Showing posts with label Urban Homestead Movement. Show all posts

Some Garden Prep...

We have some amazing women heading up the Community Garden this year. Now that we have insurance through the Chamber of Commerce We can Rock and Roll!! Keep an eye out cause we are adventuring into the world of grants...so keep your fingers crossed for us!!

Soap Lake homesteaders & SL Community Garden

Vegetables You Can Grow in the Winter Edible Garden

Seeds of Freedom

The community garden on iFiber news!!

August Update!!

Just an update at where we are at with the SLUH projects. Some of you maybe wondering what is going on with the community garden or if there is going to be a SL Farmer’s market or how to donate to the Foodpool…

Community Garden ~

We are a rockin and a rollin!! Water is in and land has been cleared. Our Bed making workday is Saturday August 11^th 8 am to 2 pm! We will be working on making 8 beds instead of 12 this year because we are so late in the season but will be making more beds as they are needed. Half the community garden will have beds available for rent and the back half will be our community’s “Giving Garden” that will feed our community family through our food bank.

Project Coordinator

Tracy Gardener Contact Info: tracyjayne@live.com 509-460-1040

Farmer’s Market ~

We are still working on our insurance for our event permit with the city. We are hoping for a Fall Farmer’s Market ;-)

Project Coordinator

Candice Ruffle Contact Info: 509-264-8072

Foodpool ~

We are now taking volunteers and donations for the Foodpool. If you are someone who would like to volunteer a Tuesday morning to collect donations or if you have garden goodies to donate (or anything else for that matter :) Let us know

Project Coordinator

Jennifer Peterson Contact info: SLUH@nctv.com 509-312-9826

Nonprofit status ~

Our Treasurer Brenda Ready has all our nonprofit paper work in YAY!! We will keep you all updated as Brenda teaches us the lingo haha it has been a learning experience indeed and we are so very thankful to have someone as knowledgeable as Brenda jumping the paperwork loops for us.

Soap Lake Community Garden has been CLEARED!!

Message from Mayor...

"The future of Soap Lake is looking brighter than ever. Get out your sunglasses and lend Soap Lake Urban Homesteaders (the Community Garden Organzier's) a hand installing the garden beds and other infrastructure.

Notice the sprinkler running in the background. City crew said the pressure is great.

Big SHOUTOUT to the City Crew for getting this done so quickly when they have so much else going on."

Yay we are on our way!! Let's get some garden beds made!!!!!!!!!!!!!

☼ SLUH Programs Update ☼

Just an update at where we are at with SLUH projects. Some of you maybe wondering what is going on with the community garden or where the Soap Lake Farmer’s Market is or even how to donate to the Foodpool…

Community Garden ~

As of now everything has been approved and signed by the McKay board, city council, and mayor. The hold up is us…what a twist LOL. It seems we need our nonprofit status after all. How it is going to work is that the City and McKay have the lease agreement and SLUH is going to manage the project under the city. For this to work we must have at least nonprofit status. We will be having a fall garden class once the garden is completed and allowing fall gardening for those who are interested.

Farmer’s Market ~

As with the Garden we must have nonprofit status & insurance for our event permit with the city. We are hoping for a Fall Farmer’s Market ;-)

Foodpool ~

We are now taking volunteers and donations for the foodpool. If you are someone who would like to volunteer a Tuesday morning to collect donations or if you have garden goodies to donate (or anything else for that matter :) get a hold of Jennifer Peterson – SLUH@nctv.com, www.Facebook.com/soaplakeurbanhomesteads, or 509-312-9826

Where we’re at ~

So as of now our SLUH secretary is looking into all the legalities of it all to make sure we have the right nonprofit status appropriate to operate our programs (we must come up with the green dough as well ;-). We appreciate everyone’s patience while remembering we are a group of volunteers wanting to make a difference in our community and are learning as we go. A garden and farmer’s market is new to Soap Lake and are beneficial in so many ways…and we’ll get there!!

Empire Feeds w/ Don Strong

Getting Started

Homesteading: “Broadly defined, homesteading is a lifestyle of simple self-sufficiency.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homesteading). “According to author John Seymour, 'urban homesteading' incorporates small-scale, sustainable agriculture and homemaking.” Urban homesteading is really not much different just done in the city. Urban homesteading can refer to anyone embracing the back to the land movement of sustainability and self-sufficiency. The lifestyle is simple, frugal, and rewarding on all levels of being.

We have actually named our family urban homestead “Urbantopia.” For as long as my husband and I have been together we have always had a vegetable garden. Each year it got bigger and bigger. When we lived in Moses Lake we had a 10’ X 50’ veggie garden with a 25’ pumpkin patch. Since moving to Soap lake we have many veggie beds and a greenhouse. The lifestyle has brought on a sort of domino affect of sustainability. We homeschool our children, grow and practice herbal medicines, soap making, candle making, sewing and so much more. The more we learn the more want to learn as we embrace the abundance of the natural rhythm of life ~ ♥ ~

Growing Your Own Food is Empowing~

Growing your own food is empowering. For many people this is the first step to self-sufficiency. The rewards of growing Their own food brings on a domino affect of wanting to learn more rewarding skills. Maybe you live in an apartment and think this kind way of life is out of your reach but think again. Container gardening, Herbs on the window sill, lettuce growning as a center piece on your dining room table (yes we do this :) is one method of beating this myth. Join the Soap Lake Community Garden Project in the process downtown. As you learn and reap the rewards of growing your own fresh organic food you may start to think bigger because the more you learn…the more you want to learn. You may want to learn more about raised beds, composting, or maybe vertical gardening…trust me it is a domino effect~

Preserving Your Harvest~

Well whatcha going to do with all that abundance? Bet you want to learn about food perservation now. It is amazing how much your garden will provide. Our gardens give us enough to last us until the end of the following spring. There are many diy root cellar projects online even methods if you are unable to build one yourself. Canning and dehydrating are the main sources of perserving your havest as well as some others. This will become second nature every year as you harvest Mother Earth’s gifts~

Urban Livestock~

You may decide that some chickens or milking goats would really give you that nudge into true self-sufficiency. As of May 2, 2012 SLUH has convinced the Soap Lake Committee and Mayor to allow 4 city chickens (no roosters). You can read the ordinance HERE to learn more. You can also check out the labels area or chicken page of this website to learn more about raising urban chickens.

A Frugal Life~

Frugality. To some this is a dirty word or their belief associates it with lack. Well the contrary is true. In an urban homesteading way philosiphy it is living a simple life of abundance through consuming less by recycling resources while stepping a little lighter on our Earth. Many urban homesteading take up rewarding skills and crafts such as sewing, soap making, candle making, maybe cooking from scatch. Many go further and learn more about solar/wind power, biking it, or bio fuels. I have a friend that recycle everything from using tires in their garden to composting junk mail…truly go wild with your imagination ~ your jund can become YOUR treasure~

As you poke around the website remember to check back often as we add articles. We will be adding website links in the side bar along with helpful books and magazines. This spring we will be adding Urbantopia videos of our families learnings as well…Happy Homesteading ~