Lately I have noticed a backlash of sorts against the status quo.  Sure, we have seen this in every age when society gets to a specific point, but this one seems to be more extreme, at least in my opinion.  Perhaps it’s because I’m looking for this element, or perhaps it’s because my attention has been focused in this way, but it seems that the modern world of large homes, expensive vehicles, and modern conveniences is being seen as a distraction.

For instance, the Tiny Home movement talks about living in a small space, between 86 sq. ft. to up to 500 sq. ft. (about).  These are dimentions of homes that have existed for centuries.  Log cabins, tents, cottages, etc. have all been built small.  Why?  Generally because building a home is time consuming, and generally you need to get into the house before the elements become too extreme for survival.  Therefore people learned to live in small spaces out of necessity.  As such, their "private time" was spent outdoors in woods, fields, mountains, etc. 

The really interesting thing about the current housing market is the size of the homes being built are larger than many of the castles built in the Middle Ages, or even many of the Roman villas (with a few exceptions of both, to be sure).  They are built to contain an entire ecosystem consisting of a local pub, dance hall, hotel for vistors with washing facilities, and theatre.  How much really does get used, and for how often?  Then there is the maintenance:  repairs, cleaning, dusting, decorating..  the list goes on, and all for space that is hardly ever used.  How easy would it be to replace it with, say, renting a space at a local restaurant, town hall, church, etc. and save the money you would have otherwise spent yearly for the upkeep of a space you may never use again. 

The tiny home community has worked on building a home that fits their needs, while limiting the excess that has come to represent the modern debt-based economy.  Often times modern conveniences are worked around for convenience to the builder, so things such as toilets are turned into composting toilets or outhouses, again a throw back to the chamber pots and latrines of the early decades. 

Farming is also making a comeback, or at least gardening.  Partly for help in the food expenses, partly because it keeps one’s mind busy on something that is rewarding in and of itself, more people are growing vegetables and fruits in their yards than before.  Urban Farming has become a new focus for those in apartments or suburban areas, with window boxes full of tomatoes or salad greens gracing many a home.  This, again, is a throwback to a time when gardening provided a huge amount of variety to the diet. 

Mass transportation has been growing, and more people are buying homes where they can walk or bike to work or to a transit station and commute to work that way.  Before the Model T when the Automobile was king and represented the wealth of those who purchased them, people would often walk if they didn’t have the convenience of a buggy and/or horse.  Bicycles were also very popular because of the level of mobility they provided the individual.  All before the automobile became the new standard of travel. 

It’s interesting to see how the failing economy that was based on so many unsustainable practices has changed the outlook of people in general.  More people are willing to commute to work, more people are willing to due without the guest wing in their new giant home for something a bit more manageable, or people looking for a deeper connection to their land than a lawn that is only mowed and never walked on. 

The really surprising thing is the move toward more primitive living: i.e. the move away from indoor plumbing.  Perhaps it’s just a fringe, but people who currently live in modern homes are building their own dwellings without the convenience of indoor plumbing.  Water is brought in from a well, stream, sistern, or other outdoor source.  The toilet is processed into "humanure", and used for a garden, while gray water is filtered out and used for gardening as well.  Hygenics aside, the fact that people are choosing to make this move is fascinating. 

So I suppose the only question that remains is where this movement will end.  My guess is the housing market will see a reduction in house sizes in response, lot sizes will increase relative to the size of the home, and more gardens will be grown for home-grown produce.  For some reason, though, I don’t see the general public giving up their indoor plumbing.

Earlier last month I planted my front garden in vegetables, with beets, carrots, radishes and lettuce growing like crazy, and the cucumbers not coming up yet at all (might have been too cold, I’m not sure).  The plants, being cold weather plants, are growing wild and free, with plenty of each plant getting their second leaves.  It’s been wet enough with all the rain and snow we have had of late that I have only had to water a couple of times.  Other than that, they are growing quite well on their own. 

Well, a couple of weeks ago I planted my corn, pumpkin, and some melons.  The corn was Bloody Butcher dent corn, which has a beautiful deep red kernel, and some red broom corn, which is actually a sorghum instead of a maize variety.  I purchased both off of eBay, which shipped in plastic bags. 

After I ordered them and put them up in storage for the spring (I ordered them in the Fall), I found out that plastic bags can kill the seed with static electricity.  Anxious, I still planted them and hoped for the best.  That’s why I planted them this month, so if they didn’t grow I would have enough time to purchase some new seed and plant it for this season. 

Well, A week went by with no change in the ground.  Some weeds have been growing, but that was about it.  Nothing more substantial than that.  I was concerned, worried, and anxious that I may have planted bad seed.  I decided that I would give it another week and see if there was any change. 

Well, on Wednesday I was watering the back garden, and sure enough I spotted about 5 little shoots of corn in the same general area.  Not a lot, but I was excited to see that all the seed was not dead and I would have at least enough corn growing this year to have seed for next year.  That may mean that I wouldn’t be able to make parched corn as I had planned, but I was just excited that my red heirloom corn was growing at all. 

Then I checked the garden yesterday after I got home from work:  And I have about 14 shoots!  Yes, my little corn patch is starting to grow.  It’s still a long way off from producing (between 60 to 70 days), but at least I know that I will have the stalks.  As soon as the pumpkins come up (which should be any day now), I can place some mulch around the plants to protect them, give them heat, and slowly leach nutrients into the soil.  Also, once the little plants are well established, I’m going to plant some pole beans next to each corn stalk. 

So that is the garden so far.  On May 9th at Rowland Hall Lower School (720 South Guardsman Way, SLC), Wasatch Community Gardens is holding a sale for various starter plants, which my wife and I will probably be attending.  They have over 42 different heirloom tomatoes, with several heirloom peppers, melons, squash, pumpkins, and cucumbers available.  The vegetable plants are $2.00 each, with a buy 10 get the 11th free.  They also have various perennials available from trees and grasses to flowers and berries.  The perennials are $7.00 to $10.00 each. 

I want to be sure I have some lemon cucumbers growing if my cucumbers don’t sprout here soon, so I’ll probably pick up a couple there with some other pickling cucumbers.  Then I’ll pick up at least three varieties of tomatoes, though I’m still not sure which I want.  I definitely want the Cherokee Purple, which is said to have came across the plains in the Trail of Tears, and I think I want to get the Hawaiian Pineapple for color, the Black from Tula, and either the Amish Paste or 1884.  And finally, I think I’ll pick up a Black Plum, because it keeps its sweetness even when dried.  Sounds like a good sun-dried tomato variety to me, and it’s a deep purple! 

So if you are in the Salt Lake area next weekend, I would encourage you to attend.  Parking may be a bit of a problem in the area, though there is a University parking lot nearby, and it’s free parking on Saturdays (no permit required).  The easiest way to get to Guardsman Way is to come East on 4th South and pass Rice-Eccles Stadium and turn Right at the light past the stadium, or come up 8th South and take the first Left past East High School’s football field.

So that’s the news from the Garden this week!  Next week I’ll see if I can’t give some more details about the sale, and any plants we picked up.  Then as the vegetables get harvested, I’ll let you know how my dehydration for food storage project works.  ^_^ 

I’ve been a little late in posting this, because of storms and other things that have come up over the past couple of weeks.  About mid March we had some really warm weather, and I thought it would be a good time to start planting.  I also knew that at least one more snow storm was on it’s way, so I didn’t want to plant everything.  So, I planted my cold weather plants.  

I started with my Detroit Red beets, which are a good general beet for pickling and baking.  I love pickled beets, particularly if they are sweet beets, so I got quite a few.  They are also heirloom (though not packaged as such), so I can collect the seeds next year and replant them.  I planted about three to four short rows of these.  

Next I planted some watermelon radish seeds that my Parents had, just for some variety.  They are a white radish with a red center.  I planted about three rows of these, though to date my cat has dug up almost one whole row.  Stupid cat.

The next group of plants were my Golden Beets.  Another heirloom variety, these beets do not bleed as the red ones do and are extremely sweet, so they are good for baby food.  I planted three rows of these.  

Following those I planted five rows of an heirloom beet that escapes my memory, but has concentric alternating circles of red and white going through the body.  I thought they would be interesting pickled, and provide some variety with the other two beets. 

I then had my father plant some icicle radishes, a long white radish.  Next to that I planted some regular carrots that my mother picked up.  These were special, in that they were the VeggieTales carrots, which show my nephews absolutely adore.  

Finally I had two very long rows to plant, so I planted some head lettuce and some leaf lettuce.  I’m not usually a lettuce eater, because I’m not too fond of iceberg lettuce (it’s absolutely tasteless in my opinion), and I don’t trust lettuce in a plastic bag.  The lettuce always seems to go bad very quickly, along with just about every other plant in a plastic container.  Nope, it’s just better to grow your own.  

And finally, I planted some heirloom lemon cucumber seeds in a small spot at the top of the little garden.  These look like tiny melons, but taste like cucumbers, and should look really cool floating in a nice, large pickle jar.

It’s also a good thing I restrained myself from planting the corn I have waiting, and the pumpkins.  I wanted to wait until the danger of a frost was over, which will be sometime this month.  Also, I would have planted my Bloody Butcher dent corn (really good for parched corn) near my Strawberry Popcorn, which would have been disastrous.  As it stands I’m going to have to plant the popcorn at my in-laws house to protect the seeds and have a good crop.  

The pumpkins I’m not too worried about, as they will have a physical barrier.  But that barrier only goes up to 4 feet, which means the corn could try to cross-pollinate.  Not a good thing for two heirloom varieties, both of which are very useful for long-term storage.  

At any rate, I’m really excited for this year’s growing season.  I already have a list of plants I want to get for next year, and I’m in the process of finding locations for them as this year’s experiments take shape.

Again, like with many of my other governmental inquiries through email, I have as yet received a reply from the Water Resources board regarding the avenues available for rainwater collection on an urban farm.  And then, a few weeks ago, I heard a report (or a followup at the very least) that legislators here in Utah are looking into reforming the Water Rights laws to allow for residential rainwater collection.  

So why did it take me so long to reply?  Because I can’t find any reference to the followup report on KSL, nor can I find a reference online from any legislator that is taking up the fight.  So in spite of the total lack of references, I’m reassured that someone somewhere is willing to take up this fight.  

Perhaps that is why I am not getting a reply from the Water Resources board.  Perhaps… or perhaps it is because I made the inquiry via email.  Either way, it looks as though sometime in the future it may be possible to build and collect rainwater for use on an urban farm.  Unfortunately I don’t know when or who is fighting for this.  Perhaps it’s time I contact my local legislator again.  Maybe I’ll get a reply.

Last night, while watching the Olympics, advertised a piece on collecting rainwater for watering the garden.  It seems that this practice is illegal, as it is technically stealing from those that have purchased water rights downstream of wherever you are.  Water rights, in Suburbia?  

The first thing you need to understand is that Utah, despite the growing urban sprawl in the Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, and Weber counties, is an Agricultural State.  Our laws were originally written to protect the rights of farmers from other farmers, and those laws stay on the books.  With dwindling farmland in the Salt Lake valley in particular, the water rights laws seem to be more archaic than applicable.  

But note, I said dwindling, not non-existent.  There are still some farms, generally small, in the area around my home.  So taking the water that someone else has spent money to procure would be stealing, and as I support farming in all forms it just isn’t something I could do in all good conscience.

So what is the urban farmer do to in order to decrease drinking water usage?  Is there no hope?  Does the urban farmer need to forever be a slave to municipal water districts and their high  fees?  That’s what I am about to find out.  

I started by emailing the director of the Utah Division of Water Resources, and the Salt Lake representative to see what exactly would be their recommended course of action.  I intend to complete this project, which would not only provide water for my plants, but also help “fuel” my aquaculture program as well.  But I want it to be legal.  

There is at least one possible recourse, which is what Mark Miller Toyota took in order to use the rainwater that landed on their roof for car washes:  he worked out a deal with the Salt Lake City public works department to use their name to divert the rainwater into their cisterns.  Perhaps a similar course of action could be accomplished for residents.  After all, no self respecting urban farmer would want to be in violation of the law while accomplishing their goal.  

Once I get an answer from Water Resources, I will post it.

My parents have been really concerned with food storage lately, and feeling an urgency to get it in place.  As such, they are looking at ways to augment the food storage they already have in as many ways as possible.  The main method?  Self-sufficient urban farming.  

I’ve talked about urban farming before.  It’s a process of growing and raising farm food in an urban environment while complying with city ordinances.  Now, most cities allow quite a lot of latitude, depending on the reaction of the neighbors.  So if you are not on good terms with your neighbors, you may want to warm them up to you.  

The first and easiest method of urban farming is growing a garden.  many people will plant whole sections of their yards in garden, others in selected areas.  I chose selected areas, because our yard isn’t that big to begin with.  I have one small section in the back that has some eggplant, artichokes, corn, beans, pumpkin, peas, radishes, lettuce, cucumber and grapes growing.  It’s small, so there isn’t a lot growing in this location.  But the plants are well managed, allowing for good usage of the land.

This week I will be planting some watermelon in the front yard, in what is currently a garden plot covered with bark.  It will give the appearance of green in the plot while utilizing less water.  Why less water?  Because the bark and weed barrier will keep the weeds down, leaving more water for the melons.

But, because the food that is grown isn’t going to be able to feed us all, or provide all the nutrients we need, more needs to be done.  Unfortunately, there isn’t enough land in an urban environment to have livestock (nor is it zoned as such, generally).  So, what can one do to get their farm-fresh foods?

First, you can learn how to make cheese.  I’ve tried one recipe, and the cheese was pretty good.  Now, this summer my family and I will be making more cheeses by investing in some cultures, rennet, and probably building a cheese press.  Cheese was originally developed as a way to provide the benefits of milk and milk protein without worrying about it going sour in a short amount of time.

Next, there is preserved meats.  We plan on making jerky this summer, along with some bottled and preserved meats.  It requires some investment in a bath bottler (instead of just steam), but it’s worth it in the end.  Along with that, my family has a killer recipe for sweet pickled beets, dill pickled green beans, and hot pickled carrots.  Perhaps this year I’ll get to use my purple carrots I planted (assuming my son hasn’t killed them all already).  

But once you have all this done, where do you store them?  A basement is great if it’s rarely used.  Unfortunately, our basement is being used.  So what to do?  Well, you can build a root cellar.  Root cellars are great, because they can double as cheese caves.  They stay naturally cool in summer, and don’t freeze in the winter.  Also, they don’t have to be really large.  You can build a small pit that is covered (so no one falls in), and then cover it up with a decent covering.  As long as there is a drainage area for rain, you should be good to go.  

So, are we planning on the end of the world?  Is that why we are going nuts with this urban farming plan?  No, not really.  It’s because we want to have good food, save some money on gas and buying at the store.  It’s all about economics.  The fact that the food supply will still be useful and very viable in the case of a disaster is just icing on the cake.  

And the real great thing about these projects this time is my wife’s support of it.  Before she thought I was just crazy, but now she understands the benefits of fresh vegetables and fruits that are just a short walk away.

It’s now that time of year, the time when planting becomes a priority, and the garden that I have been planning for a while can finally become a reality. In order to do so, I need to start by cleaning up the back yard.

Currently, this is what the back yard looks like (as of October 2006):

There isn’t a lot there to be proud of, though I have tilled under the area where the patio, new gardening/storage shed will be going (made of cob, of course!), and the lawn. The garden I didn’t till under, because it will all be raised garden anyway, and I was unaware of what the final project would look like until I heard back from the city.

So, I began by clearing out the huge and nearly dead snowball bush seen in the corner behind the bricks. I also have laid down some paving stones over the winter, which will be reset after the sand has been put down. But that’s all after the new cob building has been created.

The grassy area that you see in the foreground will be the garden. You can’t see them, but there are two grape vines currently growing along the house to the left, out of the picture.

The garden will be a collection of whiskey barrels (because of cost and easy manipulation even when full), and I will probably place some river rocks or pea gravel between them to keep control of the weeds. River rocks will probably look better, and give the feel of a cobbled lane. ^_^

Anyway, that’s a quick look at what I have to look forward to this spring and summer. I’ll provide more pictures as the project progresses, so stay tuned!

In my last few posts, I mentioned that I want to eventually make replicas of ancient farms, and that building with cob would be essential to that goal. The farm project is something that I have had in mind for years, but in various stages. It has always been a goal of mine to be self-sufficient. This goal started while I was still in school, as my best friend and I started designing estates we would like to own some day. I think I may have been heavily influenced by the show “Good Neighbors”, a 70′s British Comedy that focuses on a family that decides to become self sufficient with their own home. Yep, Urban Farming.

Well, the idea has slowly evolved into a very complex concept, involving a small farm, series of greenhouses for tropical crops, a small village for various uses, and historical influences that I would not have dreamed of before I started my History degree at the University of Utah.

The Problem Develops
The changes have all been due to events in my life that have required me to think more toward this project as incorporating more than just myself. As I got married, it included my wife and family. As various family members have run into hard times and have moved into my home, it extended to the family members. I quickly realized that the project alone would be too expensive for anyone to complete with modern construction techniques. Without the prospect of becoming rich anytime soon, I found myself getting discouraged.

The Problem-Solving Inspiration
Then I came across the website for the Butser Ancient Farm in Hampshire. The concept behind the farm was one that appealed to me: To build a farm that was an exact working replica of an ancient Celtic farm, with an addition of a Roman Villa constructed on the grounds as well. Suddenly, possibilities began to run through my head. They became more possible once I started researching the building materials: Wattle and daub, cob, and thatch.

The Cost-Effective Way
Up until now, I have been making plans half-heartedly by collecting several concepts and technologies that were great, but very expensive. For instance, I had a complex design for power that would be off-grid and compile solar, wind, and water generators. Any one of these technologies would be very expensive, and all three together would be cost prohibitive (unless I find that fabled money tree). Then there was the construction. Logs and stone are both very expensive.

Enter cob. Cob is a basic mixture of clay, sand, earth, and straw. If used on a wooden frame, it can be made into a thin wall that is called “wattle and daub”. If built into a single monolithic structure, it is referred to as cob, or monolithic adobe. The building material is perhaps the oldest used, as several prehistoric societies have used cob in their buildings. This is why it’s not as popular anymore: it’s considered barbaric or uncivilized. Regardless, it’s easy to work with, requires no extensive experience, and is more earthquake resistant than traditional adobe bricks.

So now I have found a low-cost building material, as most of the material would be on site. Suddenly, the farm becomes feasible! But there is more to the project than just the buildings. I intend to have a working farm that is low maintenance. This means I need to organize the project into manageable chunks, and focus on what I want to get out of the farm itself.

The Farm Plan
I want to have a farm that will provide the basic requirements for survival (shelter, food, warmth), and provide a source of revenue for continued survival in the existing economy. A single acre can provide shelter and enough food stuffs for a single family, with a small amount of revenue-generating crops that could achieve my goal. But I have more in mind: I want the source of revenue be educational as well.

So I will have the following layout: The main house will be a replica of the Castle of Invernglas, which was the home castle of the MacFarlane clan. I will then have at least two traditional cottages in the continental Celtic style (meaning rectangular). I then will have at least 4 insular Celtic buildings (circular), and I hope to build at least one Roman Villa. This will span the historical architecture for Scotland from the Celtic period to the 16th century.

I then hope to have a small village built with a couple of pedestrian cobbled lanes. This will provide space for a small market, with apartments above the shops. I will also have a large grassy pasture nearby, specifically for various sporting events. I hope the site will become a popular site for renaissance fairs and Scottish festivals. And yes, renting space will be a source of income. ^_^

There will then be pasture for sheep, a couple of goats, and probably only two cows for milk. Also, there will be fields of vegetables, a small fruit orchard, a bee hive, and grain. I also intend to build an artificial cave for ripening cheese. There will also be granaries and storage for root vegetables. And finally, there will be a pond as a small fish farm. This will constitute the ancient working farm, as all the technologies are fairly common and simple.

Now we get to the more modern portion. Solar power is ideal in Utah, as the skies are rarely cloudy (as it is a semi-arid region). Nanosolar has developed a high yield, low-cost solar sheet. While not currently available in a ready supply, it should be by the time I figure the farm will be possible. This will provide a large amount of power with existing roofing areas.

If I am able to locate a site with year-round running water, then I will most likely stick with a hydroelectric generator. Depending on the design and location, I may set up a small station, or build a water mill in a more traditional style.

There is also a possibility that I could use wind power, in which case I would build a traditional wind mill. The mill would then provide both power and a lodging to potential family members.

With the power in good supply, I will then build various greenhouses to start growing tropical crops. This will provide a solution that would become popular with farmers markets, as locally grown tropical plants can be ripened on the tree before picked, and will provide a better flavor. It will also be more cost effective, as shipping costs are not increased. Along with tropical plants, tropical fish crops can also be raised, providing for a source of truly fresh seafood within the area.

Well, that’s the plan. It’s really comprehensive, and will probably take the rest of my life to accomplish in the end. But this project that I have going on in my back yard is the first of many steps, and eventually should lead to the realization of my goal: To be self-sufficient and provide for the family. It also returns to the roots of civilization, which is the agricultural development of societies. The experiment will be interesting as a living anthropological study. Perhaps I will learn something of the ancestors who lived in these societies.

It’s been a while since I have posted an update on my Urban Farming project, so I thought I would provide a quick message on the progress. Currently, I am working on setting the stones for the new patio in a dry set (or without sand). This is to help compress the dirt underneath, and set the patio in time for Spring when the sand will be set.

The chess board pattern is set in the middle, so the giant chess set has a place to play. I also need to find a buyer for both Willy’s Jeeps I have in the garage. This will allow us to move some things around within there, and let us build another growing room, one with a more controlled environment.

Why? Well, because I have a goal to grow a couple of cacao trees, and need an insulated, tall room that has low-light option. This should simulate the growing environment fairly well for the cacao tree. And why the cacao tree? It’s the source of cocoa beans, which is the source of chocolate. Yes, I intend to grow a source of chocolate in Utah, of all places. Will I be able to grow enough to be self sustaining? Absolutely not! This is just an experiment to see if it’s possible to raise mature cacao trees within a dry, cold climate like Utah without a huge expense.

It also gives an great opportunity for another project for aquaculture. I love seafood, but fresh seafood in Utah is very hard to get. It could be the fact that we are so far away from the ocean, and that the only salt water body we have is the Great Salt Lake. So other than freshwater salmon and trout (both can be found in Utah lakes and resivoirs), there isn’t much else that can be found locally.

I’ve mentioned my interest in Tilapia in past postings, but there are some other fish that may be possible for urban aquaculture. Namely, I’m interested in blue crabs from the east coast. Shellfish tend to have a good hearty constitution, and therefore can be well cared for within an aquacultural environment. Blue crabs are small enough that it’s possible to grow several of them within a close environment, and thrive within brackish water.

So, that is currently the goal I have set. Hopefully there will be some additional information that I can post soon, as funding becomes available to continue with the construction.