Members of Wheatsville Co-op (3101 Guadalupe, 478-2667, www.wheatsville.coop) are offered the opportunity to celebrate Earth Day by joining the Wheatsville Gro-op, a new category of membership dedicated to growing and distributing fresh produce from a network of urban market gardens created in partnership with Resolution Gardens, a new service developed by Austin Green Art (www.austingreenart.org). The slogan for Resolution Gardens is Grow Food – We’ll Help, and people are already doing that at a handful of local gardens they’ve installed and intend to do more at Gullett Elementary, Ridgetop Element­ary, Austin Montessori, on the campus of St. Edward’s University, and on donated acreage promised by Austinites. Wheatsville folks will be offered various membership levels in the Gro-op program, and the initial focus will be sponsoring a one acre YardFarm (their term) on land owned by Steve Tomlinson. Look for more info about Resolu­tion Gardens and the Gro-op program at Austin Green Art’s booth at the Down­town Farmers’ Market this Saturday morning at Republic Square and on Wed­nes­day afternoon, April 22, at the Triangle Market… Speaking of locally grown organic produce, the farm stand at Green Gate Farms (8310 Canoga, 949-9831, www.greengatefarms.net) is now open for the season. Check out its online newsletter for produce availability, and then stop by to shop with Erin and Skip on Friday, noon-6pm, and Saturday, 10am-2pm… Mark Bradley of Ciao Chow Catering (301-4443, www.ciao-chow.com) e-mailed with the news that he is now serving lunch at his event facility in a strip center at I-35 North and Highway 290 East. Check out the very affordable comfort food menu at Chow Cafe (6019 N. I-35, 419-7221) weekdays from 11am to 2pm… The folks at Hyde Park Bar & Grill West­gate (4521 West Gate Blvd., 899-2700) have created quite the neighborhood oasis on their newly enclosed patio with a cover and an impressive Big Ass Fan (a real brand name, I swear). They’re also offering live music on the patio with Sunday Swing and Bluesday Tuesdays… Explore the concept of trailer park chic at La Dee Dah (www.designld.com), the boutique gift shop in a classic Airstream, and its new baby sister, Treat (www.austintreat.com), housed next door in a “custom remodeled 1959 Teardrop.” Treat features Sugar Mama’s cupcakes, various flavors of S’mores Kits made with homemade marshmallows, and both herbal and regular sugar syrup flavors of shaved ice cones. Both unique businesses are part of the South Austin Trailer Park & Eatery (1311 S. First)… The Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek (13729 Research, 219-5408, www.drafthouse.com) adds a new craft-brewed beer to its taps on the evening of Friday, April 17, when Real Ale owner Brad Farbstein will be in the lobby providing free samples of the new Drafthouse ESB to beer aficionados… Congratulations to Chronicle contributing food writer Rachel Feit and husband Paul Wintle on the April 3 home birth of their second child, daughter Athena Elissa Wintle (6 pounds, 14 ounces, 19½ inches long).

This article appears in April 17 • 2009.

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