The Montalvo House © Photos, text and web design 2010

Latest update to site:  1/1/2016

The Montalvo House Community Market -

Further Information

WHY: The Montalvo House nonprofit organization wanted to find a way to recreate the living landscape that our historic property used to have - orchards, gardens, and a sustainable lifestyle.  We also needed to find a way to raise funds for our historic restoration.  So our Board of Directors decided that since Kinney County (where we are located) is rated a “Food Desert” by the USDA, that perhaps we could host a Produce Market at the front of the property.  Our Board chose to feature certified and farm fresh organic produce, as well as local “flavor” foods like olive oil grown and processed in Carrizo Springs.

HOW: Once we started, we soon discovered that finding fresh produce in a food desert was no easy task.  So we slowly developed a 456 mile round-trip route, which we drive once per week to pick up the produce, where we have working relationships with either licensed distributors who sell USDA certified organic produce (off season), and/or USDA certified organic farmers (in season), where we purchase produce for our community.  We maintain a consistent “chain of cold” on this route thanks to a refrigerated van that we acquired through a grant from the USDA.  We are hoping that one day we can have local Kinney County farmers to purchase from, but as of this date, there is still no human consumption agriculture left in our county, nor the county west of us.

PROGRESS:  After almost four years of operation, we have finally begun planning the creation of our own, educationally based, certified organic farm.  We are in discussions with local landowners who are interested in our project, and are filing grant applications that would provide us with funding for student interns as well as the development of the educational certified organic farm.  We do not anticipate that this project will be open for enrollment until 2017.  If you are interested in becoming involved, however, please give us a ring as we certainly are excited about this expansion and would like to know how you would like to be involved.  

Do you want more information?  Please give us a ring, or send us an email, and we would be happy to let you know more about our project.