Thursday, June 15, 2017

Enjoying the sweet life, with From My Kitchen To Yours

You may think there is nothing new about jam and jellies, but you probably have not met Daynna Torres of From My Kitchen To Yours. Some of the favorites from this sweet lady are Carrot Cake jam, Christmas jam, Peach Mimosa jelly, and even some delicious sugar free jams. Daynna, her girls, and even her mom, have been a part of the Midland Downtown Farmers Market since 2010, but year after year she finds a way to bring some new surprising tastes to the market on Saturday mornings. The latest is an Irish mustard, she also has a nice assortment of dried soup mixes (which is especially nice when the weather starts getting cooler!) Look for her white tent with orange polka dots if you want to sample some of the sweet life too!


Thursday, June 8, 2017

Tancho Ray Urban Farm - Big things come in small packages!

If you have ever had the chance to try TanchoRay Urban Farms micro greens you know that it is true, big things really do come in small packages!  Not only big taste, but big nutrition fills every small plastic container of those delicious micro greens and locally grown mushrooms.  There is a story behind Sonny Aguilar's TanchoRay urban farm, and it's just as amazing as those delicious microgreens!

As you get older to tend to go back to your roots, so to speak. Becoming a recent grandfather of 2 great boys has made me miss the times when I was young and hung out with my Dad in the garden.  Having lost him at a young age I didn't realize what amazing qualities he had and what a green thumb he was gifted with until recently.  I came across urban microgreen farming and became instantly connected to my past, my Dad.  The idea of year-round gardening indoors appealed to me.  The idea of urban gardening bloomed from there.  I knew I needed a large structure to grow and also knew downtown Midland has plenty of buildings not being used to their capacity.  I acquired the lease on an otherwise abandoned building that had been used for storage since the early 90's.
The name TanchoRay Urban Farm, is an homage to my father Ray.  With the support of the local community my goal is to grow seasonal vegetables and greens year-round as we can control the climate indoors.  The building has room to grown and the next phase will be to grow with aquaponics using Koi fish hence Tancho which is a type of Koi.
Growing micros has been an adventure.  I am blessed to have landed some great clients in the local restaurant industry. With their feedback and support my urban farming project has grown into being able to grow and harvest enough to sell at the Midland Farmers Marker for the first time last weekend. I'm so pleased that our local community was welcoming of nutrition and flavor packed microgreens!  The nutritional benefits from these tiny veggies are significant.  The herbs such as basil are full of flavor, not to mention, they dress up any dish.  They are grown using organic practices, so you can feel good about what you put on your food!

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Flying Y Farms, keeping the family in family farms!

Those who visit the Midland Downtown Farmers Market regularly have no doubt visited with DeeAnn Yates and Samantha Borgstedt, owners of Flying Y Farms.  This mother and daughter team are a power house, supplying not only the Midland Downtown Farmers Market with seasonal vegetables, but also bringing several Midland restaurants their farm fresh produce.


Sharing her knack for gardening with her grandchildren, Flying Y is ensuring the future of their family farm, and the patronage of customers who visit her at Midland Downtown Farmers Market help pay for that future.  Flying Y Farms, keeping it family, keeping it local, keeping it delicious!


 There are only two markets left in our Winter Season, and we hope you can join us!  April will begin our regular season, in which we will b...