Date: Sunday December 4th 2011, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Location: Green Gate Farms, 8310 Canoga Ave., Austin, TX, USA
RSVP: purchase tickets here, $15

This kid-friendly workshop explores the concept of gleaning, which is the ancient practice of collecting and donating leftover crops to charity. Help glean at this historic, intown farm while teaching your children the importance of community with Green Gate Farms founders Erin Flynn and Skip Connett. Workshop begins with farm tour (suitable for all ages) featuring hands-on time with rare breed piglets, goats, chickens; exploring 109-year-old barn and hayloft; and tasting wild field greens and cultivated varieties. Tour tickets are $15 (purchase at slowfoodandGreenGate.eventbee.com). Bring coolers to transport any certified organic vegetables, meats, and eggs you purchase.

Date: Sunday November 13th, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Location: Crestview neighborhood, Austin
RSVP and tickets

Come with Slow Food Austin to unearth a farm hidden in the backyards of Crestview neighborhood houses! Urban Patchwork (UP) grows vegetables and eggs for its central Austin CSA members, in the process teaching many how to grow food in the city.

Our scavenger hunt will begin at one site where maps to four UP sites will be provided. The tour will conclude at the same site with light refreshments provided by local restaurants and Dripping Springs Vodka. The tour can easily be managed by bicycle, and there is also plenty of on-street parking.

Farmer Paige Hill will host the event and explain the ground-breaking patchwork concept behind UP.  UP is expanding into other Austin neighborhoods. Find out if the UP concept is right for yours! Children are welcome on this educational tour. The ticket price of $20 includes refreshments and a take-home selection of UP produce.

UP is welcoming us into the private backyards of its central Austin members, so rather than publish those addresses on this ticket website, you will receive site addresses and a tour map by email in the week prior to the tour.

See you on the farm!

Date: Saturday, November 5th 2011, 5 pm
Location: Montesino Ranch, 300 Little Arkansas Rd. Wimberley, Texas, 78676
RSVP and buy tickets: slowfoodaustinmontesino.eventbee.com.

Just forty-five minutes southwest of Austin, tucked into the charming Hill Country, is Montesino Ranch. The natural beauty of rolling pastures, tree-covered hills, and the limestone-bedded Blanco River crossing the farm will immediately draw you in and make the short drive more than worth-while. It inspires farm managers Melody McClary and David Burk to grow equally beautiful fruits and vegetables. “Vegetables will be plentiful this fall,” says Melody. “We will have a good season.”

Join Slow Food Austin for a tour of this gorgeous produce farm and a sample of their produce. The farm tour starts at 5 pm. A $15 ticket is redeemable for a selection of Montesino’s wonderful vegetables. After the farm tour, put on your dancin’ shoes and come on down to their spacious 28 foot pole barn for the dance. The $25 ticket covers both the veggies and entry into the dance.

The live music starts at 7 pm and ends once all the dancers are tired. BYOB. Food will be available to purchase at the dance.

To RSVP and buy tickets go to slowfoodaustinmontesino.eventbee.com.

Tour questions? Email Grit Ramuschkat at email@gritramuschkat.com.

Date: Sunday October 2, 2011 2 pm – 4 pm
Location: Richardson Farms, Rockdale, Texas
Ticket price: $20

If you’ve had a pulled pork burger from Blackstar Brewery, a pork belly taco from Taco Deli or house-made sausage from Dai Due Butcher Shop, you’ve eaten Richardson Farms meats. The family-run farm has established itself as one of the best suppliers of locally raised, pastured meats in the Austin area.

Come with Slow Food Austin to learn first-hand what it takes to bring these delicious meats to your table. Jim and Kay Richardson raise cattle, pigs, chickens, heritage turkeys, ducks and rabbits on their 200-acre family farm. The animals are raised on pasture and grains the farmers grow and grind themselves on-farm.

The ticket price covers an equal value of meats or a deposit for your holiday turkey. Tour attendees are welcome to make additional purchases, so bring your cooler.  Children of all ages are welcome if under parental supervision. To RSVP and purchase tickets go to slowfoodaustinrichardsonfarms.eventbee.com.

Tour questions?  Email Grit at email@gritramuschkat.com.

Date: Sunday May 15th, 11 am – 2 pm
Location: Pure Luck, Dripping Springs

Slow Food Austin heads to Dripping Springs for a rare opportunity – an inside look at Pure Luck Farm and Dairy. This 100-goat Central Texas gem has been producing nationally award-winning goat cheeses for many years, and if you’ve perused any Austin cheese case worth its salt, you’ve seen their signature herb or pepper-crusted creamy chevre. Pure Luck no longer offers tours to the general public, so we’re in, well, luck! Tastings and a little something to take home are included in the ticket price. Antonelli’s Cheese Shop is supporting this tour and will contribute some tasty items as well. This one will go fast, so RSVP quickly to BetsyL@slowfoodaustin.org.

Date: Saturday April 9th, 11 am – 3:30 pm
Location: Tour starts at Sand Creek Farm in Cameron, Texas

On April 9 Slow Food Austinites will experience the local food chain, traveling with our food from its farm of origin til it lands on our plates as a delicious cafe lunch, enjoyed with a lively discussion of our local food future.

At 11 a.m. we’ll start at Sand Creek Farm in Cameron and experience their raw milk dairy, grassfed beef cattle, pigs, poultry and vegetable crops, and, if we play our cards right, possibly a hay ride! Everyone will have the opportunity to purchase farm goods, so bring your coolers.

Then we caravan to Monument Cafe in Georgetown, nationally celebrated for seriously good diner food featuring sustainable farm goods.  Cafe owners will soon be opening Monument Market next door, a storefront offering fresh produce, naturally raised meats, dairy, and more, ALL of it made or grown locally and in Texas.

Lunch is served at 2 p.m. Cafe chefs will craft Sand Creek’s delicious meats, dairy and produce into a springtime meal, which we’ll enjoy while Monument owner Rusty Winkstern explains his vision for local food marketing.  Your ticket of $24.00 covers lunch (including gratuity and tax).

Purchase Tickets for Sand Creek Farm/Monument Cafe

Date: Saturday March 26th, 9 am – 12 pm
Location: Urban Roots Farm, 7651 Delwau Ln  Austin, TX 78725
Tickets: purchase farm tour/work day tickets

Urban Roots is a youth development program that uses sustainable agriculture to transform the lives of young people and increase healthy food access.  Join Slow Food for this hands-on farm work day at Urban Roots Farm, in the heart of Austin!

We’ll meet at at the farm at 9 am for coffee. At 9.30 am we’ll join the Urban Roots crew and volunteers for an opening circle. After that, we’ll work til noon, when a closing circle will conclude the work day.

Please wear appropriate clothing for farm work and bring water to drink. Children ages 10 and up with adult supervision are welcome to join. For your donation to Urban Roots of $20, you’ll get to a take-home bag of crunchy fresh vegetables.

Purchase Tickets for Urban Roots

April Farm Tour Preview:

Sand Creek Farm and Monument Cafe Tour-to-Cafe Lunch, Saturday April 9 – Cameron and Georgetown 11-3:30
On April 9 Slow Food Austinites will experience the local food chain, traveling with our food from its farm of origin til it lands on our plates as a delicious cafe lunch, enjoyed with a lively discussion of our local food future.

At 11 a.m. we’ll start at Sand Creek Farm in Cameron and experience their raw milk dairy, grassfed beef cattle, pigs, poultry and vegetable crops, and, if we play our cards right, possibly a hay ride! Everyone will have the opportunity to purchase farm goods, so bring your coolers.

Then we caravan to Monument Cafe in Georgetown, nationally celebrated for seriously good diner food featuring sustainable farm goods.  Cafe owners will soon be opening Monument Market next door, a storefront offering fresh produce, naturally raised meats, dairy, and more, ALL of it made or grown locally and in Texas.

Lunch is served at 2 p.m. Cafe chefs will craft Sand Creek’s delicious meats, dairy and produce into a springtime meal, which we’ll enjoy while Monument owner Rusty Winkstern explains his vision for local food marketing.  Your ticket of $24.00 covers lunch (including gratuity and tax).

Purchase Tickets for Sand Creek Farm/Monument Cafe

We’re very sorry to announce that we’re having to cancel the Sand Creek Farm and Monument Cafe event, due to lack of ticket sales. There were RSVP’s and then cancellations, possibly due to it being just too close to the Thanksgiving holiday. There was a good amount of interest, it just didn’t add up to enough attendance to make the project feasible for the farmer and for Monument Cafe.  We’ll definitely be re-offering this same event in the spring.

Date: tbs
Location: Sand Creek Farm and Monument Cafe
Tickets: available at brown paper tickets

This Saturday we head out to Sand Creek Farm in Cameron to see their raw milk dairy, grassfed beef cattle, other livestock and vegetable crops, and, if we play our cards right, possibly a hay ride! Everyone will have the opportunity to purchase farm goods. Then we caravan to Monument Cafe in Georgetown, nationally celebrated for seriously good diner food featuring sustainable farm goods products, much of it sourced locally.  The cafe’s owners will soon open Monument Market, featuring naturally raised meats, produce, dairy and more, all made or grown in Texas.  Cafe chefs will prepare and serve a harvest lunch featuring Sand Creek’s delicious meats, dairy and produce.  Purchase tickets here, and contact betsyl@slowfoodaustin.org with any questions.

Date: Saturday, November 6, 10 am – 1 pm
Location: Simmons Family Farm, Niederwald, Texas
RSVP: betsyl@slowfoodaustin.org

Simmons Family Farm – Vegetable CSA with a Thai Twist
- cooking demonstration by Jam Sanitchat of Thai Fresh

Simmons Family Farm is a three-generation organic vegetable enterprise based in Niederwald, Texas.  The Simmons grow a variety of produce and herbs with a unique emphasis on Thai-friendly items.  Farm tour attendees will enjoy a Thai cooking demonstration by Jam Sanitchat, co-owner and chef at Thai Fresh in south Austin, which will feature farm produce.  $16 tickets will be redeemed at the farm for vegetables and herbs.

Date: Sunday, October 24th 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Location: Richardson Farms

Is pastured meat different? Better? More flavorful? And if so, why? Slow Food Austin is going to visit area expert livestock farmers Jim and Kay Richardson to find out.

The Richardson family has been farming for generations. On their Rockdale farm Jim and Kay Richardson raise wholesome meats in time-tested natural ways, grinding the corn grown on-farm for their pigs, raising their beef cattle solely on grass, pasturing chickens for eggs and broilers, and producing all-natural turkeys for area holiday tables.

October’s cooler weather is perfect for savoring slow-roasted meats, and high time to reserve your holiday turkey! Tour participants will redeem their $20 tickets at the farm for a selection of the Richardson’s natural pastured meats, and we’ll see the farm and have plenty of opportunity to ask our hosts about their production methods and how best to cook their meat. Join us October 24 from 10-1.

Limited space remains, so please RSVP today to receive the ticket purchase link: betsyl@slowfoodaustin.org

There is another farm tour on the same day, right after the slow food austin tour of Richardson Farms.

The Brazos Locavores’ October Farm Tour is planned for Oct 24th from 1pm-5pm at the Wild Type Ranch. The tour is free and they will be collecting donations to support the Milam County Food Pantry.

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

Those who wish to attend are encouraged to RSVP at brazoslocavores@gmail.com The group will meet-up at Brazos Natural Foods (4303 S. Texas Ave in Bryan) and carpool out to the farm.