Fresh From the Farm Blog

Fredericksburg is celebrating Founder's Day this weekend, even though the actual anniversary of the date the first group of settlers arrived is not until Monday, May 8th. That intrepid group of families left homes in various parts of Germany and sailed for Texas to make a new start. They arrived in the fall of 1845 via Galveston and landed at the port of Indianola. Short on supplies and funds, the nobleman’s society that had arranged for them to come, faced huge obstacles trying to get the colonists to the land grant that had been secured and was located several hundred...

Drought, a dreaded word in the world of farmers and ranchers. Our family comes from a long line of people living close to the land. Today I attended a meeting of our local water board as the aquifer in our county is reaching a dangerously low level. Several folks attending this meeting commented on how conserving water is likely to become extremely critical as development in the Hill Country expands. There is only so much water available, and it is life giving. The issue with water made me think of how important it is to be always mindful of our...

Friday, April 21, is the 187th anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto. On April 21. 1836, General Sam Houston, the commander of the ragtag “Texian” army defeated the much larger Mexican forces under the command of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. The two armies had marched east that rainy spring slogging through mud as Sam Houston managed to stay just ahead of Santa Anna, with Houston gathering additional men along the way to join his forces. The armies met at San Jacinto, east of the present city of Houston and in a surprise attack lasting minutes, the Texians...

Yesterday was a much-anticipated day here at Fredericksburg Farms. We announced the new department leads and supervisors. To celebrate, we had an all-company lunch featuring Ryan’s famous barbecued chicken for which he was starting the fire at 5:30 am this morning. Everyone contributed sides and desserts and it truly was a feast. There was potato salad, beans, two pasta salads, a big pot of greens, deviled eggs, corn pudding, potatoes “Juanita,” pickled onions, rolls, several varieties of breads, meatballs, several cakes, pies, cupcakes, cookies, banana pudding, and the ever-popular Fredericksburg favorite…German sweet rice. Now we all need to walk the 8/10...

The welcome sound of raindrops greeted us here in the Hill Country this morning. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed for a bit before we got the rain…a sprinkle at first then a few minutes of hard rain. Several of us stepped out on the porch and were rewarded with cool breezes and that wonderful smell that happens when rain hits the earth. When it subsided, I took note of the oak pollen tassels littering the sidewalk. Seeing that, I sincerely hope it will help out all of us allergy sufferers now that nature has given the air a good washing!