The Urban Homestead
Imagine taking a normal city lot with a normal house and turning it into an urban homestead capable of producing 6000 pounds of food a year from 1/5 of an acre. That’s exactly what the Dervaes family has done in Pasadena, California. Here is an aerial view of their home. Can you see all the plantings and paths? Out of the picture, just to the left, is the 710 freeway!
In fact their homestead is so productive they actually have a food surplus taht they sell to local restaurants and caterers. The homestead has become so successful financially that they can invest in technologies such as solar panels and a bio-diesel processor. On the to-do list is the installation of a grey water system, composting toilet, and rain water collection system.
This is a really inspiring story right from America’s front yard and an inspiration to anyone looking to find a way to make the most from what you have. I also realize that this is sort of off topic, from tiny house design, but I knew many people would see the tie in and appreciate the quick post.
Take a look for yourself. Their website can be found at pathtofreedom.com.
Thanks for the great link–it’s an amazing story.
Still can’t quite believe the city of Pasadena allows goats and chicken in the city–even my own smallish city disallows such “farm” animals. Never would have thought such a place could exist smack dab in the middle of the LA metro.
“Still can’t quite believe the city of Pasadena allows goats and chicken in the city”
I was thinking the same thing… but I noticed they used some very carefully worded language on the website… something like “certified farm animals”. It could be they found an old loop hole. Those do still exist and it seems it really matters what you call things. Too bad… but true.
After a quick glance at the blog, maybe the goats are “pets”. Saw a photo of a couple being walked om leashes (hehe).
Something else that surprised me is the neighbors haven’t gone NIMBY on the homestead. The fact that the public areas are aesthetically pleasing and well-maintained may be the key to that. Out of the ordinary dwellings and property usages are more likely to get a friendly reception if they look good. If something is more ragtagish looking, it will struggle to find acceptance. And again, it’s too bad, but true. A certain level of attractiveness probably goes a long way toward greasing the wheels of bureaucratic zoning approval/tolerance.