Farms and Purveyors
Eden Creek Farms - Just south of Dallas, Steve and Kristine are growing some of the nicest produce we’ve seen in this area. From tatsoi, amaranth, and mizuna, to many other more familiar edibles such as beets, carrots, and variety of peppers. You can find them at Bolsa on Sunday mornings selling their produce. www.edencreekfarm.com
Barking Cat Farm-Laurie Bostic and Kim Martin-www.barkingcatfarm.com
We are a small specialty farm. We’ve been farming using organic methods since 2004. At Barking Cat Farm we focus on growing high quality cut flowers, herbs & produce. We grow flowers, herbs & produce that don’t ship well or are not shipped at all. So we focus on selling to customers close to us.
We believe that eating locally grown, recently harvested fresh food is better for your health! Our crops are grown for flavor, not for how well they ship. We believe everyone needs happiness in their lives, so you should have more flowers! We believe that we must tend to the health of our soil in order to grow healthy plants and to protect and sustain the environment. So, we grow using organic and sustainable methods
Athey Farm
We get our real farm fresh eggs from Jean & Joe Athey in Forney, Texas. Jean allows the chickens to roam free so they eat a natural diet. She raises her chickens with no hormones, no antibiotics. You won’t want to eat grocery store eggs after eating these rich, deep yellow yolk, fresh eggs
TASSIONE FARMS-ROCKY AND CELESTE TASSIONE-http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tassione-Farms/151648071517356
Rockey and Celeste Tassionse have become great friends of Restaurant AVA for a number of reasons, and two of those are they grow amazing products, and they are some of the nicest people you meet. We usually have a handful of their goodies on our menu at all times.
THE BEE CHARMER, JANET ROWE-http://texasbeecharmer.com/
Janet Rowe is a third generation beekeeper. She learned to love and care for honeybees from her father. At the age of four she began helping her dad tend his hives in the orchard of their small Michigan farm. Janet grew up with a knack for growing things and a love for God’s creatures. In the early 1980’s she was finally able to have hives of her own.
Janet has been selling her honey products for a number of years. A few years ago it was apparent that she needed to acquire a Structural Pest Control License so that she could remove honeybees from people’s homes. Her husband Jim is also licensed and assists with removals
LEMLEY FARM-J.T. LEMLEY
About an hour East of Dallas in the town of Canton lies a special piece of land called Lemley Farms. On this land this amazing kind and gentle man grows some of the nicest peaches and tomatoes grown in the world every year. If you eat out much and support restaurants that are supporting local farms then odds are you have eaten the fruits of his labor, because everyone wants JT’s stuff. If you are ever down at the Dallas Farmers Market on the weekend there is a good chance the man himself will be there. Stop in and say hi, then you will know why we love him.
WINDY MEADOWS CHICKEN - www.windymeadowschicken.com
Windy Meadows Family Farm is located about 60 miles northeast of Dallas, in Campbell. They have a state-inspected processing facility right on the farm. Mike and Connie supplie chicken to most of the finer restaurants in Dallas. You can also buy his birds at Barking Cat Farms. They also raise grass-finished beef, lamb, and pastured eggs.
Katz And Company -www.katzandco.com
Albert Katz and his family grow olives sustainably and organically on 15 acres in the Suisun Valley, which is on the eastern border of it more famous “cousin”, Napa. They grow 9 different varietals, all native to Italy, on their property. They go into making their two distinct estate oils, the KATZ Organic Chef’s Pick and Rock Hill Ranch EVO. Their oils have garnered 18 gold medals in major competitions all over the country in the last 6 years, and are certified as “extra virgin” each year by the California Olive Oil Council Taste Panel.
They also produce Orleans Method vinegar in an 150 year old Carriage House located on the Rock Hill Ranch. They are recognized by Slow Food on their Ark of Taste for their authentic production, and are only one of three producers left in the US to use this method.
Tom Spicer - www.tomspicer.com
Tom Spicer is the Godfather of Produce in Dallas. He has been supplying chefs in Dallas with awesome fruits and vegetables for years. He has a small market right next to Jimmy’s in East Dallas(the corner of Bryan and Fitzhugh). If you are looking for mushrooms, fresh truffles, ramps, or any other hard to find seasonal ingredient, Tom is your guy. He also just planted a really nice garden behind his shop. It’s worth stopping by if you in the Area.
Truth Hills Farm - Terry and Christie have one of the most beautiful farms we have seen. We didn’t want to leave the day we visited. They are some of the nicest people to visit with as well. They grow a variety of live-stock. They have pastured-beef, lambs, pork and goats.
Full Quiver Farm - Mike and Debbie Sams and family have a fantastic cheese operation in Kemp. You can find their cheeses at Whole Foods Markets in Dallas. Mike is making fresh mozzarella, cheddars, gouda, colbies, and gruyere. In addition to these cheeses Mike also produces an assortment of fresh cheese spreads.
