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July is GO TEXAN Restaurant Round-Up Month
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 There's still time to celebrate the tastes of Texas this month by dining out at GO TEXAN restaurants during the annual GO TEXAN Restaurant Round-Up. Dine out to show your support for restaurants in your area committed to serving menu items with ingredients sourced from local farmers, ranchers and other producers. From shrimp and vegetables to wine and artisan cheeses, if it's from Texas, you can bet it's the freshest and most flavorful option around. Find a GO TEXAN restaurant near you by clicking here and check out this page for special menus and events planned at restaurants around the state.
When dining out this month, be sure to tag your social media posts with the following hashtags: #TXDineOut and #GOTEXAN.
We're also having a Texas-sized giveaway to celebrate Restaurant Round-Up. Win an overnight stay, winery tour, wine, reception and breakfast at Messina Hof Winery and Resort. This prize is valued at $350, and you must be at least 21 years old to win. Enter here.
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Texans Helping Texans Recover from Disaster: Give to the STAR Fund
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 Many Texans have been devastated by recent storms and need your help! Click here to see the counties impacted and donate to the Texas Department of Agriculture’s (TDA) State of Texas Agriculture Relief (STAR) Fund. Together, you can help us assist those hit hardest by these disasters. If you are a farmer or rancher who has been impacted by severe weather, click here to apply for a STAR Fund grant.
The STAR Fund was created solely with monetary donations from private individuals and companies, including Farm Credit, Valero and McCoy’s Building Supply. STAR Fund money may be used to assist farmers and ranchers in rebuilding fences, restoring operations and paying for other agricultural disaster relief. As natural disasters continue to impact Texas farmers and ranchers, the need for donations continues.
To make a donation via check, please send it to the following address:
STAR Fund
Texas Department of Agriculture
1700 North Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78701
To donate via PayPal, click here.
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Changing the World
One Case of Water at a Time
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 Bret Fuller decided to use his entrepreneurial passion to bless his neighbors in far-away locations. His idea was to sell water here in Texas, and across the United States, to help villagers in Liberia access wells and clean water in their home country. Fuller started Mercy Wells in an effort to raise awareness and funds for The Last Well's work of digging and supplying fresh water wells in Liberia. Mercy Wells recently secured shelf space at nine Central Market stores in Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Houston, and the company hopes to have cases of water filling the shelves of an additional 150 H-E-B stores in the near future. They're also in ongoing discussions with a national distributor for grocery stores from New York to Los Angeles.
The way Mercy Wells works is simple: The company sends 100 percent of the profit from each case of half liter bottles sold directly to The Last Well. One Liberian will get access to clean water for every three cases sold. They’ll also hear a message of hope and redemption from a caring staff member from The Last Well. Their goal is to have clean water and the Gospel for all of Liberia by 2020.
On Mercy Wells’ website, you’ll find a nice infographic that breaks down their effort numerically. For example, one semi-truck of Mercy Wells water delivered brings in enough revenue to build a well in Liberia. In an age of cynicism and bad news, it’s nice to see a practical and attainable goal being pursued by a GO TEXAN member.
It’s a smart way of giving Texans an opportunity to transfer something they do every day, like drinking water, into helping Liberians gain access to healthy and safe drinking water.
Be sure to pick up a case of Mercy Wells bottled water at your local Central Market. Click here to see a video of one of their successful well projects, and visit their website for information on ordering cases of water directly or finding a retail location near you.
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It’s Watermelon Time in Texas!
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 We recently made a stop at Warren Produce in the Rio Grande Valley and checked out their farm, where co-owner Jimmy Henderson gave us a lesson on how to pick out the perfect watermelon. Watch the video here and learn what to listen for during your watermelon inspection.
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Get Egg-cited at Your Local Farmers Market!
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 The most severe outbreak of avian influenza to hit U.S. soil has businesses scrambling to cope with a severe egg shortage and experts warning of record-high egg prices later this year. The outbreak has hit 16 different states, but it has not been found in Texas.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates the ongoing outbreak, which is plaguing much of the nation's Midwest, has affected more than 48 million birds. The domestic egg and poultry industries have been hit hard, as entire flocks are being wiped out.
Texas is already an egg-deficit state, which means we consume more eggs than we produce. Despite the fact that avian influenza has not been detected here in the Lone Star State, the subsequent egg shortage has been felt at grocery stores and by some restaurants that have had to limit the hours breakfast is served.
If you are looking for alternate sources for your eggs, local farmers markets in Texas are a great resource. Click here for a listing of certified farmers markets.
Many farmers markets in Texas, like the Odessa Farmers Market, also are educating their local regions about the benefits of healthy eating, all while providing a healthy alternative to feed our communities. The Texas Department of Agriculture and GO TEXAN have formed a partnership between farmers markets, local growers and the Texas health industry called "Healthy Living with Texas Produce." It’s our way of connecting these groups with Texans and supporting a healthy lifestyle for everyone. For a list of events around the state, click here.
Check out this video for even more reasons to visit a farmers market.
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Help Shape the Future of
Local and Organic Food
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 The Department of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering Technology at Sam Houston State University is conducting research on consumer preferences in the state of Texas. The survey will present consumers with questions based on preferences about alternative agricultural products. It’s all in an attempt to better understand the Texas consumer and demand for such products. If you would like to participate in this research, click here to take the survey.
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Dixondale Farms: Supplying Onions and Cantaloupes to Texas and Beyond
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 Dixondale Farms has been proudly growing onions for more than 100 years in Carrizo Springs in South Texas.
“There is nothing better than something that’s grown by Texans for Texans,” said Jeanie Martin Frasier, owner and operator of Dixondale farms.
Jeanie and her husband, Bruce, successfully operate their family farm. The farm has been passed down through four generations, and it all began with Jeanie’s great-grandfather in 1913. What began as a small family farm has grown to become the largest grower of onions in the United States.
What you might not know about this ‘little’ Texas company is that they also are part of a proud few producing cantaloupes exclusively in Texas under the name of Carrizo Cantaloupes. As other cantaloupe growers in the state decrease or cease production, Dixondale Farms seems to continue to increase production in an effort to become the largest grower and shipper of cantaloupes in Texas.
They also do a brisk business in selling and shipping onion plants. This small branch of their farming business got a big shot of growth in 1990 when UPS started providing delivery service in Carrizo Springs. Now they ship more than 800 million onion plants per year to farmers, home gardeners and garden centers around the country.
With the recent floods and heavy rainfall experienced in Texas, Dixondale Farms is experiencing abundantly wet conditions and would like to assure all of their customers that they are still producing quality products for everyone to enjoy!
“The rain was not kind to any produce farmer in Texas,” said Bruce Frasier, who is affectionately called “Onion Man” by his friends. “The lack of sunshine and abundance of rainy days provided conditions for disease to develop. Our cantaloupe crop was not spared, but thankfully we were two weeks later than normal, and the weather changed in late May and early June. This allowed us to have excellent quality, but the yields have suffered by about 30 percent. At this point, we are just thankful to be harvesting at all.
“Until recently, almost all our customers here in Texas were facing water restrictions that would limit or prevent them from watering their vegetables. It's a frightening concept to think your water supply could disappear, and I think this is why no one wants to complain. In the long run, this rain will be beneficial to all growers in Texas. But, at least for now, please don't pray for any more rain.”
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A Great Steak with a Great Name
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 With a name like Zentner’s Daughter Steak House, you know there’s got be a story there somewhere. Betty Zentner’s dad, John Zentner, was legendary in Texas for great steak. A restless son of a German immigrant butcher, he moved from place to place. In 1918 he cooked for the cavalry — butchering buffalo in Oregon and cattle in Runnels County, Northeast of San Angelo. In 1920 he started cooking hamburgers in his father’s meat market. In 1946, he opened the Lowake Inn in the small community just south of Rowena. Over the years he moved several times, opening some of the greatest steak houses in Texas. His reputation for great food at a great price spread across the West Texas area and beyond. People traveled hundreds of miles to enjoy his food and hospitality.
In 1974, his daughter Betty (pictured above) opened John Zentner’s Daughter in San Angelo. John was there to make sure that the same great steaks and hospitality were there for the folks. He died in 1994, but Betty and her husband Bernay Sheffield make sure that the Zentner tradition lives on.
Modern day accolades testify that the Sheffield’s are doing it right: “To generations of West Texans, the Zentner name is synonymous with steak,” said Texas Highways Magazine. “Zentner’s Daughter didn’t invent the garlic flavored KC Sirloin,” said Texas Monthly, “but she perfected it.”
The San Angelo mainstay has several dining rooms available for many special occasions and they are hosting a special event to celebrate the GO TEXAN Restaurant Round-Up on Saturday, July 18, collaborating with other GO TEXAN members like Orma’s Original Sweet N Spicy Jelly, Pedernales Brewing Company, Hill Country Distillers and La Cabra Meat lamb and goat.
Betty and her staff take the Go Local. GO TEXAN. motto seriously. “When I buy locally, I know what I am buying,” said Betty. “I know it is the best and always fresh. I also enjoy the fact that these farmers and ranchers trade and do business with me. I am lucky that we are from a small community and we all help each other.
“We garnish our plates with Texas watermelon, fresh corn on the cob from our local growers, and beef from the Lubbock and Amarillo area.”
For more information on Zentner's Daughter Steak House, visit the website.
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Chocolate Covered Ice Cream Sandwiches
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 Sometimes just a picture communicates all someone needs to know about a food dish — especially a dessert that mixes chocolate and ice cream. These large and delicious ice cream sandwiches are a perfect treat to enjoy during July, which also happens to be National Ice Cream Month, This recipe makes 18 sandwiches. Thanks to Southwest Dairy Farmers for this original recipe by Kitchen Kimberly.
Ingredients:
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½ cup
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Unsalted butter, softened
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½ cup
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Granulated sugar
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½ cup
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Light brown sugar, packed
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2
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Large eggs
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1 ½ cups
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All-purpose flour
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⅓ cup
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Cocoa powder
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1 tbsp.
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Instant espresso powder or instant coffee granules
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1 tsp.
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Baking soda
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¼ tsp.
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Salt
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½ cup
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Semi-sweet mini baking morsels
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4 ½ cups
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Ice cream, any flavor, softened
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Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, granulated and brown sugars and eggs using an electric mixer on medium speed.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, instant espresso, baking soda and salt.
4. Add the dry mixture to wet ingredients, and stir until dry ingredients are moistened.
5. Stir in the mini morsels.
6. Drop dough by heaping spoonful about 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are set.
8. Allow cookies to set for 4 minutes on baking sheets, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes.
9. When cookies have cooled completely, place 1/4 cup of softened ice cream between two cookies and press together gently to create the sandwich.
10. Roll edges of each sandwich in mini morsels, if desired.
11. Wrap each ice cream sandwich tightly in clear plastic wrap and freeze until firm. Enjoy!
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Progress is Routine in Muleshoe
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 Paying tribute to the role mules played in our nation’s history, Muleshoe, Texas, is home to the only National Mule Memorial. “Old Pete” greets locals, returning friends and newcomers everyday near the Chamber of Commerce office. Muleshoe is a GO TEXAN Certified Retirement Community, located 70 miles northwest of Lubbock on U.S. Highway 84 and 30 miles southeast of Clovis, New Mexico.
Muleshoe’s Heritage Center offers a unique stop for visitors to commemorate the importance of ranching to West Texas. The Santa Fe Depot, several ranch and bunk houses, log cabins and an old hotel are restored structures that illustrate the historic significance of how the South Plains evolved in earlier years. While at the Center, take a photo with the “World’s Largest Muleshoe,” which stands 22 feet high and 17 feet wide. In March 2012, the new Ray and Donna West RV Park was unveiled to accommodate travelers and say thank you for visiting Muleshoe. The RV Park is available on a first come, first served basis and is free for the first three nights.
Located 20 miles south of Muleshoe, the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge encompasses more than 6,449 acres. Short-grass rangeland with scattered mesquite extends over most of the refuge. Established in 1935, it is the oldest refuge in Texas. It is a resting area for migrating water fowl and accommodates one of the largest concentrations of Sandhill cranes. During peak months, thousands of cranes make Muleshoe their temporary home. In addition to waterfowl, one can expect to see mule deer, great horned owls and an abundance of other wildlife.
Famous Leal’s Restaurant got its start in Muleshoe in 1957. The original location is proud to serve locals and wanderers delicious meals every day. Leal’s Tortilla Factory also calls Muleshoe home.
The city of Muleshoe recently completed a new waterpark of grand measure. The facility includes a large pool, lazy river, water slide and diving board.
Muleshoe is on the move and proud to say Progress is Routine! Click here for more information on Muleshoe.
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State Symbols: The Texas Longhorn
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 The majestic Texas Longhorn is an icon of Texas and the Southwest culture. It represents ranching, the American cowboy and pioneer spirit. Texas’ history and the longhorn are inseparable.
The Texas longhorn practically became the foundation of the American cattle industry when it claimed its first rights in the untamed, newly discovered Americas more than 500 years ago. In 1690, the first herd of cattle was driven north from Mexico to land that would eventually become Texas. By the Civil War, millions of Longhorns ranged between the mesquite-dotted sandy banks of the Rio Bravo to the sand beds of the Sabine. Most of the Longhorns were unbranded survivors of Indian raids. These animals had been scattered by stampedes and weather, escaped from missions or abandoned after ranch failures.
Less than 40 years later, the longhorn was closer to extinction than the buffalo. In 1927, the federal government stepped in to help preserve the Texas longhorn and its part in our heritage. Congress assigned forest service rangers, Will C. Barnes and John H. Hatton, to the task. These two men put the first herd together at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. Gradually, more breeders started raising private stocks of longhorns. The need grew for breed standards and a direct line of communication between different longhorn breeders. From there, the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America was formed.
Texas designated the iconic longhorn as the official state large mammal in 1995. The mere sight of a longhorn brings to mind the old west.
“Their long, polished horns sometimes ran six feet from tip to tip ... they were lean and lithe, alert as a deer, half-wild, half-savage, half-human,” and excerpt from The Saga of Rodeo by cowboy writer Chuck Walters.
For more information about these majestic animals, check out the Texas Longhorn Breeder’s Association of America website and their online magazine.
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Spot the GO TEXAN Mark Challenge
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Want a fun way to share the best things in Texas with the world? It’s easy!
GO TEXAN uses social media tools like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to post GO TEXAN events, share member news and increase awareness of the wide-variety of products grown and made right here in the Lone Star State.
Challenge: If you spot the GO TEXAN mark, let us know. Send us a picture of the mark on a product, sign or printed materials, and tell us where you saw it. Send us your photos using the GO TEXAN Twitter hashtag (#GOTEXAN), so we can easily retweet your message, or send us an e-mail.
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Launched in 1999 by the Texas Department of Agriculture, GO TEXAN, with its signature mark in the shape of Texas, celebrates, promotes and supports the business savvy and plainspoken grit Texas agriculture is known for throughout the world. Whether it’s grown, sewn or served up on a plate, nearly 27 million Texans shop, travel and dine out in support of Texas businesses, agriculture and communities looking for the GO TEXAN mark to light the way. To learn more about the GO TEXAN program, call (877) 99-GOTEX or visit the GO TEXAN website.
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Volume 4 Issue 11:
In This Issue
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Visit the GO TEXAN online store for great gift ideas to show off your Lone Star pride.
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