Editor note: Austin on Two Wheels is pleased to share this guest post from Kristi Willis, the author of the blog Austin Farm to Table, a celebration of local farms and food artisans, mostly in Central Texas. Kristi writes regularly about fresh locally grown food and is a regular writer for Farm to Table Online and Edible Austin. She joined us for this spring’s Boggy Creek Farm Picnic ride on March 19 and wrote about her experience visiting this urban farm on two wheels.

My Boggy Creek Farm Picnic on Two Wheels

by Kristi Willis of Austin Farm to Table
On Twitter: austinfarm2tbl
On Facebook: Austin Farm to Table

It’s a beautiful, sunny Saturday and I’m headed to a farm.  There’s nothing particularly remarkable about that except this time I’m arriving by bike.

I jumped at the opportunity when Elliott invited me to join the Urban Living ride to Boggy Creek Farm and to try out a Gazelle Dutch bike. I love to ride my bike, but am nervous about riding in the Austin traffic.  I’ve toyed with the idea for years of outfitting my bike for my weekly trip to the farmers market, but have always found excuses not to do it.  Now I had a chance to ride with a group so that I could safely test my skills and comfort level.

Author on Gazelle Tour Populair with Red Basil Bags

When I arrived at Bicycle Sport Shop, Elliott helped me get situated on my loaner bike.  I was surprised how comfortable the Dutch bike was as I rode around the parking lot – easy to maneuver and manipulate as you sit upright, not hunched over the handlebars, on this commuter bike.

The ride set out at a leisurely, social pace.   The knowledgeable, friendly ride leaders gently guided us through the streets and trails to the East side, deftly avoiding the SXSW madness.  During the ride, they demonstrated the rules of the road, teaching us how to be safe commuters by example.  We picked up these lessons quickly and put them in use ourselves before the end of the ride, hollering “Car Up” or “Car Back” to our fellow cyclists.

We arrived at Boggy Creek just in time to buy a few goodies from the farm stand full of lovely spring greens, then embarked on a tour of the farm.  Our guide impressed upon us the challenges of organic farming, the need to intersperse and diversify crops to prevent pests and the ins and outs of composting.  One lucky volunteer even got to take the temperature of the compost heap.

The tour was followed by a delightful three course lunch on the lawn – a beet and goat cheese salad, grilled flank steak with vegetables, and lemon shortbread with ice cream and berries. There’s something truly magical about sharing stories and a relaxing meal outdoors, and we could have easily been convinced to laze around the farm for the remainder of this sunny afternoon.

Instead, we mounted our bikes for the ride back to Bicycle Sports Shop.  As we whizzed past the traffic and music revelers, we exchanged stories about this pleasant adventure with new friends.  Being out on out bikes gave us a chance to meet new people and see new things in our community – an opportunity we wouldn’t have been afforded in our cars.

I initially joined the ride to help a friend and have a little fun.  I left with renewed commitment, and no excuses, to outfit my own bike for rides to the market and with the confidence that I can ride there safely.  Maybe they should change the name of these outings to the Urban Empowerment rides.