The second farm I visited on July 12th was Sustainable Harvesters in Hockley, TX. Matthew and Andrew are recent LSU grads who are very enthisiastic about their experiences growing vegetables using aquaponics. Starting August 4th, they will begin selling their fresh, baby greens at our Sunday market. Yes, you read that right, Matthew and Andrew are growing baby greens in Texas in July and August.

Matthew and Andrew next to their fish tank filled with tilapia. (There is tilapia in there, I promise.) The water from the fish tank is pulled through a series of filters to the left. 

Matthew explaining that the lettuce sits in floating boards that lie on a pool of nutrient-rich water.

The guys with the good stuff. The lettuce in the middle is almost ready to harvest. On the right, they are experimenting with growing herbs. 

Once a month I take a day to visit a couple of farms who sell or plan to sell at our Farmers Market. These farm visits help us to ensure that vendors are selling what they grow and growing their products the way they have advertised. More importantly, the visits allow us to connect one-on-one with the farmers we serve, to learn about how they grow, their plans for the future, and the struggles they've encountered along the way.

On Friday, July 12th I visited two farms. The first is Millican Farms in Millican, TX. Tiffany and Steve have been selling at our Sunday market since the market opened at the end of April. Their farm is comprised of one large greenhouse and a few traditional plots.

Rows of tomato plants in the greenhouse. 

The primary cooling system for the greenhouse is essentially a closed loop "water wall". The roots are cooled by a series of underground pipes that pull water from a pond on the property.

Tomatoes and pepper starts for the Fall. 

The skeletal structure of a future greenhouse. In the foreground are overgrown rows of tomatoes.

Check back on Thursday when I'll post the second half of my trip: an aquaponics farm in Hockley.

I go through phases with technology. Some days, I find myself praising its functionality and many uses. Other days, it is my worst enemy. Surely, many of you could describe your relationship with technology in a similar manner. Well, this week, Urban Harvest is hoping to improve that relationship a bit and make your lives easier, as we launch our newly formatted newsletter. If you've already received it, we hope you like the new design!

In the past, each Urban Harvest department sent out its own newsletter.  However, in an effort to synthesize and unify our work as a whole, we are moving to one all-embracing newsletter. For those of you who are loyal to a particular area, not to worry: each department will be highlighted with the latest news.

A feature we are particularly proud of will be the ability to hyperlink to pages on our website. For instance, when reading the Community Gardens section of the newsletter, you will be able to click on our hyperlinks and visit the new Community Gardens Resource page. In this way, all the information readers used to get will still be available; it will just be presented in a new format.

Whether you are interested in Classes, Education, Farmer’s Markets or Community Gardens, this new format will address each area. For those who used to subscribe to multiple newsletters, we hope this will help with your inbox management.

As always, Urban Harvest wants to thank you all for accompanying us on the launch of our new website and, now, new newsletter. Subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of the screen.

- Erin Eriksen, Community Gardens Coordinator 

Summer Squash

Family: Curcurbitacae

Relatives: Cucumber, melon, pumpkin

Summer squash can be found in many colors and varieties, but most common are the green Zucchini and yellow Crookneck. As summer squash thrives in hot and sunny climates, Houston provides an excellent growing ground for squash. And if you’re going to grow it, you should eat it too. Steamed, boiled, pureed, baked, fried, grilled, sautéd and raw...summer squash is great anyway you cook it.

Currently, students participating in the 21st Century Community Learning Center program are learning just exactly how tasty squash can be. This week, students at Bonham and Whittier Elementary School used pizza box solar ovens to make mini squash pizzas. When the students first saw the Crookneck squash, some knew what it was and others looked at it strangely and said, “What’s that yellow thing?”

As Urban Harvest garden educators explained what summer squash is and let the students prepare their individual pizzas, the students began to catch on to this funny looking yellow vegetable. When it was time to eat their creations, their eyes lit up. A series of exclamations could be heard:

“Mmmmmmm. This is good.”

“Whoa! I never knew you could eat this!”

“I like this! Can I have another piece?”

Another generation is learning how to appreciate local and fresh flavors. Better yet, they are bringing what they learn home with them.

The squash family may be one of the most extensive plant families. Each of the four seasons highlights a different squash. In anticipation for the fall, Urban Harvest youth garden educators are planting winter squash (storage squash) tropical Seminole pumpkin seeds. As seeds sprout, the squashes are fruiting well, and our school gardens are experiencing the benefits.

Kid-friendly, Easy
Summer Squash Mini Pizza

Ingredients:

4 slices of squash

If you are a parent, you know what an important part fruit plays in the healthy growth and development of your child. And you recognize the value of encouraging healthy eating habits at an early age. Let's face it,  Fruit Matters. 

Looking for ways to get your kids to eat more fruit? The solution may be right in your backyard. Involving your children in planting and growing fruit is a fun way to spend family time and it encourages them to eat more fruit. Research from a study, in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, found that children who grow up eating fresh-from-the-garden produce also prefer the taste of fruits and vegetables to other foods. In addition, the study found the garden-fed children were more likely to see their parents eating fruits and vegetables. And you may even get them to try types they wouldn't normally eat. Giving your kids hands-on experience of growing, harvesting and eating fresh off the tree fruit, also gives them an appreciation for their food and how it's grown. Planting fruit trees with your kids offers you a unique chance to teach them the importance of healthy foods and nutrition.

One way to get your kids involved is to make an apple pie or peach cobbler out of fresh fruit and let them know that these desserts can be made with fruit from their own tree.

Then introduce your kids to growing fruit trees by bringing them to the Urban Harvest Fruit Tree Sale and letting them pick their own trees. Letting them decide what type of fruit they would like to grow creates a connection. Urban Harvest has done all the leg work to bring you appropriate trees for metro Houston.

Some of the trees available at the Urban Harvest fruit tree sale include oranges, grapefruit, pummelo, tangerines, lemons, limes, limequats, kumquats, satsumas, peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, pears, apples, pomegranates, persimmons, grapes, muscadines, jujubes, figs, blackberries, blueberries, mulberries, pecans, olives, avocados, mangoes, Jaboticaba, star fruit, dragon fruit, lychee, sugar apple, grumichama and banana.

Urban Harvest holds pre-sale talks that describe all the fruit trees that will be at the sale, as well as how to plant and care for the trees.