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Jan 08 2014

The Adventures of Farmer Cate

So… last night, I was going to sprouts for research purposes, and to shop. I had a plan. I grabbed the keys and went to shut the door, and that’s when I noticed the seat belt would be stuck in the door. My ninja skills, which are certified since 2001, seriously check MySpace or Europe (I’m a big deal over there); anyway I reached in, tucked the belt inside the truck, and the door slammed. Shut.

I dropped the keys from my left hand.     …

The pain was excruciating. Oh no! “The door is locked! Noooo!” “Help! Someone help me!” “Oh my God it HURTS SO BAD!” and then I think “arguhngh…” or something like that.

Over bolts this super hunky guy, ready to save the day. It was amazing. He assessed the situation, grabbed the keys, unlocked the door, and opened it all in one movement. I sank to the ground sobbing, realizing that I had crushed 3 out of 5 of my fingers. Blood was oozing from my pinky – I had forgotten about the hunk.

Good thing he hand’t forgotten me. He got me some ice, put his arm around my shoulders and offered to take me to the hospital.

Talk about chivalry…

Jan 01 2014

It Started with a Dream

This whole being a business owner thing is such a departure from my past life, yet it’s exhilarating in its very unfamiliarity. I’ve had a dream to be a shop owner for about five years now. I’ve added urban farmer to that dream this last year. 2013 brought its own challenges, but with those came valuable lessons. Though the year was more difficult than any in my recent history, I feel like I ended the year proud.

I’ve experienced a real change in my beliefs in regards to material possessions, recycling, reusing and shopping with intent. I’ve done a lot of research on our food supply, and I’ve become a real advocate for locally sourced whole foods. I’ve seen first hand how easy it is to become dependent on fast food solutions when they aren’t even food or solutions. The value menus draw in those who are struggling to feed themselves and their families. Folks are short on cash and time. After many hours of research on food content, I realized that we’re being bamboozled! Non-food items are being force fed to Americans every day, in every city, at every economic level.

I’m proud of the changes I’ve made to my thought processes about food. With that conviction comes a feeling of duty and my dream that has evolved into something so much more meaningful than just owning a shop. Dallas Urban Farms is opening The Farm Store in Dallas early this year. We will offer the freshest produce grown locally at Dallas Urban Farms, hand picked whole foods from other local farms, and a selection of thoughtfully chosen items.

My goal is to offer Dallas a shopping experience that is reminiscent of the mercantile of Main Street America’s past, in a fresh, urban, eco-thoughtful way. We want Dallas to have access to locally sourced whole foods in a store that offers the premier farm to market experience alongside and now you have the knowledge.

Jan 01 2014

Eat Like a Farmer

So you live and work in Dallas. This is home. You like to let loose in Deep Ellum. You’re a guy trying to woo a girl, a local chef wanting to source your produce locally, or a busy anybody on the go.

You like the idea of purposeful shopping. Eating with intent, supporting local business owners, and finding exactly what you need. Kindness and integrity are important to you. Quality, affordability and availability all rank pretty high for you.

Now imagine the Dallas farming communities of just a few generations ago. You won’t have to research very far back to find amazing historical accounts of urban farms right here in Dallas.

My grandparents on both sides had a little farmer in them. My mom’s parents were hard workers, urban farmers at heart. They lived in Richardson, but my grandma cooked like they were still in Oklahoma on the farm that my mom grew up on. In fact, one time when my sister and I were little girls, we went to spend the night with my grandparents. I can’t remember much about the day I’m referencing, except that my sister and I were asking, more than likely begging, for McDonald’s. Grandma said no. A couple hours passed, I think, and my sister and I were called to the table in the kitchen. There before us was a meal like you wouldn’t believe! Vegetables, fruit salad, all the fixings. We sat down to eat, prayed, then dug in. Grandma looked pleased as she asked proudly, “now ain’t that better than mac donalds?” The point is, my grandma didn’t raise her kids on fast food, and she wasn’t going to start with her grandkids. I ate like a farmer when I was there.

Now my dad’s folks were a different lot than the farming side of my family. Sure, they all came from the same time period, historically, but they lived very different lives. When my dad’s parents settled in Dallas, they got a plot of land in the little town of Buckingham. They had a couple acres, so my grandmother had a full blown garden…and a horse. This was a mystical place for me. Cucumbers grew there. Pickles were made there. We played hide and seek in that garden, on that little urban farm.

My mother had a huge garden when we were kids. We ate food she grew, I picked fruit from our orchard in the back yard. I remember growing my very own side garden one year. My sad little carrots were my pride and joy. Oh my, they were tiny!
When I was a kid, we ate real food. Then the 90’s came, and so did the rush of poison into our food supply. Our bodies are starving for whole foods, real food. Our grandparents had it right, guys. Both of my grandmother’s kept that farmer mentality alive. My mom kept it going. Though they all lived in relatively urban settings, they all still made sure that the family ate food that they produced.

So it is with glee that I get to carry on that farming spirit now. Dallas Urban Farms is looking forward to calling Deep Ellum home. We will offer farm fresh, vine ripened, delicious produce grown right in the heart of Dallas. We will supply the freshest, most unadulterated farm to market produce to Dallas’ most discerning foodies, as well as the hard working artist wanting to throw together a snack of nutritious, organic foods. We want everyone to remember how we’re supposed to be eating, then come shop with intent. Be purposeful in your choices. Your decisions are powerful. It comes down to you. Take back control of what you and your family eat. Then after some thought, grow up and eat like a farmer.

kindness and peace,

Farmer Cate

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