Late breaking event!
Joe Novak will be giving a talk at Martha’s Bloomers (TODAY!) Saturday morning, June 20, at 11:00. He will talk about the important health benefits of gardening. The program is open to anyone who wants to attend.
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Bluebird Peach Orchard (July 12, 2009)
Ready for another sweet trip? We recently enjoyed berry season at Kings Orchard, but a new season has arrived and Texas has turned into peach country!
Bluebird Orchard, 30 miles northeast of Bryan in Franklin Texas, is home to over 120 beautiful peach trees, some as old as 15 years with varieties that produce from May through August. Join the Brazos Locavores for a field trip through the orchard, meet the owners, and discover the wonderful world of peaches. We’ll also be given a tour through the farm’s soap making facility. Two tours for the price of one! Ok, so the trip is free, as usual, but it’s just too good to pass up, right?
Here’s the scoop:
What: Brazos Locavore Field Trip to Bluebird Orchard
When: Sunday, July 12 (10:00-2:00 PM)
Where: Meet up at Brazos Natural Foods at 10:00 and carpool out to the farm
RSVP: to Heather at brazoslocavores@gmail.com by Wednesday, July 8. This tour is limited to 30 individuals so be sure to RSVP today!
NOTE: As always, be sure to bring the kids as this is a great educational opportunity as well as wonderfully fun! The farm asks that there be no tree climbing, however, as it can be dangerous for the kids and harmful to the trees. Bluebird Orchard also recommends wearing socks and closed-toed shoes as fire ants are known to lurk around these parts.
For more information on Bluebird Orchard, check out their blog at http://bluebirdorchards.blogspot.com/ or email Heather at brazoslocavores@gmail.com.
Want to learn more about the Brazos Locavores? Visit our main page at http://brazosgrows.org/brazos-locavores/
Or to receive field trip announcements directly to your inbox, join the Brazos Locavores Google Group at http://groups.google.com/group/brazos-locovore-adventures.
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On Thursday, June 18th, Dr. Doug Welsh will present a FREE lecture, sponsored by the Brazos County Master Gardeners on the “Top 10 Gardening Mistakes” and how to prevent them. Dr. Welsh is the radio show host of Garden Success! and author of the Texas Garden Almanac. This event is open to the public, but seating is limited.
Thursday, June 18th
6:30pm-8:30pm, doors open at 6pm
Bryan Public Library
201 E. 26th Street
For more information, contact the Brazos County Master Gardener Association at 979-209-5600.
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This past Sunday the Brazos Locavores visited the csa farm of Mike and Amy Richardson, established in December of 2008 and located near Kurten, Texas (about 20 minutes northeast of Bryan via Hwy 21).
Welcome to Richardson Farms
View of newly planted melon row with drip irrigation
Amy Richardson tends the tomato field
Mike Richardson extols the virtues of sustainable farming
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What: Holistic Teaching Garden Annual June Plant Sale
Date: Thur. June 11, Fri., June 12 and Sat. June 13
Time: 9:00 a.m. til 2:00 p.m. each day
Where: Inside and outside of the back of the Horticulture Forest Science Building (HFSB)
Parking: Saturday no charge, in Lot 74 on east side of Horticulture Forest Science Building. However, on Thursday and Friday parking will consist of the REC parking Garage which is across from Lot 61. (Customers can use the loading dock areas behind HFSB to pick up plants, but if vehicles are in
these loading dock areas too long they may be ticketed by campus parking staff).
PLANTS AVAILABLE: This sale will feature warm season plants for the garden and patio area, but a wide range of other plants will also be available.
Plants being featured in this sale include HEAT TOLERANT TROPICAL PLANTS such as ornamental and fruiting bananas, various ornamental gingers and their relatives, different types of elephant-ear plants (Alocasias and Colocasias).
TROPICAL PLANTS include Alocasia, Bananas, Colocasia, Costas, Curcuma, Gingers, Palms, Plumeria.
HEAT-TOLERANT BEDDING PLANTS such as Allium, Angelonia, Aspidistra, Berlandiera (Chocolate Daisy), Blood Lily, Canna, Cat Whiskers, Clerodendron (blue Butterfly and Musical Note), Calibrachoa, Chile Pequin, Coleus, Daylily, Dianthus (First Love), Eremophila (Blue Emu Bush), Euphorbia (Diamond Frost), Ganges Primrose, Coreopsis, Liatris, Hamelia (Holik), Rudbeckia, Justicia (Shrimp Plant several colors), Peristrothes, Sweet Potato Vine, Mexican Sedum, Monarda, Pavonia, Penstemon Gulf Coast, Phlox, Plumbago, Polygonum, Dwarf Pomegranate, Barbados Cherry, Banana Shrub, Cassia, Cestrum (Golden), Duranta (Sweet Memory), Hibiscus (several), Magnolia, Philadelphus (Mock Orange var. Innocence), Orthosiphon (Pink Surprise Bush), Quisqualis (Rangoon Creeper), Roses, Thryallis (Golden Shower), Ilex (Paco’s Possumhaw), Verbena, Russelia (Yellow Fountain Plant), Salvia Greggii and Indigo Spires), Skullcap (dark Pink, Fuschia Fountain and Red), Snake Herb, Spigelia, Australian Violet, Mexican Flame vine, Mexican Butterfly Vine, Wedelia Creeping Daisy, and more.
FRUITS such as several varieties of FIGS, various types of CITRUS and BANANAS and edible fruit PASSION VINES and clearance on temperate fruit trees growing in plantable containers.
HERBS: such as several varieties of Basil, Mint, Oregano, Marjoram, Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, Sage, Thyme, Rosemary, Bay Leaf, Garlic Chives, Epazote, Catnip, Lemon Balm, Papalo, Scented Geraniums, Mexican Mint
Marigold (tarragon flavor), and more.
HOUSEPLANTS: several types of begonias, ferns, Swedish ivy, chalice vine, jasmine, various cacti and succulents, gizzard plant, coleus, and many more.
We propagated many of our own plants for this sale and bought in high quality plants from regional nurseries and most plants are new for this sale. The plant Sale will also include a CLEARANCE of landscape plants that
have been left over from previous sales, but which are still in good condition and temperate fruit trees in plantable containers.
We will have some boxes and trays for you to use to help move your plant materials, but if you could also bring some boxes it would be greatly appreciated.
All proceeds benefit the Holistic Teaching Garden and its programs and help to support the student workers who help to maintain the garden. Thank you for supporting our sales and the Holistic Teaching Garden.
Please contact Joe Novak (j-novak@tamu.edu) or Heath Vesely (heath.vesely@gmail.com) with any questions!
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I was waiting for Heather to post this, but I take it she’s a bit busy getting ready for this evening’s special farmer’s market in conjunction with Art Step and First Friday in downtown Bryan. Here are details:
Art Step - Friday, June 5 (5PM-9PM).
The Brazos Valley Farmers’ Market will offer a full farmers’ market to celebrate Art Step in association with the First Fridays event in downtown Bryan. We’ll be located between Mr G’s Pizza and the Episcopalian Church on 26th Street (across the street from the Village Cafe).
Also, local artist Cherry Moore has donated another of her beautiful paintings for silent auction during Art Step (auction to run Friday night and conclude at 11AM Saturday morning at the farmers’ market). Be sure to come on out and support local artists, bid on a beautiful painting, enjoy downtown Bryan, and discover the wonderful world of local food. See you there!
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The Brazos County Master Gardeners is hosting a FREE lecture, open to the public:
“Gardens that Work, Gardens that Don’t,” presented by David Creech, Regent’s Professor and Director of the Stephen F. Austin Mast Arboretum. Come learn about unique landscape design styles. He’ll also be bringing plants from his garden to raffle off for those that want to take a little something extra home ($1/ticket or $5/six tickets).
Date: Tuesday, May 26th from 7:00pm-8:00pm
Location: The Brazos Center (3232 Briarcrest Drive in Bryan)
For more info, visit the Master Gardener website under “Upcoming Events”
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Our local Farmers’ Market is in the news with a radio interview that Tanya Miller (VP of the Brazos Valley Farmers’ Market) and Heather Duchscher (Brazos Locavore Coordinator and founder of the Friends of the Market) did with local radio host Debbie Davis on WTAW.
Check it out!
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Richardson Farm (Sunday, June 14)
Over the last 6 months, we’ve been learning more and more about community-supported agriculture (CSA), especially those that operate right here in the Brazos Valley. Generally, joining a CSA means you invest in the farm for a certain period of time and receive a weekly basket of the farm’s harvest in return.
Just outside of Bryan, Richardson Farms has taken a new and fresh approach to CSA management. Join the Brazos Locavores to discover what makes Richardson Farms different, meet the owners, learn about compost tea, and tour the farm.
Here’s the scoop:
What: Brazos Locavore Field Trip to Richardson Farms When: Sunday, June 14; 9:15AM (we should be done by noon)
Where: Meet up at Brazos Natural Foods and carpool out to the farm
RSVP: to Heather at brazoslocavores@gmail.com by Sunday, June 7 (this is so that I can prepare the farm for the number of visitors and provide enough maps for drivers.
For more information on this field trip, email Heather at brazoslocavores@gmail.com .
Want to learn more about the Brazos Locavores? Visit our main page at http://brazosgrows.org/brazos-locavores/
Or to receive field trip announcements directly to your inbox, join the Brazos Locavores Google Group at http://groups.google.com/group/brazos-locovore-adventures
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Nestled just 20 minutes east of Bryan, Long Bean Farm is home to local grower Vicki Miller’s CSA. As we learned visiting Home Sweet Farm CSA last December, a CSA (or Community Supported Agriculture) just means that the harvest from this land is divided amongst the families who have purchased shares in the farm. Very simply, you invest money in the farm and receive a weekly supply of fruits, veggies, and herbs in return. It’s just that easy!
The Brazos Locavores were given a brief history of the farm, a description of how the CSA works, tales of the challenges brought on by Mother Nature, and the full (and very tasty) garden tour. We were encouraged to sample some of the greens and everyone went home with a fresh onion and a bag of red potatoes that the kids on the tour helped to dig.
It was a beautiful afternoon to be outdoors, sampling the local bounty, and sharing in Miller’s dreams for the future. Yet in her first full year, Miller continues to expand the farm’s production and plans to enroll up to 30 CSA memberships this fall, including 2 discounted memberships for those who’d like to help prepare the harvest for the other families, and 2 student internships. But there’s no need to wait that long. There are still 3-4 openings for Summer 2009.
For more information in becoming a member of Long Bearn Farm CSA, visit their website or contact Vicki Miller and discover the wonderful world of local food!
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