This will be a great event for everyone interested in supporting good local food. We hope it will be the first of many similar lunches!

Cost: No cost to attend, food and drink will be available for purchase at Village Cafe

Who: Open to all, children welcome

What: Locavore Lunch featuring RoundAcre Farm

When: Saturday May 21, 2011 12:30 – 1:30 pm

Where: Village Cafe 210 W. 26th Street, Bryan, TX 77803 (Downtown Bryan)

Why: Help support the local food system and learn more about great local food

For more information contact Nathanael at brazoslocavores@gmail.com

The March trip will be a special treat for those of you who frequent the Brazos Valley Farmers’ Market, because Leaning Tree Farm is home to Lois and Garlin Vaughn, by far the largest vendor at the farmers’ market. The Vaughns have grown their farm as the demand has steadily increased at the market. They now provide a wide variety of vegetables, seasonal fruits, jams and jellies, and herbs.

Come visit the farm with us and see how they work their magic, turning the tiniest of seeds into the beautiful fruits and veggies we see every week at the farmers’ market. But be prepared for beauty – both the peach and plum trees should be blooming by the time we arrive. Here’s the scoop:

When: Sunday, March 27 (1:00 PM)

Where: Brazos Natural Foods (we’ll meet in the parking lot and carpool out to the farm). The farm is located just off of Hwy 6 south of College Station.

Everyone is welcome and don’t forget to bring the kids! These field trips are a wonderful opportunity to teach our little ones about where good food originates.

Please RSVP to Nathanael by Wednesday, March 23. This is so that I am able to provide enough maps to carpoolers as well as inform the farm as to how many people to expect. If you have any questions, just let me know. See you there!

P.S. Want to receive the latest news on upcoming field trips and events straight to your email? Join the Brazos Locavores Google Group.

Located 50 miles south of Bryan-College Station on 10.5 acres in Field Store Community, Texas, Blue Heron Farm specializes in fresh goat cheeses. The tour will cost $5 (max $20.00 per family) will start at 2pm. They have three mama goats, which may give birth in late Feb, so there may be babies. Christian & Lisa also allow everyone on the tour to milk a goat and sample lots of cheese.

Here’s the scoop:

* When: Sunday, February 27 (1:00 – 5:00) – TOUR STARTS AT 2PM, CARPOOL LEAVES AT 1PM.

* Where: Brazos Natural Foods (we’ll be meeting in the parking lot and carpooling out to Blue Heron Farms http://blueherontexas.com/ )

* RSVP: to brazoslocavores@gmail.com by Wednesday February 23^rd (this allows us to prepare the farm for the number of visitors)

Everyone is welcome, the trip cost is $5 per person, $20 per family, and don’t forget to bring the kids. These field trips are a wonderful opportunity to learn about where good food originates.

If you have any questions, just let me know. See you there!

ALSO . . . mark your calendar:

Monday Feb 21^st 10am to 3pm “Family Farms and Local Foods Education Day” in Texas State Capitol Austin, Texas for more information check outhttp://farmandranchfreedom.org/upcoming-meetings

Sunday March 27 1pm to 4pm – Leaning Tree Farm Tour – Popular Farmers Market Vendor near Millican, Texas

April Date TBD– Yonder Way Farm Tour (http://yonderwayfarm.com/) sustainably raised chicken, beef, and pork farm near Brenham

Saturday April 30^th 3pm to 7pm –On the Farm Dinner (tickets will be $40 – $50 per person) at Home Sweet Farm with Slow Food Austin – if you are interested please let us know. More information coming soon.

June – Peaches, blueberries, blackberries with Bluebird Orchard in Franklin, Texas

July – Business meeting – if you would like to be more involved with Brazos Locavores or would like to suggest new farms to tour let us know.

Tanya Miller of Millican Farms is well-known in these parts for her
amazing greenhouse operation (just 7 miles south of BCS) which brings
ripe juicy tomatoes to the Brazos Valley between January and May. Her
tomatoes can be found at the Farmers Market on Saturday morning, at
Village Foods in Bryan, and at the Kroger Grocery on Rock Prairie in
College Station.

But Millican Produce is more than tomatoes. The greenhouse is also
home to English cucumbers, watermelons, and herbs; while out in the
fields Millican Farms has 2 acres of land for their vegetable CSA.

Join the Brazos Locavores on January 30 and experience the magic of
ripe tomatoes in the middle of winter!

Here’s the scoop:

* When: Sunday, January 30 (1:00 – 4:00)
* Where: Brazos Natural Foods (we’ll be meeting in the parking lot
and carpooling out to Millican Farms http://millicanfarms.com/blog/)
* RSVP: to brazoslocavores@gmail.com by Wednesday January 26th
(this allows us to prepare the farm for the number of visitors)

Everyone is welcome, the trip is completely free, and don’t forget to
bring the kids. These field trips are a wonderful opportunity to teach
our little ones about where good food originates.

If you have any questions, just let me know. See you there!

Check out their website for more information: http://www.homesweetfarm.com/

Who : Everyone! The trip is FREE.

When : Sunday, Nov 21 (1 PM – 4 PM)

Where : Meet-up at Brazos Natural Foods (4303 S. Texas Ave in Bryan) and carpool out to the farm

RSVP : to Nathanael at brazoslocavores@gmail.com by Wednesday, Nov 17th

ALSO . . . mark your calendar.

Here are the dates for our upcoming tours:

• December 5, 1-6pm – Brazos Valley Pulletpalooza (learn about home chicken raising) – College Station and Bryan

• January 30, 1-4 pm – Millican Farms (Tomatoes and CSA) http://millicanfarms.com/ – 10 miles South of College Station

• February 27, 1-6pm – Blue Heron Farm (Goat cheese) http://www.blueherontexas.com/ – 46 miles in Field Store, TX north of Hempstead

Check out their website for more information: http://www.wildtyperanch.com/

Who : Everyone! The trip is free but we will be collecting donations to support the Milam County Food Pantry.

When : Sunday, Oct 24 (1PM – 5PM)

Where : Meet-up at Brazos Natural Foods (4303 S. Texas Ave in Bryan) and carpool out to the farm

RSVP : to Brad at brazoslocavores@gmail.com by Wednesday, Oct 20th so that I can print enough driving directions and alert the farm to the number of visitors.

For more information on the farm, visit their website (http://www.wildtyperanch.com/) . See you there!

ALSO . . . mark your calendar.

Here are the dates for our upcoming tours:

• November 21, 1-5pm – Home Sweet Farm (CSA and farmers market) http://www.homesweetfarm.com/ – 58 miles near Brenham

• December 5, 1-6pm – Brazos Valley Pulletpalooza (learn about home chicken raising) – College Station and Bryan

• January 30, 1-4 pm – Millican Farms (Tomatoes and CSA) http://millicanfarms.com/ – 10 miles South of College Station

• February 27, 1-6pm – Blue Heron Farm (Goat cheese) http://www.blueherontexas.com/ – 46 miles in Field Store, TX north of Hempstead

Check out their website for more information: http://www.coxfamilyfarm.blogspot.com/

This will be a great Saturday afternoon farm tour and a great opportunity to support a growing local farm!

When: Saturday September 25, 3-5 pm

Where: Cox Family Farm 12464 Long Trussel Rd Bryan, TX 77808

RSVP: brazoslocavores@gmail.com before Thursday September 23

Carpool group will leave at 2:30 pm from the Brazos Natural Foods parking lot 4303 S. Texas Ave. in Bryan, Texas.

ALSO . . . mark your calendar.

Here are the dates for our upcoming tours:

• October 24, 1-5pm – Wild Type Ranch (Grass fed beef)  http://www.wildtyperanch.com/ – 49 miles near Cameron
• November 21, 1-5pm – Home Sweet Farm (CSA and farmers market) http://www.homesweetfarm.com/ – 58 miles near Brenham
• December 5, 1-6pm – Brazos Valley Pulletpalooza (learn about home chicken raising) – College Station and Bryan
• January 30, 1-4 pm – Millican Farms (Tomatoes and CSA) http://millicanfarms.com/ – 10 miles South of College Station
• February 27, 1-6pm – Blue Heron Farm (Goat cheese) http://www.blueherontexas.com/ – 46 miles in Field Store, TX north of Hempstead

The Village Cafe is a great restaurant that celebrates local food. Located at 210 West 26th Street Bryan, TX 77803.

Our next farm tour will be planned for September. Between now and then you might want to check out these events:

Fourth of July Locavore BBQ
Date: Sunday, July 4, 2010
Time: 12:00pm – 6:00pm
Location: The Village Downtown
Meat sourced from Wild Type Ranch

The Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail Festival
Messina Hof in Bryan and Retreat Hill in Navasota both have events planned for July and August.
Messina Hof starts their 5 weekend 10th Annual Harvest Festival July 16th. Check out this link: http://www.messinahof.com/harvest10.php for more information!

Retreat Hill Winery & Vineyard (http://www.retreathill.com/) is celebrating their first anniversary with a concert by Slick Hiway on July 31, 2010 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. during the last weekend of the Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail, Harvest Trail. (www.texasbluebonnetwinetrail.com/)

Location:
Horticulture-Forestry Science Building on West Campus

See their website for more information:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/holisticgarden/

Thanks to Heath Vesely, Plant Sale Manager (TAMU ’10) for sharing the info!

Food Inc. delves deep into the state of our current food infrastructure showing us what it is and what it can be. Local food advocate Michael Pollan (Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food) and sustainable farm hero Joan Salatin (Polyface Farm) are both featured in this eye-opening and unforgettable documentary. If you’ve not had the opportunity to see it and you like to eat (who doesn’t?), this is a must-see.

Here’s the scoop:

What: Screening of Food Inc
When: Friday, December 4, 2009 (11:30-1:00)
Where: Koldus 227 (TAMU Campus)

RSVP to Diane Kraft at 979-862-2000 or dkraft@tamu.edu