R E S T A U R A N T P O L L B A L L O T P . 4 6 - The Austin Chronicle

FOODBack to the FutureAustin’s agrarian past rises againThe value of the rich Colorado River bottomland east of Downtown Austin (née Waterloo) hasbeen obvious to prospective farmers since the first immigrants from the American South followedStephen F. Austin to Central Texas in the 1830s. Settlers with names like Smith, Tannehill,and Hornsby bought 10- to 15-acre rural lots east of town and planted them with wheat, corn,tobacco, and cotton. In the first half of the 20th century, pecan and fruit orchards shared theprime land with big fields of succulent spinach that was shipped out of Austin by rail all overthe country. Post-World War II development brought residential neighborhoods, warehouses,and light industry to the area. Most of the luxurious farmland was paved over and lost to cultivation.Here and there pockets remained – a big backyard garden, a small fruit orchard, a marchingline of stately pecan trees – but the farms disappeared. Until now, that is.The current East Austin farm renaissance began in the early 1990s. Determined to farm, LarryButler and Carol Ann Sayle bought the last 5 acres of a Republic of Texas-era homestead; meanwhile,Glenn and Paula Foore were purchasing a city block around the corner on Springdale Roadfor their landscaping company with no idea that they, too, would one day become farmers. In2000, Stephanie Scherzer and her partner, Kim Beal, found a cozy cottage surrounded by 4½ acresalong Boggy Creek that appeared to be the perfect home for their landscape design business, thesuccess of which enabled Scherzer to pursue her real passion for farming. Then last year, EastsideCafe co-owner Dorsey Barger and her partner, Susan Hausmann, bought 2 acres on nearbyGovalle Avenue to create the homestead of their dreams. These four properties are located withina few blocks of one another, and whether the plots were originally purchased as farmland or not,the land’s very richness and its historic mandate willed out, inspiring these four couples to createdistinctive urban farms that now feed their families and their neighbors. Chronicle contributorKate Thornberry and I interviewed the farmers in preparation for this weekend’s East AustinUrban Farm Tour. We encourage you to meet them, tour the farms, and experience a taste ofAustin’s past, the present, and an invaluable element in our future. – Virginia B. WoodBOGGY CREEK FARM3414 Lyons, 926-4650www.boggycreekfarm.comWhen Carol Ann Sayle and Larry Butlerbought Boggy Creek Farm in 1992, they hadnever farmed commercially, but neither werethey new to agriculture. Though they lived inAustin, they had purchased a small farm inMilam County 10 years earlier, in 1981.“We wanted to grow our own food and livea rural life,” Sayle remembers. “Larry and Iwanted a farming life, but we couldn’t economicallyfigure it out, how to make a living atit. At H-E-B, squash was selling for 39 cents apound, meaning we would be making 15 centsa pound. There was just nothing there for us.And we still had children at home to providefor. So we kept living in Austin and drove outto Milam County to grow our own food, forour family, for 10 years. We basically taughtourselves how to farm during that time. Wenever used chemicals, because we didn’t likethe idea of putting poison on our food. Itwasn’t a political thing, we just didn’t want toput poison on our food because we were goingto eat it!”Then, in 1991, they saw the Boggy Creekproperty for sale. “We thought: ‘Oooh! If wecan buy this, we can farm right here in town.And we won’t have to drive so far!’”Boggy Creek Farm is truly a one-of-a-kindproperty. Originally a 50-acre tract, settled in1838 by the well-to-do Smith family, it was aRepublic of Texas showplace at the very edgeof the frontier. At that time, the farm was2½ miles from the village of Waterloo, whichEast Austin Urban Farm TourSunday, April 11, 1-5pmTickets are $35 in advanceand $40 at the door; buy them atBoggy Creek Farm, Eastside Cafe,or www.farmhousedelivery.com.Proceeds benefit the Farm andRanch Freedom Alliance(www.farmandranchfreedom.org),a nonprofit that speaks out aboutissues of importance to small farmersand ranchers. In addition to farmtours, local chefs will be servingsamples of dishes made from eachfarm’s produce, while area vintners,brewers, distillers, and tea importerswill provide drink samples.BOGGY CREEK FARMChefs: Deegan McClung ofJeffrey’s, Beth Pav ofCooking by DesignDrinks: Zhi Tea, Treaty OakPlatinum Rum, Graham’sTexas TeaRAIN LILY FARMChefs: James Holmes ofOlivia, Sonya Coteof East Side Show Room,Bryce Gilmore of OddDuck Farm to TrailerDrinks: Zhi Tea,Pedernales CellarsHAUSBAR FARMChefs: Elaine Martin ofEastside Cafe, BarrieCullinan of Word on FoodDrinks: Dripping SpringsVodka, Paula’s TexasOrange, Zhi TeaMusic: Bill Carter andStephen DosterPLEASANT VALLEYSPRINGDALE FARMChefs: Jesse Griffiths of DaiDue, Ben Willcott ofTexas French BreadDrinks: Live Oak Brewery,Zhi TeaJOHN ANDERSONCarol Ann Sayleand Larry Butler atBoggy Creek Farmhadn’t yet been selected as the capital. “Buffalograzed; the roar of panthers and the warwhoops of the Indians was heard around,”wrote John Smith in an 1838 letter to hiscousin, describing his new Boggy Creek home,which was protected by a wooden fence with“portholes” for defense. The farmhouse, builtin 1838, is still standing and is one of the oldestand most gracious homes in Austin.Over the years, the land had been subdividedand sold off until only 5 acres remained,adjoining the house. The property hadn’t beenfarmed in decades and was in foreclosure by1991, when Sayle and Butler were able toacquire it for $40,000. “It was 34 degrees theday we moved in here, and there was no gasheat,” Sayle relates. “There were four junkedcars on the lot, and the weeds were 10 feethigh. The roof was caved in, and the chimneyswere in the attic – it was bad. It was real bad.But of course, we were real excited and justthrilled to be here.”With the new Boggy Creek property, Sayleand Butler decided the time was right to takea stab at commercial farming. “Of course,LYONSGOVALLETILLERYCHERICOGUNTERGONZALESEAST SEVENTHSPRINGDALEAIRPORTBOLMSHADYthere were no farmers’ markets then,” Sayleexplains. “So we set up a card table in front ofWiggy’s liquor store on West Sixth, and thatwas our first farm stand. And it stayed thatway for a long time, because people wereafraid to come over to East Austin.”They made around $100 every Saturday,and that was enough to keep them going.Eventually they began selling to WholeFoods Market. “When you are selling wholesale,you don’t make money, but you ‘churn’it; you keep it moving around,” Sayleexplains. “We figured it was exposure andmarketing, and people would see the BoggyCreek name on what we grew, so it was veryvaluable. So we did Whole Foods, and wedid the card table!”It turns out that the time was right: Withinsix months, the farm was paying its own way.And now, nearly 20 years later, Boggy CreekFarm is the very model of a successful urbanfarm, with 10 employees and its own farmstand (Wednesdays and Saturdays, 9am-1pm).The farmhouse is restored, and the entireproperty is aglow with unforgettable beautyand abundance.“With this event, this farm tour, we hope toinspire people to start a garden, to get intofarming,” Sayle explains. “The farms are allslightly different – different models of farming– though we are all raising vegetables andeggs. The big message is, you can make a livingfarming, even on property as small as this! Ifyou choose your crops right and develop amarket, you can make a living doing this.Maybe not a flashy living, but if you enjoy aquiet lifestyle, you can make a living.”Another important point occurs to her, andSayle recommends that I emphasize it: “Thisevent is rain or shine. If you are thinkingabout gardening or farming, and it is rainingon the day of this tour, you come on ahead.You wear your boots, and wear your raincoat,and bring your umbrella, because this is theway it is! This is farming!”– Kate Thornberry42 T H E A U S T I N C H R O N I C L E APRIL 9, 2010 a u s t i n c h r o n i c l e . c o m