My husband & I live north of San Francisco near scenic wine country. Instead of traveling
abroad, thereby lessening our carbon footprints we’ve enjoyed exploring our picturesque
area. However, during the past 20 years we’ve come to deplore the fact that many fruit &
nut bearing trees have gradually been replaced w/ vineyards. Acreage where fields of
veggies once grew are now covered by grape vines, as well.

The gradual disappearance of locally grown “real foods” has led to a progressively active
interest in cultivating organic produce, right in our own backyard. We have an apple, a
plum, and a lemon tree, along w/ a wild blackberry bush that has taken over the northwest
corner of our large suburban lot. The wild berries, plus our cultivated strawberry plants have yielded a delicious sweet harvest through spring & late summer… nothing like fresh
berries for breakfast al fresco!

In our veggie garden we’re harvesting curly leaf kale, leeks, broccoli, green beans, yellow
& butternut squash, tomatos, and lettuce. Sharing our goodies w/ family, friends, and FISH
a community organization dedicated to feeding those in need has been a continuing source of gratification. And we’re always amazed at how much we’re able to grow in a 300 sq. ft. space.

I also enjoy growing & drying herbs, which includes basil, tarragon, thyme, parsley, savory, & oregano. Unfortunately, we lost our rosemary bush to heavy frosts last winter.
This fall, in order to remedy further losses my husband is going to build a greenhouse
(covering half our plot.) This should provide more protection, while extending our growing
season.

Raising earth worms has been a top priority. Last year my husband built a state of the art
worm bin, using a raised bed kit, which he modified to suit our needs. It’s both attractive &
easy to use. Along w/ feeding our soil w/ worm castings, we have our garden soil tested
every couple of years to make sure it has the proper balance of life giving nutrients. Healthy soil makes growing organics so much easier, and no pesticides means having
a healthy habitat for garter snakes, lizards, frogs, and a variety of dragonflies, butterflies,
and birds. We’ve come to deeply appreciate our symbiotic relationship w/ nature, again
right in our own backyard.

“From the garden to the table” keeps me busy throughout harvest time… making & freezing
pasta & pesto sauces, applesauce & lemon curd is a yearly ritual I wouldn’t miss, either.
Drying provence rose buds & blossoms, and lavender for potpourris & sachets has also become a favorite pastime. Now, because of inspiring websites such as yours, we’re seriously thinking of canning more of our veggies & baking breads. The how to’s of raising
chickens for eggs has also been a major topic of conversation lately.

These rad homemaker activities sort of grow on you, don’t they?! Thanks everyone… it’s
good to be connected with the earth & people of like minds. Please feel free to contact us
at: provencerose.cam@gmail.com

Just a few weeks ago I was thinking about all of these things that I love to do and have as part of my life and I was thinking about my foremothers and how I ended up at this point despite or because of the choices and conveniences that they had in their lives. Then, I discovered Radical Homemakers, picked up a copy and devoured it in two days. Its fascinating to read and to find many of the thoughts and ideas that I have be articulated as a movement. I find it so exciting to be part of this and to realize the possible life- community- and world-changing potential of Radical Homemakers.

I also find it interesting to approach all of this as someone who has traveled, worked in various places and learned many of these skills but never really been career or money oriented. My husband and I have some financial needs and we will both be working for the time being, but my real devotion is to the daily practices and creative pursuits that are part of the rhythms of my life. Without knowing it or trying to be part of a movement we have made decisions like only having one car, biking and walking mostly, eating local, making things ourselves, and pursuing our creative interests. Reading Radical Homemakers, though, was really helpful for me to realize that we can stay on this path, we don’t have to get sucked into mainstream approaches to money and consuming, and it is possible to sustain the family we want to have on a reasonable income.

We are still just starting out in our life together, we’ve just moved to a new city for a job, but reading Radical Homemakers was both reaffirming of our choices and inspiring to know all of the possibilities and approaches that people have taken. Thanks Shannon, for the inspiration and information!

I keep track and write about some of my making, doing and learning at http://roadtothefarm.blogspot.com If you are interested.

Hi Kate – Yes, it is. I believe it is available as an ebook through Amazon, Barnes and Noble as well as through Sony. If you find otherwise, let me know! Best, sh

One of the biggest reasons I feel more propelled to go in the direction of Radical Homemaking now (I’m 35) is that I have no real intrinsic motivation to play the politics and games that are necessary to succeed in a regular job. And, the lack of motivation for status, money, and prestige affects how I work in these regular jobs. My productivity and efficiency is low, I find I value cooperative relationships more than competition and I get into trouble there! I like to move at a leisurely pace and to stay healthy and calm. I found that without the anxiety, I also couldn’t get the “success.” If I weren’t overly anxious and drinking coffee every 2 hours, I couldn’t compete witht he people who did, nor relate to them.

I started my own business this Spring and am more motivated and happy than ever. Everything makes sense when you have to earn your own money. It’s all very tangible and direct. I find in a classic working environment, it’s not about the work you actually do, but it’s the politics and games you play. There are some really great work environments out there, and I’ve been fortunate to work in one of them. The people I worked with were my friends, we helped eachother out, we were very effective together. Unfortunately, that job didn’t last forever and it’s not easy finding that kind of work environment. A lot of workplaces are very toxic and I can’t thrive inside them!

I would love to meet other people interested in Radical Homemaking that have vegetarian/animal rights slant in the South western area of Virginia! I hope to hear from you soon.

Before I identified a gluten allergy, I baked my own bread. A male friend was visiting me ten years ago and looked at my tidy (though not clean) home and reflected that with my penchant for the kitchen and for homemaking, I would make a good wife. I have always chuckled at this and had read enough Wendell Berry about the meaning of wifery and husbandry that I was able to forgive the gender bias implicit in his comment.