K.Ruby Blume
Ruby is an educator, gardener, beekeeper, shearer, fruit enthusiast, author, artist, and activist. As a life-long learner and hardcore generalist, she has studied everything from permaculture design to sewing machine repair and has taught herself canning, fermentation and cheesemaking techniques, as well as how to set tile, install a sink, do electrical wiring, tend a beehive and repair a motorcycle. Ruby holds certificates in permaculture design, massage, coaching and sheep shearing. She has studied native plants, botany, pollination ecology, soil ecology and micro-biology. She has extensive experience in the arts including work with ceramic, mosaic, glass, textile, printmaking, puppetry, collage, assemblage, costume design and photography, and is known for her work as founder and artistic director of the art-for-justice project, Wise Fool Puppet Intervention. Ruby’s experience as an educator extends back thirty years. She has taught music, art, puppetry, theatre, gardening, beekeeping, canning and more to people ages five to ninety-five. She founded The Institute of Urban Homesteading in 2008 and co-authored the book Urban Homesteading: Heirloom Skills for Sustainable Living (with Rachel Kaplan, 2011).
As well as tending the farm, which is a full time job in itself, Ruby currently works seasonally as a fruit tree arborist and alpaca shearer. She continues to run the Oakland based Institute of Urban Homesteading, offering classes in person and online and to offer consultations and private educational experiences.