I have a vision of urban farms within Oakland linking their skills and creating an urban farm culture in the city. Sigh…but first steps first. I met a fellow urban farmer, Novella Carpenter. She is a writer and farmer just around the bend from us. She offered a farm tour of her flat, garden and “barn.” Novella’s arrangement is exceptionally different from my own. What she has done with the space available through her rental is highly creative.
 
Her garden is within raised beds sitting on concrete. The concrete has been layers with soil and straw so when you walk into the garden it feels like you are on earth, nice touch! Beds were overflowing with vines and filled with greens. Fruit trees have been kept in large buckets as there is no hole to plant them in. I caught the tour as Novella was directing visitors out of the garden and to the livestock. The area for animals in basically a typical urban backyard, small and concrete. There is a large size shed that serves as the goat barn and a small roofed area further that serves as the nesting area for the chickens and turkeys sheltered from the wind and rain. Before the entrance of the nesting area, was a small enclosure wrapped in poultry wire with kennels inside. I believe this was the roost for the birds. The three goats were a bit skittish with so many people and sought shelter on the stairs leading up to the deck. I had to trade places with them to get into Novella’s kitchen. It was a careful and mutually respectful maneuver.
 
Once inside, I was dazzled by the cupboards of home canned goods. A sight like that takes me right back to being a child in my grandparents house. It means self-sufficiency, a cook is in the house, and delicious treats at unexpected times of the year. Inside, Novella shared (by my request) how she uses a pair of lopping shears to behead her turkeys. She discussed how she milks the goats on the milk stand she built and the supplies required for dairy goats. Apparently, some investment is required (udder wipes, milk bottles, special food). It was a helpful discussion.
 
We then moved to the rabbit hutches on the front balcony/deck. This was a small area that did not seemed designed for the number of people standing on it. I was reminded of the balcones Cubanos that one is warned against standing beneath. Here she keeps her two male rabbits separate and a small hutch of a female and offspring. I can’t recall the exact turn around time for rabbits to be ready to eat, but it was quick. In fact, so quick I wondered how she is able to keep up.
 
From the balcony we went back outside where we discussed a previous experiment in hog keeping (less advisable apparently), how rabbits are “dressed” or undressed (its called removing their pajamas), and bees. One of the details that really stood out for me was the expense of food and supplies for the livestock. My own experiment with urban farming is to create a replicable model for others. I believe small scale subsistence farming for families is a viable option in an urban setting. However, the equation of cost versus money saved (or even earned) has got to benefit the family. By Novell’s description, her equation may not be balancing out. I would love to speak to her in greater detail about this.
 
She mentioned an idea she has of co-oping livestock between urban farmers. This idea came to her when she was keeping the hogs. True to my own memory at my grandparent’s farm, pigs stink, are noisy, and constantly eat. This is a challenge in the urban setting and to the pocket book. Her idea of sharing food duty made me think that rotating them among farms is also a way to minimize the impact on your neighbors. This shared farming capacity has lingered with me. It is hard to find people around that have interest and skill with livestock. I know my friend and fellow farmer, Stefani, could use a hand with processing her birds. Perhaps if local urban farmers band together, there may be a more cost effective way to acquire food and supplies. Urban farmers of Oakland unite!