2021 Archives

Texas-born designer, Lele Sadoughi has become a cult favorite of the Mommy & Me set with her signature headbands and handbags. Now expanding into clothing and teaming up with iconic brands like Lily Pulitzer and Barbie, Lele and her daughter will make a personal appearance on November 7 at Fashion in the Fields presented by Neiman Marcus at Hope Farms.

The annual fundraiser, chaired by Sippi & Ajay Khurana, emerging after several COVID delays, will begin with donor's children featured on the catwalk alongside the Neiman's pro manequins sporting the latest fashions, followed by brunch prepared by an impressive collection of Houston chefs. The laid back, yet supremely staylish Sunday afternoon event has become a family favorite through the years, and we are delighted to see its return. 2021 event proceeds will go toward distributing healthy Hope Farms produce to area families in need. "Covid 19 has shone an even brighter light on the food access inequities in our commuity," says Founder & CEO, Gracie Cavnar. "It fills our hearts to be able to put healthy food on the tables of families in need."

For more information and tickets: CLICK HERE

If you have visited Hope Farms lately, you may have seen a sweet little white studio rising in the midst of a field of flowers. Say hello to Flower Child Urban Flower Farm & Studio, our first Hope Farms agricultural tennant. This is what I did on my "COVID vacation"--start a flower farm. My goal is to provide a eco-friendly flower source for Houstonians that will have a positive carbon footprint and complement our work at Hope Farms.

While not officially a program of Recipe for Success, everything about Flower Child benefits the Foundation. In direct ways, like paying rent and commisions and contributing inkind products for Foundation use, to indirect ways like creating an ocean of pollinator-favorite flowers in the midst of our veggie growing fields to support the bees and butterflies so critical to our horticultural operation.

Every sale also benefits the Foundation and there are several ways you can take advantage of this new opportunity to support our work. Flower Child Field Bouquets are available at the weekly Hope Farms markets on Saturdays and Wednesdays; via the Hope Farm Virtual Farm Store, you can subscribe to regular deliveries of flowers each week, month or season; and you will see our Flower Child creations at all of Hope Farms events. While not a traditional flower shop where one can order flowers on a whim, Flower Child will offer special arrangements for advance orders on special holidays like Valentines and Mothers Day.

And keep an eye our for Bubbles and Blooms, occasional flower arranging classes--the first coming up in October. For more information see flowerchild.love

Great cooking is about more than recipes--it's about techniques. This fall we are offering three Cook the Harvest classes at Hope Farms to sharpen your skills. In our classes you'll work together in a fun, hands-on environment led by Chef Carlos. Classes will be held in the Gathering Barn, where it will be simple and safe to follow COVID health guidelines

Saturday, October 16: Homemade Pasta Workshop
Pasta night is always the favorite family night of the week. Learn how to up your pasta dishes with fresh pasta dough. Simple, delicious and versatile, this staple is fun to make and lets you run wild with whatever else you have in the fridge. In this class, students will learn the fundamentals to rolling fresh pasta dough along with tips for cutting and storing noodles. Next, we cover the basics to making a seasonal pesto that makes the most of whatever is growing in the garden. Last, we will tackle how to prepare ravioli that are perfect for eating right away or storing in the freezer for a quick meal anytime.

Saturday, November 13: Pastry Techniques for Entertaining
Get ready for fall entertaining with recipes that star everyones favorite- pastry! Learn the basics behind making pastry dough, rolling out an even crust and blind baking to serve up pies and quiches that will be the star of any meal. In addition, discover the pastry batter behind clafoutis, one of the easiest and most delicious ways to showcase any seasonal produce!

Saturday, December 11: Holiday Cookie Workshop
Get ready to impress and express your holiday cheer with two of everyone's seasonal favorites. Learn the basics of baking delicious sugar cookies and gingerbread men. Get all the tips you need to make a perfect classic royal icing. Develop your decorating skills by practicing the fundamentals of the flooding technique and explore how sanding sugars and more can make cookie decorating your new favorite tradition.

Snare your seat today!

Fall is the Time for Brassicas, Peas, Citrus and Mulching

Get those Brassicas in the ground! Brassicas deliver flavor in spades--especially spicy. For fast gratification, try mustards and harvest the baby leaves when they are just 3 or 4 inches long. Collard greens and kale are more fast-growing leafy Brassicas. Or if you have some patience, go for the flowery brassicas -- cauliflower and broccoli, the buds -- cabbage and Brussels sprouts, roots -- turnips and even stems -- kohlrabi...all are considered a brassica, and absolutely love our fall and winter here on the Gulf Coast of Texas! Cool fall mornings improve the flavor of these wonderful crops. Leafy brassicas you can see directly in the garden and within a few weeks have something to munch on. For the rest, its best to buy healthy plant starts in 4' pots and plant them 12"-18" apart. You will have something to eat by New Years!

Sugar Snap Peas are a must in Houston's fall and winter gardens! If you have never had a just harvested sugar snap pea, you don't know what you're missing! Traditional planting day is Halloween, but as long as you get them in by Thanksgiving, you will be popping peas by Valentine's Day. Not only are they delicious, they are beautiful with delicate flowers that appear before the seed pods. These exuberant climbers will race up a fence, or garden support and every bit is edible from the lovely flowers and curly tendrils to the entire pod and the seeds inside. There is really no com

It's Citrus Time! You have probably seen fruit trees laden with lemons, limes and oranges all over town, because we are entering the height of citrus season on the gulf Coast. If you are lucky enough to have these proven performers in your garden, get ready to harvest. Fall and winter is when we harvest almost all varieties of citrus here on the Texas Gulf Coast, and the harvest is always bountiful! Wait until the fruits have fully colored then make sure to have your shears sharp because fruit should be cut from the tree, not pulled! After your harvest, mulch well around your tree bases and give them a rest before you feed them again. If you don't have any citrus, now is the time to plant. The most popular varieties are Meyer lemons, Mexican limes and any kind of orange, but it's just as easy to grow grapefruit, kumquats and nectarines. Get creative and try something new!

Mulch, Mulch, Mulch. Whether you are planting seasonal crops or not, it's time to protect your perennials. Basically, leave no bare ground showing in your vegetable, herb and flower garden beds. Covering all your soil with four to six inches of organic material, like straw or chopped up leaves will protect your perennials and shrubs from frost damage and discourage weeds. You will thank yourself in the spring.

Because there are few things as exciting for children in the garden than seeing it aflutter with butterflies and bees, our Seed-to-Plate Instructors encourage us to engage the kids in creating a pollinator paradise in the yard or even in pots on the porch. Here they share 5 tips for creating a pollinator paradise, because if you provide a hospitable habitat, the butterflies and bees and humingbirds will definitely come and bring their friends.
1. Choose a site that gets at least six hours of direct sunlight each day.
2. Use a diversity of plants that flower at different times of year. Select plants that have a long-lasting bloom, provide a rich nectar and pollen source and are both drought and heat tolerant. A sunny sample for Houston: 
Texas Bluebonnet, Indian Blanket, Winecup, Gayfeather, Little Bluestem, the Aster family (Zinnia, Coreopsis, Echinacea Sunflower, Rudbeckia & Yarrow), African Bluebells, Lantana, Scarlet Sage and Coralbean
3. Enhance nesting and egg laying sites by avoiding mulch, using compost and leaf litter instead and adding some rocks and other nest hideaways.
4. Avoid toxic pesticides and ground tilling.
5. Limit artificial light sources to protect the natural light/dark cycles
Have fun!

CelebratingRecipe for Success' 15 Year Mission

The Recipe for Success Foundation "Delicious Alchemy" dinner was glorious testament to the evolution of the seedling of an idea that was planted 15 years ago. Fifty generous patrons were seated for a 10-course dinner in the foundation's Gathering Barn, centerpiece of the seven-acre urban farm in Houston that is the pulse point of the Recipe for Success mission of battling childhood obesity.

Founders of the highly lauded program, Gracie and Bob Cavnar welcomed arrivals who passed the cocktail hour mingling amid Hope Farms' resplendent fields of vegetables and flowers. Missing from the verdant landscape were the entire crop of citrus trees and half of the fruit trees, victims of the February deep freeze. Before the night was over, the ever-creative Gracie Cavnar had announced a giving opportunity that would help replant the once-vibrant orchard. Read entire story.