If you like to spend your weekends putting beds of lettuces in your back yard, growing herbs on your roof, or raising chickens next to your swimming pool (please do not do this, at least not literally), you might want to head over to the Santa Monica Public Library this Thursday to get some tips from the experts. Urban Homesteading is the topic of a free discussion with people who know a lot more than most of us do about how to take control of personal food supplies.

Organic farmer Phil McGrath (McGrath Family Farm in Camarillo), Emily Green (L.A. Times Dry Garden columnist and author of the water blog Chance of Rain), chef Ray Garcia (Fig restaurant) and the folks at Fairview Gardens Farm, a 13 acre urban farm in Goleta, will discuss food security (your Janet Napolitano joke here ____ ) and how we urban dwellers can produce more of what we eat.

The panel is moderated by Evan Kleiman (Good Food, Angeli Caffe). No, she does not have chickens on her roof, although she may well have a pie factory by now.

Urban Homesteading: Thursday, February 10th, from 7 – 9 p.m. at the Santa Monica Public Library. The event is free.

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