Urban Homesteader Workshops at the Altadena Urban Farmer's Market

 Sunday's event will include more than just food and crafts: this weekend there will also be a series of workshops on the world of urban homesteading, a do-it-yourself philosophy that teaches people practical home making and hobby skills.

The workshops will be hosted by the Arroyo Time Bank, a local labor exchange groups that encourages members to accomplish practical work and make non-financial exchanges that benefit both parties.

Below, are descriptions of the workshops, courtesy of the market organizers:

1:30 pm
Intro to Cheesemaking:  An introductory discussion of the properties of milk, some basic techniques, and recipes to make your own cheese.  We'll demonstrate chevre at various stages of the process.  

Instructor: Steve Rudicel is one of ZGE resident goatherds and cheesemakers, a lecturer at Cal Poly Pomona, owner of The Press Restaurant in Claremont, and a member of the first LA County Master Food Preserver class in over 10 years

2:00pm
Beyond the Victory Garden: This workshop will provide a brief history of the "Small Farm Home" movement in the first half of the 20th century in Los Angeles, a precursor to todays "Urban Homestead" movement. In addition, participants will learn some strategies for researching farming and gardening histories in their own neighborhoods.

Lecture by: Alex Tarr is a PhD candidate in the Geography Department at UC Berkeley. He currently lives in Los Angeles where he is conducting research for his dissertation on the renaissance in urban agriculture. 

2:30 pm
DIY Cleaners and Toiletries: More Than Just Vinegar & Water:  Janine Christiano will take you through a few of her favorite recipes for detergent, toothpaste, deodorant, all-purpose cleaner, and more using very simple common items you probably already have in your pantry and garden. Participants will leave with samples. Please bring a small mason jar or container.
  
Instructor: Janine Christiano is the founder of the Arroyo Time Bank, co-coordinator of the newly formed California Federation of Time Banks, and works as a program coordinator for the Armory Center for the Arts. She lives in Pasadena with her husband Guy, their pitbull/boxer mix Chloe, and three chickens.

3:00 pm
Artisanal Bread Baking: Erik Knutzen of the Los Angeles Bread Bakers and http://RootSimple.com/ will demonstrate how to make a no-knead artisanal loaf of bread using a levain starter. 

Instructor: Erik Knutzen is the co-author, with his wife Kelly Coyne, of The Urban Homestead and Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post Consumer World.

3:30 pm
The New Craft Pantry: Homemade Condiments and Extracts: We will cover how to make three basic kitchen panty items every home cook should add to their repertoire: homemade mayonnaise, Dijon-style grainy mustard and pure vanilla extract. Ridiculously simple to make, you will never buy these pantry staples commercially again.

Instructor: Cookbook author Joseph Shuldiner is the owner and creative director of Shuldiner Studio, a design and consulting company in Eagle Rock. The studio specializes in the areas of; publication design and content, food culture, fashion, photography and critical thinking. Joseph is the author of the upcoming cookbook, Pure Vegan to be released in Spring 2012 from Chronicle Books.