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Meet Paul from Mexas Farms!

By Margo on May 17, 2013 in Farmer Heroes, Greenling DFW

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Paul from Mexas Farms is a a true jack-of-all-trades! From his menagerie-like farm in Princeton, Texas to his copper sink business with family out of Mexico, Paul does it all! The name Mexas farms is a combination of the words “Mexico” and “Texas.” After spending so much time in Mexico, Paul wanted to keep a bit of it with him. Mexas Farms has a chicken coop, a few sheep, goats, dogs, guinea hens, and of course, crops!

Every morning Paul wakes up at 4 a.m. to start researching his next crop. He loves experimenting with different plant varieties, soil types, and is working on a sweet irrigation system. Paul is even working on growing pretty red corn for us. But it’s not regular corn you might eat on the cob- it’s popping corn! We can’t wait for Fall!

Right now, Paul is growing onions, tomatoes, asparagus, squash, corn, peppers, and elephant garlic. Remember those beautiful (and tasty) garlic scapes from the past few weeks? Those were chopped off the top of the elephant garlic, so the plant can focus all its energy on developing the garlic below the soil. Check out the photo below- Paul’s 1,000 lbs of elephant garlic will be huge!

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Farmer Feature: Yellow Prairie Farm

By Sarah on May 13, 2013 in Farmer Heroes, Greenling Central Texas, My Greenling, Notes from the Field

Can you imagine 300,000 pounds of potatoes? What about 12 acres of potato plants? Dan and Pam Tucker have just that, as well as acres of tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and more. Yellow Prairie Farm is a small oasis out in Caldwell, TX.

Dan began his farming adventure 7 years ago on property outside of Bryan. Sadly, his family lost everything in a fire four years ago including their house. Refusing to be deterred, the Tucker family moved onto 80 acres in Caldwell, TX and began again. Dan’s enthusiasm and passion for farming are relentless, and it shows through his produce.

On this spring afternoon, potato plants span over 12 acres and yield around 20,000 pounds of potatoes per acre. So Dan has a lot of potatoes on his hands. Each plant has a cluster of potatoes beneath the dirt. The varietals are endless as well: purple viking, yukon golds, purple majesty, kennebec – the list goes on. The potatoes are grown from seed (organic seed!) and planted and harvested by hand. The Tuckers rely on crop rotation and their own potatoes (thrown back when they don’t meet the grade), to keep the soil rich with organic matter and free of pesticides and chemicals.

Yellow Prairie Farm isn’t all potatoes though – that’s just phase one! Other fields are planted with cucumbers, squash, sweet corn and rows upon rows of heirloom tomatoes. The plans for phase three include nine more hoop houses to the one already standing. The Tuckers are hoping to grow their heirloom tomatoes all year round. Here at Greenling we are tuber excited to be working with Yellow Prairie Farm and can’t wait to taste the rainbow in potatoes!

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Meet Our Farmer Heroes at Rosa Family Farm!

By Margo on April 19, 2013 in Farmer Heroes, Notes from the Field

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No kidding around– springtime is goat cheese season! A few weeks ago we went to visit the kids (aka baby goats!) at Rosa Family Farm in Leonard, Texas. Keith and Judy have been making goat cheese for 5 years. We loved visiting their farm, and seeing how their goats, dogs, horses, cats, and pig are treated just like family. We are delighted to bring you their delicious goat cheese in the springtime.

Why is goat cheese a seasonal item, you ask? Well, when figuring out when to eat fresh cheese, you want to take into account the breeding and milk production of the animals, and what the animal is eating. Keith says in North Texas, it’s best for the kids to be born around February and April, because the kids are susceptible to cold temperatures. And with baby goats comes fresh milk from Mama goats! In Springtime the pastures of Rosa Family Farm are full of fresh grasses and flowery things, which makes great tasting milk. And delicious goat milk yields delicious, creamy, fresh goat cheese! Fresh goat cheese is creamy- crumbly goat cheese comes with age. And Rosa Family Farm goat cheese is as fresh as it comes!

Goat cheese is one of our favorite springtime additions to snacks and meals! We offer Rosa Family Farm goat cheese in plain, rosemary-garlic, and cherry-pistachio & honey. The flavored options are ready-made for salads and crudites trays. Crunchy radishes, broccoli, and grape tomatoes are super yummy with creamy goat cheese. In the photo above, we used Empire Baking bread to make little toasts, covered it in rosemary-garlic goat cheese, and added some chopped salad greens on top. The cherry-pistachio and honey spread is basically a ready-made cheese plate– it already comes with fruit and honey, just add crackers or bread!

Scroll down to see photos of Keith, his herd of goats, one of the beautiful dogs that keeps all the goats in line, and more kids!

Keith in front of the milking station.

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Pretty puppy (he’s only 1 year old!) who keeps all the goats in line

Pretty Mama Goat

2013_Rosa_4 On our way to the pasture. Follow the goats!

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Fresh goat cheese snack!

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No Kidding Around, WaterOak Farms Is Serious About Goats

By Sarah on April 18, 2013 in Farmer Heroes, Notes from the Field

Let’s get serious about goats – WaterOak sure is. WaterOak Farms, located outside of Bryan, has been milking goats for over 20 years. While they might be serious about the humane treatment of their herd, their cheese making prowess, and their raw goat’s milk, Mark and Pam Burow are also all smiles. With all the restaurants they supply around Texas, we are lucky to be able to bring their delicious goat’s milk, cheese and yogurt to you!

We were greeted at the farm by child-like screaming, which we soon found to be baby goats. With their long legs and unsteady steps, these kids might be the cutest baby animal around. These little ones are also the reason the herd is producing milk. Mark and Pam milk the goats, make the cheese and yogurt, package all their goat dairy goods (make their own labels!), and deliver their goods to spots all over Texas. The Burows are also the only employees for this true mom & pop operation, spending about 12 hours a day tending to their gentle herd of goats.

The Burows first began milking goats to provide their family with fresh, nutritious milk with a herd of five goats. Before long the family had a few dozen goats and too much milk. They began providing their neighbors with raw and pasteurized goat’s milk when Pam decided to try her hand at cheese. She’s been making chevre (pictured above), ricotta, and feta ever since. Recently, the Burow’s have been experimenting with hard cheeses, producing a gouda, cheddar, parmesan and a jack cheese. The whole operation happens in a small trailer on their property from dawn to twilight.

The Burows are passionate about their goats, keeping them on a diet of grass and brush and never giving them any antibiotics or hormones. They know that this is the only way to get fresh, delicious and nutritious goat’s milk. We’d have to agree and can’t get enough of their milk, yogurt or cheeses. Check out all their goat’s milk products and flavors!

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We’ve Got A Beef With Factory Farms

By Sarah on April 15, 2013 in Farmer Heroes, Mission, My Greenling, Notes from the Field

We know that buying food from family farms is better, but why? We’re here to let you know about all the smelly facts about factory farms, and why local ranchers are the best place to turn for meat.

Here’s the unpleasant scoop on conventional farms: consumers in the U.S. are eating more meat than ever, with most of the nation’s livestock coming from a small number of large factory farms. These animals are kept in tiny pens indoors, eating and producing waste in a very confined space. Studies estimate that U.S factory farms produce over 335 million tons of manure annually. That’s over three times the amount of human waste produced in the U.S. each year! The animal waste is stored over long periods of time on the farms, releasing hazardous gases into the atmosphere, including methane, carbon dioxide and ammonia. According to the Worldwatch Institute, when this waste is stored improperly, toxins seep into the ground, polluting drinking water sources and aqua ecosystems.

Grossed out yet? Us too! That’s why we turn to local ranchers like Bastrop Cattle Company & Richardson Farms for our meat. Both of these family-run farms raise grass-fed, free range cattle. These cows live in open fields eating grass and hay as nature intended. They are never injected with hormones or antibiotics. Because these animals are “pastured,” meaning they have room to roam, their meat is leaner and has up to four times more omega-3 fatty acids than factory-farmed meat!

Our local ranchers are transparent with their growing practices. They invite us out to tour their farms and take pictures to share with you! Pati says it best when describing her farm – “this is as far from industrial agriculture as it gets.”