Many of you already know about Novella Carpenter and her urban homesteading ways in northern California. After all, she’s written Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer, a book about her experience — and she’s also part of a women-run biodiesel cooperative! In fact, some of you voted her as one of the readers’ choice 40 farmers under 40.

 

 

Now, thanks to Chow, you can see Novella up close in a 12-minute video about her life and work. Novella talks about her beehives, rabbits, chickens, ducks, goats, pigs and fruit trees — and how she’s fed some of them with fish guts from dumpsters!

 

Watch the whole video to find out which plants and animals will yield the most yummies for your money and work — and why goats and corn aren’t a particularly great investment, though the cuteness of the goats may make up for the cost of the alfalfa they eat! Can’t get enough? Then read Novella’s blog, Ghost Town Farm.