a fair share of sheer and slippery slopes. We've stumbled and done a great deal of "face-planting" in the dirt. And, in fact, half the time, there's been no path at all.

Keep in mind that this timeline of events or points along the path is not complete. There's a lot more to our story, but we're just keeping it simple.

1969

Began searching for a meaningful and more natural, self-sufficient lifestyle; lived simply without air conditioning, clothes dryer; dishwasher; wanted to return to eating whole, non processed foods and natural medicines.

1973-75

Homesteaded in New Zealand: Beekeeper, sold honey/successful honey business/hand-cranked honey extractor/drug-free bees; self-installed rainwater system for homestead water supply; planted fruit trees/vegetable garden; kept chickens, ducks and goats for eggs and milk/sold chicken eggs; hand chopped firewood for heat/hot water and cooking in woodstove; built honey shop solely by hand/no power tools; outdoor toilet; outdoor laundry room with copper basin and fireplace for heating water; wringer washer/outdoor clothesline; primarily vegetarian diet but occasionally butchered chickens/sheep for food; no phone or TV; cooked from scratch; home entertainment and developed some additional homesteading craft skills; purchased an old Morris “hand cranked” car; experimented with humanure composing.

1975-84

Lived on 10 acres in Florida: hand –cleared palmettos for mobile home/out buildings, garden and play area; dug trenches for water pipes for well and septic tank opening/ self-installed electricity; beekeeper/bee supply and honey business/drug-free bees; planted huge vegetable garden; milked goat; various building and DIY projects; no air conditioning, no dishwasher, no clothes dryer/used outdoor clothesline; used alternative medicine; began home schooling children; in later years disconnected hot water heater; had a large worm composting bin; small nursery business.

1985

First year in Pasadena house: furnished home with items brought from Florida and donated second hand items/stove and fridge from a church; kept 10 drug-free beehives and sold honey/hand-cranked extractor; composted; planted vegetable garden; heavily mulched backyard to improve soil; no air conditioning, no clothes dryer/used outdoor clothesline.

1989

Became totally vegetarian.

1990

Edible landscaping and farming in the front yard; smothered front lawn under newspaper & mulch to kill the grass: planted wildflowers, vegetables and herbs.

1991-92

First DIY cardboard solar oven made for cooking baked potatoes and cookies/experimental; recycled grey water from sinks and tub to water the garden to conserve water during water restrictions.

1993

Started crafting business; lived without use of refrigerator on and off for several years; experiences in extreme simplicity; roof began leaking—tarp put on.  Exploring local mountains - several hiking and camping expeditions.

1994-95

DerVaes Gardens [2] started —home business of selling edible flowers and herbs grown in front and backyard to restaurants and caterers; alternative homegrown medicines use increases/herbal medicines preparation.

1996

Increased use of food preservation and began eating with the seasons from the garden; worm composting; learned how to repair and fix bicycles for ourselves and the community.

1999

DerVaes Gardens [2] edible flowers sales scaled back and more heirloom “gourmet” vegetables planted instead. Learned, self taught survival skills and wild edible forging.

2000

DIY Constructed a large plywood solar oven on wheels and began using the sun for cooking more of the meals and for hot water for dish washing.

2001

Decided to take a proactive approach — do what we can, where we are with what we had.  Living our  protest 24/7 by urban homesteading fulltime; recorded amount of harvest; used term “urban homestead” to document journey to self-sufficiency online at PathtoFreedom.com; made raised beds and self-watering containers; first media article written about PTF’s urban homestead; used city rebates for energy efficient computers, vcr, and tv; installed energy efficient light bulbs; bought gas lamps and various hand-cranked/unplugged kitchen appliances; first urban homestead blog entry.

2002

Started raising chickens (5 hens) from day old chicks; rabbits (2); opened up urban homestead to the public - first tour of urban homestead for Compton High School students; used city rebate to purchase energy efficient refrigerator; built solar food dryer.

2003

Self-installed solar panels using city rebates; constructed solar-heated outdoor shower; installed solar tube light in garage; raised day old baby ducks (2); started replacing old appliances like refrigerator, etc; city rebate for energy efficient/water saver washing machine; James Washer hand operated washing machine; LA Permaculture Guild first Permaculture Class visits the urban homestead on field trip.

2004

Constructed biodiesel processor to make fuel for diesel car; purchased a used 88′ Chevy diesel; hosted various “Self Sufficiency Series” workshops at the urban homestead—soap-making, spinning, biodiesel making, hosted guest speakers; started using EM; learned to can and began preserving garden harvest.  Exhibited our urban homestead and farm project at Fritz Haeg’s Garden LAb at Art Center College of Design. Received City of Pasadena Outstanding Recycler Award for Preservation of Natural Resources through the Creation of an Urban Garden.

2005

Constructed earthen (cob) outdoor, wood-fired oven; broke up and removed 30’x30’ concrete slab in backyard and reused it for hardscaping; wind blows off more shingles on roof; first installed clay pot irrigation; pedal powered grain mill. DerVaes Gardens [3] received Greenopia's Four Leaves award for green business.

2006

Purchased two goats (miniature and dwarf); revamped solar shower; expanded animal enclosure; added more raised beds; more “small” improvements made to the overall urban homestead; installed Jotul wood stove for heat/free wood from local tree trimmer for burning; bike trailer; toilet lid sink for water conservation in bathroom; DIY arbors installed to take advantage of “upscale growing space”; pedal powered blender; online store of sustainable wares and useful tools opened, Urban Homestead Supply [4], after receiving many requests for items used on the homestead and to help fund outreach expenses.  Received City of Pasadena Outstanding Recycler Award for Sustainable Development Practices.

Dervaes Institute, established August 18, 2006, is an creation-care ministry and a California Corporation Sole under California Corporations Code Section 10000-10015 and is tax exempt under IRS Code § 508(c)(1)(A). On October 30, 2010, it submitted IRS form 1023 in order to receive its determination letter as a private foundation under IRS Code § 501(c)(3). 

2007

Installed eco friendly metal roof for future rainwater collection; raised and sold chickens and ducks for fellow LA backyard poultry enthusiasts; increased our backyard flockery with more chickens and ducks; installed solar attic fans (rebated by the City of Pasadena); replaced driveway with more “permeable” Hollywood strip driveway; captured ”wild/feral” bees swarm and started once again raising bees; purchased space saving rain barrels for rainwater harvesting project; feature article in the Los Angeles Times [5] published; first version of Homegrown Revolution [6] screened for UCLA class and posted on YouTube [7].

2008

The urban homestead movement continues growing, both in our backyard and globally with extensive media coverage (The New York Times Magazine [8] and video [9], ABC Nightline [10], CNN,  and more). To help meet the increasing demand for advice from people wanting to grow their own food, the free, social networking site, Freedom Gardens.org [11], was established. The 10 Elements of Urban Homesteading [12] was published by Jules Dervaes. The 52 minutue full length documentary by Robert McFalls, HomeGrown [13], is shown at film festivals.

2009

A new business and website are launched, Freedom Seeds.org [14], offering non-GMO, non-Monsanto owned, open pollinated seeds; the 15 minute re-edited version of Homegrown Revolution [15] is screened at film festivals worldwide; media coverage continues: Mother Earth News [16], Oprah [17], and the Telegraph [UK] [18].

Stay tuned for more!