http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W51JRTjoI1A

Pretty amazing - everyone watch!

Homestead on 1/5th acre in Cal Suburb

(VIDEO PROPERTY OF ABC NEWS) The Dervaes Family have created the original modern urban homestead that has yielded an entirely new, revolutionary alternative lifestyle.

That's awesome! And only 1/5 Acre.. all usable but still nice!

More info at Path to Freedom: http://www.pathtofreedom.com/urbanhomestead/index.shtml

Path to Freedom is a great site. Check the "Journal" there. It's actually a blog that is updated every couple of days or so.

ooooooookay.

I applaud the determination but those people are exposing a whole different lifestyle than just frugality. The whole house was very hippy / earthy mode, not mere local-terian cuisine.

None of those people worked except worked their 'acreage'. Which is understandable b/c it would take a tremendous amount of effort to maintain that garden but it was not IMHO a very good example of what the vast majority of people attempt to do with low impact sustainment.

I wouldn't be surprised if they have a specific agenda that was not addressed in the segment.

(shrugs shoulders) more power to em. They can do what they want.

My first reaction was "If he can do that with 1/5 acre, imagine what he could do with 5!"

I'm glad they didn't try to say that everyone should live that way, in fact they pointed out that the only reason he could survive is that someone else is willing to pay $12 for a salad.

I don't knock what the Dervaes Family does, they do a terrific job with gardening and being frugal.

I would only caution those that might think the Dervaes are "self-sufficient" at that location. To the contrary, it appears that they are VERY reliant on the municipal water supply.

I just think it might be a bit of a misrepresentation if they are marketing their family as "homesteaders".
It seems to be more accurate that they are a very successful "commercial organic farm".

Again, I applaud what they do.
But, related strictly to "survival", their operation is very vulnerable to a shortage of (or lack of) WATER; if there were an interruption in the "city" water supply.

Wow! I need to find some suckers...er, customers like that!

-Blast

"Blast's Free-Range Salads"

"None of those people worked except worked their 'acreage'."

Yeah, farmers have that same problem.

"... it was not IMHO a very good example of what the vast majority of people attempt to do with low impact sustainment."

What??? Why should it be? Your 'vast majority' is parked in front of a TV with an electronic game in their hands, ingesting junk food and beer.

The 'vast majority' doesn't do diddly.

I think these people have done a tremendous job, and I also think the people who poke fun at them are just jealous because they aren't even close to capable enough to do anything remotely similar. If you can't match 'em, run 'em down!