Tag Archives: waco

Spring Farm Visit: Caprino Royale

May 14th, 2013
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Our Urban Acres store team is on the road again today visiting some of our local farm partners.  First stop: Caprino Royale in Waco, home of the best goat cheese on the planet that we sell at UA.

caprino may 2013-6

Back row: Eric from Caprino, UA’s Andy, Hunter, and Samantha
Front row: Karen from Caprino, UA’s Amber

Eric and Karen from Caprino are currently working on a new blue cheese that we’ll be carrying soon, and they’ve also launched farm dinners that are already sold out with a wait list.  This fall, they’ll start hosting farm days so you can visit Caprino Royale and meet the playful goats.  So fun!

Currently, Caprino Royale has about 10 baby goats and one pregnant goat who may deliver today!

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Greeting Andy

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Piggybacking on Hunter

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Chillin’

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Like my ears?

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About Caprino Royale

caprinoCaprino Royale is a micro-dairy and small sustainable farm in Waco, TX producing pasture based goat milk products.  The farm is owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Eric Tippit and Karen Dierolf.  As James Bond fans, they created the name of their dairy from the word “Caprine,” the scientific term meaning “of or pertaining to goats” and as a spoof on the James Bond film Casino Royale. This developed into the goat herd name “Caprino Royale”.  Their herd consists of purebred registered Nubian goats, which are known for their superior quality of milk, high butterfat content, and friendly disposition (not to mention, their big floppy ears!). We think Caprino Royale’s goat-milk cheese (fromage de chevre) is simply the best.  For something sweet, try their Cajeta caramel sauce and Cajeta Pecan Cheese – yum.

833.5 Miles, 51 Hours, 9 Farms Visited…

February 20th, 2013
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This week, some of the UA team drove 833.5 miles for 51 hours and visited 9 farms all over Texas. Every single one of our farmers wanted to say THANK YOU to Urban Acres members for making this possible!

We’re taking farm trips right now because it’s planting time and we need to work with the farmers to get seeds in the ground for our spring and summer harvest. Once the harvest hits we try and stay out of their way. :)

Here are some photos…

brandon at caprino

UA Marketing Director Brandon Perez with baby goat at Caprino Royale goat cheese farm in Waco

Eric-Caprino

Eric, owner of Caprino Royale Farms. Finest goat cheese in Texas! They have a brand new batch of blue cheese aging right now that should be ready this summer. We’ll keep you posted.

Ben from Sand Creek Farms holding organic aquaponics green onion grown in one of his four greenhouses, two of which are dedicated to grow exclusively for you, the Urban Acres member. Ben and his family thank you.

Ben from Sand Creek Farm in Cameron, TX holding organic aquaponic green onions grown in one of his four greenhouses, two of which are dedicated to grow exclusively for you, the Urban Acres member!  Ben and his family thank you.

Kevin & Malachi of Loaves & Fishes farm in Cameron, TX

Kevin & his dog Malachi of Loaves & Fishes Farm in Cameron, TX showing his aquaponic lettuce.  Coolest dog ever.

Amber the very friendly horse at Loaves and Fishes Farm

Amber the very friendly horse at Loaves and Fishes Farm in Cameron, TX

Jim Richardson of Richardson Farms in Rockdale, TX. Jim has some of the finest pastured pork and turkey in Texas. Check our store in Oak Cliff soon to pick some up.

Jim Richardson of Richardson Farms in Rockdale, TX. Jim has some of the finest, humanely raised pastured pork and turkey in Texas. Check our store in Oak Cliff soon to pick some up.

Up next in our crazy potato lineup Pink Rose Potatoes

First we had Purple Majesty Potatoes.  Up next in our crazy potato lineup: Pink Rose Potatoes from Yellow Prairie Farm in Caldwell, TX

gundermanns feb 2013

Garrett & Stacie Gundermann of Gundermann Acres in Wharton County, TX.  Fourth generation organic farmers with the fifth generation on the way!

brandon celery

Brandon tastes Texas celery straight out of the ground coming soon from Gundermann Acres

Just a little more time in the ground at Gundermann Acres and you'll find these in your share

Just a little more time in the ground at Gundermann Acres and you’ll find these in your share

Fresh dill from Gundermann Acres coming this weekend!

Fresh dill from Gundermann Acres coming this weekend!

The Gundermann Acres crew

The Gundermann Acres crew

Thank you for being a part of Urban Acres and supporting Texas farmers and local, organic produce!  We ♥ our farmers, and we ♥ you!

The Home Grown Farm – Where Your Food Comes From

August 10th, 2012
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We’d like to introduce to our friends at The Home Grown Farm in Waco, TX, where much of your local produce comes from.  This past summer, our co-op style produce shares have enjoyed their wonderful heirloom cherry tomatoes and green beans.  This weekend, we’ll be including some local okra from The Home Grown Farm in the produce shares.

The Home Grown Farm is a small family farm run by Brandon Tull.  Brandon is a second generation farmer, and the family farm produces a variety of vegetables,  all natural meat, eggs and bread.   The Tull family was raised in the country and were taught from an early age how to care for animals and take care of the land.  It has become a deep desire to apply those teachings from so long ago and share it with their family and friends.

Brandon Tull showing the last of the cauliflower harvest this winter

  • If you’d like to further support The Home Grown Farm, you can like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.
  • Make the most of your local okra from The Home Grown Farm – check out our post on 5 Ways To Eat Local Okra.

We hope you enjoy the Home Grown Farm’s produce, and we thank you for supporting Texas family farmers! ♥

Let the Ingredients Do the Talking…

July 2nd, 2012
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Photo: Urban Acres

This vegetarian salad is what Urban Acres is all about! You don’t have to slave away at difficult meals. Keep it simple and let the ingredients do the talking.  With delicious, fresh, local and organic Texas produce, your job is simply to arrange it on a plate.

Here’s what we did…

  • Sliced heirloom tomatoes from Johnson’s Backyard Garden in Austin, each topped with a scoop of slow-cooked black-eyed peas from Morrison Organic Farm in Cleburne.   Garnished them with a little sea salt, pepper and olive oil.
  • Sliced some lemony sorrel from Eden Creek Farm in Blooming Grove and spread it around the plate for a touch of green.
  • Nestled in some sliced fresh figs from Gundermann Acres in Wharton County, each topped with a scoop of goat cheese from Caprino Royale in Waco.
  • Sprinkled some peppers from a backyard garden in Oak Cliff.

And voila!  A simple, local meal for you.  Bon appétit!

Our Team Visits 3 Local Farms – Where Your Food Comes From

June 13th, 2012
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One of the most important things to us at Urban Acres is staying connected with our farmers who provide you with wonderful local, organic produce.  We make farm trips regularly throughout the year to see how our farmers are doing and check the progress on the food they’re growing that we then provide to you, our members and friends.

This past Monday, a team of 5 Urban Acres staffers traveled for 18 hours covering 650 miles across Texas to visit 3 of our farm partners:

  • Caprino Royale in Waco, TX.   Husband and wife team Eric and Karen have the best goat cheese in all of Texas, hands-down.  Their chevre is used in many top-rated restaurants here in Dallas.  When you know every single goat by name, then you know the cheese is made with love!
  • Gundermann Acres in Wharton County, TX.  Thank goodness we found Garrett and Stacie Gundermann – they have already provided amazing produce for our co-op style produce shares this year!  The Gundermanns met in high school and got married in 2009.  Garrett is a 4th generation farmer.  Their farm started with a peach orchard, and the family added other fruits and veggies in the mid-1990s.  Now they grow everything from peppers to peaches to figs to eggplant.
  • Eden Creek Farm in Blooming Grove, TX.  Eden Creek is owned by Steve and Kristine Orth, an incredibly energetic and friendly couple that loves growing and sharing their beautiful herbs, greens, veggies, and delicious peaches and plums.  They also have a menagerie of animals with fun names like Tinkerbell, Wilbur, and Squeaky.

We wanted to give you an inside look.  So here’s a little slideshow.

First stop, Caprino Royale…

On the road at 5am…in the Volkswagen Rabbit where UA first began

Breakfast at Caprino: homemade pound cake with local blueberries, raw goat milk, and Oak Cliff Coffee – MMMMM.

Samantha and Jeff learn a goat-feeding lesson from Karen at Caprino

Our Liz with Eric at Caprino

Love me!

[vimeo 43940718 w=500 h=282]

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Next stop, Gundermann  Acres…

Unconventional setting for our meeting at Gundermann Acres – just how we do business :)

Steven getting a tour from Garrett Gundermann

Hydroponics greenhouse

Our studly Andy

Just a few weeks until these huge, juicy figs make an appearance in your produce share!

Liz experiencing fig yumminess

Andy trying a Gundermann fig

Samantha checking out the bell peppers

Steven chowing down on Gundermann organic sweet corn, straight from the field

Waist-deep in organic sweet corn fields: Liz, Garrett Gundermann, Andy, Samantha

[vimeo 43940719 w=500 h=282]

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Final stop, Eden Creek Farm…

Our team (minus Jeff) with the Orths at Eden Creek Farm in Blooming Grove: Steven, Steve Orth, Kristine Orth, Andy, Liz, Samantha

Eden Creek’s potbellied pigs

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Ending the trip with a true farm-to-table dinner under the stars with everything coming from the land at Eden Creek Farm

Thank you, Urban Acres farmers, for working in the hot, the cold, the windy, the rainy, for sacrificing so much to provide the best organic food in Texas for our members and friends.  We ♥ you!

Local Goat Cheese Is Back!

May 10th, 2012
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Our team is traveling around Texas today, and they stopped this morning  to see Eric and Karen at Caprino Royale farm in Waco and to pick up more of their remarkable goat cheese for our store!  We’ve missed it and are so excited to have delicious cheese from the girls again.

Baby goats at Caprino Royale

AWWWWW.

And here are some easy recipes to try with your local goat cheese…

Roasted Carrot Veggie Pasta // afarmerinthedell.com

What’s YOUR favorite way to eat goat cheese?  Please post a comment and share with us!