Fresh From the Farm Blog

Fall, such a short word for such a wonderful season of the year. When we get to “FALL” it means we have survived yet another summer. For those of us in central Texas it was another hot one, and I for one am so glad to wake up to cooler temperatures. Our dogs, both part-Lab rescues, are even more happy about the cooler weather, they practically hook up their leashes for us to take a morning stroll around the ranch. One may ask, why leashes to walk on a large fenced acreage? The answer is in the form of a...

Father’s Day, a time to think on and reflect about special times spent with dads and other “father figures” in our lives. I was blessed to have not only a great dad in my life, but a great step-dad and a great father-in-law as well. These special men have all run ahead to Heaven and left me behind to share their legacies with my kids and grandkids. I just hope I don’t lose the richness of the lives they led in my retelling of stories about them. All of these special men shared a place in time, born after WWI,...

In 1777, the Continental Congress made the flag an official national symbol on June 14. Over a century later a teacher at Stony Hill School in a small Wisconsin town placed a small United States flag on his desk on June 14 and asked his students to write about what the flag meant to them, thus beginning the first celebration of Flag Day in the US. President Woodrow Wilson officially designated June 14 as Flag Day with the issuance of a proclamation. Later in 1949 Flag Day was officially designated by Congress. Interestingly enough, June 14 is also the birthday...

School’s out! Summer’s here! What do you have planned for summer time fun? We always enjoy our garden. Our garden here at Fredericksburg Farms has suffered due to dry weather and some sort of die off of newly planted vegetable plants. I suspect some kind of soil pathogen left over from last year is the culprit. Our peach crop looks rather promising if we can keep birds and squirrels away as the peaches ripen. (Better start finding and washing the canning jars.)  However, the pear trees look yellow so I researched a bit and have decided that the alkaline soil...

Memorial Day brings up memories of cookouts, camping trips, beach trips, family times spent lazing in a pool, or fishing for perch in a farm pond. If I could think back on my own memories from Memorial Days gone past I could sum them up in a word “togetherness”…time spent with loved ones just being present with those I love. Memorial Day was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers and sailors. Today we have had many more wars to commemorate and reflect upon the sacrifices of those sent into harm’s way...