Musings from Agarita Creek Farms

The LCRA Open Houses -- LCRA does Fredericksburg Twice

2010-02-18T13:26:00.000-08:00

The LCRA held its two open houses today in Fredericksburg. There were plenty of maps and displays, and lots of shiny-happy LCRA employees (who obviously drew the short stray in having to be part of this road show), but precious little information conveyed. We left with the firm conviction that the LCRA holds these public open houses just so they can say they did -- a feather in their cap for the PUC and the disgruntled public.

The LCRA people were at least outwardly sympathetic to our problems, but in a detached sort of way -- as if they were not in any way responsible for them. You wonder if these employers receive similar sensitivity training to that given to funeral home directors. Indeed, the sessions resemble funerals. Something is side of each attendee had died, or at least was dying, and the only good part of it at all was folks got to see friends and neighbors they don't get to see often enough.

People were given the opportunity to use grease pencils to outline their properties and specific areas of concern on the huge glossy maps. We did it, and again it was mostly a feel good experience. It is not as if anyone will take notice -- and you have to know those marks will be erased soon as the LCRA prepares the exhibits for yet another public dog-and-pony show.

Timetables were given. As you may know from following this issue, the LCRA's application to the PUC is due July 6, 2010. Apparently, the actual PUC proceeding will take place in very early 2011. We haven't much time to work, but that in itself may be a good thing. This whole process and the prospect of having one's property ruined and dreams shattered has a paralyzing effect. We are grateful that the process looks to be relatively short. Having said that, as a lawyer, I am doubtful of all of these timelines.

The process necessarily pits neighbor against neighbor, and tears communities apart. No one wants these huge towers in their back yard. Whether the LCRA intends this or not, by refusing to disclose preferred routes even at the time of application the result is that they are quite able to divide and conquer.

The highlight of the meeting was the 1/4 scale tower and house brought to the open house by the Clearview Alliance. Seeing that tower dwarf a home was perhaps the first inkling many of the members of the public had of what is truly in store for them, and what is at stake.

As to the low point, it had to be the police presence at the meeting. Did the LCRA think that anyone would be so out of control that they would need police protection. These folks are mad, but they are also too proud to even show the LCRA the tip of their anger.

People were encouraged to write down their comments, but I think even the LCRA would admit that anyone who believes that their comments will matter is fooling themselves. The only way to have any impact in the proceeding is to intervene as a party to it. You had to feel that this too was a therapeutic exercise -- again designed to convince people that their voices are being heard and perhaps even in the hope that people will stop with commenting and refrain for intervening. The failure to designate preferred routes, even at the application stage, naturally has this same sort of chilling effect.

For those who are with us, either through our website http://lcra-does-fbg.com, or at Facebook page, "The LCRA Wants to ruin Fredericksburg and the Texas Hill Country; Stop Them," we appreciate your support and encourage you to get involved in the process. For those of you fortunate enough not to have a reason for concern about this, we apologize for ranting about it, and are truly envious that what is happening to us is not happening to you.

Happy trails for now,

Tom

The "Stop LCRA" website is up!

2010-02-17T07:25:00.000-08:00

Our new website, "LCRA Does FBG," is up and can now be accessed through this weblink. We wanted to go live before the LCRA's Fredericksburg open houses tomorrow, so the site still needs some work, but much of the content is in place. We also have a Facebook page on this issue, "The LCRA is Ruining Fredericksburg, Texas and the Hill Country; Stop Them" which you can access through this Facebook link.

For those of you who, like me until several weeks ago, have too many irons in the fire to have paid much attention to this issue, this is a critical time for the Hill Country, and we need folks who care to raise there voices on this issue and weigh in. Essentially, the LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority) is under contract with the Texas Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to build hundreds of miles of transmission lines from wind farms in West Texas to users in the State's major metropolitan areas. While we can argue about the efficiency of bringing electricity hundreds of miles, there exists shut-in electricity generated by the wind farms and politically the process as a whole seems unstoppable.

The devil is, of course, in the details. While we are all for the use of clean energy, we also believe that care should be given to not unnecessarily impact the areas, including our Texas Hill Country, that the transmission lines travel through. The Texas Hill Country is a particularly scenic area, dependent to a large extent on tourism, and care should be taken to preserve as much of its character as is possible. We believe this proposition should be self-evident.

But there is much reason for skepticism that the LCRA is approaching this project with the care that we feel it deserves. Here in Gillespie County and Fredericksburg, the LCRA's proposed "CREZ" routes travel through beautiful scenic areas that are treasures to us and our tourists, including flirting with the Pedernales River, and the farms and ranches along it, for some five miles.

We also are concerned that the routes seem to have been devised in a way that unnecessarily impacts some land owners by moving several different directions throughout one piece of property. On our property, the proposed lines start moving from south to north along one boundary, move across the width of our property from east to west, and then move down the other property line. On our modest farm alone, the LCRA threatens to surround us and bisect us with one and one-half miles of 160 foot by 65 foot towers and transmission lines, making the majority of our farm, and our tourist cabins, worthless and unusable. Unfortunately, we are learning we are not alone. Surely the LCRA could coordinate its routes so that the lines and towers move only once across a single owner's property, right? It would seem so.

Lastly, there has been an outcry over the LCRA's use of lattice type structures, which leave a huge physical and visual footprint, rather than single pole structures (called monopoles). Recently another company used monopoles in constructing a virtually identical project through the Hill Country. They are not attractive, but are certainly more attractive and have less of a negative impact than do the lattice type structures. Despite this, the LCRA has already begun ordering materials for the lattice type structures.

Consistently, the LCRA dumps all of its lack of responsiveness on the PUC. It says that it will use monopoles rather than lattice type structures if the PUC orders it to do so (one wonders about the materials already ordered and stock-piled). It says that the PUC, not LCRA, will eventually determine what routes are selected. In our minds this is a cop-out. The PUC will ultimately choose the routes, but it will do so from preliminary routes already set out by LCRA. If the LCRA is irresponsible in laying out preliminary routes, the PUC will have only the opportunity to choose routes from those proffered by LCRA. As it looks now, the PUC will be choosing from several bad choices, and not the best choice. The LCRA should take the blame for proffering bad routes in the first place.

As to the pole choice, clearly the LCRA is bullying its way towards its own choice, and is attempting to secure this choice by ordering materials in advance of the PUC decision. How likely is it that the PUC will waste material already purchased by LCRA?

The LCRA's application on the McCamey D - Kendall - Gillespie route is due July 6, 2010. It is likely that many proposed alternatives, including the worst ones, will remain on the map. Because of deadlines, folks will face the choice of ponying up big bucks to intervene in that application proceeding without even knowing whether they will ultimately be impacted. By approaching the issue in this manner, the LCRA and PUC will limit the number of Intervenors and pit neighbor against neighbor -- when the true enemies are LCRA and the PUC.

There is a limited time to change the process. After July 6, 2010, the only way to influence the process will be to be an intervening landowner. The time for public outcry will be over. The LCRA and the PUC need to here from the public now, before it is too late.

On LCRA, "Local" Eminent Domain, and Old Time Politicians

2010-02-12T17:35:00.000-08:00

Unless you have not been paying attention to our Facebook site, which I could not blame you for lately, you know that we have found ourselves in what may shape into a battle of eminent domain with one of our Texas utilities, the Lower Colorado River Authority. This has been an eye opening experience for us and, without beating a dead horse, I would like to share my thoughts on what has transpired and what may transpire.

When I was a kid I learned about eminent domain. The city of Denton, where I grew up, condemned some land through a cemetery to make a small two lane road into a major boulevard. We kids, of course, were intrigued. What happened to those bodies that were buried in the right of way?

Since then, as a lawyer, I have dealt with eminent domain issues now and then. I was involved in high stakes litigation with a failed savings and loan, a would-be developer, and a bunch of guys who wore chains but no socks in the early 1990s over something called the Playa del Rio at the confluence of the Rio Grande River and the Gulf of Mexico. Our case was turned upside down when Ann Richards, then Governor of Texas, wrote a handwritten note to then VP Al Gore that led to the Federal Government taking the property and flipping the beaches to the State of Texas.

When we moved to the farm in Fredericksburg, we thought again some about eminent domain. The road that passes our house has become a short-cut from highway to highway. Would the county condemn part of our garden to widen the road, we wondered?

What we are faced with now was beyond our possible anticipations: a state utility, LCRA, threatens to surround our back 200 acres, and then bisect it, to deliver wind power (really?) to folks in Austin and San Antonio. They want to plant 165 lattice towers all over our farm.

Now, it has struck me. Isn't the public good that eminent domain is supposed to be used for supposed to be local? Aren't the folks who sacrifice also supposed to be at least theoretical beneficiaries of the taking? Is land supposed to be taken in one place purely for the benefit of other folks, far away, and with no common interests? This is not eminent domain as I first learned about it -- taking land in the local cemetery for widening a road. This is the kind of issue that has divided politics in another urban-rural state, New York, for years. My surprise is that it is happening in Texas. It shows what I have feared; that despite all of our "cowboy" inclinations and rhetoric, we have become a state in which rural interests are only there to be exploited by urban interests. This is not the Texas I know, and not one I want to live in.

So on to local County government. People in town that I respect say that the City and County are just down the street from one another and fifty years apart. At no time has that been more evident to me than today, at a meeting of our County Commissioners, the utility ("LCRA"), and the regulator (our state's Public Utility Commission). Our elected representatives were not informed on these issues, were old, stale, and no match for the shiny happy people sent by the utility and the regulator. What's worse, the members of the public who managed to find out about this meeting (which was deliberately "kept quiet") were much more informed than were our County reps. Now, I can understand why our County officials were not quite up to speed; they are arguing with the City about how much the City should be paid for lost trees that must be cut down for the airport here to resume night landing status. But, notwithstanding that, it was embarrassing to witness our County officials to be taken to task by the low level bureaucrats that the utility and the regulator sent to the meeting and the general public.

So here we are, informed citizens, left to our own devices in the biggest fight of our lives over thousands of citizen's land, while the County officials try to get up to speed in their spare time while arguing with the City over the price of trees. So inspiring. Maybe we would be better off if our local government would just get out of the way and let us talk to the powers that be. if you are just taking up space, get out of the way!

And that's the news from the Hill Country, where are the women are strong, the men are good looking, and the powers that be want to surround us with an industrial electrical farm.

February 2010 Newlsetter, Talk of the Farm

2010-01-28T20:01:00.000-08:00

Our February newsletter, Talk of the Farm, is now out in cyberspace.

Here is the link: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs054/1102894903317/archive/1102923601017.html.

Just copy and paste into your browser. And please subscribe if you enjoy it!

Tom

Winter/Spring Planting -- Seed and Plant Resources: Agarita Creek Farms, Farming and Farm-Stay Cabin Accommodations in Fredericksburg, Texas

2010-01-08T08:53:00.001-08:00

Well, it is the season for seed catalogs in preparation for Spring. Several of our friends have asked us who we order from. This season we have Ordered from the following companies so far:

Seeds of Change, www.seedsofchange.com (assorted heirloom/organic vegetable seeds. We love their selection of summer and winter squashes particularly, as well as eggplant, radishes, and tomatillos. Great greens mixes as well.

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, www.southernexposure.com. These folks have hard to find heirloom seeds from seed savers across the south. We find varieties of beans there that we find nowhere else, as well as heirloom summer and winter squashes.

Willhite Seed, www.willhiteseed.com. Another great source for salad greens and other vegetables. They are a Texas company, and there seeds seem particularly acclimated to our region. We do not grow many hybrids, but we do fall hard for some of their hybrid squashes.

Harris Seeds, www.harrisseeds.com. A larger seed house, used by lots of growers throughout the country. Like others, they have a vast collection of greens and greens mixes. Like Willhite, they have some great hybrid squashes that we continue to buy.

Peaceful Valley, www.groworganic.com. The Neiman-Marcus of seed stores. They have a great variety of fruit trees, and we have found that the trees arrive a little larger and in a little better condition than the other fruit tree providers we have purchased from. They also tend to be grafted on to root stock that does better in the South and West than that sold by suppliers further north. We planted ten new ones this winter. We shall see how they do.

Dixondale Farms, wwww.dixondalefarms.com. We used to buy onions all over the place, but we learned that a lot of them were coming from Dixondale Farms. In keeping with our philosophy, we now cut out the middleman and buy directly from Dixondale. Great selection.

Ronniger Potato Farms LLC, www.ronnigers.com. Ronnigers is to potatoes what Dixondale is to onions. From Colorado they supply a great many of the middlemen you can more easily find. They have a huge selection of heirloom colored tomatoes and fingerlings, and our farmer's market customers crave them. They are simply awesome.

Gourmet Garlic, www.gourmetgarlic.com. A Texas company that like Dixondale and Ronnigers produces much of what is sold to gardeners in the U.S. by others. A huge variety, and a very informative website, including strong recommendations about what to plant in each area of the country. Garlic is planted in the South in October and November, but be sure to remember them next year. We are growing ten different Southern garlics this season, and they have all come up and seem to be doing well.

A cautionary note. Most of the seed sellers you have heard of are not on this list for a reason. There is nothing wrong with them, we just have a strong bias that they have a strong Northeastern bias. The information in their catalogs, and most of the seeds they sell, are meant from gardeners in Zone 7 or North. We urge you to consider the smaller Southern and Western sources we have listed, among others. We hope this helps.

To find out what works for you, check the website of the ag extension office where you are. Texas A & M has pages on its website that recommend varieties for fruits and vegetables, as well as planting dates, for almost anything that you might want to plant (unless you tend to push the envelope just for fun, as I and some others like to do).

You may notice that there are no tomatoes or pepper sources listed. This is because we do not have a greenhouse yet (although that is only weeks away), and these seeds need to be started now in the winter. There are many great suppliers of heirloom tomato and pepper seeds out there, some of which are listed here. We have had success using starting seeds in June for fall tomatoes and peppers outdoors in a protected area (we use a side yard), gradually exposing them to more sun, and moving them to larger containers, as the seedlings mature. We plant fall tomato and pepper plants in late July or early August, and of course baby them until Labor Day. The effort is worth it. If you have gardened in Texas or the South for long, you know that the fall production exceeds that of the summer. There is simply less heat, humidity, and bugs. For Spring tomatoes and peppers, we by plants from others. In Houston, we recommend Another Place in Time. They generally have plants in late February or early March. With tomatoes, if you live in our part of the world you will find the small to medium size tomatoes do well here. The larger beefsteak tomatoes require too long to do well here -- they are trying to ripen in the worst of our summer heat. An exception is the Russian tomatoes and Cherokee Purple. The most prolific tomato we grow is Yellow Pear. We grow only open pollinated and indeterminate tomatoes. In milder summers, we are able to cut them back, bury a few branches, and cut them away from the main plant to form separate plants for the fall. This worked well in 2007, when we had plenty of rain; not so well in 2008 and 2009 when we were in drought.

We try to answer all questions that come our way, to the best of our ability. When we have questions we go to the books or to the Texas Organic Farmer's and Gardener's Association. We are linked to TOFGA through our Facebook site. There annual meeting is the last weekend in January in San Marcos. Their workshop, for all levels of gardeners, is March 11 and 12. We will be there, and encourage those of you in Texas to join TOFGA and to come out as well. They are also doing a series of visits to farms who are getting it right, with the first such visit being to a farm in Brenham from 11 to 2 on January 16, in conjunction with Slow Food Austin. All of this information is on TOFGA's website and Facebook page.

Happy planting, and we hope to see you soon.

Tom
Agarita Creek Farms
Fredericksburg, Texas
http://www.agaritacreek.com/

January 2010 Newsletter -- "The Talk of the Farm" from Agarita Creek Farms, Fredericksburg, Texas

2010-01-06T10:56:00.000-08:00

Our January 2010 Newsletter, "The Talk of the Farm" is out. You can access it through the following link. Happy reading. Hopefully I will be able to figure out how to link it directly to the blog by the next issue.

Thanks for your support,

Tom

Winter Specials at Agarita Creek Farms -- Fredericksburg, Texas

2009-12-23T09:29:00.000-08:00

With the cold weather comes hot savings for guests of the farm. For any stay at Agarita Creek Farms through February 28, 2010 we will be running two specials, which can be combined. We are offering weekend stays for weekday rates. You will be able to rent the Behrends cabin for only $175 per night, weekend or weekday, and the Brautigam cabin for only $195 for night. The rates have already been changed on the reservations page on our website. So come to our beautiful Texas Hill Country and stay whenever you want, and pay our lowest, off peak, rates.

In addition, we are offering a third night free with any paid two night stay. This offer can be combined with our weekday rates for weekend stays promotion to save you even more money. As a result, a three day stay at the Braeutigam cabin will be only $390 ($130 per night); a three day stay at the Behrends cabin will be only $350 ($116.67 per night). This is a deal that simply cannot be beat.

In March, with Spring Break and the wildflower season (which will be fabulous because of all of the fall and winter rain), the specials will end and the rates will go back up. But even then there is a way to save. Fans of the Farm on Facebook always save 10 percent off standard rates. So, if you are planning a trip later in the year make sure that you have become a fan of the Farm on Facebook.

Bev and I are always happy to hear from you. If you have any questions for us, be sure to drop us a line.

Bev and Tom Carnes

Agarita Creek Farms
Fredericksburg, Texas
830.896.9140

beverly@agaritacreek.com

http://www.agaritacreek.com/

Happy Holidays from Agarita Creek Farm, Bev and Tom

2009-12-21T12:02:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Holiday Reflections from Agarita Creek Farms and Beverly and Tom Carnes

2009-12-21T10:06:00.000-08:00

As we reflect on the opportunities that we have encountered through the challenges of the past year, and as we hope for a better and brighter new year, we are struck that everyone is facing challenges. Everyone has their struggles, and this year has been extremely challenging for most everyone.

As we embarked on this lifestyle change in 2008, before the economy collapsed, we were hopeful. We were moving to a place we wanted to move, for a lifestyle change we really wanted. As to the economics, we had good jobs and practices, good credit, a great house for sale in a great location, and the ability to sell additional land at the farm if we needed too. Our assumption were that all of these things would hold, and that everything would work out fine.

Then the assumptions upon which we had based our plans began to become unraveled. Hurricane Ike ravaged our Houston house just before it went on the market. Then the economy, and the real estate market collapsed. Suddenly, we found ourselves unable to sell the house, and had to hold it. With the economic collapse, people tightened their belts, and did not travel as much, so the assumptions we had about occupancy of our tourist cabins also did not pan out, even though they were very conservative. Bev has her job, and I have my practice, but the practice, albeit it busy, has to struggle with collection issues from our clients like never before -- as everyone else feels the economic pressure that we feel. This is but one story; ours. As we said at the beginning there are as many stories as there are people.

And so, as Dolly Parton would say, it is a hard candy Christmas or, to borrow another phrase, these are the "salad days." And as difficult as that is, we can and should find joy in the midst of all of this uncertainty this holiday season.

For us, we have one another, our farm, our animals. We get to live where we choose, and do what we choose. Surely we can rent that house, if we cannot quickly sell it. Surely we can cut back, here and there, and get back on top of our finances. As we look ahead to the New Year, we are probably all thinking of ways that we can retake control over our lives. I know that we are.

But maybe we can set some of that aside, just for a week or so, and thank God for what we still have, rather than stew so much about what we are going to do because of what we no longer have. At bottom, the Christmas season is not really about fancy, expensive presents, fancy parties, and luxury. It is a time to be with people we love, and to tell them that we love them. It is a time to reflect on miracles -- not only the miracle of miracles that is the reason for the holiday in the first instance, but the miracles that still happen every day, right here, where each of us live. There is no more humble beginning that the story of a boy king born in a stable to unwed parents. Out of what must have seemed like a mess can world and life changing miracles. Of of our own current difficulties can come miracles as well, internally and externally.

As we go through this season we will cling to one another, try to keep the other's chin up, enjoy the presence of family, and generally do a lot of trying to make our own fun. We are farmers and ranchers so we will be well feed, from what we grow and raise. We will take joy in sharing our abundance, the only abundance we have right now, with others that we know and some who we do not know. We will do simply things, like doing chores together and perhaps making soap or canning something. We will focus on the things that matter most, and only the things we can control. We cannot fix the economy, even for ourselves, over a Christmas holiday. That should and will have to wait for another day. Not now; it is Christmas.

May the peace of the Lord and the true spirit of Christmas infect your heart this season, so that you experience these things in such abundance that you cannot help but share them. Show a stranger some kindness. Help someone in need. Be good to those around you. Spread around what you have, don't worry about what you don't have. Through kindness and compassion you, and all of us, can all make a difference, and make someone else's load just a little lighter. Giving is certainly selfless, but also provides great returns. It is when we give, especially of ourselves, that we experience the greatest joy.

What comes next? Well, none of us know. Will it get easier in the coming year, or will it stay the same or get even harder? We certainly cannot say. We hope that things will get better and easier for all of us. But, at the same time, we are grateful for the life lessons that have been literally forced on us during the past year. We have been forced to do with less, to struggle more, and to cherish the real things we have that the economy cannot sweep away. We hold dear our friends, our family, and the simple joys of everyday life. We hope that in your adversity, you have found the same reflection and, through reflection, peace and a new joy. If you have not done so yet, that is what we wish for you this holiday season. If you have found it, we hope that it sustains you and you continue to find it in abundance this holiday and throughout the new year.

God bless each of you this holiday season,

Bev and Tom

Fall and Fall Specials at Agarita Creek Farms

2009-10-12T10:49:00.001-07:00

Fall is in the are, we have received a foot of new rain over the past month, everything is green and wonderful, and we are waiting for you to come visit us at the farm.

To entice you, we are rerunning a popular special -- weekend nights for weekday rates on our two cabins. The savings is at least $75 per night. For just a little more than a simple hotel room, you can rent a 1200 sq. ft., 2 bedroom cabin, with great amenities and stellar view that seem to go on forever.

The fall garden is in full swing, we are about to begin our sheep breeding season, the flowers are in bloom and everything is new and alive again -- after the very long drought. There is not a better time to come out. You know you want to come. With these precises, and all we have to offer right now, what are you waiting for? It simply does not get any better than it is right now.

Tom

Fall Garden Update

2009-08-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

It has been an extremely busy August on the farm. Our helper, Chris, moved back to Maine, and we have yet to even try to replace him. As a result, Bev and I are both very busy with our second jobs on the farm.

As to our summer crops, we still have abundant okra and peppers, the sweet potatoes are very close to being ready to harvest, and we still have some eggplant. It has been extremely hot and dry here, with temperatures in the mid to high nineties every evening. Watering has been a chore just to keep up. We are starting to have some form of blight with the okra, but we have been so busy that we have not even taken time out to figute out what it is. For any of you who grow okra, you know that losing a few plants is not all bad. There is still an enormous amount (gallons) to pick each day. But I would like to know what it is, if you know. The plants get all scraggly and bare in just a couple of days. Is it disease or is it a pest? I wonder.

As to the fall garden, our first beans broke through the ground today. Our peppers and tomatoes have mostly all been transplanted and are greening up after brief transplant shock.
We planted kholrabi seeds today, and started our broccoli and cauliflower seeds. Beans are planted, as are summer and winter squash -- for the second go-round. The rest of this month and next will bring much more planting, all the way into October. So far, so good.

That is about it from the farm. We are hoping for a break in the heat soon, as well as some rain. The four inches or so in the past two weeks greened everything up -- especially the second hay crop -- but there is no more rain in sight for awhile. Fall cannot get here soon enough.

We would love to see you out here this fall. And you probably would not be reading this if you did not want to come. Labor Day and Oktoberfest are right around the corner, as is better weather.

As always, thanks to those of you who follow what we are doing out here. Your emails to me keep me going.

Tom

Summer Specials at Agarita Creek Farms

2009-06-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

Enjoy week day rates on weekends all summer -- rates go back to regular rates on Labor day weekend. That means you can come out to Fredericskburg and the Hill Country for the 4th and enjoy week day rates. And you can see the fireworks from the front porch, while enjoying the beverage of your choice. Who else can offer you that?

And, if you stay two nights, a third week day night is free. If you stay three nights, a fourth weekend night is free. This special can be combined with the week day rate special, and also ends just before Labor Day weekend.

Our reservation system reflects the lower rates, and we will handle the free nights during your stay.

Hey, we know times are tough all over, and it is hot -- even here. But, our low summer rates make it easier. And chances are, wherever you are in Texas it is cooler here in the Hill Country. Our mornings and evenings are still cooling off considerably.

And if you are coming out, Agarita Creek beats any other cabins, hotels, motels, or bed and breakfasts in town. We are sure that if you come once, you will come back again and again-- for Oktoberfest, for the spring wildflowers, or just for that weekend away.

So come on out soon. You know you want to come.

Farm-Stay Log Cabin Accommodations in Fredericksburg, Texas -- Agarita Creek Farms

2009-05-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

At Agarita Creek Farms in Fredericksburg, Texas, we offer farm-stay accommodations in two new traditional German-style "chink" log cabins on a beautiful ridge overlooking our farm, neighboring farms, and beyond -- into the historic town of Fredericksburg. We offer an alternative to hotels, motels, and the usual bed and breakfast accomodations, offering two two-story, two-bedroom 1200 sq. ft. houses with living and dining rooms, full kitchens, and full front porches with the aforementioned views of our part of the Texas Hill Country. Each of our cabins feature stained concrete floors downstairs, with wooden ceilings throughout, with the first floor ceiling forming the second story floor. Our kitchens and baths feature genuine Talavera tile, and our kitchens feature modern appliances, dishes, flatware, and virtually every kitchen gadget a guest could want. Each cabin features leather sofas and weathered, rustic mexican and pioneer furnishing, as well as work from local artists. Whether you decide on the Behrends Cabin or the Braeutigum Cabin, we are confident that you will find that your accomodations exceed your expectations, and provide the best place for a Texas Hill Country get-away.

We invite you to check out our website, http://www.agaritacreek.com/ our Facebook page, or to call us at 830.896.9140 at our business office, which is open 8 to 5 Monday through Friday. We also invite you to visit with us at the Fredericksburg Farmer's Market, each Thursday evening from late May through October. We think if you compare us to Fredericksburg and Hill Country hotels, motels, guest houses, cabins, and bed and breakfast accomodations, you will agree that we offer something different, and that, in this case, different is better.

On Wal-Mart and Organics

2009-05-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

So what is wrong with Wal-Mart (or Whole Foods for that matter) selling organic foods? Doesn't that make organics available to everyone, everywhere? Isn't that a good thing? Well, it is not a bad thing, generally, except that it takes the focus off of a critical element in a more earth friendly food cycle; one that is more healthy for the consumer and farmer alike. And it forever divorces two concepts that have traditionally (to the extent one can use that word in this context) and historically (ditto) been one -- it takes the local element out of the organic food movement.

Make no mistake, I am not saying that organic food is not good, it is just not enough in and of itself. You see, local food is every bit as important, or should be, as that food is produced by organic methods. Local food is fresher and healthier. Varieties can be grown because they taste good, not because they ship well. Food can be harvested at the peak of ripeness, not weeks ahead of that schedule. And massive amounts of fossil fuel are not spent for the sake of delivering food around the country and even the world.

Everyone has local food. Every region of the country. True, some seasons are shorter than others, but here in Texas we can grow something ten months of the year.

So why don't more people eat locally? At why don't Wal-Mart (and even Whole Foods) carry more than say five percent local food? The answer is simple. People have become divorced from natural cycles. They have grown accustomed to eating the same things year round. To get grapes in mid-winter one has to look to Chile, with its seasons opposite our own. The same is true of almost everything we eat.

So, what must, or should, we do instead, at least in the minds of the contrary farmer? We should eat in a way that our grandparents ate. We should try a parsnip or (God forbid) even a turnip every once in a while, in Winter, when they are in season locally. We should gorge on strawberries in late Spring and early Summer; by the time they come around again we will really, really enjoy them. We should eat the abundance of squash, tomatoes, peppers, and yes, even okra and eggplant, during summer, when a huge variety is available and they taste like something (does anyone remember what a real tomato is supposed to taste like. And when it is cool, we should enjoy spinach, lettuces, cauliflower, and broccoli. Again, what grows out here on the farm (or any good farm or garden) looks and tastes nothing like what is at the store -- even at Whole Foods.

At some point, we will have no choice. Fuel prices will, at least for a time, make the current supply chain untenable. Shipping grapes across the world will no longer be feasible. Folks will be forced to eat locally. Had $4 a gallon gasoline persisted (and it ultimately will) we would have had to face this fact sooner rather than later.

Local, in short, is just as important as organic -- both are integral to a healthier food supply. And no one is bringing you local to any large extent except your friendly neighborhood farmer or gardener. For example, in Texas, that bastion of the tofu-heads (I mean that in a good way), Whole Foods, has one regional buyer who buys a grand total of five percent of the food the stores sell locally. So don't be deceived. Is an organic onion at Whole Foods or Wal-Mart better than that same store's non-organic onion? Maybe. I like to think so. Is it a substitute for an orangically grown onion grown here at home? Not by a long shot. And in the end, even if you don't care about the shipping, use of fuel, and freshness (which is hard to imagine, if you are reading this) what would you rather do? Who would you rather spend your money with? Would you rather buy your tomatoes (in endless, heirloom variety) from the contrary farmer in your county, and help him keep farming or, alternatively, would you rather pay Wal-Mart your dollar from some organic produce it ships country-wide, if not world wide, so that Wal-Mart can keep doing what it does? Do we want more farm entrepreneurs, or do we want even more corporate farmers and Wal-Marts? That is the ultimate question.

So visit your local farmer's market. You all have one. Visit ours on Thursday afternoon/evening in Fredericksburg, at the historic Marketplatz. Go early and go often. Do something good for you, and that farmer down the road trying to send his kid to college.

Daisy, Our New Rescue Border Collie

2009-05-06T15:15:00.001-07:00

This is Daisy, our new 2 year old female border collie. She was abandoned in Cleburne, made her way through kind strangers to a vet in Hunt, who then put out the word and we adopted her. She seems to have herding instincts, and longs to work, but we are introducing her to our sheep a little at a time, and developing a relationship with her in the mean time. We, and she, will hopefully learn how to work together soon. There is much to be learned for the novice, but well intentioned, farmer and rancher.

Tom

Agarita Creek Farms' Employee of the Month - Barnabus

2009-04-28T19:46:00.001-07:00

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This is Barnabus, our employee of the Month for April. He is a Great Pyrenees, and is the livestock guardian of our sheep. He was purchased for a mere pittance, due to his non-social character, but his job is to guard sheep and not to make human friends. He is docile and indifferent to us, but fierce to the enemies of our sheep. He eats a lot, but when he is done he stays out of the bars, and has not even demanded health insurance, a retirement plan, or a company vehicle. The voting this month was not even close. Barnabus is our employee of the month. Come see him, from a distance at least, on your next trip to see us at Agarita Creek Farms.

Our Fabulous Jacob Ewes and Lambs

2009-04-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

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Jacob sheep were the first breed that we decided to raise at Agarita Creek Farms, and our herd of Jacob Sheep is not only our largest herd, but the largest Jacob Sheep herd, we believe in Texas. We have many fine lambs, ewes, and rams, registered and unregistered, for sale this Spring. We invite you to come to the Farm and see these remarkable animals for yourself.

Our Wonderful Dexter Cattle

2009-04-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

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At Agarita Creek Farms, we raise Jacob Sheep and Navajo-Churro Sheep, but we are also committed to establishing an amazing herd of Dexter cattle. We are moving slowly in this regard, acquiring only the highest quality heifers and cows, as we want to build a really special herd. We are breeding for red and dun coloration, leaving the predominant black to others. We just feel that the lighter colors are better for our hot climate. We have had two calves in late 2008 and thus far in 2009 at the farm, and look forward to many more, and an ever increasing herd. Dexters are the perfect small dual purpose cow, and we are committed to raising them in a way that honors them. Check out our Dexter cows on your next visit to the farm, and you will see what we are excited about.

More Navajo-Churro Moms and a Few Lambs

2009-04-28T17:20:00.001-07:00

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Here are a few of our Navajo ewes, some with their lambs. We are proud to be the farm that is bringing the Navajo-Churro, the sheep of the Spanish and the Navajo, to the Texas Hill Country. We have registered and unregistered rams, ewes, and lambs for sale -- to reestablish this heritage breed in Texas. Pictures do not do them justice; you need to see them for yourself. We are looking for partners who love these animals as we do, and want to establish their own herd. They are a great meat breed, placing high in all competitions among heritage breeds, are good mothers, and provide plenty of milk and outstanding fleeces. We love them, and are looking for people who love them as much as we do.

Navajo Churro Lambs -- 2009

2009-04-26T15:14:00.000-07:00

Conrad, Chloe's ram lam with Santo. Conrad is registerable. He is a two horn Navajo ram lamb. Pure white.

Ysabel and Santo's registerable ewe lamb Equador. Two horned lamb with tan and grey markings.

Renee and Santo's registerable ram lamb, Roberto Clemente.

Nina and Santo's ewe Chocolat.

Amanda and Santo's registerable ewe Constance.

Name that calf!

2009-04-22T16:04:00.000-07:00

Today at Agarita Creek Farms we had the second calf of the year. We believe she is a she (although the other cows will not let us get close to her). She is of the long legged variety of Dexters, and is chocolate brown. What to name her? We are turning to our friends for input. Let us know what you think.

Tom

April "Facebook" Special

2009-04-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are Fans of AGF on Facebook, you know about our April special -- weekends at weekday rates. This special is only available through Facebook, through the Agarita Creek Farms Facebook page. As always there is a two night minimum. We will be running other Facebook only specials in the future, so the message is sign up for Facebook and become a fan of AGF. You will automaticaly get notice of all of our special, and automatically receive our blog, Musings from Agarita Creek Farms. It is a great way for you to keep up with what is going on at the farm, and for us to communicate with you.

Tom

Progress, at last!

2009-04-03T10:41:00.000-07:00

As you may have seen, our new website is up, at www.agaritacreek.com, and we will be able to take reservations over the internet soon. For now you can call us to reserve a cabin or email us to make a reservation inquiry. Our office number is (830) 896-9140, business hours Monday through Friday. Tom's cell is (832) 419-9389. The farm house is (830) 896.9140. We can be reached via email at tcarnes@thomaspcarnes.com -- for now that is the most dependable email.

We hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend, and comes to see us soon.

Tom

And the rains came

2009-03-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

The last two days have brought more than welcome rain. I am no weatherman, but I think it is the best rain we have had since July 2007. More supposedly on the way tonight, with a chance continuing into Saturday. Bring it on, we need it.

We have 14 inches of rain all year last year, after having well over 30 the year before. These things are hard to plan for. We hope that we are at the end of a drought, but that is probably reading too much into it.

The lamb count is at 31. We don't really have a Jacob/Navajo, ram/ewe, or four horn/two horn count yet. We are just catching them as they hit the ground. With all we have going, there is not time to do much more. We are happy to report no fatalities, and still only three bottle lambs -- all born the same, very cold, weekend.

The Behrends cabin is plumbed, and will be ready for occupancy when our first special guests arrive Monday, and then again Friday. The Braeutigam cabin is trailing by perhaps a week. They will be plumbed and heated for our first guests. Lest we get too boastful, we did forget to have propane installed, so our first guests will have air and heat, and running water, but the jury is still out on working stoves.

The garden benefitted from the rain. Freeze danger should be over soon. The tomatoes sitting in the kitchen may finally get planted in the next week or two.

Winter is back, although it will be short lived. For the rain, the cold temperatures are worth it. We take what we can get. That is the nature of living out here, and trying to make something of the land.

Until next time,

Tom

Cabin Progress.

2009-03-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

Well, you might not be able to tell by looking at this picture, with the jacuzzi still on the porch, but the first two log cabins are near completion. The last bathroom cabinets arrived today, to be installed with sinks on Monday. The concrete floor have received their poly coat. Power is on, as is the a/c, which, believe it or not, might have been used on this hot and humid Sunday.

Beginning Monday, we will go into our full court press to completion. Plumbing fixtures are to be installed. Stair railings are to go up. Furniture will, at last, be moved out of every storage place we could beg, borrow or steal.

We have two groups of friend of the farm here the following week to do a trial run. They may or may not have all curtains hung and everything perfect -- landscaping will have to wait until the site is cleaned up and the truck activity has ceased -- but they should have nice cabins to stay in.

We are now taking reservations for nights beginning Friday March 27. That will give us an extra week to work after our initial guests depart. Everything should be in place by then.

For the first time in memory, we have a good chance of rain on four different days this week. Pray for rain for us; it is sorely needed.

Guests in the coming weeks will be able to see lambing in action, and to feed one or more of our bottle lambs if they desire. The wildflowers (in the garden, no promises about the "real wildflowers given teh drought) will peak at the end of March and beginning of April. Shearing will take place as soon as we can after lambing is complete. We should have a Dexter calf born in April. The garden is all ready well on its way, and guests will be able to pick some fresh veggies to take home.

In short, it has been a long haul, but we are almost there. We look forward to welcoming you as a guest on our farm.

Tom