Pull Up a Stool for Next Week's Kitchen Table Talk on Urban Homesteading

Garden for the Environment/Flickr

Kevin Bayuk

​Next Tuesday, pull on those old socks Mama just darned, grab your flintlocks, and squeal old Bess (a Subaru, not a horse) down to the Mission District for a summit on urban homesteading. DIY butter, pickles, jam, and jerky are hotter than a house-dried habañero these days; cheery chickens rustle and peck in cramped backyard coops all over town. At the inaugural Kitchen Table Talk of 2010, those actively incorporating facets of agrarian life into the city's honks and hustle will have the opportunity to hear strong voices from their own ranks. Sponsored by Civil Eats and 18 Reasons, the series' new permanent site Viracocha (998 Valencia at 21st St.) will host the event from 6:30 until 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 19. Planned speakers include blogger, canner, and goatherd Heidi Kooy; Davin Wentworth-Thrasher, a San Francisco native and cofounder of the Ecology Center; and Kevin Bayuk, whose 3,000-square-foot backyard in the Haight is home to 300 species of fruits and vegetables, ducks, worms, and greywater and composting systems. Try to scrounge up the suggested donation of $10; RSVP to ktt@civileats.com or leave a message at (925) 785-0713. Perhaps they'll accept a few jars of vinegar-and-garlic-spiked green beans, or some weaving in lieu of currency.