July-September 2019 Issue

Ahh, summer is upon us again. Aromas of sunscreen, swimming pool chlorine and ocean breezes bring a certain calmness that is difficult to explain. Summer is my favorite season and the warmth is ultimately healing, not just for the body but for the soul. When it comes to Texas wine most are seeking something cold, no doubt refreshing.

You’ve heard it all your life — They say, “Money doesn’t grow on trees!” Well . . . I don’t know who “they” are, but I’ll let you in on a little secret. They’re wrong! Pecans here in Central Texas have been enriching humanity for a very long time — longer than recorded history. Yes -- our native nut trees have fed the locals for many millennia.

From club lambs and grain fields, the Jason and Kelli Jacoby farm and ranch operation has expanded with four grown sons and families who’ve extended their reach from McCulloch County into the capital city of Austin. Along the way, they’ve added cow/calves, a feed and seed store, café, mill, rail yard and land services.

For those of us fortunate enough to actually live in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, displaying examples of its abundant (and, at times, rare) natural beauty on our properties is a given. For the rest of us outlanders though, adding a little of this special region’s colorful and hearty flora to our yards and gardens can be a trying exercise.

On a warm, windy day in October, I arrived at the home of Jerome and RoShell Heiner in the small community of Blumenthal, Texas, located between Stonewall and Fredericksburg. My mission: to learn about propagating and growing sweet potatoes in the Hill Country. Jerome and RoShell, along with their sons, and later, daughters-in-law and grandkids, have been growing and selling sweet potatoes throughout the area for more than 40 years. When their youngest son Randy was born, the now-family ...

Kayte and Justin Graham take a decidedly green approach when it comes to pork production at their Zanzenberg Farm in Center Point. Instead of keeping their hogs in close quarters, they allow them to roam freely in grazing pastures to take advantage of Mother Nature’s bounty. The Grahams say the animals benefit from vitamin D supplied by the sun along with minerals from the soil and nutrition from a variety of plants that combine to create a natural “salad.” Ironically, pigweed ranks h ...

A trip out to the lavender farm is a big part of Blanco’s annual Lavender Festival. This year’s featured farm, Hill Country Lavender, is celebrating its fourteenth year of operation with a new location at the intersection of FM 165 and FM 2325. The young plants on the new farm have reached their first year of maturity; the lovely lavender flowers enjoyed by many for their beauty and valued for their many uses as well, have begun blooming. “There is a second field nearby and we act ...

The fifteenth Annual Lavender Festival began at noon Friday June 7th. The Old Blanco Courthouse lawn was filled with vendors under the protective cover of white tents. People of all ages could find something to suit their tastes. Lavender products, hats, jewelry, wind chimes, clothing, arts, crafts and food vendors.

Armfuls of orange marigolds, yellow clasping coneflowers, pink yarrow and pastel delphiniums fill plastic buckets in the open-air packing shed at Arnosky Family Farms, located on FM 2325 east of Blanco. On towel-covered tables, Pamela Arnosky and an assistant work on an overcast June afternoon, hand bunching long stems together to create colorful Texas Garden Bouquets.

My Nonnie handing me peach, fresh and warm from the tree. The tall tales of the heat of my Papa’s peppers. The sun, hot on my back, as I rummaged among the vines for cucumbers in my Grandma’s garden. Shucking the sweet corn my Pawpaw raised, hidden amongst the field corn.