While local author Sundari Kraft has a passion for empowering people, she's also rigorously honest. She wrote The Complete Idiot's Guide to Urban Homesteading, which is available on June 7th, but, "This book wasn't my idea," Sundari said bluntly, "The people who write the Complete Idiot's Guides came to me after a national search and a long process," No matter who's idea it was, Sundari wrote the book with the specific goal of making urban homesteading possible for everyone who wants to do it, and it's an accessible volume of detailed information. "My goal is for the book to be useful, for beginners with no access to land, all the way to experienced homesteaders."
It's a perfect time for a mainstream book on urban homesteading to hit the shelves. With seed sales up by over 35% in the last few years and new magazines like Urban Farm and Hobby Farm Home seeing increasing popularity, the phrase "urban homesteading" could be categorized under "new hotness". Of course, pedantics are always quick to jump up and fuss about definitions. Urban homesteading elitism, though rare, is out there and Sundari says it can add to the intimidation factor for people who would like to be more self-sufficient, but aren't sure how to start.
"Some people present it like it's all-or-nothing, but urban homesteading is everything and anything you can do to live self sufficiently where you are. Anybody who has herbs on the windowsill; that's an act of urban homesteading. It's what you can do. But as far as what actually defines an urban homesteader," Sundari says, "Nobody gets to decide that,"
Even now the idea of an urban homestead still strikes some people a wacky new fad. "Our grandparents knew how to keep chickens and can the harvest but many people's parents didn't, so for many people the act of growing a tomato can seem very daunting," But Sundari has complete faith that this state of affairs is temporary. "We have a gap in knowledge generationally, so a whole culture of people is intimidated, and see growing a tomato as rocket science. I grew up in the suburbs," she says wryly, "And If I can if I can do it, anybody can do it,"
Sundari believes that we're headed back to the way of life that is much more self-sufficient, economically sound and closer to our food sources. "This isn't a fad, it's a pendulum swing. We took a little detour for a while there, trying to separate everything and not be localized. Urban homesteading is not new and trendy, but practical and affordable. It's a given; in the future we'll be growing our own food. It's just the way the world is going, "This statement struck me as optimistic until the conversation deepened and I began to understand that Sundari doesn't spend time hoping and dreaming for a more self-sufficient and happier future; she knows it will happen. Her belief is strikingly rock-solid, and her sense of humor emerges often. "We're going to look back in ten years," she said, "At all this drama about people just being able to keep chickens. And we're going to wonder, why the chicken drama?"
Also a busy local food activist and business owner, Sundari doesn't go in for self-indulgent speeches. She wants to get on with helping people get access to better food. "I suffer from 'chronic impatience syndrome' " she joked dryly, "If you're not going to do something, OK, but don't stop me from doing something,"
Sundari's unpretentiousness and accessibility also show up in her book. While many urban homesteading books are aimed at those who have access to arable land, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Urban Homesteading is also written for people in urban situations who may have only a small deck to garden on, or no deck at all. There are six chapters on growing food, covering topics like container, windowsill and balcony gardening and under-bed mushroom growing, guerrilla gardening and yard shares. There's even a guide to changing zoning laws.
"All the excitement and outreach in the world won't come to much if people aren't allowed to grow," said Sundari, "So that's why there's a primer for changing zoning laws,"
Chapters on backyard livestock (like chickens, dwarf goats, rabbits and bees) cover how to keep which animals with which, how much room you need, and other specifics that demystify the process. She even covers aquaponics-an element missing in many urban homesteading books.
Sundari also talks about the economic practicality of urban homesteading, at any level. "A penny saved is a penny earned on food, energy and health care costs. It's about quality of life and about financial contribution. To legalize the sale of home canned goods and goods created in commissary kitchens can help out lower income people, and teach people to grow and turn excess food into profit making,"
With the book, Sundari hopes to "Give people a tool to empower them to do the best of what they want to do. The biggest thing holding people back is the intimidation factor. And it's OK to have an urban life," Sundari also believes in gradual starts toward a more self-sufficient life. "You don't have to become a farmer tomorrow to make it work. Urban homesteaders look like everybody. And there are lot of smart people homesteading in many different ways. The important thing is when you gain knowledge and a skill set, to share that knowledge,"
At this point I remembered the classes I had taken with Sundari at Heirloom Gardens, and a clay plaque that overlooks her chickens and goats. It reads, "Love generously, give bountifully, live fully,". It seemed to me to be her unspoken creed, but Sundari didn't have a speech to make about that. She's too busy with the gardening apprenticeship program and backyard chicken laws.
About Robbie Knight - Feature Columnist and host of Green Streets TV
A mainstay of Denver radio for 20 years, Robbie Knight has become known for cutting through the compost where ‘green’ reporting is concerned.
Join her here each month for interviews, interesting videos and event reviews, without worrying about the politics that pollute most of media spin on the environment.
Robbie will be profiling the roots of the sustainability movement along the Front Range of Colorado, along with interviews and pod-casts from national and international authors, artists, film makers and educators.
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