Texas Specialty Cut Flowers

Sorry for the break, there was a lot of farming to attend to upon my return from San Antonio but I wanted to give you the second half of the trip.  The morning after our excellent board meeting we hopped on a bus and headed for Blanco County and the home of Pamela and Frank Arnosky and Texas Specialty Cut Flowers.  If you do not live in Texas, or are not a cut flower grower you might not know that Pam and Frank are LEGENDARY.

They started farming in Blanco in 1990 and have steadily built their business, reputation and carry the banner for BUYING LOCAL.   It was a thrill to be invited to their farm and to hear a little about their story first-hand.

We met in the big blue barn and treated to a gorgeous breakfast Texas style--local, fresh, delicious.  Frank was mostly in charge of an excellent slide presentation, with Pamela right there with any corrections or clarifications.  They are a great team. 

After more food and time to meet and mingle with ASCFG folk from all over North America we walked the farm with Frank.  Such gracious hosts, we were invited all over their farm, Frank sharing stories, tips and tricks and information gleaned over a life time of farming.  The greenhouses were in rough shape as they were hit with 60 mile an hour winds and nearly destroyed just a week prior to our meeting.

This is a transplanter.  It rides behind the tractor and two people feed the seedlings from these seats--wistfully I ran the idea by the big boss but as he reminded me, we do not transplant hundreds of thousands, just thousands.  So it's back to hands and knees for Bindweed.

Pamela was our hostess through the greenhouses and processing area.

They transplant almost everything and germinate their own seedlings, so they are in constant production.  It made me exhausted just contemplating the scale--Texas size!

Naturally all these buckets were clean and organized--until the wind re-arranged them.

One of the gems was Pamela's processing presentation.  She is the Goddess of Bouquets--to watch her in action is a revelation.  Texas Specialty Cut Flowers provides hundreds of local, home grown and hand assembled bouquets each week.  When asked, Pam said her record was 45 bouquets in an hour.  These folks really work.

ASCFG members are always there to lend a helping hand.  Pam is nurturing some tiny goats and Betsy Hitt of Peregrine Farm, was doing double-duty here.

And this is our own fearless leader, Judy Laushman, executive director of ASCFG aka the Goat Whisperer.

Who knew?

San Antonio and Texas Color

Serving has its rewards--like sunny San Antonio.  I serve as vice president for ASCFG (Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers) and our spring board meeting was held in San Antonio.  I have never been to Texas!!

I shared the flight from Salt Lake City to San Antonio with Paula Rice of Bee Haven Farm way way up north in Bonners Ferry.   She is the new West/Northwest regional director, welcome aboard.  After a scary taxi ride to the hotel (GPS is great except when your driver is hurtling down the interstate while typing in an address over and over, answering his phone and assuring us he knows where the hotel is), we headed out for some local color. 

Our hotel is located between Market Square and the River Walk.  The San Antonio River bi-sects the city and there are miles and miles of footpaths that wind alongside.  It is beautifully landscaped, especially if you are winter starved for color and growing things, and there is no end to colorful people, shops and restaurants to enjoy.

Paula and I found the Zinc Bistro & Bar just off the River Walk with a delightful courtyard and delicious food.

Pinch me!  I have beamed out of inhospitable winter Idaho into the warmth of Texas hospitality.

I ordered the Portabello Patty Melt, layers of grilled Portabello mushroom, lemon sauted spinach, Texas sweet onions and melted Swiss served with  sweet Potato fries and an Alamo Ale--this is how to travel.

We continued along the River Walk, consulting our map and hoping for a glimpse of the Alamo.  We turned into the next block and seriously, there it was--right in the middle of down town San Antonio!  We could not have been more surprised--I had it in my mind that the Alamo was in the middle of the desert, like in the movies.  Things can really change in 100+ years!  (I only admit this major faux pax to you dear readers, because I heard this same comment over and over again while in San Anton.  If you followed  my Alamo link you will know what I mean.)

We spent a very pleasant hour touring the site.  This is the "Big Tree", a Live Oak.  Having been steeped in 19th Century literature I have read of Live Oaks, but this was my first live Live Oak.  This tree was forty years old when it was transplanted at this site over 100 years ago.

Feeling a bit peckish, we stopped for a wee treat.  This is Salted Caramel Truffle on a chocolate cone--which proved a bit much for me, but I gave it my best effort.

Our board meeting commenced early the next day.  It was exciting and very productive.  Folks were super organized and our fearless leader, Polly Hutchinson, scheduled regular breaks.  As official time-keeper I was very strict so that we did not miss any break time.

That evening culminated in a very relaxed social mixer at Mi Tierra in the Market Square.  Many ASCFG members from around the nation met at this restaurant for a huge family style meal.  Ole!

Very Festive.

I caught up with old friends and made new friends from all over North America.  (Hi to Nick and Colin in Canada.)   We talked farming, kids and grand-kids and flowers, flowers, flowers.  It is so good to be around folk excited about soil and new cut flower varieties.  Idaho is basically nothing but farms separated by mountains, but Paula and I are the only cut flower growers in a state as big as some countries.  

Please check back for the highlights from our meeting at Texas Specialty Cut Flowers.

Adios.