This is based on the produce I picked up from the booth at the Fall Creek Bend's Farmers Market…read more Plant It Forward empowers refugees by setting aside some land for each farmer to grow their own produce and partners up with markets for a place for them to sell within the community. The produce I bought had been harvested the day before. The lettuce looked delicate but didn't get damaged en route to the house in a tote bag next to a loaf of sourdough and a container of sliced broccolini. It was tastier than expected, had a leafy but not weak flavor, and was easy to clean. The broccolini was hardy and had a sweet yet earthy flavor while eaten raw. Usually I find broccolini to be more grassy but was surprised at how sweet it was. The produce was still good when I ate it all on Friday.

Plant It Forward is a non-profit company that offers outstanding local, organic produce at seasonal…read morefarm stands & through its CSA farm share program. This is grown by Congolese refugees each given a 1/2 acre plot w/in Houston, & the training necessary to farm it. The company is exceptionally good at maintaining the quality of its produce. Everything we bought over the summer, at the U St. Thomas farm stand, & received in our CSA shares in the fall & winter were unparalleled, relative to produce we've bought at farmers' markets here & in VT; from Abel & Cole grocers, in the UK; and even from Home Sweet Farm, in Brenham. Excepting a few boring mandarins, everything was gorgeous & tasty, the varieties, well-chosen, and all had been carefully picked & cleaned, ready to go directly from farm to table. But you needn't take my word re. Plant It Forward's quality--some of the most acclaimed restaurants in town use Plant It Forward's produce, too, inc. Underbelly, Uchi, Coltivare, Oxheart, Local Foods, Sparrow, Dish Society, Down House, etc. And let's face it, if it's good enough for their chefs, it's probably good enough for you & yours. If, like us, you opt to join the CSA, you'll receive at least 6-8 types of vegetables in each share, grown by a single farmer. Our share sometimes includes other local goodies, too. We've gotten honeycomb, pecan & rosemary infused honey, bread, Java Pura coffee, the mandarins, & Republic of Texas oranges. We even got a reusable Plant It Forward bag, just for being new members. This year, expected winter produce includes kale, spinach, collards, radishes, beets, carrots, turnips, Swiss chard, French sorrel, arugula, salad mixes, bok choy, cabbage, celery, cilantro, dill, fennel, & green onions. Sugar peas will be available in winter & early spring. Expected spring produce includes tomatoes, peppers, radishes, beets, eggplant, summer squash, green beans, arugula, cucumbers, collards, kale, fennel, mint, and other herbs. Expected summer produce includes winter squash, edamame, eggplant, peppers, okra, arugula, basil, cucumbers, green onions, roselle, malabar spinach, & maybe cantaloupe & watermelon. See my pics for fall produce. (More to follow.) You can pick-up farm share produce in Montrose (at Plant It Forward Farm-U St. Thomas), Greenway/UK (Urban Harvest Eastside Farmer's Market), Rice Village (Local Foods), Sunset Heights, Southwest Houston (Plant it Forward Warehouse), Meyerland (both at the JCC & ERJCC Bertha Alyce School), South Main, Greater Fondren Southwest, Westbury, Sugarland, or Pearland. Or try Plant It Forward's veg at one of their seasonal farm stands, at Urban Harvest Eastside Farmers' Market, the University of St. Thomas, Braeswood Church, or Westbury Community Garden. Presently, the full cost of a CSA share starts at $580 for a 25 week season, $1120 for a 50 week season, for those paying by check, one month before the start of the next growing season. Though, near the end of the last growing season, we received a coupon for $10 off the price of the 25 week season or $20 off that of the 50 week season. So the cost of a share currently starts at $22 per week. This is a steal, compared to the cost of a Local Box from Greenling ($35.99 per week, for a comparable amount of produce, some of which comes from Plant It Forward Farms, anyway) or a share from Home Sweet Farm ($36 per week). And as Plant it Forward's farms are located in Houston, itself, if you live in Houston, you'll be getting truly local veg, rather than produce grown up to 100 miles away. Best of all, Plant It Forward offers not just outstanding produce, but outstanding customer service too. This season, I failed to spot that pick-up times had changed--my bad. But Farm Share Program Manager, Kassy R. went above and beyond, switching us to a pick-up point & time that worked for us, then switching us again to one that works even better. *Thanks, Kassy.* So Plant It Forward's employees aren't just relying on your bleeding heart goodness. They actually want your business. Wow. The winter growing season started this week. Stop by one of Plant It Forward's farm stands to purchase their produce, or contact Kassy at Kassy@Plant-It-Forward.org to join their farm share program. In all, Plant It Forward offers truly exceptional locally-grown, organic produce at a fair price, & offers outstanding customer service too. It also helps refugees earn a good standard of living. How can you argue with all that? Plant It Forward is a great cause & a great solution. Special thanks to Gretchen P. for mentioning Plant it Forward on Talk-Houston. This is the single best business I've found using Yelp. And we weren't even looking to join a CSA farm share program. But this one was just too good to pass up.

Such high quality produce! It's been our pleasure to have been a customer for many years.read more

How often can you tour a working farm and have a fabulous dinner as well? Wood Duck Farm offers…read morejust that. Held about once every other month, Van Weldon, owner of Wood Duck Farm, opens his farm to visitors for a tour and dinner prepared by a chef. The latest dinner held was prepared by Drew Wilson (former executive chef of Benjy's). Our experience started with an informal reception, while we waited for all the guests to arrive. Once everyone was there, we proceeded with the farm tour. Van grows various types of lettuce, tomatoes, herbs, micro greens, broccoli, beets to name a few. He also raises chicken and pigs, all of which you will see during the roughly 60-minute tour. Our dinner consists of food produced by his farm or from surrounding local farms. Chef Drew did a terrific job in keeping the foods simple, allowing the freshness of the food to speak for itself. Dinner was a five-course meal, served family style. Drinks were BYOW however, they do provide water, iced tea and lemonade. If you don't feel like driving an hour away to Cleveland, you can catch Van every Saturday morning at Urban Harvest Farmer's Market in Houston. In addition to fresh produce, he also sells a variety of prepared foods like whole smoked chicken and seasonal soups to name a few.

Contrary to its name, Animal Farm isn't quite an animal farm. They do have two sizable chicken…read morecoups, a horse, a pony, pigs, some dogs and a few other small animals on the property, but those are mostly for cultivating purposes. Animal Farm is actually a 70+-acre property complete with a permaculture center, yoga center, extensive certified organic garden of arugula, tomatoes, legumes, summer squash, sunchokes, sweet peppers, swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips and other foods that you'll find at local (including Houston) farmers markets and on the menus at several Houston and Austin restaurants - Local Foods, Haven and Sorrel Bistro, just to name a few. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to check out Animal Farm for a tour and a seven-course farm dinner hosted along with Roots Bistro, 13 Celsius, and a few other local participants. It was a unique and educational experience in which we learned about the 20-year history of Animal Farm and its permaculture techniques directly from founders (and former Houstonians) Guita Van Woerden and husband Cas. Not only do I looked forward to attending another Animal Farm dinners (about $120 per person), but on my next visit to an Urban Harvest farmers market, I'll head straight to their booth to purchase some freshly harvested and delicious arugula and sunchokes.

Initially, I discovered Animal Farm through Urban Harvest Farmers Market (Eastside). They are…read morecertified organic and the only farm in the area that seem to be. They use permaculture principles as part of their farming practices. I admire them for what they do. Frankly, when I start my farm, I would love to utilize their techniques. I've visited the farm twice for farm-to-table dinners last year. The owners are lovely and laid-back. Both times I went, Gita offered a tour and provided a brief overview of how Animal Farm started. It was her idea and she is truly an inspiration. She had no agricultural background at all. The property is about 70 acres and only 20 acres is being used. I believe they live off the grid by using solar power. They offer a CSA program. They grow herbs and all sorts of vegetables and fruits. And also a huge variety of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen!!! I have been buying produce from them every single time I go to Urban Harvest. Some of the vegetables are: jerusalem artichokes, cauliflower (in different colors), rainbow carrots, green onions, broccoli, arugula, romaine lettuce, beets, turnips, different radishes, bell peppers (all colors), shishito peppers, tuscano kale, dragon tongue beans, cucumbers, eggplants, all sorts of squash, etc. Some fruits: blackberries, jujubes, mulberries, a variety of tomatoes, persimmons, fijoas. I highly recommend you visit their farm in Cat Spring and check out their farm-to-table dinners. Follow them on facebook to see upcoming events. Also, you can pay them a visit at Rice University Farmers Market (every Tuesday) or Urban Harvest Eastside (every Saturday).

Came here to drop off some organics for their compost! A cute little farm in the middle of the…read moreurban second ward. Got to taste the best banana of my life too.

From the owner: We're Houston's only privately-owned farm in the 610 loop. We offer a CSA - which stands for…read moreCommunity Supported Agriculture. It's a model that was established to help communities invest and connect with their local farmers in a real and direct way. We host school groups from all over Houston and students of all ages to learn more about where their food comes from. Our outdoor venue is a great space for dinners, fundraisers, wedding receptions, birthday parties, and endless special events.

Our family is so excited to have a local farm near our home. Jerry Johnson is the owner and farmer…read moreresponsible for this wonderful patch of beautiful produce. Jerry was so kind and eagerly showed us the land. This is an organic natural farm... no chemicals no pesticides! We got a weekly box of produce subscription for $30 ( 15 pounds of produce). Highly recommend! It contains what is in season and growing on the farming. Jerry rotates his crops with the season. Jerry even let our 19 month old son run around and see how our food is grown. We will become regulars for sure! Jerry is very knowledgeable and passionate. We took our produce home and I made dinner with our super fresh vegetables. We received yellow squash, patty squash, cucumbers, lettuces ( multiple kinds ), red and yellow/white onions, dill, carrots, radish, tomatoes, okra, banana peppers, and green bell peppers. Jerry even gave us helpful tips for storing our produce. This will help keep us motivated to eat healthy and eat local.

From the owner: We grow all of our vegetables biologically read more

This is an EXCEPTIONAL place. We attended their Mornings in the Country event on a Saturday. Each…read moreevent is different so our experience may not be identical to yours. The event was from 10-2 and we were greeted and invited to roam and explore the grounds. Their farm is EXQUISITELY designed. Later, the on-site farmer, Becca, took us on a tour and we learned about organic gardening and the balance between plants and soil. It's all about the soil :) Becca was on hand to explain her farming techniques and answer our questions. We were served a delicious lunch outdoors in the large covered patio. This is a MUST SEE/VISIT place. My pics don't do it justice. Our group was a four year old and her grandparents and we all had fun!

From the owner: Blackwood Educational Land Institute is a 33-acre non-profit teaching farm on the quest to model…read morethe indispensable role of restorative food systems in all our lives. We provide programming for youth, adults and families. We grow healthy food to inspire the next generation and to connect us all. We are dedicated to harvesting and producing our food in restorative and environmentally-conscious manner. At Blackwood, you can count on us for no synthetic chemicals, soil and crop diversity, self-sufficiency through the implementation of a closed-loop system, the ethical and humane treatment of animals, continually seeking to improve taste and increase the foods' regional viability, and utilizing low-energy resources as much as possible.