An Urban Homesteading Primer

     Winter often provides perfect reading weather.  When it's cold and raining or snowing outside (like today!), I love to lounge on the couch by the window with some hot tea and a good book.  And to prepare for spring, I have been reading books and literature online about gardening.  I have also ordered enough used books online (I've been assured they will get here soon!) to start a small library.  In the meantime, I'm enjoying several books, including Urban Homesteading: Heirloom Skills for Sustainable Living. 
     Authored by Rachel Kaplan with K. Ruby Blume, this has been the perfect book for me to start with because it is a methodical outline of the principles and practices of homesteading, with an urban twist.  This book is Urban Homesteading 101.  But as the subtitle says, these are heirloom skills, often practiced for centuries, which can be applied anywhere, urban or rural.  The crux of the book is permaculture, which, simply put, is a practice of agriculture that sustains itself over time.  In each chapter, the authors discuss a different aspect of farm life and illustrate, through instruction and interviews with other homesteaders, how this movement embodies three ethics of permaculture:  

• Earth care - recognizing the earth as the source of all life.  The earth is also a living entity and we are a part of that life.  
• People care - "supporting and helping and helping each other change to ways of living that do not harm us or the planet, including developing healthy societies that prioritize the first principle, earth care." 
• Fair share - "placing limits on consumption of earth's limited resources, ensuring they are used in ways that are equitable and wise."

     I have no way of knowing, dear reader, where you are on your path, but for me, this ethic of responsible social, economical, environmental, and spiritual living makes perfect sense.  I believe the need for real change in how our society interacts with its members and with the earth is urgent.  How can we expect to survive, even as individuals let alone as a society, when we are so disconnected from the earth and each other?  But, you know, even surviving is not good enough.  Survival is a bare, stripped down and harsh reality...no where near the life of beauty and purpose we seek to create in every new generation, the hope we have for every new life to flourish and thrive, to achieve the highest opportunity of its existence.  That is what we secretly want without daring to express it, fearful that our hope will be mocked or proven false.  But what could possibly be more important than living to our highest potential as individuals and as a society?  Isn't that honoring the Creation?  And when will we choose that for ourselves, if not in this moment, in every moment?  A few lines from Hafiz, that brilliant poet:

 One regret, dear world,

That I am determined not to have

When I am lying on my deathbed

Is that

I did not kiss you enough.



     I encourage you, dear reader, to examine your life and see if there is not more room to love yourself, your community, and Nature.  It's a never-ending choice, but I find that when I do open myself to that reality, I can rejoice in the abundance of God and the Universe and share that love.  And if you are interested in how to put that love into action, I encourage you to read this book.     

Why an Urban Farm?

     By now, you must be dying to ask, "Hey, Pete, what's with the 'urban farm?'"  So, I'll tell you....

  ...It all started eight years ago, while writing an argumentative essay for a college English class.  I picked a topic I had seen in a newspaper headline: drilling for oil in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge.  At the time, I thought, "Hey, why not? America needs oil and there's hardly anyone in Alaska, right?"  My initial research yielded lots of articles and information in favor of drilling wells in the final five percent of Alaska's coastline not yet open to oil exploration.  But then, I found reports from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  In them was detailed information about the many small pockets of oil spread over most of the thin sliver of coastal tundra where caribou, musk oxen, polar bears, tens of thousands of birds, and many other species raise their young during the short summer months before starting their migrations, often thousands of miles long.  So, I began to realize the impact that wells, roads, pipelines, oil spills, and trash would have on this unique habitat.  (For more details, my essay can be read here.) 
     At that point, I had to ask myself, "If not oil, then what?"  That question led me to solar and wind and renewable fuels, such as cellulosic ethanol (not starch-based), which can be made from hundreds of feedstocks, including about seventy percent of landfill materials.  Fuel from trash?  Suddenly the image of Christopher Lloyd putting banana peels and coffee grounds into a time-traveling Delorian came to mind.  And then I read a speech given by William McDonough, in which he outlined three principles of "sustainability":
   1.  Waste Equals Food - Eliminate the concept of waste.  There is only food for another metabolism.
   2.  Only Use Nature's Income - Nature does not go into debt to survive, so why should we?
   3.  Respect Biodiversity -  Sustainable solutions must be tailored for each situation. 
In the speech, McDonough quoted Thomas Jefferson (my paraphrasing):

The world belongs to the living; the dead have neither rights nor power over it.

Therefore, a man can only use what can be replenished during his lifetime,

or he creates a debt for future generations.

Generational tyranny?  Planning for seven generations ahead?  My father's words are always next in my mind:  Always leave a place better than you found it.  The "what" was crystal clear.  But not the "how"... 

     So, I struggled from then on with what to do with this new realization.  But I also lived my life.  I moved to Los Angeles for six years, finished school, got married, and started working in the film business.  I drove on the freeways and wished I didn't have to.  I daydreamed about building lightweight, three-wheeled cars and installing solar panels on every roof in the city.  I took long walks along a stretch of the L.A. River where the bed hadn't been cemented over and plants and wildlife abounded.  I tried guerrilla gardening, and I started a small garden at my apartment complex.  But some things fail, and I found myself back home in Northern California nursing a broken heart and figuring out what to do with my life. And slowly a picture formed in my mind.  First, there was a rocking chair on the porch of a log cabin I would build.  And then there were sheep and a garden to tend.  But I met The One and the vision changed...an urban farm... a homestead where we could create a life together and honor each other and the Earth. And now, you can follow the rest of the story as we co-create it, rejoicing over the abundance of God and the Universe....        

A Welcome Confession

     Welcome, dear reader, to this blog, this place in cyberspace to share exploits, ideas and hopes and dreams of life on an urban farm.  And to start this blog off.....a confession!....I am not an urban farmer.  At least, not yet!  In fact, except for landscaping and pouring kibble in a bowl, I have little experience with gardening or caring for animals.  What I do have, however, is a love of Nature, a burning desire to break free from the bondage of consumerism and a vacant city lot with full southern exposure!  Coupled with a can-do attitude, a voracious appetite for knowledge, and a wonderful partner, I am confident about our success.  The goal is to turn an old barn and horse pasture into a passive solar home and thriving, healthy, food-based ecosystem.  No problem....er...right...?

     As spring approaches, we will be rolling up our sleeves and building fences, digging planting beds, and sowing our seeds with tender love and care.  And along with growing food, we want to grow as people and serve our community.  So, please visit us often to read about our urban farming adventure and feel free to comment and share your thoughts, inspire us with your stories, or offer friendly advice.  May warm thoughts about sunny summer days in the garden sustain us all through the rest of winter!