I love this! I keep telling my husband I'm not happy with my life. I'm not a city girl. I'm not a work for the big man kind of girl. I want a slower paced life, something I enjoyed as a child, and I want it again as an adult. It's out there, and this supports my claim that it's out there for those of us who strive for it. Thank you for the inspiration!
I don’t blame you! I grew up on a farm in Rural Missouri on 68 acres and we had a lot of gardens and had well water! We butchered our own meat, had fresh chicken eggs! It was a lot of work but worth it! I can only handle a big city for about 3 days and then I am ready to leave!
aston nex no, I was born in 1980. But my daughters are millineals. My oldest daughter is 19. I think it’s called generation X? Not sure? My parents were at the end of the baby boomers.
Exactly. I have no idea what that means, but I ain't all that bright either. My house is wood and glass and metal and concrete. It keeps the rain off me in the summer and the snow off me in the winter. Is there something else it should be doing?
One of the best I've seen so far. While most of America believes that 'electing the right politician' will end our woes, the real solution rests with people like Erik & Kelly i.e. by becoming less dependent on consumer goods and using their homes to assist in food production. Even apartment dwellers could use a balcony or window sills to grow herbs etc. Thanks for posting ; -)
I live in an apartment and tried to have some plants on my balcony (cherry tomatoes, chili, carrots, garlic, onion, beets, strawberries) and from my experience I can say that you are very limited , there is not much sun ,( I had sunlight from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. )you can't experiment much with compost and other bigger plants, you rely on buying organic fertilizers which are expensive and questioningly organic, you must pollinate your plants because there is no bees. IMO, better rent some place in suburbs , have more space and chicken to experiment with plants,compost, land, that way you'll learn more.
I immediately knew the guy had it together when he said 'lawns do not make sense in Los Angeles' Not that that is some revelation, anyone with half a brain should know this, but it is nice to hear someone making some common sense, especially in LA!!!!!
I'm from LA. I know this neighborhood. There's a lot of Chinese people who have been using their front lawns as vegetable plots. They get complaints for creating eyesores. And the Mexicans get complaints for their chickens. So, it's funny that this practice has become chic among new 'urban pioneers.'
This is my third time watching this video, extremely rich with content, please do an update, I love this couple, so many good ideas for new homeowners that want to think out-of-the-box. Thank you
"an engine of production instead of an engine of consumption" Excellent! All kinds of great tips in your video and perspective. Thank you for making this video
Kirsten, I am loving this new direction! Not just these enlighted people's house but filming ALL their ways of living! It is so magic, such an interesting outlook, hugely entertaining and gives so much hope to live a different life. I am loving what you do Kirsten! If it wasnt for you I would have never knew such people existed!
Love the idea of deep bedding for my chickens! And here I've been knocking myself out trying to keep their pen clean since I live in the city! I'm going to add straw to their eating area right now thanks to this video! Much easier to let the chickens compost it than for my to constantly be tossing it into a compost pile and churning it myself!!
I used to lodge with a friend and I put so much time and energy into renovating in his garden which he had neglected for years. I felt so fulfilled working with soil and plants but he asked me to leave his house primarily because he began to interfere in the work I was doing in his garden. i feel so low and demoralised because now I feel so detached from working with plants and soil. My dream is to have access to land where I can grow what i want without being told what I can and cannot grow and do. I love the idea of growing as much food as I can for myself.
It's amazing how time is freed up to do household "chores" when we get rid of the boob tube! I miss Los Angeles, but I cannot afford the high rent & home prices living on a fixed income. You 2 have a beautiful home & I love the idea of those bungee cords on the shallow shelves. I always think of the "what ifs" in case of an earthquake because I refuse to use plastic containers. I love the simplicity & visual texture of glass jars. I also like the open shelving for easily knowing what you have on hand without having to search in a dark cabinet with a flashlight! Thanks for posting this video. Love it! :-)
Y'all are badass. I really love your foundation of practicality. If we are going to move toward greater self/communal reliance, it MUST be rooted in practicality more than idealism. So thank you :)
I grew up in Inglewood which is LA and my mom had gardens all my life she even grew Duggar cane for the neighborhood kids to chew instead of candy... these people have got it together and are very impowering
I love this video and the variety of information shared. It's very true that learning about one topic of self-reliance leads to another, I was researching tiny homes when I stumbled on this. I also agree that "modern" wheat and GMO wheat goes hand in hand with the rise in allergies, especially gluten intolerance/celiac disease. We have been eating wheat for thousands of years and now we are allergic to it? Don't get me started with Monsanto! Grrr! The final comment in the video sums it all up, perfect! I'll be checking out your website for sure. :)
If this chanel was paid subscription I will be the 1st to pay, they don't teach such things at university, sometimes u feel like pausing the video and getting a pen and paper. Thank you for uploading such beneficial educational video to mankind.
Kirsten & team, This is my first time making any comments on your many videos, which I have been watching off & on for years (my adult son introduced me to your videos). I really appreciate this video, especially: seeing the chickens freely roaming outside their coop; seeing & hearing about sourdough bread making; the low-cost way of living a healthy & happy life.... Thank you.
I love this house, and this lifestyle.....something to aim for. It's a good balance between complete freedom and still a bit of reliance from the community. What a couple!
Love this kind of video.It’s how the way we’re living a bit, try to be full on self sufficient makes me feel rich. Glad to find this great video. Thank you very much👍
"A lot of it has to do with I think are overdriving ambition to be Free. It makes being cheap Fun cause it means you can be FREE." Love that philosophy there. ^^
i lved in glendora ca from 1957 till about 1984. we had a garden in half of our back yard and it was fun doing it. my eldest sister designed the garden and we implimented it. we had sunflowers as tall as the house . i loved watching them follow the sun. we planted the sunflowers for the birds to eat the seeds. good effort on your subjects being interviewed .
Fantastic. My parents purchased 3 acres for me last year & I have been looking at micro farming or backyard farming videos for ideas & to learn how to maximize space usage. Been giving thought to raising chickens & turkeys for meat & eggs. Also thinking about getting a male goat of breeding quality & a few milk goats. Ideas of renting the offspring as hungry goat rentals spring in my head + I love goat meat. Using the animal droppings for a worm farm & growing a garden. I have 16 wild crab apple trees that I've counted so far on 1 acre. I love crab apple jam. Thinking of making like a coy fish pond for a local watering hole for the goats & poultry as well as a spot to try to stock freshwater fish like cat fish but not sure if it will work.
If you eat nettles, collect the young leaves, wash, cover with water and boil, then discard the water, then finish cooking to eat. The boiling water bath removes the chemical from the plant that causes stinging rashes. Also, young leaves contain less of the chemical, as well.
My favorite saying ever..."A lot of it has to do with the overdriving ambition to be free. Makes being cheap fun because, it means you can be free." It's hard to put it into words, but that says it all. Can anyone tell me what he says at about 15:28...I like being ?....This is so inspiring. Thanks, Kirsten...p.s. Kirsten...do you know what a great service you are doing? I hope so.
+itsa goodlife In response to you question about what was said at 15:28. He said: It's another reason (in reference to making his own bread) we try to be frugal around here. She said: We don't make a lot of money. He said: I don't like working for other people. I got to say it, I like being out own boss".
Love how this couple lives AND couldn't agree more with his opinion on growing food not lawns. Wish this couple were my neighbors. Maybe next time I am in LA visiting my kids I could get a tour??
Amazing!! I love this couple. I learned so much. When my dad bought our childhood home (in the city) the previous owner had chickens, ducks, rabbits, turkeys and a rooster. My dad planted fruit trees. I loved growing up with critters. I still live in the same house but as I was growing up, dad had to get rid of them because the neighbors would complain about the rooster waking them up.😩Now I just have the fruit trees and planted more fruit trees. I have a decent size greenhouse with herbs and vegetables. You are so right, why not plant your own food. I love the energy generated by fruit trees and anything green.💚
Thank you! This couple have put much thought and time into finding a way of living a good quality of life - -and what goes into it. They present great ideas that can be adapted to other climates and/or lifestyles. Again - - thank you for sharing this!
Nettles are extremely good for you, your chickens and your compost pile. If you get tired of nettle stew - try a hot nettle tea from the leaves or flowers. The stems can be chopped down and given to the chickens. It will yellow their egg yolks naturally very well. Excess Nettles can be thrown into the compost. They add heat and nitrogen nicely.
There life looks like paradise to me. The old home with original fixins, did you see that kitchen counter. The property locale and surroundings the hillyness. They eat amazingly healthy food. They both sound like their stress level is minimal. The sunshine. Those people seem real happy.
4:21 Are you kidding me! Your glorious artichokes! I tried once to grow it; doesn't like the Upper South I've been told. Oh so yummy. I lived in Hollywood with my young family in a small apartment that didn't have a balcony. We dreamed of growing veg, but I never saw such an amazing yard when we were there 99 and 2000. We moved away. Thanks for posting your lovely yard!
My mom had turned her backyard into the most gorgeous edible garden I think I've ever seen. There wasn't a single plant that wasn't edible in it. People were astonished when they realized it was an edible garden. Her joy was not only feeding her own family from it but sharing with those who were economically challenged who had kids in our school. Saturdays were the day family after family would show up (by appt) with their kids to harvest what was ripe & ready to go.
I enjoy your video Erik. By pure coincidence I joined LA Bread Bakers Meetup about 2 months ago. I was looking at blackberry pruning videos and happened upon this one without realizing any connection. I would say that your philosophy is very clear as your expression of it in the video makes a dance out of your back yard . . . Bravo. I think your alluding to an avoidance of work . . . in my mind anyway . . . can be restated as efficiency in behaving within the contingencies of post-modern individualism. That is to say, you guys work hard but efficiently given the context of your urbanism; being urban without being banal or superficially urbane. Once again I thoroughly enjoyed Kelly and your video.
Self-reliance is the way to bring food in the table fresh and healthy. if this couple can do there is no reason we can't. thanks for sharing it will inspired a lot of people. hope more people can watch this video.
Love it! Why not do things like this to make life better. They made it look so easy. If we could all just break away from the T.V. for any amount of time at all, we could do things like this. Beautiful!
We used to use peat moss. We'd put down 4", then rake and rake and rake, and add an inch, repeat, etc., and every six months, we'd shovel it all out and put it on the garden (Spring and Fall) and repeat. Did three things at once - provided a material that was always "clean" (chicken poop, despite it's small size is larger than peat moss, so sinks to the bottom when raked) is reusable (fertizilizes gardens, lawns, etc., etc. wonderfully) and insulates (this stuff keeps the coop warm in winter!).
I love what you two have done! Amazing! And so true about post WW2 living... You are lucky that you live in a hotter climate in LA, whereas I live in San Francisco. Not so easy to grow a garden here, well, not with apartment living, but I will try....
You still have to clean, but once or twice a year. Just add to your compost pile to keep cooking and then you can garden with it. Here is a good article on the Deep litter method: www.fresheggsdaily.com/2012/02/deep-litter-methodcoop-cleaning.html
The best thing he said was, "getting rid of the TV was the best thing I've ever done". That's true. I'm so glad I did. Now i can think for myself and have a ton of time to do anything. Can you imagine being invited to dinner with these people? You would never be able to say a thing.
Love this couple! I wonder tho how much you could do living in Canada as I do? We do not have the year round growing season and like them - do not have alot of storage space for canned goods. I do some of this but want to do more!
Absolutely cool to see the neighborhood I grew up in back on the scene. My dad still lives one street NW of you all. My dad was a landscaper/Gardner and all of what you all have made shelves , dehydrater etc...is something he or my grandfather would had made. You are 100 % correct about where the "change of guard " theology happen regarding having to grow and make yourself. Again I agree regarding the one car house hold growing up...I did and we didn't dye. It was public transit (RTD) or foot action. Our neighbor had a yard very much like yours ...I never thought by watching this would have me miss those days gone by. Bravo ...keeping it SL/EP old skol cool.✌🏼
A one car family was back when only one person working could support a family. Now it takes two people working and then maybe an extra part time job to keep up a large family. It could be very hard for two people getting to work every day and dropping the kids off at school and the baby at the baby sitters and going in possibly two directions for two jobs and starting times and picking up the kids after school etc,etc, etc. I won't comment on the sociological ramification of the new lifestyle but it is so not good!!!
I seriously love this LA homestead... just one thing. Lady please stop cutting him off when he talks, and inserting your version of what he was about to say. Your husband will despise you when he realizes how stifling it is... if he hasn't noticed it already and just decides to be passive. Be nice, he's a keeper!!!!!
Oh yeah. One snippet of their life, and you know their relationship dynamic. Lady was probably just excited to be on TV, stop trying to steal some random lady's husband. Dang thirsty ain't ya?
@@shelbyberry4349I came back to this video 9 years later and saw your insane reply. I was in my early 20’s when I wrote this (clearly not coming for her man) and it still rings true watching the video again. In a 20 minute video she cut him off every time he spoke. You’d have to be incredibly naive or behave similarly to not realize this is a regular occurrence in their life. Smh
This is wonderful, just GREAT. I grew up in the Sherman Oaks and we had loquat, a lemon, and a walnut trees (from the days when the Valley was a big walnut grove)on our tiny yard..but we never harvested anything but the walnuts. Sad waste when I think about it. I love your tiny homestead, it rocks.
I turned the TV off five years ago my self perception changed instantly, and the innumerable advantages have not stopped. That change inspired many other changes drawing my lover and I away from society, which is very uncomfortable where we are. We have yet to meet like minded people so the virtual connection was comforting. Thank you for doing this piece and please pass best wishes and gratitude to Erik and Kelly... they are the style of inspiration I need!
I adore these people and I think that we've entered a really sad period in history if we cannot respect what they are doing. Food should not be out of boxes, children should not think that vegetables come from cans, and being connected to the earth should not be seen as anything weird. I know people like this and they're very social, humble, and down to earth people. I think that instead of attacking these people, we should really look at what our lives have become.
These people are totally awesome!! I wish that they were my neighbors. Great ideas for anyone who wants to do for yourself and help others as well. I admire how they are so resourceful and do much with little land. Thanks a lot for sharing your life.
No kidding. Life would be so much easier for the human race if the whole world had spring/summer-like weather all year. Instead, more than half of us have to race against the calender just to get a few months of growing in before winter comes.
You got that right. I live in SoCal and Portland Or....in CA we have trees of citrus fruit and avocado, tomatoes, herbs, onions all with hardly any effort in my yard almost all year. (I need to find a space for artichokes) In PDX I only use my outdoor deck two months out of the year. My Portland roses and shrubs bloom beautifully in mid Jun but come mid Sept it is overcast and rainy until next June. I grow no fruits/veggies at all but I do keep a pot of herbs I bring it in come Sept that will sit by the window.
***** They're morons for not using our money on something like that rather than war. After all, it would help solve that little problem we have with the rising seawater. Of course, that makes too much sense. War, greed, and control come first on this planet, and it will be our downfall.
Waylan- we could sure use OR water but in CA there are better ways to irrigate that we don't use at all. However, CA has solar and unfortunately for the rest of the country CA also provides food needed due to our bread basket area of central CA. Our loss is a loss to everyone.
I know the original comment is a couple years old, but there's one called Oasis that is biodegradable and biocompatible. I heard about it from a video on grey water systems.
Wow, you guys are *too cool for L.A.* - you need to move up north to the S.F. Bay Area...hee hee!!! Thanks for all the tips; you're really great role models!
I love this! I keep telling my husband I'm not happy with my life. I'm not a city girl. I'm not a work for the big man kind of girl. I want a slower paced life, something I enjoyed as a child, and I want it again as an adult. It's out there, and this supports my claim that it's out there for those of us who strive for it. Thank you for the inspiration!
There's a book about this, it's out of print but sometimes Amazon has a used copy, The Integral Urban House.
I don’t blame you! I grew up on a farm in Rural Missouri on 68 acres and we had a lot of gardens and had well water! We butchered our own meat, had fresh chicken eggs! It was a lot of work but worth it! I can only handle a big city for about 3 days and then I am ready to leave!
I agree with you. I grow up with Livestock, cornfields.Big Garden. I live in Florida now 5 miles away from the beach. I miss Country life.
Same..its such a fight to get back to it
aston nex no, I was born in 1980. But my daughters are millineals. My oldest daughter is 19. I think it’s called generation X? Not sure? My parents were at the end of the baby boomers.
"The house as an Engine of Production Rather than an Engine of Consumption" Brilliant philosophy!
Who originally said that? Because all these homesteading hipsters repeat it LOL.
Exactly. I have no idea what that means, but I ain't all that bright either. My house is wood and glass and metal and concrete. It keeps the rain off me in the summer and the snow off me in the winter. Is there something else it should be doing?
In accounting, a house is considered a LIABILITY.
@@maingun07 there may be endless possibilities.
@@stacybridgeford8545 Lol,boomer.
One of the best I've seen so far.
While most of America believes that 'electing the right politician' will end our woes, the real solution rests with people like Erik & Kelly i.e. by becoming less dependent on consumer goods and using their homes to assist in food production. Even apartment dwellers could use a balcony or window sills to grow herbs etc. Thanks for posting ; -)
Exactly!
SubtleKnowledge Exactly my friend!
YOU nailed it...we need more folks like them : )
EXACTLY!
I live in an apartment and tried to have some plants on my balcony (cherry tomatoes, chili, carrots, garlic, onion, beets, strawberries) and from my experience I can say that you are very limited , there is not much sun ,( I had sunlight from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. )you can't experiment much with compost and other bigger plants, you rely on buying organic fertilizers which are expensive and questioningly organic, you must pollinate your plants because there is no bees.
IMO, better rent some place in suburbs , have more space and chicken to experiment with plants,compost, land, that way you'll learn more.
I immediately knew the guy had it together when he said 'lawns do not make sense in Los Angeles' Not that that is some revelation, anyone with half a brain should know this, but it is nice to hear someone making some common sense, especially in LA!!!!!
There is a facebook page I follow called "Grow food not lawns" check it out
I think lawns do not make sense anywhere. Everyone I know hates to mow them, the water bills hear in Chicago are treacherous!
I'm from LA. I know this neighborhood. There's a lot of Chinese people who have been using their front lawns as vegetable plots. They get complaints for creating eyesores. And the Mexicans get complaints for their chickens. So, it's funny that this practice has become chic among new 'urban pioneers.'
This is my third time watching this video, extremely rich with content, please do an update, I love this couple, so many good ideas for new homeowners that want to think out-of-the-box. Thank you
Same here. I rewatch this video ever time i need a little inspiration
"an engine of production instead of an engine of consumption" Excellent! All kinds of great tips in your video and perspective. Thank you for making this video
Kirsten, I am loving this new direction! Not just these enlighted people's house but filming ALL their ways of living! It is so magic, such an interesting outlook, hugely entertaining and gives so much hope to live a different life. I am loving what you do Kirsten! If it wasnt for you I would have never knew such people existed!
Love the idea of deep bedding for my chickens! And here I've been knocking myself out trying to keep their pen clean since I live in the city! I'm going to add straw to their eating area right now thanks to this video! Much easier to let the chickens compost it than for my to constantly be tossing it into a compost pile and churning it myself!!
I used to lodge with a friend and I put so much time and energy into renovating in his garden which he had neglected for years. I felt so fulfilled working with soil and plants but he asked me to leave his house primarily because he began to interfere in the work I was doing in his garden. i feel so low and demoralised because now I feel so detached from working with plants and soil. My dream is to have access to land where I can grow what i want without being told what I can and cannot grow and do. I love the idea of growing as much food as I can for myself.
Tell us you have a garden now
15:49 "A lot of it has to do, I think, with our driving ambition to be free. It makes being cheap fun, because it means you can be free." Love that!
TheNewAmericanMedia economic growth starts at home 🏡
Yes, free in a way, but you can't go away unless you have friends or family who will water, feed the chickens etc.
It's amazing how time is freed up to do household "chores" when we get rid of the boob tube! I miss Los Angeles, but I cannot afford the high rent & home prices living on a fixed income. You 2 have a beautiful home & I love the idea of those bungee cords on the shallow shelves. I always think of the "what ifs" in case of an earthquake because I refuse to use plastic containers. I love the simplicity & visual texture of glass jars. I also like the open shelving for easily knowing what you have on hand without having to search in a dark cabinet with a flashlight! Thanks for posting this video. Love it! :-)
I LOVE it. I've been working on all these things as well at my home. It's exciting to see a home where it's all come together.
Y'all are badass. I really love your foundation of practicality. If we are going to move toward greater self/communal reliance, it MUST be rooted in practicality more than idealism. So thank you :)
I love this couple!! They are absolutely living the dream! I'll be there one day soon, and I'm building my skills more every day.
Very good video. More people need to understand and care about how their lifestyle effects others and not just themselves.
I could watch these people all day love it.
These people have the personalities of that American Gothic painting.
I grew up in Inglewood which is LA and my mom had gardens all my life she even grew Duggar cane for the neighborhood kids to chew instead of candy... these people have got it together and are very impowering
I love this video. Have watched it five or six times. I love their life style.
+Paul Hay Me too I aspire to live as they do.
I love this video and the variety of information shared. It's very true that learning about one topic of self-reliance leads to another, I was researching tiny homes when I stumbled on this. I also agree that "modern" wheat and GMO wheat goes hand in hand with the rise in allergies, especially gluten intolerance/celiac disease. We have been eating wheat for thousands of years and now we are allergic to it? Don't get me started with Monsanto! Grrr! The final comment in the video sums it all up, perfect! I'll be checking out your website for sure. :)
If this chanel was paid subscription I will be the 1st to pay, they don't teach such things at university, sometimes u feel like pausing the video and getting a pen and paper. Thank you for uploading such beneficial educational video to mankind.
This has certainly been a most informative video on self-reliance.
Thanks!
Radical Home Ec, I love the concept you've both demonstrated , very real and achievable stuff. Being a-part and different from community is tough
Kirsten & team, This is my first time making any comments on your many videos, which I have been watching off & on for years (my adult son introduced me to your videos). I really appreciate this video, especially: seeing the chickens freely roaming outside their coop; seeing & hearing about sourdough bread making; the low-cost way of living a healthy & happy life.... Thank you.
I love this house, and this lifestyle.....something to aim for. It's a good balance between complete freedom and still a bit of reliance from the community. What a couple!
WOW! looking back on this has re-ignited love of my back yard. Thank you.
I love her comments about modern home ec classes. Made me crack up. It's so true!!
What beautiful ppl you are! I love your house/homestead. Sending lots of love and thank u for all the awesome information.
wow,you guys are such an inspiration for me to make some serious changes. Thank you so much for sharing.
Love this kind of video.It’s how the way we’re living a bit, try to be full on self sufficient makes me feel rich. Glad to find this great video. Thank you very much👍
"A lot of it has to do with I think are overdriving ambition to be Free. It makes being cheap Fun cause it means you can be FREE." Love that philosophy there. ^^
i lved in glendora ca from 1957 till about 1984. we had a garden in half of our back yard and it was fun doing it. my eldest sister designed the garden and we implimented it. we had sunflowers as tall as the house . i loved watching them follow the sun. we planted the sunflowers for the birds to eat the seeds. good effort on your subjects being interviewed .
Fantastic. My parents purchased 3 acres for me last year & I have been looking at micro farming or backyard farming videos for ideas & to learn how to maximize space usage. Been giving thought to raising chickens & turkeys for meat & eggs. Also thinking about getting a male goat of breeding quality & a few milk goats. Ideas of renting the offspring as hungry goat rentals spring in my head + I love goat meat. Using the animal droppings for a worm farm & growing a garden. I have 16 wild crab apple trees that I've counted so far on 1 acre. I love crab apple jam.
Thinking of making like a coy fish pond for a local watering hole for the goats & poultry as well as a spot to try to stock freshwater fish like cat fish but not sure if it will work.
Sound like mincraft
But fr I think u should add like tree like apple and lemon or orange and maybe a extra goat if there a enough space U should add some pigs
Justin Harrell would love an update
What a wonderful gift you got! All the best with it...
Still my favorite video after all these years.
Brilliant Kirsten and your husband....thank you for bringing these people to us.
These folks are really in to it. Awesome. Much better hobby than surfing the internet.
If you eat nettles, collect the young leaves, wash, cover with water and boil, then discard the water, then finish cooking to eat. The boiling water bath removes the chemical from the plant that causes stinging rashes. Also, young leaves contain less of the chemical, as well.
If you don't eat nettles they are rich with nutritions that are excellent for composting and chickens. :)
The stinging nettle leaves can be blended the juice can be used as a rennet to make cheese
I don't know how often I have watched this video already, but I could do it over and over and over again!
My favorite saying ever..."A lot of it has to do with the overdriving ambition to be free. Makes being cheap fun because, it means you can be free." It's hard to put it into words, but that says it all. Can anyone tell me what he says at about 15:28...I like being ?....This is so inspiring. Thanks, Kirsten...p.s. Kirsten...do you know what a great service you are doing? I hope so.
+itsa goodlife He says: "I don't like working for other people. I gotta say it. I like being our own boss."
+EdwoodCA ....Thanks.
+itsa goodlife In response to you question about what was said at 15:28. He said: It's another reason (in reference to making his own bread) we try to be frugal around here. She said: We don't make a lot of money. He said: I don't like working for other people. I got to say it, I like being out own boss".
Anyone that puts thought and love into what they do is classy!
Amazing thing they did with their land. I love their values and ideals. Love this!
Love how this couple lives AND couldn't agree more with his opinion on growing food not lawns. Wish this couple were my neighbors. Maybe next time I am in LA visiting my kids I could get a tour??
one of the best video on youtube, thankx for sharing
rass tota b
such a beautiful couple
love it! "engine of production as opposed to an engine of consumption" that's deep
There are hippy dippy people playing and then there are sincere people like this making a difference. Thanks for posting
I love it! Great job guys! This is LIVING! Peace!
Amazing!! I love this couple. I learned so much. When my dad bought our childhood home (in the city) the previous owner had chickens, ducks, rabbits, turkeys and a rooster. My dad planted fruit trees. I loved growing up with critters. I still live in the same house but as I was growing up, dad had to get rid of them because the neighbors would complain about the rooster waking them up.😩Now I just have the fruit trees and planted more fruit trees. I have a decent size greenhouse with herbs and vegetables. You are so right, why not plant your own food. I love the energy generated by fruit trees and anything green.💚
Love this, itt's more attainable for the average home owner.
Thank you! This couple have put much thought and time into finding a way of living a good quality of life - -and what goes into it. They present great ideas that can be adapted to other climates and/or lifestyles. Again - - thank you for sharing this!
This couple is so dang cute (he’s like a Tom Waits and she’s an Artsy Babe) and all of their homesteading skills are on 🔥 Fire!
Nettles are extremely good for you, your chickens and your compost pile. If you get tired of nettle stew - try a hot nettle tea from the leaves or flowers. The stems can be chopped down and given to the chickens. It will yellow their egg yolks naturally very well. Excess Nettles can be thrown into the compost. They add heat and nitrogen nicely.
Love your last comment engine of production not an engine of consumption. Love your boots!
Nice to see Toby Flenderson doing so well for himself.
I would love to see this in a cold northern climate like Michigan or upstate NY.
Not a full farm, but MIGardener has a good channel. Haven't seen anything for upstate NY...
There life looks like paradise to me. The old home with original fixins, did you see that kitchen counter. The property locale and surroundings the hillyness. They eat amazingly healthy food. They both sound like their stress level is minimal. The sunshine. Those people seem real happy.
I learned quite a bit in this 20 minute video. Thank you for that!
4:21 Are you kidding me! Your glorious artichokes! I tried once to grow it; doesn't like the Upper South I've been told. Oh so yummy. I lived in Hollywood with my young family in a small apartment that didn't have a balcony. We dreamed of growing veg, but I never saw such an amazing yard when we were there 99 and 2000. We moved away. Thanks for posting your lovely yard!
These people are awesome! Great ideas, very practical.
My mom had turned her backyard into the most gorgeous edible garden I think I've ever seen. There wasn't a single plant that wasn't edible in it. People were astonished when they realized it was an edible garden. Her joy was not only feeding her own family from it but sharing with those who were economically challenged who had kids in our school. Saturdays were the day family after family would show up (by appt) with their kids to harvest what was ripe & ready to go.
LOVE this! Thanks for sharing your beautiful home! This video gave me lots of good ideas for my future homestead! =D
I enjoy your video Erik. By pure coincidence I joined LA Bread Bakers Meetup about 2 months ago. I was looking at blackberry pruning videos and happened upon this one without realizing any connection.
I would say that your philosophy is very clear as your expression of it in the video makes a dance out of your back yard . . . Bravo. I think your alluding to an avoidance of work . . . in my mind anyway . . . can be restated as efficiency in behaving within the contingencies of post-modern individualism. That is to say, you guys work hard but efficiently given the context of your urbanism; being urban without being banal or superficially urbane.
Once again I thoroughly enjoyed Kelly and your video.
Do they have a youtube channel? I like the way they do things, nice video!
Hey Susan--we have a few videos on our website, which is www.rootsimple.com. I'm working on making more.
I love it. So natural, healthy, cozy and earthy. I can only hope to live like this when I move to Cali 😃👍🏾✌️❤️
Thank you for sharing your ideas.
Self-reliance is the way to bring food in the table fresh and healthy. if this couple can do there is no reason we can't. thanks for sharing it will inspired a lot of people. hope more people can watch this video.
Thank you for this inspiring video. Wow! All that on a 12th of an acre in California. 😋
Love it! Why not do things like this to make life better. They made it look so easy. If we could all just break away from the T.V. for any amount of time at all, we could do things like this. Beautiful!
Oh wow, these two are part of my tribe! It is so uplifting to see those who's thoughts and lifestyle resonate. This made my day. :-D
We used to use peat moss. We'd put down 4", then rake and rake and rake, and add an inch, repeat, etc., and every six months, we'd shovel it all out and put it on the garden (Spring and Fall) and repeat. Did three things at once - provided a material that was always "clean" (chicken poop, despite it's small size is larger than peat moss, so sinks to the bottom when raked) is reusable (fertizilizes gardens, lawns, etc., etc. wonderfully) and insulates (this stuff keeps the coop warm in winter!).
I love what you two have done! Amazing! And so true about post WW2 living... You are lucky that you live in a hotter climate in LA, whereas I live in San Francisco. Not so easy to grow a garden here, well, not with apartment living, but I will try....
Loved this video. And, I have to say.....I actually loved the advert before. Never happened before, since I usually skip them. Kudos to PG.
I love the idea of never having to clean the chicken house and making your own compost what a great idea!
You still have to clean, but once or twice a year. Just add to your compost pile to keep cooking and then you can garden with it. Here is a good article on the Deep litter method: www.fresheggsdaily.com/2012/02/deep-litter-methodcoop-cleaning.html
Works for pigs too!
Aaaand... If possible, move the chicken coop around occasionally and plant in the newly chicken scratched area. Never need to till.
The best thing he said was, "getting rid of the TV was the best thing I've ever done". That's true. I'm so glad I did. Now i can think for myself and have a ton of time to do anything. Can you imagine being invited to dinner with these people? You would never be able to say a thing.
Love this couple! I wonder tho how much you could do living in Canada as I do? We do not have the year round growing season and like them - do not have alot of storage space for canned goods.
I do some of this but want to do more!
Absolutely cool to see the neighborhood I grew up in back on the scene. My dad still lives one street NW of you all. My dad was a landscaper/Gardner and all of what you all have made shelves , dehydrater etc...is something he or my grandfather would had made. You are 100 % correct about where the "change of guard " theology happen regarding having to grow and make yourself. Again I agree regarding the one car house hold growing up...I did and we didn't dye. It was public transit (RTD) or foot action. Our neighbor had a yard very much like yours ...I never thought by watching this would have me miss those days gone by.
Bravo ...keeping it SL/EP old skol cool.✌🏼
A one car family was back when only one person working could support a family. Now it takes two people working and then maybe an extra part time job to keep up a large family. It could be very hard for two people getting to work every day and dropping the kids off at school and the baby at the baby sitters and going in possibly two directions for two jobs and starting times and picking up the kids after school etc,etc, etc.
I won't comment on the sociological ramification of the new lifestyle but it is so not good!!!
I seriously love this LA homestead... just one thing. Lady please stop cutting him off when he talks, and inserting your version of what he was about to say. Your husband will despise you when he realizes how stifling it is... if he hasn't noticed it already and just decides to be passive. Be nice, he's a keeper!!!!!
Oh yeah. One snippet of their life, and you know their relationship dynamic. Lady was probably just excited to be on TV, stop trying to steal some random lady's husband. Dang thirsty ain't ya?
@@shelbyberry4349I came back to this video 9 years later and saw your insane reply. I was in my early 20’s when I wrote this (clearly not coming for her man) and it still rings true watching the video again. In a 20 minute video she cut him off every time he spoke. You’d have to be incredibly naive or behave similarly to not realize this is a regular occurrence in their life. Smh
This is wonderful, just GREAT. I grew up in the Sherman Oaks and we had loquat, a lemon, and a walnut trees (from the days when the Valley was a big walnut grove)on our tiny yard..but we never harvested anything but the walnuts. Sad waste when I think about it. I love your tiny homestead, it rocks.
Washing machine sewer was illegal? Talk about over regulation.
I turned the TV off five years ago my self perception changed instantly, and the innumerable advantages have not stopped. That change inspired many other changes drawing my lover and I away from society, which is very uncomfortable where we are. We have yet to meet like minded people so the virtual connection was comforting.
Thank you for doing this piece and please pass best wishes and gratitude to Erik and Kelly... they are the style of inspiration I need!
I want their bread recipe
I adore these people and I think that we've entered a really sad period in history if we cannot respect what they are doing. Food should not be out of boxes, children should not think that vegetables come from cans, and being connected to the earth should not be seen as anything weird. I know people like this and they're very social, humble, and down to earth people. I think that instead of attacking these people, we should really look at what our lives have become.
"The Good Life" LA style
I appreciate the homeowners and how they walked us through their processes to get a taste of how simple it is.
Goals
These guys are my kind of people! I love the part about getting rid of tv and the old fashioned phone!
"forgot our common sense"... so true!
Take heed and really start learning and doing, before you’re forced to have to become self sustained. Loved the video thank you!!
This is a very crowded neighborhood it's so crowded you can hear your neighbors thinking in the next house LoL 😂😂😂
bravoo.. you free from influence.. living real life
"We forgot our common sense." Isn't this true...
These people are totally awesome!! I wish that they were my neighbors. Great ideas for anyone who wants to do for yourself and help others as well. I admire how they are so resourceful and do much with little land. Thanks a lot for sharing your life.
no winter f n fantastic
No kidding. Life would be so much easier for the human race if the whole world had spring/summer-like weather all year. Instead, more than half of us have to race against the calender just to get a few months of growing in before winter comes.
You got that right. I live in SoCal and Portland Or....in CA we have trees of citrus fruit and avocado, tomatoes, herbs, onions all with hardly any effort in my yard almost all year. (I need to find a space for artichokes) In PDX I only use my outdoor deck two months out of the year. My Portland roses and shrubs bloom beautifully in mid Jun but come mid Sept it is overcast and rainy until next June. I grow no fruits/veggies at all but I do keep a pot of herbs I bring it in come Sept that will sit by the window.
Ann Lei ya but your running out of water lol sorry just alittle california joke
*****
They're morons for not using our money on something like that rather than war. After all, it would help solve that little problem we have with the rising seawater. Of course, that makes too much sense. War, greed, and control come first on this planet, and it will be our downfall.
Waylan- we could sure use OR water but in CA there are better ways to irrigate that we don't use at all. However, CA has solar and unfortunately for the rest of the country CA also provides food needed due to our bread basket area of central CA. Our loss is a loss to everyone.
I love their self reliance in the city, this is great. I do not like yards but love gardens which are more productive. Love these two.♡♡♡
These people know there shit!
Micscience I thought the same thing. Amazing what one can achieve with knowledge, huh?
Micscience LOL She likes getting her hands dirty
Except the difference between a hole in the wall and a hole drilled through their window sash
Where's shit, now?? 🤔😂
what are good detergent and soaps that can be used in greywater for the plants?
Dr. Bronners. In Oregon, BiMart has the best prices for this product.
I know the original comment is a couple years old, but there's one called Oasis that is biodegradable and biocompatible. I heard about it from a video on grey water systems.
She is wonderful, and he is amazing. Together they are beyond description.
Wow, you guys are *too cool for L.A.* - you need to move up north to the S.F. Bay Area...hee hee!!! Thanks for all the tips; you're really great role models!
Binging on Kirsten this morning!!!! Keep on, Kirsten & family......
None of the neighbors share their enthusiasm..
The neighbors are probably boring and just sit on the couch all day...
Issac Frutos The neighbor's will be the one to starve, when "shtf".
I bet their neighbors get eggs honey and vegetables. I'd love it