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    The Farmer Diaries

    Rains bust drought but prove catastrophic to Texas farmer

    Marshall Hinsley
    May 17, 2015 | 6:00 am

    Growing crops through several dry spells in Texas has given me a superstitious fear that wanting the rain to stop will make it go away for good.

    We're wet now, but it comes after a four-year long drought with a record-breaking 71 consecutive days of temperatures above 100 degrees and no rain, one that caused a huge tree die-off and threatened crop production. Although rains came each year afterward, they were sparse.

    Finally this year, we've had enough precipitation to make up for years of deficits and replenish the moisture in the soil, like recharging some sort of water battery back to 100 percent. We need every drop of this year's constant rain.

    I feel almost ungrateful to admit that I'd like to see nonstop sunshine. But as I slog through muddy pathways after each rain and try to avoid ankle-deep floodwater on my way out to see if any of my melon crop has survived, I confess that I've had enough of rain and would like to see it end for a little while.

    Before the rains began two months ago, I planted a few tomatoes, two eggplants, one tomatillo, a raised garden bed of carrots and several rows of Israeli melons. My wife had sown seeds for several varieties of flowers and ornamental gourds; my father took care of the potatoes and onions. I had planned on having so much more in the field by now, but the muddy conditions made work impossible.

    Most of the flowers have drowned, even in the raised beds, as they were not built up high enough to stay above pools of water that have collected after each downpour. The carrots I harvest from last fall's sowing are rotten, and the ones I sowed in spring are not yet ready to pick.

    My melons have only grown an inch or two when they should have sprawled out by now into vines as long as six feet. Of hundreds of seeds sown to make a long row of ornamental gourds, only two seeds sprouted. The rest either rotted or were washed away when floodwater accumulated and then receded.

    I don't know the status of the onions and potatoes; they're too far into the mud and standing water to assess.

    I'm merely assessing, not complaining. I'll have gotten a late start on sowing this year's crops, but the region has risen out of its water woes, and that gives me a sense of relief.

    Drier weather is certain to come by June, and there will still be time to grow most everything because we are in Texas, a state with one of the longest growing seasons in the country. States like Minnesota may only have four good months of warm, frost-free weather; we have nearly nine, and the rains have used up only two and a half.

    Here's what's on my list to plant in the remaining six months:

    • Melons: Watermelons, Israeli melons, honeydews, and any other muskmelon or cantaloupe I want to plant still have plenty of time to be sown and to mature with sweet fruit long before the November first frost ends the growing season. Planted in June, varieties of melons with even the longest growing periods should be ready by September. Rocky Ford melons and Sugar Baby watermelons will be ready by the end of August.
    • Summer squash: If I sow yellow crookneck squash and zucchini by the first of June, I should be able to make my first harvest just 44 days later, around mid-July. In fact, successively planting squash throughout the summer is the better way than insecticides to deal with squash bugs, though nothing tops skunks.
    • Winter squash and pumpkins: Like melons, winter squash and pumpkins need months to grow, but as long as they're planted by mid-July, they'll have plenty of time to mature. For pumpkins to be ready by Halloween, though, a June sowing is recommended. Maybe this year, I will finally try out butternut squash, and maybe spaghetti squash, for a change.
    • Okra: Before the rains began this year, my wife was able to plant only a handful of okra, and it hasn't grown fast in such cool weather. As soon as it dries out, we'll plant rows of okra. Planted by the first week of June, it will still yield by the end of July and keep producing for several months.
    • Tomatoes: When temperatures at night stay above the mid-70s, pollination of tomato blooms becomes inefficient, which makes it seem like tomatoes stop producing in the summer. But by jostling the plants in the morning each day, they can indeed be made to produce. What's more, tomato plants intended for fall production are planted by midsummer, so there's ample opportunity to enjoy juicy, red, delicious tomatoes this year. To make up for lost time, I'll concentrate on varieties that produce small fruit, such as Texas Wild and Punta Banda tomatoes, plus a few red cherry types.
    • Peppers: I don't know why I even bother with planting peppers in early spring. It's heat that triggers their growth and fruit set, so planting them in a week or two when the soil dries a little is going to be good timing.
    • Carrots: To germinate, carrot seeds must be in contact with soil that's constantly moist. That's an easy condition to maintain with the soils as saturated as they are. I'll continue to plant carrots throughout June.
    • Cucumbers: I've planted no cucumbers outdoors so far this year, but as soon as the soil dries out some, I'll start successively sowing cucumber seed, starting a few vines every two weeks until September. Some varieties will be ready to eat just 55 days after the seed goes into the ground.
    • Eggplant: After setting out transplants, eggplants should start yielding in two and a half months. I expect fruits by September if not a little earlier in August, and then each plant will give me a weekly harvest until the first frost.
    • Herbs and flowers: Basil, cilantro, dill, parsley and just about every other herb can be sown almost about anytime during the growing season. There's also no reason not to sow zinnias, petunias, morning glories and whatever else needs warmth, as long as I keep the soil moist where they're planted.
    • Sweet Potatoes: May through June is the ideal time to plant sweet potatoes, so with this crop, I've not been delayed by the rainy weather at all.

    A healthy Venus' Looking Glass blooms in waterlogged soil on Marshall Hinsley's farm.

      
    Photo by Marshall Hinsley
    A healthy Venus' Looking Glass blooms in waterlogged soil on Marshall Hinsley's farm.
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    Restaurant News Roundup Time

    H-E-B supermarket opens in Melissa and more Dallas restaurant news

    Raven Jordan
    May 15, 2025 | 7:41 pm
    H-E-B Melissa
    H-E-B
    New H-E-B Melissa store

    It's May, a time of the year when CultureMap's twice-monthly restaurant news roundup gets a little sleepy, and this May is no exception. This roundup might have fewer items than usual, but they are still must-reads: openings, closings, and even a few delinquent spring menus just being introduced.

    Here's what's happening right now in Dallas restaurant news:

    H-E-B the supermarket chain has opened a location in Melissa at 1230 Central Expy., at the northeast corner of US-75 and Sam Rayburn Hwy 121. The store broke ground in December 2023, and at 136,000 square feet, it's a biggie, even by H-E-B's gargantuan standards. In addition to the staples that all H-E-B stores have — bakery making breads, cakes, and tortillas, big produce section, SushiYa sushi counter — Melissa has a few distinctive features including a two-level True Texas BBQ restaurant with drive-thru; a full-service H-E-B Pharmacy with drive-thru; and a fuel station with car wash. H-E-B Melissa joins seven other H-E-B stores and two Joe V’s Smart Shop locations that have opened in DFW.

    Piada Italian, an Italian street food chain, is now open at 9605 Coit Rd., #101 in Plano. This is the restaurant's second Plano location. They serve baked piada pockets, wraps, pasta bowls, and chopped salads. There are other Dallas locations in Lakewood, Frisco, McKinney, and Richardson.

    Banh Shop, the small Asian restaurant chain dedicated to the banh mi sandwich, has closed its "streetside" locations which include a location in Fort Worth at 3051 S. University Dr., and a location in Irving at 7601 N. MacArthur Blvd. #105. According to a spokesperson, there are five locations open, all in airports, with more airports to come.

    Keto Kitchen Creations, a meal prep store, is closing its Plano location on May 24. The shop was open for four years serving family-sized keto-friendly meals like stacked enchiladas, keto nuggets, cinnamon rolls, and lasagna, plus personal meal requests. Meals also catered to diets like gluten-free lifestyles. They'll continue accepting bulk meal prep orders, such as green beans or protein mac & cheese, until the last day of service.

    Panda Express, the quick-serve Asian chain, has brought back eggplant tofu at some DFW locations. The dish — featuring eggplant, tofu, and red bell peppers in a sweet and tangy brown sauce — has developed a cult following over the years, inspiring lots of copycat recipes as well as websites dedicated to finding every Panda Express location that offers it. It used to be a regular item, and was recently revived. There are 18 Panda Express locations in DFW, not all have it. Panda Express has dabbled previously in plant-based offerings, including its revered Orange Chicken, which it has more than once offered, with Beyond plant-based chicken.

    Cafe Dior by Dominique Crenn, the frou-frou restaurant at the Christian Dior boutique in Highland Park Village, has added afternoon tea. It comes with chicken salad sandwich, caviar & watercress choux, salmon gravlax crackers, hazelnut chocolate cookie, piña colada baba au rhum, and banana and sesame canelés, and is $75. But get this: The tea itself costs extra. So does champagne, which is $25 per glass. Reservations are available from 10 am-4:30 pm.

    Crown Block, the restaurant atop the Reunion Tower, has a new spring menu that includes oysters Rockefeller, burrata with rhubarb jam, scallop gratin, Westholme Wagyu strip loin, gnocchi pasta tossed in a lemon & basil pesto with English peas, asparagus, artichokes, & whipped ricotta, Lumina Australian lamb with Hatch chile Greek yogurt, cucumber sumac salad, and pretzel crusted onion rings, and spring roll sushi with avocado cream and fresh greens. Desserts include Baked Texas — a “Baked Alaska meets Strawberry Shortcake” filled with vanilla ice cream and strawberry sherbet, topped with toasted meringue — and Lizbeth’s basque cheesecake.

    Dive Coastal has a new spring menu with BBQ chicken salad, brisket Cuban sandwich, gazpacho, Egyptian spinach soup, tri-colored cauliflower, blackened pineapple shrimp skewers, jumbo crab cakes, Alaskan wild halibut, and wild mahi mahi. available throughout May.

    The Henry has new seasonal menu items including strawberry and watermelon salad, pressed yellowtail sushi, and wild caught bay scallops. These items are $20-$38.

    White Rhino has a nw menu for summer with strawberry pistachio matcha, the Strawberry Pistachio Latte, and the Pineapple Yuzu Matcha. They've also added a new line of energy drinks including The Avalanche, with almond, white chocolate, and vanilla; Matcha My Energy, with starfruit yellow flavor and a matcha float; and The O.J., a mix of orange juice, strawberry, and passionfruit. Summer drinks start at $5.50.

    Lazy Dog has a new frozen cocktail: the prickly pear sloshie. It's inspired by founder Chris Simms’ adventures in Wyoming, and blends Pantalones Organic Reposado Tequila, prickly pear purée, agave nectar sweet and sour, triple sec, and a salt rim. It's $15. Available for a limited time.

    Original Chop Shop is launching a new tikka masala chicken bowl with jasmine rice, grilled chicken, roasted veggies, kka masala sauce, green chutney, smoked almonds, and black currants. Available starting May 20.

    Wingstop has a new flavor on the menu: Mexican street spice. The Mexican street corn-inspired flavor is a dry rub featuring chili, paprika, chipotle, roasted garlic, lime, and parmesan cheese. The flavor can also be added to fried corn and fries.

    Golden Corral has three new sauces for chicken tenders during dinner including garlic buffalo, mango habanero, and honey mustard. Available at all Dallas locations through June 29.

    Golden Chick has a new sandwich on the menu: Pimento Crunchwich. The sandwich has fried chicken with pimento cheese spread, jalapeño crisps, and extra-thick pickles. A sandwich is $6, a combo with a side and drink is $9. Available through August 3.

    Eight Elite Light Beer, the beer brand from ex-Dallas Cowboys Troy Aikman, is launching a new slim can. It's still a 12-ounce can but it's taller and slimmer than a regular beer can. Eight is brewed with three ingredients — water, malt, hops — for a crisp, full-flavored beer with 90 calories and 2.6g of carbs, without the additives many mass market light beers contain.

    Shiner Bock has new summer releases: the Shiner Shandy Lemonade variety pack and Ruby Sunburst. The variety pack flavors include raspberry lemonade, mango lemonade, and lemonade, with 24 cans for $18. Ruby Sunburst is tangerine flavored and comes in a six-pack for $11.

    Texas Barbecue is a Facebook group founded by Desert Storm veteran and Rockdale native Derik Strelsky. He channeled his PTSD into a positive force to connect with others on BBQ trips and share reviews. The group spotlights barbecue joints, family recipes, and the talents of pitmasters across the state.

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