Blackwood Educational Land Institute

The figs have landed. 🌿😍

Just a two weeks ago, we shared the first signs of this season's fig crop emerging on the farm. Now those same figs are fully ripened and making their way to our market tables.

As we transition into Summer and welcome a new season of learning with our Nature Camp kids (June - July), we're grateful for the opportunity to share the abundance of our farm with you before we take our Summer break from the markets

Come stock up on fresh figs, support local agriculture, and discover ways you can connect / stay connected with us through the season at our booth the next two weekends!

🗓️ July 27th = last market day of the season
📍 Urban Harvest / Tomball Farmers Market

Hope to see you there! Click the link in our bio to learn more about Blackwood ~>

Our figs are coming in great this season!

What started as small buds just weeks ago have now become a full canopy of life. A reminder of what can be done with time, and care - and of what comes next.

We close our gates to the public each Summer to focus on a different but equally important type of growth here at Blackwood. Our Summer Nature Camp is starting soon, and during this season we devote our entire campus to deepening the connection between young minds and the natural world. Like these figs, our campers are coming to grow - curious, confident, and inspired to learn more about the wonders of the land.

Join us this Saturday for our last Agritourism Day of the season. Stroll the fig trees, visit the animals, enjoy a farm fresh meal, and take in all the magic of what's growing at one of our farms most abundant moments.

Agritourism Day
🗓️ Saturday June 6th
⏰ 12-4pm
📍 Blackwood Farm
27144 Rock Island Rd., Hempstead TX

Click the link in our bio to RSVP for Agritourism Day, and to learn more about our Summer Nature Camp program ~>

Today, Blackwood founder Cath Conlon visited Clemente Martinez Elementary for a 3rd grade Career Day — sharing with students what it means to build a life connected to the land, community, and the future of our food systems.

Too often, children are taught to see success measured by industries far removed from the natural world. At Blackwood, we believe it’s important for young people to see that careers in farming, environmental education, herbalism, culinary arts, and land stewardship are not only possible — but vibrant! Working in agriculture offers a path towards a life that's healthy, vibrant, essential, and deeply meaningful.

Thank you to Clementine Elementary for inviting us to be part of the conversation today. Your students are fast learners, and were a ton of fun to spend the morning with.🌱

Looking for ways to connect your kids to the natural world? Registrations are still open for our Summer Nature Camp program (for kids ages 8-14.) Click the link in our bio to learn more and to explore our other Youth Programs ~>

Harvest season is also processing season! 🌿

And when fresh herbs are processed correctly their value is extended greatly — preserving their aromatics, medicinal properties, and flavor profiles at peak vitality for use throughout the whole year.

These herbs will soon find their way into our value added goods like teas, mineral-rich herb salts, infused honeys, syrups, vinegars and more - in addition to be used in our own kitchen here at the farm.

It's a fun rewarding way to spend an afternoon.. plus your hands smell amazing when it's all done!

Ready to dig into your own agricultural adventure? Click the link in our bio to plan your visit, sign up for our volunteer program, and so much more ~>

Calling all campers ⛺

Registrations are open for Nature Camp 2026!

Adventure comes to life at Blackwood each Summer. Our week-long overnight Nature Camp program (ages 8–14) invites children to step fully into the rhythms of the land - exploring, creating, and discovering the natural world.

2026 Camp Sessions:
🌞 June 14 – 19
🌱 June 21 – 26
🍅 July 5 – 10
🐿️ July 12 – 17
🤸 July 19 – 24
🥕 July 26 – 31

The Blackwood Educational Land Institute
📍27144 Rock Island Rd., Hempstead TX📍

Camps are limited to 26 campers per session to ensure a deeply personal experience for everyone. Space is still available, but will fill up quick!

Click the link in our bio to learn more, and register your campers today ~>

When people think about food, they often think about the final dish. At Blackwood, we believe the story begins much earlier - in the soil, the seasons, the ecosystems, and the relationship between people and land.

We’re honored to see Blackwood featured in Houstonia Magazine recent piece on Chef mayankistwal7, of Michelin-starred Musaafer, and his approach to foraging, seasonality, and ecological cuisine.

What makes this collaboration meaningful to us isn’t simply the culinary recognition, it’s the shared philosophy behind it. Chef Istwal’s “4F Philosophy” - Flora, Fauna, Farm, and Food — closely reflects the values we work to model every day at Blackwood.

From yaupon and sorrel to pine, cedar, and native Texas flora, the landscapes of Blackwood continue to inspire chefs, educators, students, and visitors alike to slow down, observe more carefully, and reconnect with the origins of what nourishes us.

We’re deeply grateful to Chef Istwal, the Musaafer team, and Houstonia Magazine for helping tell a story we care deeply about: that regenerative agriculture and meaningful food experiences can help restore not only the land but our relationship to place, seasonality, and one another.

Read the full article here:
https://www.houstoniamag.com/eat-and-drink/2026/05/musaafer-mayank-ishtwal-foraging-houston-blackwood-Hobby Farms City

Foraging Is Part of This Acclaimed Houston Chef's Philosophy Chef Mayank Ishtwal dishes on using cedar bark for balsamic, yaupon for tea, and one plant you should never touch.

This weekend at Blackwood 🌿

Join us for Agritourism Day at the farm — an afternoon to explore the land, meet the animals, walk the gardens, and experience regenerative agriculture firsthand.

Wander through the woods and prairie trails, learn about seasonal growing practices, enjoy farm-to-plate offerings, and reconnect with the rhythms of nature beating just outside the city.

Whether you’re coming for the food, the learning, the fresh air, or simply to slow down for a few hours, there’s something here for everyone.

🗓 Saturdays (05/23-06/06)
⏰ 12 PM – 4 PM
📍 Blackwood Landfarm — Hempstead, TX

Come eat, drink, shop, tour, and learn with us on the farm!

Howdy and Happy Wednesday! ☀️

Blackwood Educational Land Institute is proud to introduce a Pilot Program, Saturday May 30th, 2026, to expand on our Farm School education in the fall semester! Our aim is to teach generations new and old the ways of Regenerative Farming 😄
Invite your FRIENDS and invite your FAMILY! This is an event for all ages (:
On May 30th, class will begin at 10 am and the lesson will focus on Farm Design and Garden Orientation

Snack will be provided. Friends & families will have the option to bring a lunch or purchase and enjoy a delicious farm fresh meal from our Farm Stand!

Registration is OPEN NOW! (see the link below to register)
https://blackwoodland.org/blackwood-ff-farm-school-2026/
Please direct inquires to [email protected]

Thank you and see you all May 30th!

Stock up your plant'try!

Farmers markets are more than a place to shop - they’re living ecosystems! Growers, makers, neighbors, conversations… all woven together in real time.

Stop by our booth to get in on the harvest, and to learn more about what regenerative farming means for the future of Texas agriculture.

Urban Harvest Farmers Market
🗓️ Every Saturday
📍 2752 Buffalo Speedway, Houston
⏰ 8am - 12pm

Tomball Farmers Market
🗓️ Rotating Saturdays
📍 205 W. Main St., Tomball
⏰ 9am - 1pm

Click the link in our bio to start your farm journey, and learn more about Blackwood programs ~>📲 👨‍🌾