Green Family Urban Homestead

Coming soon.. .

2011-02-24T01:08:00.000-08:00

Repurposed (some call it art)

2011-02-19T11:22:00.000-08:00

Some trellises I made awhile back didn't work out as well as hoped. Back to the drawing board. Here they are now transformed into frames for canvases. Let the painting begin!

Repurposed (Playing with Sticks)

2010-10-09T11:31:00.000-07:00

Early October (Playing with the Pups)

2010-10-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

French 1b: Composition 1.

2010-09-26T23:50:00.000-07:00

This season has been FULL of work and most of it doesn't have much to do with the garden. But it's been super interesting this far so I thought I would post a teeny sliver of the experience since I love you all so much and miss updating this blog.

This is my very first composition for my French 1b class. It hasn't been my favorite subject so far but it's definitely one of the most challenging for me having never spoken more than one language fluently. Absolutely feel free to edit this if you have the capabilities and see any errors in spelling or grammar, I'm far from where I'd like to be in learning this and it helps speed up the process a little. Basically, the objective was to write an invitation to friends about a party I plan to host. It's not a real party, but now that there's an invitation I wish it was!

Bonjour à tous! J'espère que vous allez tous bien. Cela a été une excellente année et vous me manquez! Il est temps de faire la fête!

Je fête Halloween et un bal masqué chez moi cette année et sera l'hôte d'une soirée costumée. Boissons et de la musique débutera à midi autour de 1230 le dimanche après-demain.

Le temps a été merveilleux et il doit être exposé au soleil. Attendez-vous à porter des chaussures confortables avec votre costume. Tout le monde devrait faire porter de soirée avec un masque pour le bal. Un drôle de chapeau, ce serait parfait aussi. N'oubliez pas vos sous-vêtements! Nous devrions être prêts à tout!

Depuis que je suis un grand fan de sucreries, s'il vous plaît faire un dessert que vous pensez que chacun appréciera. Je pense que le chocolat, la fraise et la vanille sont tous de bons choix, mais rien ne va. Biscuits, gâteaux et des bonbons bien sûr! Je vais avoir beaucoup de chocolat chaud à boire, ainsi que de cidre de pomme épicé pour tout le monde. libre d'apporter quelque chose d'autre sites si vous le souhaitez.

Il y aura danse et le chant, après tout le monde arrive. Bien que nous mangeons des gâteaux et boire du thé, je pense qu'il serait amusant de jouer aux cartes autour de la table. Dans la soirée, nous allons jouer au croquet, bien sûr! Après le dîner et les boissons, nous allons montrer un film sur la pelouse et se détendre.

J'espère que vous pourrez tous venir, à bientôt! Bye!

Someone has not been eating their vegetables!

2010-09-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

Today, in the garden.

2010-09-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

Google maps updated (Finally!)

2010-08-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

Hey, check out the new arial photo of our mandala garden from Google maps!

This is amazing!

Not only can we see what the garden looks like from space BUT, my brother and family have decided to return to California! We've spent a great couple weeks helping them move, talking about new additions to the garden and just hanging out together. We are all so happy to be back together again! Hooray!

Website relaunch & Sylvia's Super Awesome Maker Show!

2010-07-30T00:06:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Sylvia in her very first episode of her very own show! I love it and am so excited to know this super awesome girl!

Also exciting is the fact that her dad helped us to relaunch our old website and update it with fresh navigation and graphics and stuff. Congratulations to Super Awesome Sylvia on her amazing maker show success and thanks to the techninja for all the support!

You can check out the new and improved website at www.greenfamilywinery.com

A different path

2010-07-23T01:55:00.000-07:00

Did a little playing around with the garden path the other day. Simple things make for a delightful place to drink tea and relax. Rocks are always pretty and flowers make happiness happen.

The unknown awaits us!

Mandala Progress!

2010-07-23T01:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some progress shots of the long awaited Mandala garden! It's huge! This "crop circle" is one of our biggest gardening projects yet. Spreading the composted manure in a layer over the whole thing took us many days of hard work but it's finally done and ready to plant in for late summer/fall season. Hooray!

A mountain of fun times.

Looks like a flower!

Hardest part will be figuring out what to plant in it. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Zen and the Art of Vineyard Maintenance...

2010-07-23T00:39:00.000-07:00

Whew!

Is that the general feeling that comes to mind when I think of the many days it took us (crew of about 3) to "tuck and sucker" the vineyard this year?

Sweaty hard work is fun!

How can a person possibly feel alive until they've wrestled a few hundred grape vines into place?

And...

It rained at a bizarre time of the year.

Actual water from the actual sky

And still hot as all get out.

People might long for the serene quiet of a country vineyard and imagine a country life off the beaten path. One would expect this occupation to be meditative and peaceful and I went into it ready to transcend this world through slow days of steady patience.

tuck. tuck. tuck. ..

But it's not peaceful at all. Tucking vines into trellises with your arms aching and sweat dripping into your eyes and sun baking you to a crisp does not inspire even the slightest moments of nirvana. But it was inspiring, motivating me to think of anything else unrelated to the task at hand. I thought a lot about summer goals, winter goals, travel plans, dreams I'd had, what to eat for dinner, whether or not that was a rattlesnake I just heard, how to get my next-door neighbors to loan me a come-along...

But it's over now, and relaxing on the cool rocks of our beautiful rivers and canyons has never been more appreciated. And if that somehow becomes boring, there's always harvest just around the corner.

Hot Yoga!

2010-07-23T00:10:00.000-07:00

A friend recently introduced me to the wonderful world of hot yoga! The same day I started taking classes at a studio in town they were filming a youtube video. This is the video and place I do yoga now. Can you spot Molly and I?

I have to mention that I have taken yoga before with little success. It always seemed so slow and boring. Well hot yoga has been a completely different experience altogether and a total work out! I love it!

This is what I'm doing right now...

2010-07-12T00:43:00.000-07:00

Zucchini Bread Recipe

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs, beaten
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups grated fresh zucchini
2/3 cup melted unsalted butter
2 teaspoons baking soda
Pinch salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional)

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the grated zucchini and then the melted butter. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour, a third at a time. Sprinkle in the cinnamon and nutmeg and mix. Fold in the nuts and dried cranberries or raisins if using.

2 Divide the batter equally between 2 buttered 5 by 9 inch loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour (check for doneness at 50 minutes) or until a wooden pick inserted in to the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to cool thoroughly.

Makes 2 loaves.

Dim Sum is not the best leftover food.

2010-06-23T01:12:00.000-07:00

I totally love taking extraordinary amounts of time squishing my leftover restaurant food into this teensy little bento box. Sometimes going to great lengths to make less trash is just necessary.

Not to mention completely entertaining. It's kind of like a puzzle. Here I had to leave one sad egg custard behind and stuff myself with as much steamed greens as possible. I figure that a wasted dumpling takes less time to decompose than a styrofoam to-go box.

Things

2010-06-08T01:27:00.000-07:00

The garden is finally experiencing some good summery weather these days and we've been harvesting loads of different veggies. Broccoli, onions, garlic, fava beans, peas, arrugalla, sorrel, potatoes, fennel, carrots, herbs, dandilion, swiss chard, collards, and whatnot have been pouring out of the garden faster than we can eat it all! Word must have gotten out about the eggs because we are getting lots of requests for them lately. Along with eggs and vegetables from the yard, we've been bartering with friends and neighbors and have managed to find pasture raised beef, raw sheep's milk, artichokes, and other yummy local goodies

"Right this way sir.."

mulberry

Jilly Bean

climbing rose

jasmine

cute wild flowers

lilly

roses

petunias

tomato

kale

stuff

squash

wishes

little squash

flowers

echinacea

PEACHES!

the girls

mmm...

honey bee

favas

onion flowers

peas

pea flowers

greens

broccoli

mulch

May Showers...

2010-06-08T01:14:00.000-07:00

Turns out that all this crazy rain has been great for the flowers!

Bees

2010-06-08T00:36:00.000-07:00

Has anyone ever held a Queen Bee before?

Here's pics from the beekeeping class I took with Justin a few weeks ago. It was so amazing!

Busy buzzing to and fro.

This one's name is...

All Natural Beekeeping instructor Serge Labesque

Part of the brood, the darker cells are the eggs and larvae.

No problem.

Beehive

During our beekeeping adventure, we found a puppy on the freeway like a little wandering gypsy. Here she is hanging out with me and Jilly. She likes to eat Edamame. Details soon!

After a long day out on the road.

strange weather lately...

2010-05-27T21:26:00.000-07:00

Behold.

The first post of the month of May and I intend to keep it minimal. I only wanted a few days to myself during school finals but the days turned to weeks and here we are over a month later and while all those days and weeks have passed I feel like I'm bursting at the photographic seams. I promise everyone that I will sort through the chaos of the past few weeks and come up with an assembled montage in a day... or two. There's really too much to share but I'm sure everyone will get used to it eventually. Perhaps I can even convince some to leave their computers and venture out for some much needed fresh air. Really, how can one resist?

Daydreams... or Freedom.

2010-04-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

"We outnumber them.."

"Ha Ha, I laugh at your fence!"

"If you cut me... I'll find another way."

"where am I?"

Justin's photography never ceases to amaze..

Earthday 2010

2010-04-22T22:42:00.000-07:00

Today was boundless beauty . The family got together and brewed a batch of beer over coffee and toast outdoors to start out our Earth Day. It was early and there was a touch of cloud cover but overall the sky was brilliantly blue and immersed in heavenly light. Such rapture!

We even spotted the woody nest of a chickadee in an original fence post near the crush pad. Can you see the little hole that they laid their eggs in? I might need to work on my wildlife photography some more...

Three cheers for tomatoes! After the long wait, we finally tucked the first few plants snugly into their beds. All of them were started from heirloom seeds from rareseeds.com and we've got about twenty different varieties of seedlings this year! Talk about variety! Hopefully, this season will give us a better idea of what grows best round these parts and which ones we find the tastiest before and after "putting up"... I've already discussed the possibility of canning parties this summer with several of my girl friends. Looks like this will be one productive year!

Snug as a bug

Getting down with hip urban farm culture ;)

Sushi!

We tried something a little different for dinner and in honor of the beautiful tomato bed, decided that sushi was the perfect way to end an already amazing day. I have always been a fan of the Nigiri style of sushi and it was really easy to make. Little balls of sushi rice with something on top and a strip of Nori Seaweed to hold it together and voila! So good!!!

Home made, home grown delicacy

First batch made with Homegrown peas and veggies

Second was homegrown egg nigiri

Very Hungry Bento Box!

Justin also decided to document his bento box adventures :)

Workshop

The workshop held at Le Bilig French Kitchen was a hit! A small group of very interested and

passionate people attended Winemaker Charlie's first Gardener's Exchange presentation last

weekend. We've decided that this is a wonderful way to share knowledge about small scale

farming and winemaking and are looking forward to do the next one! Thank you to everyone

who came out and enjoyed the food, wine, and farming fellowship !!!

Next month's event will be hosted at the Green Family Winery on Mother's day. There will be an assortment of hand-made truffles including my famous port truffles! Come on out and enjoy the fine wines we have available and say hello to the Winemaker himself! This is the perfect way for Mothers to relax and just have fun for the day.

It rained.

2010-04-20T22:37:00.000-07:00

But we did manage to get the last of the raised beds up in front of the back fence a few days ago! Now just add dirt, trees, plants, water and let nature do the rest. It's nice crossing things off the "To Do" list! Here are a few after the rain photos I took during a break in the weather...

A baby Pine Tree that sprouted last spring. Look how big he is now!

Fennel fronds and sunlight

Onions

Kale makes excellent green shakes for breakfast :)

Snow peas go into just about everything right now.

We are SO ready, let us out!

Leek wanted to bloom as well, Yay!

even stragglers tend to flourish if given half a chance.

arugula at last.

Sorrel sprouting, and, of course, more peas

Green and happy :)

Tulips are edible, I looked it up ;)

GOOD NEWS! It's time to plant tomatoes finally! By the looks of it, I'm not the only one who's excited. Every time I go out nowadays I see people snapping up tomato plants sold in stores. I think the lure of fresh salsa right from your own garden is getting too much to handle for most folks! It's makes me happy to see so much delight on people's faces over such a simple and perfect thing as planting a tomato plant of their own.

Bento!

2010-04-19T23:36:00.000-07:00

My Mio Bento Lunch Box!

Delish!

This weekend I was out of town visiting the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco for school and it was an amazing experience! I carpooled with another student and we stayed in a hotel near Japan Town so we'd have plenty of time to meet up with our class. The entire trip turned into a roller coaster of intense Japan culture and fun. We sang karaoke (My first time ever!), went to the Cherry Blossom Festival (Sakura Matsuri) and saw the parade, and toured the museum with Professor Chirapravati who used to curate the Southeast Asian art there!

After the museum, we decided to peruse the end of the Cherry Blossom Festival and I bought an authentic Japanese bento box! (I got Justin one with the hungry hungry caterpillar on it too) I have been experimenting with traditional "Bento" type lunches for a few weeks now and to get my hands on this adorable lunch container made me super happy. Not only is it the cutest lil design with cats on the lid, it has made bringing lunch to class with me so much easier! I packed some noodles in the lower compartment, an assortment of snacks and a salad in the top, and tucked it into my bag before leaving for class. It fits perfectly in the front part of my backpack (you can see how tiny it is in the photo) and is awesome for covert munching in the computer lab. Goodbye wasteful spending, crappy school food, and throwaway wrappers! I will not miss you.

Being away at school makes it really hard to eat healthfully and inexpensively and be considerate to the world at the same time. The "brown bag" lunches I pack usually don't fit well into my bag and end up getting smooshed. I think coming across the idea of the Bento lunch has saved my life. They are amazingly beautiful creations, compact, eco-friendly and can be made with healthy foods. Justbento.com is a great resource for anyone who wants to explore the wonderful world of Japanese Bento lunches and there are loads of amazing photos of beautiful bento creations online.

Bento recipe ideas will commence!

The Garden Exchange @ Le Bilig Kitchen

2010-04-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

Exciting news! Sorry for posting this so late but things have been crazy busy lately!

Winemaker Charles Green of Green Family Vineyards and Winery will be presenting a workshop at the Gardener's Exchange THIS SATURDAY, April 17th 2010 -(12:30-3:00pm), at Le Bilig Kitchen!

In the spirit of promoting the benefits of growing your own food and drink the topic he will be presenting will be "Planting a Successful Home Vineyard". He will sketch out the initial details and answer questions about making wine and planting vines in your own backyard. This $25 workshop includes lunch, lecture, materials and wine tasting!

Le Bilig Kitchen is located on 11750 Atwood Road, Auburn, CA 95603

Le Bilig has been our favorite restaurant in town for a long time now and it is a pleasure to be working with them in promoting the wonders of good food, wine and life. This enchanting family owned and operated restaurant captures the essence of provincial French cuisine and will set the perfect mood for a lively conversation about all aspects of planting your own home-vineyard! Don't miss it!

Also good news! As of 3/20/2010 we have bud-break in the vineyard signaling the start of the growing season. Ready, Set, OKAY Grow!

Fresh Fotos

2010-04-13T01:42:00.000-07:00

I've been on vacation. Can you tell? ;)

Here's a little update on what's happened over the past few weeks...

more and more..

Garden looking bountiful :)

Always experimenting.

Seed saving (princess pumpkin)

Things in the garden have been changing rapidly since the beginning of spring and everything is blooming, budding, and flourishing. Between new garden beds and other hardscaping projects we worked on during the colder months, things are looking up! Last week we got a head start by adding a row of raised beds to the back fence which helps to secure the area for our feathered friends from any neighborhood animals who might be willing to dig for a chicken dinner! The container patio is finished and ready for pots filled with herbs all the way to the front doorstep.

Another rain cloud made it's way across the sky this weekend. Rainy weather has been on and off all month and I think we're just now seeing the last few showers before it shuts down for the rest of the summer months. I'm torn between loving the rain for giving us all this amazing water and missing the sunshine when it's wet and cold grey outside. Right now I'd gladly wait out a couple more "storms" knowing that another few inches makes all the difference. Here in sunny California, things tend to get a bit crispy.

Moving along, I have other news to share. After blogging for about a year now, I realize that there are many other interests I'd like to explore in greater depth. Urban farming has made me realize that there are different ways that a person can care for themselves and learning to be more self sufficient is one of the best things I ever did. Even better, sharing it all has kept me in touch with my community. I love our little city gardens and all the creatures that live here, but there's so much more to talk about! Perhaps I will share them here or make another bloggety blog, I haven't decided yet!

Hopefully, I will have news to share about our rainwater harvesting system soon!

Ruth Stout's Garden

2010-04-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

This woman is amazing!

Good Move: The Journey of the Fool

2010-04-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

Today is April Fool's Day and Justin's Birthday all in one!

Happy Birthday to our April Fool's baby!

The very first Tarot card in the Major Arcana happens to start with the Fool card. The Fool represents new journeys and beginnings. Also shown as a sign of child-like wonder of the world, he is often shown with a flower in his hand. The Fool is like the joker or the wild card and is not numbered but presents a paradigm of everything and nothing all at once. Mysterious, unknown, it is an omen of great meaning to life's pathways and destinations. The fool card is a signal of change.

It is interesting that, in addition, Justin is also born under the sign of Aries, the first astrological sign of the Zodiac. Also known as the pioneer of the Zodiac, Aries people like to be the first to strike out on a path of their own. This is very much like Justin who is never concerned by what others might think and is always the one to remind me of this important fact. I have learned how to stay true to myself and my values from this amazing friend. He is, for the record, the one who helped me start this blog and continues to be supportive all the while!

I hope that everyone can learn from these daring "fools" and pioneers in life and remember to appreciate the wonderment at what surrounds us everyday. Smell the roses, take long walks, and always, always pick up spare change when you are lucky enough to see it!

(As luck would have it, Justin is also born under the auspicious sign of the rabbit in the Chinese Zodiac)

Garden Bandits!

2010-03-30T23:46:00.000-07:00

Terrible! Degenerate! Dumpster diving! Gardeners?

Oh yes. How else is one supposed to go about collecting free cardboard to start a no-till garden bed??? Jeeze..

Serious recycling.

Got one!

Score!

OK, I think we're done here.

Heaven Headquarters:

mandala garden

A little news about our mandala garden; we did get the shape sorted out but it seems as if our efforts to block the weeds with only hay/straw went unnoticed by Mother Nature and we had to resort to, yep, good old-fashioned cardboard. This trusty plan worked in the past with urban gardening and we shouldn't have deviated from what worked before! A little composted manure and things will be right as rain for summer crops of corn and pumpkin we reckon. Since the old fall "Pumpkin Patch" farm round these parts was sold a few years back we think that it is high time someone started a new one!

Pictorial Update

2010-03-29T22:58:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's really SPRING out there! We've got a ton of fresh goodies coming in from the garden beds already and really really happy that there has not been one single day this year that something wasn't ready to be picked and eaten. Green onions, leeks, greens, carrots, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, lettuce, and lots of herbs are some of the yummy things that can be grown during late winter and early spring in Norther California. By setting up some hoop-houses over a few rows, we are able to get an even earlier start. My dream is to have a real live greenhouse ASAP! I'd love to set my little tomato seedlings free to grow in a big space in the middle of winter...

Before, I start day dreaming of big greenhouses just yet though, here are a couple photos of what is actually going down in our urban food forrest.

Beets, white carrots, parsnips, rutabaga...

all came out of this little 3x4 patch!

spying tender dandelions..

Fennel

ready to go!

onion patch

"no more excuses" it's time to smother weeds!

Hunny soakin' up the sun!

Going to be our best tomato year yet!

transplanting time!

Sweet potato "slips"

Leeks!

Mom's excited about potato/leek soup!

Who doesn't love em?

there IS a castle buried under there...

Still working away on some projects like this container garden area that Justin is busy hacking away at. I swear, he just doesn't give up and before I could look twice, these were the massive rocks he pried out of the dirt! We are contemplating building a cute little rock wall to outline the garden like you'd see in the country. Any ideas on what to do with rocks?

Vineyard Work: Day Four (we think)

2010-03-29T22:29:00.000-07:00

Gosh it is so nice to be outside these days!!! We're basically done with the pruning with a little left we need to hurry and finish. The vines are budding! Here's a couple of photos of Mom and I in action and looking darn fancy with our sun hats to boot!

This is basically the end of pruning for the year. Can you see the joy on our faces? Next we will be pulling off the unwanted sucker tendrils that sprout from the stalk of the vines and tucking them back into the trellis once they've grown out. Some friends of mine have promised to teach me how to make a Jordanian version of stuffed grape leaves! I've tried them both with and without meat and they are absolutely AMAZING! And soon we will have plenty of leaves... I can't wait!

Staying Conscious

2010-03-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

Patience is a major asset to people who live with plants. We get one chance every year to make the most of our garden, and no do-overs. Luckily, there's always next year. That's part of the beauty of gardening! The best farmers I have known are those with experience and that's not something you can learn at any fancy school.

We know we learn from doing and making mistakes. The more the merrier. It's very acceptable to fail but I don't think too many people realize this fact. Really, the more you suck at doing things, the better a chance that you'll be amazing at some point. Those who can't, probably gave up the first try I'd imagine. Consequently, the best year life will probably be our last. Now we think it's a lot nicer knowing that instead of having a "shelf-life", we just get better with age. Kind of like a fine wine ;)

Here are a few tips we think are useful when trying to make the most out of our time in the garden:

MULCH- There's nothing better than using old newspapers and cardboard (which we find for free) to do the work of keeping weeds out of the garden. Just lay down a layer to kill off the grass/weeds and top that with hay or a similar substance. Winning the war against weeds or your lawn is a HUGE time-saver. In addition, keeping the area above ground thickly mulched with straw does wonders keeping the soil moist in the summer. This is very important for areas like ours in northern California where the summers are long and dry. It also adds nutrients to the soil as it breaks down.

WATERING- I really enjoy watering my plants but when you're "maxing out" your garden space and trying to produce enough food to feed a family year-round it becomes almost impossible to do it by hand. Drip irrigation, soaker hoses, and Ollas (available at http://www.peddlerswagon.com/ ) are wonderful sustainable ways to irrigate garden plants without spending hours a day it saves a ton of water at the same time.

COMPOSTING- recycling garden and kitchen waste by creating a compost pile can save time AND money. We compost anything we can get our hands on and are finding that now that we have a sufficient amount growing in our backyard we are cutting down on outside sources dramatically. Just layer your dry and green waste and keep it moist and covered and you'll have fresh organic fertilizer for your garden in no time. There's also ways to compost directly in your garden beds by layering the compost ingredients and letting it sit for a while before planting directly into it. Also called sheet mulching, no till gardening, and layer gardening depending on who you ask. Lasagna Gardening by: Patricia Lanza was a great book I read about the subject and got us on the right track. We need hardly any extra soil to fill our raised beds this year since using the no-till method. And be sure to make friends with people that own livestock! Chances are, they have a ton of "fertilizer" they will be glad to let you take off their hands for free!

START SMALL- It's hard not to get really excited about growing your own food but keeping it simple when starting out means the first few mistakes are easy to recover from. Big gardens require much more planning, upkeep and time. It's a bit like working out, no one can run a marathon their very first day training. Ending up with something that seems more like a chore or having a yard full of dead plants you worked so hard to plant is very discouraging. Gardening should be fun and relaxing!

STAY ORGANIZED- We always try to own brightly colored tools and keep them in a designated area so we don't loose them. I cannot tell you how many times I've wanted to do this or that and just could not find that darn spade!!!

KEEP IT CLOSE BY- Keeping the garden close to where we live makes it that much more likely we'll notice when something needs to be done. When living in the city or suburbs it's not that hard to walk through the veggies and see how things are growing at least once a day.

LIVE CONSCIOUSLY- Yep. There are still ways to stay awake these days without slipping into dreamland where the mass media birdies tell you to buy buy buy neatly prepackaged ideas in electric colors. Here's a few things that we have found useful in our everyday lives....

-Growing what we can ourselves and totally supporting local organic farmers. Either way it's delicious! The slow-food movement in which eating local, in season foods is becoming the conscious way to eat!

-Shopping second-hand. Thrift shopping has become very hip these days and it's much cheaper. As a total thrift store junky, I cannot recommend this enough.

-Make do with what we have or go without. Who needs an extra trip to tahiti when you've created your own paradise right in your backyard?

-Eating only locally, sustainably, ethically raised and grass fed meat. Or go veg! The corporate meat industry is absolutely gross and inhumane.

- Keeping a sense of balance and not taking everything too seriously. Life is about having fun and working towards our goals one step at a time. No one is perfect and we know that all too well. We eat out just like everyone else and realize there's no sane way we can control 100% of our food. We do what we can and make improvements when we are able.

Anyone have some tips they'd like to share?

The great outdoors

2010-03-24T23:57:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have not seen much of the outdoors due to trés schoolwork but I do pop out every now and then for "study breaks" to help out in the garden whenever possible. Now that it's spring break maybe I can catch up with some reading.. there's a pile of books 2 feet high next to my bed! Even took a few pictures yesterday of various bits and pieces I thought were looking lovely in the evening air.

Thankfully the others have been luckier in being able to welcome spring to our doorstep. We have a massive list of projects underway from harvesting and planting, tending the vineyard and our other family businesses, staying on track with environmentally friendly home improvements and our "green" retrofitting of the urban homestead, while staying sane and taking time out for ourselves on a regular basis. (Though time for ourselves easily turns into more projects during this time of year!)

a homegrown power snack!

we often wonder why there are so many rocks to dig up...

and figure there must be a castle buried under here somewhere!

our pear tree

new (and totally fashionable) garden boots.

odds and ends

soon...

sweetpea!

spring beauty

adorable baby collards!

lunar white carrots.

wine grapes

purple potatoes

and more

can you tell I am excited about potatoes?

asparagus time! (in about 2 years)

the troops are assembled...

UP NEXT! Stay tuned for ways we have found to save time while still getting things done and staying conscious...

Spring Equinox!!

2010-03-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a very happy Spring!!! After a couple days of gardening, drafting crop rotations and planting schedules, and attending a lovely equinox party at a friend's house I feel very grateful for spring. Our second window is installed, new projects are underway and life couldn't be more magical. After the winter months it is a huge relief just to feel sun on skin again.

Seems like the shock of the new season has put lots of people in the "nesting" mood. The hardware store down the street from us was awash in folks with projects! The garden center is fully loaded and a reminder that there will be lot's of deals on pallets of soil that has broken open and a great way to save money on getting a new garden started. Last year we were like vultures over the free used coffee grounds from coffee shops to fuel our compost pile and layered beds!

Thankfully, mulching and composting has reformed our dead soil into a living, breathing entity all on it's own and we need far less organic matter to get us primed for the year. I am so proud of our worms! Composting is downright religious around here and something I get pretty evangelical over. Really, how could anyone throw away an orange rind or vegetable scrap knowing that there's amazing plant food in there??? Ridiculous!

Energy Star!

2010-03-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

The 1948 cinder block house that sits in the middle of the garden can be quite a challenge to live in sometimes. We have been slowly fixing up this place for almost ten years now and there's still plenty of room left for home improvement. For instance, the windows are the same windows that have always been here as far as I can tell (except for one) so there isn't much in the way of insulation. The bathroom windows (weird old ones casement windows with broken cranks) don't even close all the way so we have to shut the bathroom door to keep the draft out.

This week we got a brand new window!

Our friend Jake helping with the installation

Checking to see if everything works..

Voila!

We're putting in the other bathroom window in a couple of days too. Exciting!

Secret Spy

2010-03-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

There's always a mysterious pair of eyes lurking around the garden. Her name is Jilly, our roof-top tabby cat! Can you spy her in any of these photos?

another alien rock formation...

organization is key

three musketeers!

goodness, what else is hidden!

growing...

sweet peas!

mini rows

one potato..

two potato...

..madly.

Cabbage Patch (since it's St Patty's day n all!)

vision and re-vision

new life

Word of the day:

Momo means peach in Japanese

It's been BUSY around here lately (can you tell?). March is just a crazy gardening month and with the Vernal Equinox in TWO DAYS it's going to be in an uproar. So stay tuned as we get back to our regularly scheduled program!

The Best Hummus Recipe in the World!

2010-03-04T18:13:00.000-08:00

::heart::

This post is a little bit overdue but I have been busier than usual with work, school, the garden etc... it's been hard keeping up with so many projects but I just wanted to share this amazing hummus recipe with everyone, and especially my lovely Aunt Janet all the way back East who asked me for the recipe. ..

Hummus:

1 can of rinsed chick peas

1/3 cup of tahini (1/2 cup if you like it thicker)

1/3 cup of yogurt (for smoothness)

2 or 3 mint leaves or a small fennel frond

2 cloves of garlic

Juice of 1 lime

Salt to taste

Throw everything into a food processor and blend for a minute or two. If you want it less thick, add a little water or more lime juice. More tahini will make your hummus thicker. Top with paprika, chopped nuts, chives, or whatever you want. You can use the hummus as a dip, spread, or filling. I like dipping veggies and bread in it. Delicious!

PICTURES!

Farmers Market Pumpkin! Isn't it gorgeous?

SEEDLINGS!

Getting a good start on 2010 we decided to set up a seed starting system and the tomato seeds are sprouted! We started at least 10 new varieties at home and a friend of ours has about 10 more kinds we will be swapping for. Stay tuned for updates on which ones are the winners here on our urban farm!

Ginger infused syrup...

Homemade Ginger Ale!

This has to be one of Justin's best ideas yet. A simple mixture of ginger infused syrup, water, and yeast becomes the freshest-tasting ginger soda I've ever had and takes only two days. This is definitely an amazing secret everyone should know and it's also another item off the grocery store list for us. And EASY too!

An art project (in progress)

We moved a raised bed to make room for a new container herb garden.

FIELD TRIP!

I recently visited a friend of mine who started her farm near to us and was absolutely amazed by what I saw. Courtney, after interning with our local grass-fed lamb producer, has gotten right to work on her own property and now has a flock of sheep, goats, chickens and even a sweetheart of a llama named Sally. (I think I'm in love with llamas now) It was inspiring to see all of this happening and the real hands-on way she cares for her livestock. In today's modern society it's just getting hard to find my farming contemporaries. According to statistics only about 2 percent of local farmers are under the age of 35. I feel thankful that I can relate to not only someone close in age but another woman as well! Exciting! I am just so bummed out that I forgot to bring my camera. Oh well, gives me an excuse to visit the animals again :D

Peach

Year of the Tiger

2010-02-20T16:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year!

Okay, this took me long enough but here's the Valentine's Day update, finally! As I posted earlier, we had our first big event of the season for the winery (Greenfamilywinery.com) on Valentine's Day, which also happened to be Chinese New Year so we celebrated both and it was just the most perfect day anyone could ask for. The sun was bright, warm and seemed to welcome us all outdoors. Lot's of people stopped by to visit and take in Nature's grand display and, of course, try out the local wine!

The Daffodils are here!

"Tasting"

Winemaker Charlie Green's show and tell!

True homegrown, hand crafted reds.

Drink Local

I think everyone had a good time.

These gals were such fun!

Nautical themes are a favorite of ours.

I even managed to whip up some local goodies.

Hand crafted headbands by Jen and I :)

Too Cute!

Here I am demonstrating how they work ;)

Special Thanks to dear friends..

I wanted to send a big thank you and a hug to all of our wonderful friends who came out and enjoyed the beautiful day with us. You guys are amazing. Mr John L, I didn't get a picture of you but you're included!!! XOXO

Diego's Awesome Salsa!!!

Feathers!!!

edible landscaping

more mandala garden bonfire photos to come..

that's just how we roll.

Spectacular

Hard working hens!

Still life project, by Justin.

Eggs ready to go

SWEET!

2010-02-13T23:06:00.000-08:00

Here's a story that just came out in the local paper...

Looks like our girls are no longer on the run! :)

Thanks, Leo, for the head's up!

~Winery Event: Valentines Day Weekend~

2010-02-11T19:38:00.000-08:00

This week has been extra busy for us here on the farm and out at the Winery (www.greenfamilywinery.com). With spring planting upon us, pruning that needs to get done, planning workshop presentations, running a couple businesses and attending college classes (for my brother and I) we are learning how to spin multiple plates fairly quickly. Still, there is never enough time to get everything done and we just have to be happy with that. I have so many projects on my calender as it stands and still have a feeling like I'm leaving something out... Did anyone remember to get the eggs today?

Speaking of eggs, the girls have really decided that it is time to LAY, not that I'm complaining! More eggs just means more tasty egg sandwiches, cakes, quiche and soufflé! This morning we tried them soft boiled with slices of buttered toast and I cannot describe how good they were. I also notice that they don't have that funny taste that store bought eggs do. Simply amazing.

Not everything is goes perfectly though; I managed to cut my finger tonight trying to wrestle giant roast into submission and as I wait for it to finish cooking I am trying to get a seed order in at the same time as I order a last minute book for my Asian Art History class. The chocolate port truffles and home-made dill hummus are next. I think I need a glass of wine :)

If it makes you wonder what I'm doing with all this food, I am preparing the refreshments for our Valentine's Day event out at the Winery this weekend. Depending on the weather, we are going to be outside (hopefully picnic style) or in the tasting room enjoying our latest release with local FOOD and MUSIC (open to the public). Hours will be noon to about 4:30p.m. Saturday and Sunday and everyone is welcome to stop by and check out the view.

Phone: (530) 888.8866

Address: 3420 Pine Ridge Ln. Auburn CA 95603 (To the left off Mt. Vernon Rd)

Tomorrow I am off to, yes, prune grape vines and do some gardening. On saturday I will swing by the local Auburn Farmer's Market and pick a selection of fresh, in-season veggies to go with my famous home-made hummus. All the Auburn and Placer County Wineries will be hosting some kind of event so it will be worth the trip for those who live in the surrounding areas.

And with luck...

We may have some fresh, home-made ginger ale to share! Here is Justin trying his hand at a new experiment. (It tastes fantastic so far!)

I think I have the coolest friends ever

Getting tips from the Unicorn certainly helps.

Vineyard Work: Day Two

2010-02-07T20:32:00.000-08:00

Slowly but surely, we are getting the yearly pruning done out in the vineyard. It's slow going but meditative and the human touch let's us know exactly what needs to happen next. Here, you can see how we sometimes propagate new vines when needed.

Here I am (with "farm girl" hair) cutting free the cane that has rooted and produced a beautiful clone. Now they are friends :)

Upgrades!

2010-02-06T00:42:00.000-08:00

Here in the garden, things have been perking up quite a bit as we continue to get deliciously warm breaks in the weather. A lot of talk about perennial plants lately and a few new arrivals have come to stay! The new Forest Garden in the backyard has begun to take root...

Artichokes!

Rhubarb!

Raspberries!

Along with our new perennial plants, the gates get a little touch-up with the addition of some handcrafted arches. It's always a flurry of activity around here when the sun peeks out from behind the clouds, people start to enjoy the fresh clean air, and things seem to magically appear.

Over winter, as the rain kept us snuggled up with movies, hot soups, and extra layers of sweaters, there's been little chance to get my hand-washing done! Even though we have a "green/organic" dry cleaning service across the street I still like to wash what I own by myself. I figure that if it can't survive my personal touch, then someone else can have it. This is my epic attempt to air-dry laundry without any sun...

all done!

This is what the sky looks like a lot of the time... naked branches, grey sky.

mulberry

neighbor's oak

My chicken photo obsession continues...

Jordan, a mechanic mastermind and creator of the nifty hydrogen fuel cell took the time to come out and craft these lovely arches for two of our gates! He whipped these up in no time and was off to tinker on more projects before it started raining again. Thank's Mr. J!

Creation!

The boys were all out with their tools that day but even when it's stormy you wont find them sitting around with nothing to do. Having known these guys for most of my life, I can tell you that they are true outdoorsmen through and through.

Bryan testing the blade of his axe.

fence mending...

check.

terrace is officially done!

With all the new upgrades and installments going on out in the yard, we finally have the new and improved compost bin finished! Hooray!

Do you think it's big enough?

probably :)

Hydrogen Fuel

2010-02-05T00:24:00.000-08:00

Here's yet another future project we are looking into at the moment. After a friend of ours stopped by to visit, we got a glimpse of a pretty cool technique for increasing the milage on a vehicle by adding a hydrogen cell directly to the engine. There are various ways to do this and some research on the internet gave us some interesting ideas. Here are a few pictures I shot of the fuel cell in action. Needless to say, it was pretty cool to see up close, in person.

The little bubbles at the top of the waterline is the hydrogen going into the air intake. A simple DIY system using an old water filter and some inexpensive parts.

Voila!

H2O powered baby!!!

Gaia

2010-02-04T22:40:00.000-08:00

I would like to introduce...

my sweet potato!

~ Gaia ~

Not only is she a beauty but, as an edible plant, these tubers make one of the sweetest houseplants on the planet (in my opinion anyway). In fact, there are so many edible plants out there that I see no reason to have any other kind. I must find that dual purpose plants are more of a motivation to care for anyhow since I always end up killing plants that are purely decorative. There are a gazillion edible flowers out there that can turn an ordinary veggie garden into a beauteous wonderland. Nasturtiums, for starters, make amazing salads and garnishes and roses add a sweet flavor to syrups, teas and have medicinal uses as well.

Sweet Potatoes are super nutritious. They were originally cultivated by the native Americans and provided early homesteaders and Revolutionary War soldiers with their main source of nourishment. They were also grown in Peru as early as 750 b.c. and Asia produces 90% of the world's crop. It's no wonder because they are tasty, especially when baked with butter, brown sugar, and marshmallows.

The round reddish ones are the sweetest and look so pretty sitting in a vase with water underneath. Putting a little fish in the bottom would help add organic nutrients to the water feeding the plant and create a beautiful, miniature aquaponic system. Just like sprouting an avocado seed, it takes only plain water to start these guys sprouting gorgeous leaves that remind me of some of the house plants sold in stores. This one is doing very well on my dimly lit kitchen counter.

Now that you know everything about my lovely Gaia, you should get one for yourself! You may even be able to spot one, free, hanging out in a neglected pantry somewhere like I did. I highly recommend trying to integrate as many edible plants as possible into your home and garden.

Isn't she amazing? :)

Countdown to Spring!

2010-02-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

There are only 45 days left till spring! The weather can't seem to make up it's mind so it's hard to tell when we will get a good day for gardening but today was perfect.

garden rebel

onion patch

greens

*slurp*

Valentine salad mix sprouts

lantern

whiskers

and toes

lettuce

potato patch

fava beans

more favas

elephant garlic

under cover

sage

artichoke

daffodil

fig

nearly spring

clover

naturally green "lawn"

chicken gossip

finishing up the terrace!

baby nettle (we think)

~last crab apple~

Chickens

Every time I have my camera in my hands and see the chickens in the yard I cannot help but take a hundred photos! They are just so darn cute! Here they are pecking away after we uncovered a fresh straw bale. For some reason, they just love new straw.

Ms. B

I'm even tempted to try a bite

fuzzy butts

crocus

more chicken antics

pear

the kindling cometh

fennel fronds

fancy new homemade row covers!

Vineyard Work: Day One

2010-02-01T22:36:00.000-08:00

sneaking up on Justin

So begins the annual business of pruning the vines at our family vineyard just a couple miles from town. It's all hands on deck for this one and we usually get through it fairly quickly. If you're planning on planting your own vineyard and doing the work yourself, don't forget to be thankful if your family and friends stick around year after year- and let them know how much you appreciate the help!

This year we are beginning to experiment with new ways of sustainable vineyard management. Most vineyards use herbicides to kill any weeds that grow underneath the vines that threaten to disrupt watering and make harvest difficult. Using toxic chemicals is certainly an effective way of getting rid of the problem but it's not the best solution. There are a variety of alternatives to do this but we have chosen mulching as our main approach.

The great thing about grape vines is that they are extremely drought tolerant and water efficient plants. Once established, it takes only a few days per year of drip irrigation during the hottest summer months to keep them happy. Most of the work comes in spurts during the annual pruning, trellising, and harvest.

Over the years we've seen many people start small vineyards in the area thinking that it's a glamorous business to get into... Until they have one. Most people don't really consider the time and effort involved in planting and maintaining a successful vineyard. It's not so difficult if you've got lots of money to spend but to actually sustain a business is another matter... If you are still optimistic about growing grapes, well, get yourself a wide-brimmed hat, a big bottle of sunblock and come on out! The farmer's tan is free. ;)

the view

~Wolf Moon~

2010-01-29T21:12:00.000-08:00

enamored with the night

moon fable

Tonight is the night of the "Wolf Moon", and the largest and brightest full moon of the year (January). Native Americans named it this after the howling wolf packs they heard during the winter. There are different moon-names for every month.

Unfortunately, it is raining tonight but I did get a picture last night as the moon made it's way across the night sky while we burned up fallen twigs from the Sycamore tree... It was beautiful.

twig collection

even more fire photos

urban "camping"

winter warmth

All that glitters is not gold.

2010-01-26T23:39:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we had a small bonfire gathering right in the center of our burgeoning mandala garden and were determined to christen this newly developed plot rain or shine! The wistful pile of cleared blackberry bushes and random debris left by the stormy weather was just calling out for a bonfire. After we got the last measurements marked out we were blessed with a break in the rain! Toasting marshmallows, watching children play, gazing up at the constellations, feeling the warmth of flames on a cool night, and chatting with friends who fearlessly braved the soggy conditions was so enchanting... I just wish I hadn't put down my camera when everyone started showing up! Here's a few pictures I managed to capture...

Brambles and flames.

Evening bonfire

Sparks!

Burn Day

Fixated on the fire...

Getting back to garden updates! It's been raining for what seems like an eternity and, while GREAT for the garden, there are many activities that have been put on hold until working conditions improve. Luckily, this just means that our recently drought stricken area will be quenched for the time being. We are really thankful to have all this rain as farming and living conditions will certainly improve for the entire state of CA. On top of that, all this liquid gold is perfect for a super top secret project that we've started working on. Stay tuned for pictures to come...

Mostly though, this has been a grand time for all crafting adventures and I think that I've fallen quite in love with feathers! Here's a peek at something I recently put together. This is the outer covering of a hanging folder in my office space at home. Why have boring walls when you can glue feathers on?

Feathery

Rain is Good...

2010-01-18T19:34:00.000-08:00

...at least that's what I keep telling myself while so many projects are screaming for attention... Still, without the rain, nothing would be possible and our plants would all dry up and we'd starve (in theory anyway unless the government has a huge stockpile of "soylent green").

So not much to do on these super rainy days but keep dry and plan for when it stops. Not that I mind, there's so much else to do indoors as well! hopefully though, we get a break sometime this week to burn some of the brush we've accumulated from clearing blackberries in the vineyard. Depending on the weather and imposed burn day status, we plan to have a simple gathering and celebrate the progression of our circular mandala-shaped garden at the vineyard. The wood ashes left by burning the brush will, in turn, enrich the soil by providing crucial minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium which aid in neutralizing acidic soil. Finger's crossed for Friday!

The vines have yet to be pruned but that will have to wait until the rain stops too. One of the lovely things about Permaculture is the simple beauty of it's systems. In order to get the most output for what we put into making our wine we have to be smart about how we work. Since we don't hire extra help in the vineyard and do the work ourselves, this is an important strategy for us to keep in mind. For instance, working through the rain may work for some farmers but our vines will stay dormant until about March so there are still plenty of time to wait for a more pleasant day to prune, and let me tell you, pruning hundreds of grapevines is not something you can do on a spare weekend unless there's help!

Daily tasks around our urban micro-farm still need tending to on a daily basis; feeding and caring for chickens, keeping up with the planting, chores around the house, small DIY projects, upkeep of the homestead, and running our family businesses. On top of that, we each have our own personal lives to lead. Steadily though, things are getting done and growing more efficient with ever new lesson learned and measure taken. Slowly, step by step...

Winter is the best time of year to make future plans in the garden, compost leaves, repair things, do research, gaze-at-the-sky-through-naked-tree-limbs-because-its-pretty and this is exactly what we're up to now. Back to checking things off the "to do" list! :)

Here's what our day's have been looking like recently:

Peeking out the window

Our Tree

Canon Rebel!

2010-01-12T18:08:00.001-08:00

Hooray, I finally got a camera! For me, this is really exciting news as I've been dreaming of upgrading to something I can really use for while now. It's digital and perfect for uploading photos to the computer/internet and making all kinds of artsy things. So after the long wait, I am finally ready to head outside and take some pictures (although I'm sure they will not compare to Justin's fabulosity in this area but I am still learning :)

Science!

Optics 101

Yesterday, while out and about making a wine delivery and having lunch with Pops, we had a wild discussion about the evolution of photo technology and I got an amazing lesson on how things have changed over the years. This is my Dad, Charles, showing me how optics worked "back in the day" before digital cameras.

It is always impressive the way he can describe anything and it makes sense. People often call him when they need help with one thing or another, especially when it is about winemaking. Some have already asked that he start doing workshops on a variety of subjects. Given his talent and passion for making wine and growing grapes in the foothills, we think that may be a great future project, so, we'll see!

Photography Lesson

Charlie Green

Thanks Dad! <3

2010 Blue Moon Eclipse: Beginnings

2010-01-09T19:22:00.000-08:00

eclipse

As some may know, we were welcomed into the year 2010 by the majesty of a Blue Lunar Eclipse and so far so good! Today while working on the outline for the Mandala Project at our vineyard in the hills just a few miles from where I live we heard a great commotion in the valley below us. It was the sound of thousands of birds chirping in nearby trees! Lately, Auburn has been shrouded in dense fog that crept out from the American River Canyon so needless to say it was quite amazing to hear the sound but not see a single bird. This is sure to be a year of mysteries and exciting new destinations!

We spent a few hours working on the design of the Mandala Permaculture Garden and, after consulting with Mom (our Feng Shui expert), have the basic outline and position established. Our star will point up (North) and most everything else will revolve around this key pattern. Next week we will begin filling out the circular beds or "guilds" and the pathways. A little soil amending and mulching will have everything in working order for spring!

On the Urban Garden Front:

Tonight I am busy as a bee sewing seeds and making the next set of adjustments in our winter garden adventure. There are new plants such as Lovage, Kailaan, Itallian Kale, Purple Cosmic Carrots, and Sorrel to try. Other plants from last year that didn't do as well we will be trying again: brussels sprouts, turnips, onions... we have a lot to learn yet!

Another venture that we've been tossing around is the possibility of adding goats and ducks to our backyard menagerie! The idea still on the back burner but I get pretty worked up over the thought of any cute fluffy addition to the family so we'll see. The main concern is our limited space. Being as we are living on only 1/5 acre with 6 people, long-term planning, research, and a balance of resources has to be taken into consideration. One major benefit that might come of owning our own fiber producing goats is the potential for producing our own angora or cashmere yarn. We have talented knitters, seamstresses and artists among us who could put the outcome to good use!

Along with the baking and preserving, I have decided to add fermenting to the list of things I should share with all our readers (by the way, thank you all again for all the kind and encouraging comments!). Doing lots of reading on the subject lately so there should be many exciting adventures to write about on that end. Ah, so many fun projects!

A refugee from our former garden

A scarecrow that was found in a dumpster by my Brother, Geo. We are huge fans of recycling and reusing, and especially fond of liberating items that might otherwise have been thrown away. Waste not want not! This distinguished gentleman may find a future home yet! Just needs a good washing and a new outfit. ;)

There's a thousand birds out there, somewhere...

OK! Take care dear hearts and may the year 2010 be a blissful one :)

Trees in the mist

2010-01-07T00:55:00.000-08:00

A few pictures from today...

Drive to the Vineyard

Familiar countryside

Dormant Grape Vines

New garden beginnings..

The Mandala

In tune with the stars.

We call it Home.

-AND-

Lovely holiday gifts from our Neighbor Tom and family!

*thank you!*

A fresh start!

2010-01-04T01:27:00.000-08:00

And it really doesn't get fresher than this...

Rainbow Carrots and Beets!

But it wouldn't happen if it weren't for this...

One of our compost bins.

Recently, we dug up our smallest compost container and were rewarded with enough fresh amazing "black gold" to completely fill up our newest garden bed and top off the rest with a layer of rich fertilizer! In 2009, after building the first raised beds in the garden, we didn't have much to go on and did our best by making do with what little earth we had, using the layer/no till method of gardening, and buying "culled" pallets of soil that had been hugely discounted at a nearby home and garden center. Now that our composting has really begun to pay off, the cycle is complete! The soil (hard red clay) that feeds us and the animals, in turn, is being nurtured.

It just needed a little love.

You can see the charred wood of the pallets we used for the sides. Here's a tip, don't throw your wood ashes in the compost until you're SURE there are no embers! Hot coals can smolder over night and stay live for hours (which is what happened to us). Finding smoke coming from the pile definitely alerted us and prompted calming cups of tea and sighs of relief afterwards!

Spring Tulips and Roses to be...

Seedlings ready to be planted!

Waiting to germinate.

Close-up

We use deer netting to cover our freshly planted garden beds to keep the kitties from thinking this is their litter box. Wish their were one small enough to keep out the bad bugs!

A little patio revamping :) -Rosemary-

We love cabbage!

The difference between a whim and a passion...

2010-01-03T21:39:00.001-08:00

Growing our own food has been a much needed miracle. Nothing less.

The difference is in the taste, the smell and the feel of it. This type of thing is often hard to explain. You know when it's right. For us, "it" is the excitement when we find warm eggs in the nest box and the surprise of pulling up a particularly huge beet or carrot from living earth you've worked with your own two hands. Nothing can compare to the relationship that grows between person and animal and nature when living in perfect harmony and when there is a certain ring and pride in calling yourself a farmer. Gardening, we have found, suits us. For some unexplainable reason growing food a few feet from our front door, only steps away from where we lay our heads at night, just feels real and true.

Tomorrow we are getting a strong start to the new year and have SO much planned! I am so glad to be able to share this with all of you!

Stewardship...

2009-12-30T20:17:00.000-08:00

::Refers to our responsibility to care for our natural resources- land, air, wildlife, and water- sustainably, so future generations can enjoy them::

This is what we are working towards here at our urban homestead and now that we are nearing the end of the year it seems important to take a look around us and think of all the possibilities and directions we want to engage for the future. I know that, as a whole, the garden has grown more than ever and seeing the progress has inspired me to extend my own reach as far as possible. Here are some of our new year's resolutions:

-Upgrade our grey water system

-Experiment with raising bees for honey

-Expand our urban garden

-Preserve more and shop less for food

-Utilize more solar energy

-Plant more fruit trees and bushes

-Always always keep learning how to garden organically and do things ourselves

There are many more but these are the big ones. I have a personal resolution to maybe get a few ducks to raise for eggs so I'm crossing my fingers... Here are a few photos of recent garden scenes. (by Justin of course!)

Little pea plants

First attempt at Fava Beans is lookin' good! These versatile beans are amazingly healthful and even the shoots can be eaten. Having never grown these before, I am amazed at this extremely cold-tolerant plant. The tender budding sprouts withstood our frigid snow-day this year when temps were all the way down to the teens!

Going strong

We finally got around to planting these tulip bulbs today in a brand new flower bed in front of the house. When spring comes, these rows will be bursting with beautiful color. Plus! they are edible and can be used as garnish so they fit in here in our all-edible garden. There are such a wide variety of edible flowers that I intend to grow as many as possible (another resolution).

Bucket of bulbs

Well, that's it. It's been a fantastic year here and I am SO excited to do it all over again! Really, growing food has been the most super duper thing ever. :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

La Dolce Vita

2009-12-21T23:49:00.000-08:00

Been Baking..

Choc. Chip

Last minute post before spending time withe the rest of the family! Over the past year we have all been so enamored by Nature and the beauty that working with the land has taught us. Going to be taking a short break but I thought I would put up a few photos of our recent holiday baking and kitcheny things. Enjoy.

It all starts with butter...

Thumb Print cookies with homemade jam.

So Good!

Our citrus harvest from the backyard.

Buddha Hand, Grapefruit, Meyer Lemon...

Candied buddha.

Finished Jam

No Knead Bread #1

No 2

Thank you youtube

.:Heart Beet:.

2009-12-14T23:32:00.000-08:00

.:by Justin Chiaratti:.

Just Us Kids...

2009-12-13T19:15:00.000-08:00

~~Fall~~ Winter Harvest Cont...

I am so happy to share this amazing little photo with everyone. This is our lemon/grapefruit/ buddha hand harvest of the season. I can hardly believe we planted these trees just a few months ago!

Amazing!

Just us...

Crafts time!

Hot Glue/Me

Sometimes, when no one else is around, I get into a flurry of crafting and other assorted activities. Justin loves to sneak up on people when they're not paying attention and he caught me in the act! This is me recycling some branches from the tree Bryan cut down last week. I thought I'd craft a couple of wreaths for holiday decorating. Better not tell the parents... they'll all want one! ;)

Back to ~~work~~ gardening:

We are finally back to normal with the rainy weather melting the last of the snow and bringing much needed water to our winter crops and native plants. I'm looking forward to wildflower season already! Today's tomato plant removal was only slightly chilly in the drizzle and cloud cover (thank you carhart vest and work boots) and, other than that, most of the activities took place indoors. Speaking of which, the ants have really been stepping up their invasions as per usual when things get cold and wet outside. Likewise, we have been stepping up our winterization of the garden by doing lots of mulching, cleaning up, replanting, and getting the row-covers in gear asap! We've learned that it is never too soon to get started when it comes to farming.

The noblest of all fruits:

Mandarin season is in full swing and our friend Leo brought us a whole bag full of them! I doubt I can think of too many things more delicious than sweet sweet holiday mandarins. I can eat an entire bag full of them without even trying. These ones were reported to have come from one of the first orchards in Nevada City from a tree close to 50 years old! They are beauties!

Holiday Cheer

Green Goodness:

Another experiment is underway here at our Urban Farm. Like I said earlier, our tomato vines had come to a point where they didn't want to cooperate with the weather and we were left with about 25lbs of green tomatoes and a ton of ideas! This is a green tomato relish in progress. The recipe was given to me by my Aunt Judith who was given the recipe by her mother in law. I am now the recipient of a great family tradition and I am crossing my fingers that all goes well! Tomorrow I'll can it up and get everyone's opinion.

In fact every time someone hands me down a family recipe I feel like I've been entrusted with a wonderful secret. I've been meaning to compile a family cook book and maybe someday I will get around to it. So many projects!

Home-grown green tomato relish!

::all photos by Justin Chiaratti::

Cooped-up

2009-12-10T23:40:00.000-08:00

Jilly Bean on ice

Over the course of our snow-encrusted week here on the homestead we have gotten a chance to know our lil' animal friends a whole lot better. First of all, everyone seems to be adapting to the crazy weather beautifully. Jilly, our little winter wild cat has made herself quite at home amidst the frozen drifts and shows us her natural animal instincts are still intact.

Miss Josephine

At first our backyard chickens were not sure of what to do with themselves and mostly just stayed in their coop where they felt safe. As I added straw to the sides and around the edges of their lil house they were slowly tempted to come out and scratch around a bit. They had enough of being "cooped-up" and eventually took to flapping around the yard, landing on anything that wasn't snow covered. The extra hay on the ground really helped them feel like things were back to normal and are scratching and clucking as if nothing were different. The good thing about chickens (especially our heirloom varieties) is that they are extremely cold-tolerant and adapt even in areas known to have long, frigid winters much colder than California. Still, having a dry, draft free place is essential.

Chilling on a newly constructed garden bed for a better view

Since this is the first flock of chickens I've raised on my own I kept a careful eye on them during the snow storm and tried to make them as comfortable as I could. Covering the ark with a folded tarp and stuffing it full of insulating straw was a good start but I wanted to add a little heat just in case and ran a light out for them.

Still not sure if this is cool or not.

Here you can make out the extension cord running into the chicken ark. They might not need it, but I wanted to be sure the girlies were extra cozy at night. The lamp and piles of rice straw make a big difference when temps are in the teens! Having fresh room-temperature water to drink is also very important when there's ice and snow about. The water dish actually froze solid over-night so we have been refreshing it with water from the house periodically so they aren't drinking icy water.

Gotta get out of the coop!

Details.

2009-12-08T12:44:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone! It's me, Lin, again and I'm just butting in on Justin's lovely photo post because he said I should add a few descriptions to go with them. As you can see we woke up Monday morning to TONS of snow everywhere! This is the first time I remember it snowing this heavily in about 20 years living in the foothills of Auburn. At about 1500 feet, we don't usually get snow like this but when we do it is absolutely beautiful.

Snowy Rose Buds

Loquat...

Unfortunately, the rarity of heavy snows in our area also means we can be quite unprepared. This is a picture of our poor Loquat tree that snapped under the weight of all of that snow! Seems like we will be redoubling our fruit tree planting endeavors for the next year.

What would we do without farm boots!!

It was certainly good fortune that led me to buy a pair of trusty farm/work boots a couple weeks ago that I saw on sale. Now we are all geared up for any weather; rain, shine, or even snow. Not only do they keep our feet dry but having a pair on hand for trudging through wet earth and mud is a farm and garden must. No more ruined shoes that's for sure!

Front yard covered!

Another fact of urban micro-farm life is that unless you have the proper equipment to keep young and cold-sensitive plants from being damaged. This time we unfortunately have been too busy working on the back yard construction and, for me, college finals to get everything under cover. We aren't too sad though, the tomatoes have stopped ripening in the chilled air and it is high time to pull out last seasons plants anyway. The thought of having all those lovely green tomatoes to experiment with in the kitchen makes me even more determined to come up with something delectable.

Saying goodbye to the tomato vines

Every last one.

Hidden treasure...

Garden Guardian on patrol.

This stuff is FUN!

Cabbages are a cool weather crop after all...

Having never tried cabbages before, we expect to have a few casualties before finding the right balance for our newcomer veggie. Still, they seem to be doing fine and I will post an update on the survivors of our sudden snow day tomorrow.

A few of our garden residents don't seem to mind

Bring on the row covers!!!

Yep, winter is here for sure

It's only sleeping...

Snow!

2009-12-07T15:53:00.000-08:00

It snowed! Details soon!

SQUASH!

2009-12-06T22:04:00.000-08:00

Tonight was one of the coldest nights so far this year. As usual, I always start thinking of something tasty to bake when its this chilly. Lucky for us there was a massive bowl of cooked squash in the fridge that needed to be used up. It was lovely to dispatch the mound of assorted squash and bake some squash cookies...

And...

Turkey/home-grown squash soup! (almost gone)

After tonight I really feel like I have hit an all-time record in squash recipes. I love to bake them, puree them into magical soups, smother them in honey and butter, make them into casseroles, and now baking them into tasty desserts and breads! Who would have thought that you can do so much with these things? There must be even more uses that await our squashes in the future that need a little attention. More to come!

Aquaponics!

2009-12-05T01:39:00.000-08:00

One of our very first aspirations here on our urban microfarm was setting up an aquaponics system. Basically, it is the reconceptualizing of waste water into an edible food source. The fact that we can lower our impact on the earth and provide fresh organically grown vegetation at the same time is not a new idea. The ancient Aztec and Egyptian cultures have been utilizing integrated vegetable and fish farming polyculture long before us.

An aquaponic home-cultivation system is a symbiotic relationship between fish and plants in a recirculating environment. Think of it as a large fish tank coupled with a hydroponic vegetable crop. The nitrogen produced by the fish waste is recirculated and consumed by the plants who, in turn, filter and clean the water for the fish. Oftentimes, Tilapia fish are used and harvested as another food source. Both fresh water and salt water systems can be implemented.

We have been playing around with a few different designs and are planning to integrate this wonderful concept to our daily lives.

Jammin'

2009-12-04T23:42:00.000-08:00

We've been experimenting here at the homestead as of late... Here's a picture of our very first batch of organic// homegrown// homemade persimmon jam!

::love::

Homegrown Hubbard Squash/persimmon jam Muffins!

Along with the jam, I decided to to whip up a few dozen (homegrown) hubbard squash and persimmon jam muffins too. There is nothing like cozying up to a hot cup of tea as sweet treats bake in the oven on a chilly day...

As the temps drop to near freezing at night the garden is taking on a decidedly shabby/dull look to it. The tomatoes are no longer turning colors and are just hanging green on the vine. Some of them will ripen indorrs and some will stay green. Good thing we love fried green tomatoes for breakfast!! I even have a green tomato relish recipe of my Aunt Judith's I'd love to try out...

For now, veggie season is slowing waaaay down but we are already mulling over the new seeds we want to purchase for the new year. So many new varieties to try and so little space/time! We are just content to have the last of the peppers, tomatoes, and greens from under the row cover. The beets, carrots and other winter edibles will have to last us until spring. Tomorrow is grocery day at the local farmers market to buy bread and other staples.

Stay tuned for the winter garden update!

Canning Preperation

2009-12-01T21:50:00.000-08:00

With the mother load of persimmons we picked it's canning time! This is my first real attempt at canning and I have a good recipe I want to try out tomorrow so I'll post updates later.

For now, here's a picture of Justin planting potatoes. This year we figured that we planted a little late so we are doing a test patch of different dates to find out when works best for our area. Potatoes also help to break up the soil for future veggie beds and we have plenty of spaces that need a little kick start. Last season's potato patch certainly was transformed into a beautiful place for our peas this fall!

Justin's becoming quite the farmer! Rain or shine baby!

Another point of interest are the latest backyard activities. We are finally getting ready to do some DIY construction for a new storage shed and animal enclosure for our chickens. Now that they are grown, it will be nice for everyone to have her own nest box!

Bryan with his chainsaw again..

Until the return of Persephone...

2009-11-29T22:50:00.000-08:00

Well, now that we have returned home, life goes on and things are back to normal. The seasons don't wait for anyone and it is time to harvest the persimmons! Here is Justin testing out the new fruit picker on some of the higher fruit.

No problem.

Persimmon cookies anyone?

Millions of persimmons!

So sweet!

There were plenty left for the birds.

Better than the real thing

As the days get even shorter and nights quickly nearing the first winter frost we are trying to find new ways to keep warm! Here's a quick non-dairy "eggnog" recipe for everyone that I whipped up tonight. Warm up some vanilla soy-milk (almond or rice milk also good) add a teaspoon of local honey to a cup along with a sprinkle of fresh (if you have it) grated nutmeg and enjoy. This is sure to warm the toes!

November Changes.

Until She Returns.

The Great Escape

2009-11-28T18:30:00.000-08:00

Urban Chickens get a taste of country livin'...

We built a temp "hotel" for the girls while out of town...

Vacation time for us!

My friend John has a way with hens and calls them "Miss"

With my Brother, George, and his budding pack gone (to Oregon visiting family) for Thanksgiving and a flock of our own to care for here, we decided to make a dash for the Sierras and escape the holiday madness last Thursday. With Dad, Mom, Justin, Mark, Donna, David, Josh, Clinton and I all staying at one of our favorite casinos in Reno NV it was quite a family gathering for us. My Auntie Judith and her brood joined us the next day. For us, getting everyone together can be a challenge and over the years we've adapted by finding places that can accomodate our large bunch so we can be together. The upside; no one has to slave over a hot stove during the holidays and we get to spend our precious time having FUN! Here are some pictures of our Thanksgiving get away! (We don't just farm you know.)

Ice Skating!

Dance Dance...

Gelato

mmm.. Pistachio

Thrift Shopping!

Best Vietnamese Food Ever.

Mom and I

Thankful that we are all together <3

All partied out.

LOVE seeing things like this. "Turn off all lights when leaving"

Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving is what's known as Black Friday. It is the biggest shopping day for Americans and refers to the term, being in the black (turning a profit). Well, it's scary to think what chaos the massive deals some big box stores have driven people to. Last year at a Long Island Walmart, an employee was trampled to death as people burst through the doors in a frenzy to get the most out of there money. Police that came to his aid and even a pregnant woman were also inured in the madness! Is it a coincidence that the Black Friday sounds so ominous?

Well, maybe there is a way to save money and avoid being crushed by a mob... The day after Thanksgiving Justin and I ventured out of our rooms after spying several thrift stores and pawn shops the day before and stumbled upon a darling little shop called Junkee Recycled Clothing. I made out like a bandit finding treasures that Walmart goers could only dream of (maybe) and saved money in process. To me there's nothing quite like finding unique and vintage clothes for cheap.

The funny thing was, after we got back to the hotel, I switched on the Reno local news and they did a short piece about how some people are avoiding the holiday shopping rush by patronizing thrift stores! It gets better, Junkee Recycled Clothes was one of the featured local shops and guess who was shown shopping there??? Me and Justin got such a laugh out of seeing ourselves on TV (even if it was local news) and it was nice to see television promoting something a little less commercial and a bit more sensible for once.

Hoping that everyone is having a great holiday season and finding good ways to save money this year!

How do I look?