Home Care In Stonewall, TX

Around 5:30 in the afternoon of June 21, a storm swept through the small town of Stonewall in the Texas Hill Country west of Austin. Straight-line 80 mph winds blew out of the northwest and flattened eight acres of Adega Vinho winery’s 14-acre vineyard, snapping the steel posts supporting the vines and bending the vine trunks at a 90-degree angle just above the ground.

When co-owners Andrew Bilger and his brother, Mike, the vineyard manager and winemaker, surveyed the damage, they realized the ripening grape clusters were largely intact, cushioned by heavy netting installed a few weeks earlier to protect them from birds and hail.

The cavalry arrived the next day. Neighboring wineries sent vineyard workers to help. Club members showed up to volunteer. It took two days to bend the vines upright and install new trellising.

“We had two miracles,” Andy Bilger said later. The spring had been cool and unusually rainy up until early June, rejuvenating the vines after a drought in 2022. “The vines were refreshed and supple so they didn’t snap in the wind. The second miracle was the community really came together and helped.”

Three months later, those grapes — mostly sangiovese and several Portuguese varieties — were harvested in good shape. Andy Bilger realizes any damage to his vines may not show until next year, but he’s optimistic because they were able to bring this year’s crop to the finish line.

That storm hit Stonewall in the early days of a heat dome over Texas that sent temperatures into the triple digits for more than 40 days in the Texas Hill Country, an American Viticultural Area that takes in Austin, San Antonio and Fredericksburg. Similar conditions prevailed in the Texas High Plains AVA, the panhandle farm region around Lubbock, where about 80 percent of the state’s grapes are grown. Several vineyards in both areas also suffered hail damage, a yearly danger. Excessive heat also hit the Texas Davis Mountains AVA, with elevations as high as 8,300 feet, and the Mesilla Valley AVA, a remote mountainous area north and west of El Paso that produces highly prized grapes.

I spent a week in Texas Hill Country in early October, just as the heat was waning. In visits to 11 wineries — there are more than 50 in the Hill Country AVA — I got a sense of a young, confident wine region eager to tell the rest of the world its story. Invariably the story began with this wacky vintage of 2023 and included harbingers such as the “Halloween Massacre” freeze in 2019 that severely limited the next year’s crop and Texas’ own “Snowpocalypse” of February 2021, when a statewide deep freeze shattered the electricity grid and drove Ted Cruz to Cancún.

The Hill Country is the tourism center for Texas wine, given its proximity to Austin and San Antonio. Wineries here often foster a sense of community, enlisting club members to help at events. My San Antonio friends, Miriam and Doug Juckett, discovered this community three years ago as refugees from covid lockdown fatigue and introduced me to several wineries where they are now regulars. I also visited four older wineries that have organized as Texas Fine Wine to raise the Lone Star State’s wine profile nationally.

My introduction came at Siboney Cellars, where Miguel and Barbara Lecuona hosted a rollicking Sunday afternoon party celebrating new wine releases. Events there often have a Cuban theme, with Panama hats, cigars and music to celebrate Miguel’s heritage. (Siboney — pronounced see-bo-NAY — is named for a popular Cuban love ballad written a century ago by Ernesto Lecuona, Miguel’s great-uncle.)

Befitting a young wine region, there’s innovation and experimentation. At Bending Branch winery in Comfort, Bob Young employs modern technology such as flash détente and cryo-extraction to squeeze as much essence from his tannat grapes as possible. More modestly, Lydia and Rob Nida at Pebble Rock Cellars follow a minimalist path to make more natural-style wines.

When I visited, the Hill Country had finished its harvest, but several tons of tempranillo and mourvedre, two of the Spanish and Mediterranean varieties Texas emphasizes, were still hanging in the High Plains, their ripening slowed after the vines shut down from the heat. The winemakers I met showed the weariness of making several 12-hour round-trip commutes to check on the vineyards.

“The High Plains is a mecca of grape growing, with 3,000-foot elevation and cool nights,” explains Dave Reilly, winemaker at Duchman Family Winery in Driftwood. “The Hill Country has tourism. You can grow great grapes here, but the land is expensive.”

Is all this wacky weather a sign of climate change? It may be too early to tell, since the Texas wine industry is relatively young and lacks historical data.

“It’s just Texas,” says Ron Yates, owner and winemaker at Spicewood Vineyards in Spicewood and his namesake winery near Johnson City. “Hot, cold; we deal with it every year.”

“The one thing you can’t control is what Mother Nature will give you,” says Ben Calais, a French-born computer engineer turned winemaker and co-owner with his wife, Victoria, of French Connection Wines and Calais Wines. “What is the natural noise of Texas and what is climate change?”

Here are some of my favorite wines I tasted in Texas Hill Country, listed alphabetically by winery. In general, expect lush, full-bodied whites from Rhône varieties such as viognier and roussanne, with some good sauvignon blanc and chenin blanc as well. Reds tend to be bold and mouth-filling. They give a sense of warmth from the climate, without being hot in terms of alcohol. Most of these are sold directly from the wineries.

STONEWALL, Texas, USA – The National Park Service and the International Dark-Sky Association are pleased to announce the certification of LBJ Ranch Unit of Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park as an International Dark Sky Park. This certification recognizes the exceptional quality of the park’s night skies and provides added opportunities to enhance visitor experiences through astronomy-based interpretive programming.

“Although the Park remains in a relatively rural setting, the explosive growth of cities to its east means that the night sky over the ranch is not quite dark as it was in President Johnson’s time,” explained Ruskin Hartley, Executive Director of IDA. “Still, the Park leadership has recognized that nighttime darkness is a characteristic of the surrounding Hill Country landscape in which the Park is situated, and it has made admirable efforts toward preserving those conditions locally and encouraging similar efforts abroad.”

“Certification as an International Dark Sky Park reflects the hard work of a dedicated park team and an outstanding network of local partners,” said park superintendent, Justin Bates. “We look forward to sharing our Hill Country night skies with visitors and continuing to preserve this important park resource for future generations.”

The Park was supported through the certification process by many partners including the Hill Country Alliance (HCA), a non-profit created to build awareness and community support for the natural resources and heritage of the Central Texas Hill Country. “The Hill Country Alliance is thrilled about this certification, and we send an enthusiastic congratulations to the park staff, leadership, and other community members that contributed to this achievement,” said Night Sky Program Coordinator, Dawn Davies. “Communities in our region care deeply about night sky preservation and it is so encouraging that the LBJ National Historical Park has jumped into the regional effort with both feet, joining nine other International Dark Sky Places in the Hill Country. HCA has participated in several night sky events within the park, and we look forward to continuing to support their night sky preservation work and outreach.”

About the International Dark-Sky Association: The International Dark Sky Places Program was founded in 2001 as a non-regulatory and voluntary program to encourage communities, parks, and protected areas around the world to preserve and protect dark sites through effective lighting policies, environmentally responsible outdoor lighting, and public education. When used indiscriminately, artificial light can disrupt ecosystems, impact human health, waste money and energy, contribute to climate change, and block our view and connection to the universe. Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park now joins more than 180 Places that have demonstrated robust community support for dark sky advocacy and strive to protect the night from light pollution. Learn more by visiting darksky.org/conservation/idsp.

About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.

To understand the evolution of the Texas Hill Country wine region over the past two decades, there may be no better place to start than a chat with Bénédicte Rhyne, winemaker at Kuhlman Cellars in Stonewall. The Provence native has worked everywhere from Bordeaux to Marlborough, New Zealand, so perhaps it’s best to call her an outsider’s insider. Her perspective is global and pragmatic, but her belief in the potential of the Hill Country region is quintessentially Texan.

She moved to Texas in 2002 and, nearly 20 years later, Rhyne can assess the current Texas wine scene as few others can. During that time, she established her successful Wine Country Consulting business, worked as the winemaker at Ste Genevieve Winery, and joined Kuhlman Cellars as winemaker and partner alongside farm and vineyard managers Chris and Jennifer Cobb in 2012.

Rhyne’s journey to Texas was lengthy. After earning her master’s in enology at the Université de Bourgogne in 1987, Rhyne worked harvests in Bordeaux and New Zealand, pivoted to wine sales in the United Kingdom, and then spent a decade in winery production and management in Sonoma. Rhyne’s move from the U.K. to California proved a critical one: She joined high-profile Sonoma winery Ravenswood in 1991, where she helped the business expand from a 50,000-case winery to 500,000 cases in 10 years.

When the winery sold to beverage corporation Constellation in 2001, she found herself at a career crossroads. As one of the few fortunate employees with some stock options, she knew the new owners would drastically change the winery’s direction. A young mother of two at the time, Rhyne and her husband both worked demanding management positions. After some discussion, the pair decided their next phase would include more family and parenting time, necessitating some big changes.

In deciding what to do next, an unlikely destination emerged: Central Texas. “We had this sense that we needed to move out of California,” she says. Her husband thought of Texas as the “big state where people were drinking a lot of wine” — as owner of a wine-logistics warehouse in Napa, he sent trucks to the state every week. A friend in the Bandera area mentioned that some grapes were planted in the Hill Country and invited them to visit. The family ended up driving around Texas in a minivan. They were surprised by what they found in Fredericksburg: “It reminded me a bit of my native Provence,” Rhyne says. “Certainly the terroir, the climate. Wow, surely they can grow grapes here. They needed more professional help, though, and I knew I could do it.”

In 2002, the Hill Country winemaking scene was both small and sleepy, with few wineries and largely inexperienced workers. Rhyne resigned from her position at Ravenswood after her stock cash-out, which gave her the courage to make the unconventional move. “I started sending letters to Texas wineries asking if they needed a consultant,” she says. “I believe when you’re supposed to go in a direction, everything falls into place, and that’s exactly what happened.” The couple sold their California home, her husband sold his warehouse business, and they used the proceeds to buy property in Fredericksburg, where they still reside today. After a little outreach to Texas wineries, Rhyne began working with Mesa Vineyards and Ste Genevieve Winery, where she made wine for over 15 years.

Rhyne now sees a Texas industry bursting with both growth and a greatly evolved professionalism. “Growers planted a wide variety of grapes, learned how to manage crops and yields, and are getting better at managing the climate here in Texas, which can be pretty rough,” she says.

She also notes that more young winemakers and grape growers are choosing to work in Texas, and she’s seeing more and more examples of Texas wines with true terroir, meaning they show the character of the state’s soil, climate, and topography. She confesses that her early hunch has proven true. “Everybody thought the real place to grow grapes was the High Plains,” she says, as conventional wisdom in Texas wine circles dictated this due to better diurnal shift (temperature variation) and fewer frost issues. “But now we’re discovering, which I’ve always kind of known in my heart, that the Hill Country has some very particular gems of terroir as well.”

At Kuhlman, her team has been cautious and specific about researching and planting the correct grape varietals appropriate to the soil and climate in her estate vineyard. “We’re now reaping the benefits of having done that research properly,” she says.

When asked if she now has favorite Texas grapes, Rhyne demurs: “Actually, I don’t. Texas is such a huge state. I’ve had fantastic tempranillo, and fantastic sauvignon blanc, and sangiovese, and roussanne from different terroirs in Texas. But we’re still in pioneer mode, even though it sounds like we’re not. We’re learning what varietals are going to be best for particular terroir.” Rhyne also believes Hill Country vineyards still have some tricks up their sleeves. “I know some want to make the flagship tempranillo or mourvedre or maybe viognier, but I disagree. There’s gonna be more surprises, and more varieties we haven’t even tried yet that will do fantastic here,” she says.

The resistance to picking a signature grape on which to hang her metaphorical hat is evident in Rhyne’s winemaking. Kuhlman’s wines are mostly blended from multiple grape varietals, and not always in traditional combinations. “It’s my style,” she notes, pointing to her southern French roots, whereas in Texas, “We’re a young region, and my philosophy is to make the best wine. In a perfect world when all the stars align, you may find a [single-varietal] gem that can stand on its own, and that does happen. It’s getting more common with our roussanne and mourvedre.” She adds that, in most cases, blending provides a greater balance of fruits, acids, and tannins, and that pragmatism guides her decisions. “I don’t want to be restricted by ideology,” Rhyne says. “We respect and nurture the grapes, but we want to use the art of blending to make the best wine we can with the tools we have.” Successfully balancing alcohol, fruit, acidity, and tannins is the goal of the process, and a familiar challenge to winemakers.

One major and overdue development for the Texas wine industry was a new law requiring greater accuracy in wine labeling in 2021: All wines with a county, American Viticultural Area, or vineyard designation will now be required to contain 100 percent Texas grapes, a major change from past practices. Rhyne feels this development is welcome: “We should always be transparent on our sources. Sometimes I might add something, but we’re going to put that on the label.”

Wines that use the generic Texas term on their packaging can continue to use 25 percent grapes grown outside the state, something that makes sense to Rhyne because of both commercial concerns and grape scarcity. “I wouldn’t use it,” she says, “but there are some businesses here in Texas that are doing very well that need it.”

In July, Rhyne was preparing for the realities of a small harvest in 2021 after a year filled with extreme weather. There were multiple factors: “We lost a lot of grapes in the High Plains. There was a massive April hailstorm that decimated a bunch of vineyards,” she explains. “It’s probably at least a 60 percent loss.” Rhyne predicts the shortage will prove challenging for all Texas wineries. “We are all kind of searching and hoping. I know we’re not the only ones in the same boat,” she says.

This shortage follows a lean harvest in 2020 due to High Plains freezes, which Rhyne describes as “kind of a blessing.” With tasting rooms and restaurants closed due to COVID-19, the smaller crop made storage and inventory issues less of a challenge: “Obviously, sales were in decline. So it all kind of worked out in the end.”

As Kuhlman Cellars and Rhyne look toward the future, the winery and winemaker see many things to look forward to. The brand’s Block One mourvedre (planted on the estate) will finally be released as a standalone wine. (It was previously used in blends only while the vines matured.) Rhyne is enthusiastic about this development. “We were finally able to ferment it by itself,” she says. “It’s planted on limestone, which I would be excited to see more vineyards do.” She also thinks the industry will see greatly increased plantings in the Hill Country: “That’s what I’m really excited to watch in the next couple of years. We’ll definitely keep growing, and hopefully [we’ll] make a little mark of quality for our wine industry here in the Hill Country.”

Kuhlman Cellars

18421 E US 290, Stonewall, Texas 78671 Visit Website

SAN BENITO — Decades after standing as the city’s most cherished architectural treasure, the former Stonewall Jackson Hotel has been christened a Texas historical landmark.

After the San Benito Housing and Development Corporation applied for the recognition earlier this month, the Texas Historical Commission designated the 96-year-old building a “recorded Texas historic landmark,” leading the agency to award an official Texas Historical Marker.

“The Texas Historical Commission has recognized the Stonewall Jackson Hotel as a significant part of Texas history,” the commission states. “The designation honors the Stonewall Jackson Hotel as an important and educational part of local history and recognizes its architectural integrity as a historic structure.”

HISTORICAL DESIGNATION TO ENHANCE SALE

The housing authority, which bought the city’s former grand hotel 10 years ago, applied for the designation as part of its plan to sell the three-story building after the agency scraped a proposed renovation project when its costs climbed too high.

Now, officials are counting on the Stonewall Jackson’s designation to help sell the building, Art Rodriguez, the housing authority’s executive director, said.

“Before, we just had a building. Now we have a historically recognized building,” he said during an interview. “We’ll have a different type of buyer interested now that it’s a historical building. We’re looking at anyone who might have an interest in restoring the building — an investor.”

RENOVATION COSTS CLIMBING

The cost of renovating the Stonewall Jackson has dramatically climbed since the housing authority bought the building 10 years ago.

Meanwhile, the Stonewall Jackson continues to decay.

After the agency paid $220,000 for the Stonewall Jackson in 2013, a previous administration contracted the architectural firm Megamorphosis Design to conduct a story to determine the cost of renovating the building to its original condition.

At the time, officials said the firm estimated the renovation project to cost about $3.4 million.

When the housing authority requested Megamorphosis Design update its study in 2019, the firm’s estimate jumped from $6 million to $7 million, officials said.

Today, Rodriguez estimates the cost of renovating the building has climbed to about $10 million, in part the result of the continuing escalation of material costs from the coronavirus pandemic’s supply chain crisis.

“Materials’ costs have skyrocketed,” he said.

HARD SALE?

For decades, area leaders dreamed of taking on one of the region’s greatest renovation projects.

Now, officials are counting on an investor to save a priceless piece of the city’s history.

“Will it be a hard sale — we’re asking them to rehab it,” Rodriguez said. “I may have a task that I may not be able to accomplish. There aren’t many options. We’re not thinking of demolishing it. That’s the last thing we have not discussed. It means a lot of the community, to the people of San Benito, to the history of San Benito.”

SOUTH TEXAS MONUMENT

For about five months, Sandra Tumberlinson, a co-founder of the San Benito Historical Society, worked to research the building’s history as she applied on behalf of the housing authority for the historical commission’s designation.

In 2013, the housing authority’s purchase likely saved the building, she states in her application.

“The building began to deteriorate, creating a public eyesore, and residents feared that demolition of the former community anchor seemed inevitable,” she wrote.

Opened in 1927, the grand hotel marked an era in which land barons courted northern businessmen who helped transform the city into an agricultural mecca.

During the city’s heyday, the building stood as the area’s social hub.

“In the 1920s, San Benito was booming,” Tumberlinson said during an interview.

The city’s leaders build the Stonewall Jackson as “a monument to the success of visionary people who harnessed the Rio Grande river to bring agriculture to the nation via a railroad that brought northern land seekers to this area and created the need for a magnificent place to stay,” she wrote in her application to the historical commission.

To build the grand hotel, the city’s leaders hired architect Harvey P. Smith to design the building.

“The planners thought so much of the building, they hired the premier architect in Texas,” Tumberlinson said. “They wanted the best of the best.”

DEEP IN THE CITY’S HEART

When she was growing up, the Stonewall Jackson was part of her life, Tumberlinson said.

As she researched the hotel’s history, her parents’ stories came alive.

“I grew up hearing stories from my parents about weddings, parties and other functions at the hotel, and as I walked the lobby and patio during my research, I could see the unique tile work found in my parents wedding photos,” she stated, adding her parents Raul and Celia Longoria hosted their wedding reception on the hotel’s patio in 1946.

“I could hear the big bands playing and the brides squealing from the staircase as they tossed their bouquets,” she stated.

As a young teacher, she got a chance to live some of the Stonewall Jackson’s majesty.

“I was fortunate that the hotel was still open when I began my teaching career so I also attended functions there,” she stated.

In the hotel’s sprawling lobby hung nationally renowned Texas artist Royston Nave’s portrait of Stonewall Jackson, now showcased at the Museum of San Benito in the city’s Community Building.

“It is saddening to see the beautiful artwork and patio that the public can’t enjoy anymore,” Tumberlinson stated, referring the hotel, which the city boarded up years ago.

During the last decades, the Stonewall Jackson fell deeper into disrepair before city officials condemned the old hotel, which had turned into a low-rent apartment building, fining its owner $12,500 for building code violation after evicting its last tenants in 2012.

Long before the Texas Hill Country became famous for its many wineries, peaches were the agricultural gem of this stunning slice of the state. And those golden globes of sweetness are in season now.

There are many spots to stock up on fresh fruit, peach ice cream, peach preserves and countless other peach-based products along the 15-mile stretch of U.S. 290 between Fredericksburg and Stonewall. Many of the orchards and produce markets sell a wide variety of peaches that come in and out of season now through late summer. Right now, clingstone peaches are available, and freestone peaches will begin ripening in the next couple weeks.

If you’ve got a serious peach craving and feel like a scenic road trip, here’s a guide to 10 great spots to find peaches in the Hill Country. All of the orchards and markets will be open throughout the growing season, which can end anywhere from mid-August into the second week of September depending on the varieties planted and weather conditions. To make sure you’ll find what you’re looking for, visit the Facebook pages for these businesses for the latest updates.

On ExpressNews.com: This year’s Hill Country peaches are small but super sweet

Behrends Orchard

This grower offers a wide variety of peaches as well as berries and vegetables at its roadside market. Its homemade peach ice cream is also a popular draw, with many customers lining up for a cold cup on hot summer days.

Behrends Orchard, 4579 E. U.S. 290 in Fredericksburg, 830-997-4420, Facebook: Behrends Orchards. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Burg’s Corner

This seasonal produce market specializes in Hill Country peaches, but also offers a wide range of other fruit and produce items such as tomatoes, squash, watermelons, onions and more. More than 100 specialty food products are also available, including peach cider, fruit preserves, canned produce, salsas, honey and more.

Burg’s Corner, 15194 U.S. 290 in Stonewall, 830-644-2604, burgscorner.com, Facebook: @BurgsCorner. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily

Das Peach Haus

This sprawling compound from the Fischer & Wieser Specialty Foods brand offers a complete culinary experience. Oodles of fresh peaches are available at a roadside stand on the property. Inside the main building, Das Peach Haus sells about 150 varieties of sauces and preserves. It also offers cooking classes, wine tastings and more. Dietz Distillery sits next to Das Peach Haus and sells peach- and pear-based spirits.

Das Peach Haus, 1406 S. U.S. 87 in Fredericksburg, 830-997-8969, jelly.com, Facebook: @daspeachhaus. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

Donald Eckhardt Orchards

This venerable orchard was established in 1936 and currently produces peaches, blackberries, plums and tomatoes. The orchard’s market sells a wide range of other Hill Country-grown fruit and produce and canned goods as well as a selection of farm and garden antiques.

Donald Eckhardt Orchards, 2150 S. U.S. 87 in Fredericksburg, 830-992-7113, hillcountrypeaches.com, Facebook: @EckhardtOrchards. Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily

On ExpressNews.com: Peaches: How to speed up and slow down their ripening

Gold Orchards Inc.

Fresh, ripe peaches, plums and nectarines are available at this orchard’s market stand. It also sells freshly baked peach pies and cobblers from its in-house bakery, as well as soft-serve peach ice cream and preserved peach products.

Gold Orchards Inc., 14329 E. U.S. 290 in Stonewall, 830-644-2890, Facebook: Gold Orchards, Inc. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Monday

Jenschke Orchards

You’ll find more than 30 varieties of peaches that ripen throughout the season at this orchard with more than 3,000 trees. This is the only orchard in the Hill Country that lets customers to pick their own fruit, although that starts later in the season. Visit Jenschke’s website for pick-your-own details. The orchard’s roadside market also sells peach ice cream, jams, jellies and canned peaches.

Jenschke Orchards, 8301 E. U.S. 290 in Fredericksburg, 830-997-8422, bestfredericksburgpeaches.com, Facebook: @fredericksburgpeaches. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday

Lydell’s Store

This seasonal produce market has been in business since 1985. Lydell’s is well stocked with fresh peaches, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, melons and a wide range of preserved items such as sauces, jams and jelly.

Lydell’s Store, 1607 E. Main St. in Fredericksburg, 830-997-1982, Facebook: Lydell’s Store. Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily

Studebaker Farms

You’ll find a wide range of fresh peaches at this small family farm which frequently collaborates with state and national horticulturists to develop the best and most flavorful varieties. Peach jams, sauces, preserves and more are also available.

Studebaker Farms, 9405 E. U.S. 290 in Fredericksburg, 830-990-1109, studebakerfarms.com, Facebook: Studebaker Farm. Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily

Vogel Orchard

This orchard was established in 1953 and offers a wide range of produce including peaches, blackberries, plums and pumpkins. Peach cobbler, peach ice cream, fruit preserves, jellies and more are also available.

Vogel Orchard, 12862 E. U.S. 290 in Fredericksburg, 830-644-2404, vogelorchard.wixsite.com, Facebook: Vogel Orchard. Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily

Wahl’s Peaches

Find organically grown peaches produced without pesticides or chemical fertilizers at this family operated orchard. In addition to fresh fruit, Wahl’s sells jams, pies and preserves.

Wahl’s Peaches, 15369 E. U.S. 290 in Fredericksburg, 830-992-9498, Facebook: @WahlsPeaches. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily

[email protected] | Twitter: @pjbites | Instagram: @pjstephen

July is typically the height of peach season in Texas, but many of the Hill Country’s well-known peach farms don’t have as much of the savory fruit to offer this year.

A mild winter has made for a much tougher growing season than usual, forcing an early end to peach season for many Texas farms.

Jamie Vogel owns Vogel Orchard in Stonewall, Texas, outside Fredericksburg. He heads the Hill Country Fruit Council.

Vogel says peaches require a certain number of chilling hours below 40 degrees to allow the buds to grow and develop properly. This winter’s lack of cold weather limited crops.

“One thing we understand in farming in general and with fruit is that you’re going to have good years and you’re going to have bad years,” Vogel says of Hill Country farmers’ morale. “We’ve had three pretty good years – 2014, 2015 and 2016 – with 2015 being really a bumper crop. You know that when that happens you’re likely to have some years coming up that won’t be so good. It’s just part of the process.”

The Hill Country Fruit Council posted a message on their website alerting consumers. “Because the Hill Country (and Texas crop in general) is small this year, you are unlikely to find true Hill Country peaches outside of the area so be careful what you are buying.”

“You can come to the hill country and buy direct from the growers, but there’s not enough production left this season for fruit to go outside the county for wholesale purposes,” Voegel says, warning of “counterfeit peaches” grown in other areas. “Chances are if you’re seeing Fredericksburg or Stonewall peach signs, it’s unlikely that they’re actually fruit coming from this area.”

Vogel says in previous years peach farmers have had great chilling hours during the winter only to encounter destructive late freezes in March and April. “If you don’t have thick skin for something like that, you better not be in this business,” he says.

Written by Rachel Rascoe.