Happy Halloween From Moss Haven

Remember to balance your sugary treats with some healthy treats as well.

Our Library  holds a Storybook Pumpkin event every year and the farm loves how veggies are celebrated in many ways at our school. There were some great creations this year!

Be safe and have fun!



Our Tower Garden

Since we are an American Heart Association Teaching Garden, there are many perks that go along with that.  This Fall, we got to pilot the Tower Garden for their Teaching Garden program. Typically the Tower Garden is used outside. Since there are many schools that can't have outdoor gardens, we are trying this system indoors, next to great big windows with full sun.

If you have ever been to Epcot in Florida, you may have seen their enormous hydroponic garden. The hydroponic system that we are using was invented by the same man who created the system for Disney. It is a pretty amazing system and yet another way to teach our kids to think outside the box, while working on gardening.

We have learned that some things grow as they should and others don't. For example, cucumbers do great, but tomatoes don't. The kids have decided that tomatoes probably need pollinators (like bees) to produce fruit. This is what they came up with, not me. The Master Gardeners who visited this week shared with us that the real reason is that the temperature isn't warm enough in our hallway for them to set fruit. It is really amazing to see the knowledge that the kids acquire from the farm! They have also become big fans of cucumbers, which is a good thing because we were producing them by the dozen.

We are currently starting our second round of crops in our hydroponic garden. We can see what happens with warmer temperatures and tomatoes. More learning on its way!

East Texas - Poppa Skinny's & Jacksonville Tomato Fest

Mouth watering, juicy, delicious tomatoes were the theme at this classic East Texas event. If you ever get a chance to time your visit to this small Texas town, try and make it during this annual festival. You'll be glad that you did!

Tomatoes are celebrated year round in this community's Tomato Bowl stadium.

This tomato expert gave us a ton of historical and yes, a little hysterical tomato fest info.

After the Tomato Fest, we stopped by Poppa Skinny's Farm  located near the town of Rusk. This organic farm produces seasonal crops and offers community-shared agriculture to local residents. CSA's are an alternative, locally-based model of agriculture and food distribution. It is wildly popular on the East and West coast and thankfully is gaining popularity in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. Local, organically grown food is the healthiest option for all of our families. So if you're looking to get your family to eat healthier,  try switching over to this method of buying fresh, local produce.

Sweet corn is delicious straight off the stalk!

At Poppa Skinny's, they have hoop houses that house their organic chickens.

A trailer train system is their hen house. They rotate it around the field for the grazing hens that lay eggs.

At Poppa Skinny's, Terry will sell you fresh produce, chicken, pork products, preserves and eggs. She also has a wealth of information and advice about crops. They are open most days and welcome folks who stop by. We even got a tractor ride! This stop is highly recommended to learn more about the farm to table cycle and pick up some tasty treats for your own table.