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Field Trip - Home of Dannny Gabb

11/20/2010

Papaya

Today I was fortunate enough to be invited out to the small town of Simonton, Texas to visit Danny Gabb (one of my new fruit heroes). Danny was a very gracious and generous host, gave me a fantastic tour of his fruit tree collection, and sent me home with four muscadine vines, four pawpaw trees, pawpaw seeds, and copies of his freeze protection notes and observations from this winter.

I really appreciate him being so generous with his plants and his time. I learned a lot, and came home with some good ideas for my own edible landscape.

Thanks again Danny!

Muscadines along fence.

Citrus

Stand of pawpaw trees.

Young pawpaw.

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Field Trip - City Hall Farmers Market

11/18/2010

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City Hall Farmers Market Brings Local Food Downtown.

I recently discovered the City Hall Farmers Market, which is held downtown every Wednesday from 10am - 2pm. I think this is a fantastic idea. Many people, myself included, live outside Beltway 8. It's not very convenient to drive back into town to go to the other Urban Harvest markets on the weekends. However, holding a farmers market downtown means that many more people can support local growers by buying their fresh produce on their lunch break.

My family buys its produce from Evans Veggie Farm, so I don't need to try to pick up a load of groceries. But even if you're not shopping for veggies, it is a great place to spend your lunch hour. Personally, I'm all about the fruit: Changsha tangerines, Owari Satsumas, Fuyu and Hachiya Persimmons, and soft-ball sized Wonderful Pomegranates. For the past few weeks a colleague and I have been touring the stalls, picking out lunch, and sitting on the steps near the public library to eat while we listen to the live music. I wish the market was open everyday, especially since the weather has been so nice.