By Anton Reicher
The Natalia ISD school board voted Monday to approve proposed 2022-2023 district budget of $13.5 million, a 7.6 percent increase from the previous year.
Also, the board voted 6-1 to institute the Texas School Guardian Program, an integrated school security program to manage the risk of active shooter violence by arming key members of the staff and faculty. The program is already in place in the Devine, Hondo and D’Hanis school districts.
Regarding the budget vote, the new budget raises the starting pay for classroom teachers five percent. Under the new compensation plan, teachers will see a minimum increase of $750 up to $3,850 depending on the years of experience held.
Board president Eric Smith attributed the balanced budget to district director of finance Norma Fiddle working closely with the district administrators.
In other action, the board heard presentations from the district administration and the Medina County Sheriff’s Office about the Guardian program, developed as an effort to have an armed defensive approach to an active shooter on campus.
“We will be working with the city and the sheriff’s office to select appropriate staff members for the program,” Smith said. “We also implemented a $500 stipend for the staff members who will be going through the rigorous training to be ready for the next school year.”
The action comes in the wake of the May 24 shooting massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde that left 19 students and two teachers dead. Smith said the action by the board was informed by a community survey conducted by the district in which 88 percent of the 700 responses favored research into the possible adoption of the program.
The program requires 16 hours of training by a licensed and certified Department of Public Safety instructor. Training requires live fire qualification and simulation exercises.
Paul Almendarez voted against implementing the new security program, with all other board members voting in favor.
Author: admin
Medina County Commissioners hears budget requests and concerns
By Anton Reicher
The Medina County Commissioners Court spent the week leading to the Fourth of July conducting one regular meeting and two budget workshop sessions with a strong emphasis on law enforcement requirements.
Making presentations to the court were Sheriff Randy Brown, District Attorney Mark Haby, County Court-at-Law Judge Mark Cashion, Precinct 2 Constable Jim Przybylski, Justice of the Peace Glenn Klaus, Juvenile Probation Officer Lynette Drury and pre-trial services administrator Dorothy Hastings.
Commissioners also heard from county clerk Gina Champion, county auditor Eduardo Lopez, elections administrator Lupe Torres and veterans’ services officer Ruben Gonzalez and representatives of the county’s agricultural extension service office.
Sheriff Brown addressed the court on his plans to increase jail revenue during the coming budget year. With the final completion of the jail addition and renovation project in January, the county expects an extra $375,000 in revenue to come from renting jail space to entities such as the U.S. Marshals Service.
The expected revenue is calculated based on $55 a bed daily divided by two.
“When we swing the doors open, we’re hoping to have enough jailers to handle it,” Brown said.
Also discussed during Brown’s presentation was the delay in delivery of nine Chevrolet Tahoes ordered by the county for the sheriff’s office in October 2021. The delays are being blamed on COVID-19 pandemic supply chain issues.
“I’m literally disgusted,” County Auditor Lopez said.
Equipment needed to put eight of the nine vehicles in operating conditions arrived at the “upfitting” facility on June 29, he said.
“They are telling me the ninth one is there but I can’t verify that,” Lopez said.
The county has been notified that two other vehicles ordered, a Ford F250 and a Ford F150, may be so behind schedule that the trucks delivered will be 2023 models, not 2022 models. Unfortunately, these vehicles will be subject to any price increases for the newer models.
“I have no idea what to expect on these vehicles,” Lopez said. “It’s a complete train wreck right now.”
Lopez, in a separate presentation, asked commissioners for $67,500 to cover indirect costs from the move to consolidate the public defenders’ office for five counties to be based in Medina County. He also asked for the hiring of a new full-time employee to be split between his office and human resources to help with new increase in personnel that the completion of the jail project represents.
Constable Przybylski presented his argument for a salary increase from $33,211 to $48,500, plus an increased travel allowance. He reported that since 2013 his office has made 2,937 traffic stops with 2,280 citations and arrest warrants served.
In citations, the office has collected $320,000 since 2015 with nearly $34,000 in civil process fines collected together with the justice of the peace’s office in the same period.
“We’re not just sitting there, running traffic and speed traps,” Przybylski said.
District Attorney Haby told commissioners his budget included slight increases in various categories but “nothing shocking.” Those increases included raises in salaries for prosecutors.
“Hiring and retaining skilled prosecutors in rural areas is a challenge,” Haby said, particularly when in close proximity to a large metropolitan county such as Bexar.
A first assistant district attorney in Medina County makes just over $90,000 annually, Haby said. In Bexar County, the same position pays nearly $177,000.
Juvenile probation officer Drury asked for an increase of $153,000 in her budget, calling the need “critical.”
“The majority of it is going to placements and detention,” Drury said. “Those are going up significantly across the state.”
Justice of the Peace Klaus asked to upgrade a part-time employee to help deal with the escalating number of drug cases filed in his jurisdiction.
Aside from law enforcement issues, veterans’ services officer Gonzalez took the opportunity to recognize a recent success for his office, correcting a Veteran’s Administration error that allowed one client to recover $408,000 in unpaid health care benefits.
During the regular court meeting on June 30, the commissioners heard a presentation from Mark Miller of Westwood County Engineering on the development of a master drainage plan for Medina County.
Priorities for the plan are to identify risk, develop project concepts, develop funding goals and partnerships, develop mechanisms to increase drainage infrastructure funding and coordinate the project with state and federal agencies such as the Texas Water Development Board and the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
In subdivision development news, the commissioners approved plans to vacate and replat Lot 20 in Holiday Villages located in Precinct 1 on County Road 151. No comments were heard during a public hearing on the request.
The commissioners gave final approval on Desert Willow Acres and Hunters Ranch Unit 14A, both in Precinct 3. The court also approved the construction plan for Amanda Park in Precinct 2, permitting building to begin.
Three arrested in deaths of 53 migrants
Capital Highlights Week of July 4 – 8
Three people were arrested last week by federal authorities in connection with a human smuggling incident that left 53 migrants dead.
The migrants were discovered inside a tractor-trailer on San Antonio’s Southwest Side, according to the San Antonio Express-News. The victims were from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.
Eleven other people were rescued from the trailer.
“We are devastated by the news,” Cesar Espinosa, an immigrant advocate with FIEL Houston, an immigrant rights organization, told the Express-News. “Unfortunately, this is not the first time, and unfortunately, it won’t be the last time that it happens as long as we don’t have a pathway for people to migrate safely into the U.S.”
Meantime, Gov. Greg Abbott announced additional truck checkpoints would immediately be established targeting semi-trucks, and strike teams consisting of 20 troopers are being sent to the Eagle Pass region “to detect and defer unlawful border crossings and apprehend illegal migrants.”
The trailer had passed through a federal Border Patrol checkpoint.
More cases of monkeypox reported
Multiple cases of monkeypox have been reported in Texas by the Texas Department of State Health Services and local health departments. A dozen cases have been identified in people who did not travel outside the state, meaning they were exposed in Texas.
“With the sharp increase in monkeypox cases worldwide, it’s not surprising to see the virus spread in Texas,” said Dr. Jennifer Shuford, chief state epidemiologist. “We want people to know what the symptoms are, and if they have symptoms, to avoid the types of close contact with other people that can spread the disease.”
Monkeypox is a viral illness with symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion. People who develop a rash should avoid direct contact with other people and contact their health-care provider for next steps.
A vaccine is available and can be given to people within four days of exposure.
Additional funding for school safety, mental health
Abbott and other state leaders last week announced the transfer of $105.5 million to support additional school safety and mental health initiatives through the end of August 2023.
“This additional funding will boost actions the state of Texas has already taken to make schools safer and support the mental health of children, teachers, and families following the tragedy at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde,” according to a news release.
Roughly half of the funds are going for bullet-resistant shields. Funding is also being provided for mental-health services and other school safety services.
Texans urged to ‘stay dry’ while boating
Boaters are being urged to fight back against the aquatic invasive species that threaten Texas lakes.
“The best way to prevent the spread of many destructive aquatic invasive species is to clean, drain and dry your boats and equipment – every time,” said Brian Van Zee with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.
Zebra mussels and giant salvinia remain the biggest threats to Texas lakes, though other invasive species are being spread, including water hyacinth, crested floating heart and quagga mussels.
Zebra mussels are found in 33 Texas lakes, while giant salvinia is present on 23 East Texas lakes and numerous rivers, creeks and marshes between Houston and Beaumont.
“Boaters need to remove all plants, mud and debris from boats, trailers, vehicles and gear and drain all water from the boat, equipment and on-board receptacles before leaving the lake. In addition, boats should be dried completely before visiting another lake, preferably for at least a week,” according to TPWD.
Transporting prohibited aquatic invasive species is illegal and punishable with a fine of up to $500 per violation.
No surprise: It’s still hot and dry
Above-normal temperatures and a lack of rainfall in the past month mean the risk of wildfires remains high across the state.
“State and local first responders have been incredibly busy this year without much reprieve and forecast conditions indicate that we may be facing a very busy summer season as well,” said Wes Moorehead, Texas A&M Forest Service fire chief. “We urge Texans to be cautious and prevent wildfire ignitions this summer.”
There are three active wildfires, the largest being the Dempsey Fire which covers 11,598 acres and is 60% contained. A total of 181 counties are under burn bans.
COVID-19 cases rise once again
COVID-19 cases in Texas during the past week rose to 74,652, according to the Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University, up 21% from the previous week, with 111 deaths reported. The number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations rose to 2,460 up 19.7% from the previous week, according to DSHS.
TPWD’s Weekly Fishing Report for this area; Choke Canyon, Rockport “GREAT”
By Texas Parks & Wildlife
Braunig
GOOD. Water stained, 88 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on reed beds using spinnerbaits and pumpkinseed or chartreuse soft plastics. Red drum have been good on live perch and tilapia for boaters and recreational shoreline anglers fishing 10-20 feet of water range trolling small silver spoons has been good around the dam area. Channel and blue catfish have been producing at night along the Jetty and recreational shoreline using cheese bait and shrimp.
Calaveras
FAIR. Water stained, 89 degrees. Red drum are fair on live baits, such as tilapia, perch and crawfish, on points with deep water access on the recreational shoreline and throughout the lake. Boaters trolling small silver spoons and dark colored soft plastics around the dam area have had fair results. Channel and blue catfish have been good on cheese bait, cut bait and shrimp in the 15-25 feet of water range. Hybrid stripers no report.
Choke Canyon
GREAT. Water stained; 78 degrees; 21.37 feet low. Black bass are good shallow in the mornings around the hydrilla biting on frogs and flukes. On the outer grass Carolina rigs, Texas rigs and crankbaits are working in 12-18 feet of water. Up in the river towards 72 boat ramp good morning frog bite. Crappie are really good on live minnows over brush piles. White bass are very good on live minnows on the lower end humps. Report by Charles Whited, Barefoot Fishing Tours.
Corpus Christi Lake
GOOD. 80 degrees; 6.80 feet below. The best bites are early morning, late afternoon, or at night. Catfish are fair in 5-10 feet of water on cheese bait, shad oil soap, and cut carp. Largemouth bass are fair at sunrise on topwaters. White bass are scattered across the lake under birds using spoons, minnows and small jigs. Crappie are fair in 5-10 feet of water on minnows and scented jigs around piers and structure. Freshwater drum are fair on worms and shrimp. Alligator gar are great on cut carp. Bow fishermen have found success on shallow flats. With summer heating up the daytime fishing will slow down tremendously. Early morning, dusk, and night when temperatures drop a little will be best. Report provided by Damian Hubbs, Mathis Bait Co.
Medina
FAIR. Water lightly stained; 86 degrees; 63.68 feet low. Fish are in the summer pattern. Black bass are fair early morning on topwaters, switching to crankbaits near docks and vegetation. White bass are fair on slabs chasing bait balls around the lake. Striped bass are fair with some schooling action biting on slabs and Alabama rigs on humps. Catfish are good with stink bait and cut baits.
Rockport
GREAT. 87 degrees. Waders are finding success on trout and redfish in the early morning on live bait and plastics. Redfish are great in the shoreline out to two feet of water, follow the birds and bait fish to locate big schools. Trout continue to be great in 2-6 feet of water using soft plastics and croaker. The topwater bite at first light has been deadly under birds on the grass flats. Drum are good in 2-6 feet of water on dead shrimp. Report provided by Damian Hubbs, Mathis Bait Co.
Port Aransas
GOOD. 87 degrees. Trout are good in Aransas Bay along the Quarantine Shoreline with croaker, and wade fishing at Trailer Island. Black drum and redfish are good at Ellen’s Bite using dead shrimp and cut mullet. Redfish Bay in Stedman’s Reef holding trout and redfish biting on croaker. Report by Captain Doug Stanford, Pirates of the Bay Fishing Charters.
Corpus Christi
SLOW. 84 degrees. Trout are good at the gas wells with croaker and live shrimp. Trout are good in Aransas Bay along the Quarantine Shoreline with croaker, and wade fishing at Trailer Island. Report by Captain Doug Stanford, Pirates of the Bay Fishing Charters.
Tour the public Fiber Mill in Devine-the only one in Texas
By Kayleen Holder
Editor
There’s only one public fiber mill in Texas, and it’s right here in Devine, says Sarah Winterstrom proudly. The Winterstrom family moved here from California and started this mill in Devine about a year ago, and they are plenty busy already.
“I had no idea we were going to be the only fiber mill for the public when we came to Texas,” Mrs. Winterstrom said with a chuckle.
You’ll find alpacas, lamas, all kinds of chickens, guineas, and ducks at the farm to greet you, and the fiber mill at the back of the property. Right at the front, there is a whole wall full of colorful yarns that were all processed right there at the farm.
An impressive operation, Mrs. Winterstrom showed us how it all worked, from start to finish–processing the wool of Alpaca and sheep for themselves and for others who raise wool-bearing animals.
“I had a friend in Oakhirst, California who shut down her business and all of our equipment came from there,” Mrs. Winterstrom said. “I had volunteered there at one time and that’s where I learned everything I knew about the fiber mill business.”
They produce yarn, roving, bats for quilting, and felted bats.
They also make beautiful afghans, crocheted dolls and animals, shoe insoles, felted soap, dryer balls, and bird pod houses from the fiber they process.
The Winterstroms sell products at farmers markets or to customers visiting the farm.
“People sheer and skirt their wool themselves, and then drop it off with us. We wash it, pick it, card it, and pin draft it into roving (the long braided rope like product). Then we spin it, ply it, skeinwine it, do a final wash, and ship it back to the customer.”
Party of Five
By Lindy Teetsel
Foster care has always been near and dear to our hearts. As an educator of 9 years, I have had many students who were directly affected by foster care and my husband actually aged out of the foster care system in Ohio. When we began trying to grow our family, we were faced with years of infertility. At the time, I was angry and resentful. Ever since I was little, all I wanted to be was a mom. I couldn’t understand at the time why God wasn’t answering my prayers. I now know it was because He had another plan in store for us.
We began the licensing process in October of 2019. After a lot of classes, paperwork, and interviews, we were finally licensed as a foster-to-adopt family, meaning we understood that the primary goal of foster care is reunification, however, in the event that reunification is not possible, we were willing to adopt.
After we received our license we waited for the call. We were ready to help for however long was needed, whether the child would be with us for 3 days, 3 months, or forever. After several days we had not received any calls. It seemed odd because we knew there had to be kids out there that needed us. During this time, my grandmother’s health had severally declined. All the medical staff kept saying she would be passing any day but she hung on. No one understood why.
On March 16th, I received the call saying my grandmother had passed away. We knew it was her time and found joy in knowing she was no longer in pain. Everyone was so surprised she had hung on so long. Less than an hour later we got the call about our daughters. I like to think that my grandmother helped bring these sweet girls to me.
Over the next month, we were able to meet the girls and provide respite for their current placement. At the time, the girls had just turned 2, 3, and 4. It was overwhelming but my husband and I loved them already. Shortly after that, they were placed us.
The first week was a huge adjustment for everyone. We went from having zero children, a spotless house, a completely free schedule and sleeping through the night, to juggling 3 kids, a house that looked like a zoo, running back and forth to appointments and living on caffeine and prayers. My husband would often joke and remind me that every girl in the house (including me the dog and I) had cried that day.
But the days got easier. We bonded as a family more and more each day. We worked through big feelings, explored new places, practiced giving grace, and so much more. We learned it truly does take a village to raise children and we cannot thank our village enough for all the love and support you have shown us.
If you are interested in “Being the Village” for youth in foster care, there are many ways you can help. First and foremost, I highly suggest educating yourself in Trauma Informed Care practices. These wonderful kiddos have experienced so much trauma in their little lives that their brains now process differently. It’s our job to be the calm to their storm. You can also become a licensed foster parent, respite provider, or baby sitter. You can contact local foster organizations and see what donations are needed, sponsor their back-to-school shopping, or even donate gift cards. If you know a foster family and would like to provide help to them, offer to drop off dinner or a gift card for a family outing so they can bond with new placements and make memories together. Have a gently used suitcase? Donate it to a local foster closet. No child deserves to carry their belongings in a trash bag. For more ways to help youth in foster care, contact your local foster care agencies and foster closets.
No rain.
No rain. No rain. Sounds like the crowd chant at Woodstock. Times were simpler back in the late 60’s. Nowadays, with runaway inflation, a President that don’t know what’s going on (and don’t care) and an ineffective Congress we are at the mercy of price gouging and a deflated dollar. I heard it was pride month last month…I’m proud of being an American, proud of my kids and grandkids, proud of where I am in life, proud of my accomplishments, proud of my wife…don’t believe I left anything out.
It’s Budget season all over and the taxing entities are going through the process of preparing for the next fiscal year. All of them are waiting on the final numbers from the Appraisal District. That means waiting until all of the 4,200 protests have been heard and resolved. Once that happens, tax rates can be set by these entities based on this Tax Base…the total value of all the properties in Medina County. THEN…you get the bill to fund them and keep these operating in the manner that they have decided on.
But first…the Appraisal District. The Appraisal Board is made up of common folk selected from various parts of the County and make the decisions that the Appraiser follows. Medina County has a representative on the Board (Melissa Lutz, our Tax Assessor/Collector) BUT, she has no vote on issues that come before the Board. The Chairman is Tim Hardt from the Castroville area, Vice Chairman is Jody Jacobs from Hondo, Secretary is Mamie Navarro from the Devine area, Cindy Segovia is from the Natalia area and Clay Bell is from the D’Hanis area. Medina County pays approximately 25% of the cost of running this operation with the rest spread out among the other taxing entities. Their total Budget is $1,559,155 with $1,021,855 going to salaries and benefits.
The Appraisal Board voted to give the Appraisal District employees a 7% pay raise this coming year. Don’t sound like much but….that means that Johnette Dixon, the Chief Appraiser, will be getting a $609.58 a month raise in pay bringing her annual salary to $111,815 (that figures out to be $53.75 per hour). The least paid employee in this Office will only get a $169.17 per month raise. I do not believe that the Chief Appraiser will have any problems paying for her increase in Appraisal with this kind of raise. I do not know (yet) if the increased Appraisals affected them like it has affected the rest of us. I believe that anyone can sit there and say “we’re going up 10% on appraisals” every year.
My Appraisal went up $56,490 from last year. The only thing that I have done to improve my residence is mow the grass and Sandy does that. This is absurd and downright criminal. My protest hearing is on July 8th. I believe that it is time to take a stand.
There has been an organization formed recently called the Medina County Taxpayers Association and I intend to be an active member. There is a way to be heard without marching in the streets, burning businesses or vandalism. These elected folks will listen when it comes election time and this includes State level Candidates. The time to sit back on your gluteus maximus and complain among friends has passed. Change needs to occur and why not start in Medina County America?
Commissioners Court is also in Budget mode. We have been listening to Department Heads presenting their ideas to us…some of them are wishful thinking and some are justified. When we get the final numbers, then we can set our tax rate. I am going to push for the Effective Tax Rate (a rate that brings in the same amount of money as the previous year). More on this later..running outta space.
Your Pct 4 crew is busy re-paving roads and trying to maintain the roadways during this heat. So, if you see them sitting in the truck taking a break, give em a little slack…its hotter’n the hinges of Hades out there.
Helped Butch Morgan (the bowling ball man) move some furniture that was too big for Eddie Hutzler’s room at the nursing home. Eddie has not lost a step…recognized me with a mask on. Butch, you are a good man and a better Christian. We had a short discussion on life and such with more to come. Mawmaw (Johnnie Faye Evans) turned 89 the other day and she ain’t lost a step neither. Sorry we missed your birthday celebration…
Mean Aunt Kayleen
It was a pretty good weekend. First we got to have a cousin sleepover with Audrey and Pauliney. The kids had so much fun playing and arguing. We have two tiny trampolines and at one point Tucker agitated Audrey by jumping on her trampoline so she fixed that pretty fast. She picked up the end of it and dumped him right off. It’s okay though, Tucker landed on his feet just like a cat. Audrey is normally super sweet and patient with her hyperactive cousin, so it really cracked me up though I had to be “mean Aunt Kayleen” and correct her, for which she never forgave me that Saturday. I hardly did anything other than using a stern voice, but she cried for close to 30 minutes. She’s one of those super sweet angel children, and it makes it so hard when they actually do something wrong.
On Sunday, I had a real treat. I reconnected with my old college roommate Melissa and she came for a day at the ranch. It was the first time we’ve seen each other in 16 years, so that was a blast! It’s funny how you can go so long without seeing a good friend. When I first left for college in San Angelo I was incredibly homesick and super shy, and Melissa quickly became my best buddy in college. I’ve always loved her and thought of her over the years but our families took us to two different states. I am so glad to have her back in Texas!
After 16 years of not seeing each other, a lot has happened, but we picked up right where we left off, and I felt just like a kid again getting to see her. One of the funniest things is seeing your kids play together. I always love that.
Talk about bad luck!
The hot weather kept it slow this week; we only had 54 calls for service. Officers conducted 80 traffic stops, 72 of those resulted in a citation, and 8 were warnings.
Only two property crimes were reported last week: #1 – A home under construction on Doc Holiday had $400 worth of insulation stripped from it. #2 – John’s Small Engine Repair (Main @ Benton) reported the theft of a Husqvarna riding lawn mower.
Arrests were another story, we had seven incidents involving 9 arrested or cited persons. #1 – Ofc. A. Lopez conducted a traffic stop and determined the driver to have an active Marijuana Possession warrant out of Bexar Co. He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #2 – Cpl. Robison cited a male for a theft that occurred on 6/8/2022. He had taken a saw from a residence. #3 – Sgt. Hanson conducted a traffic stop and cited two juveniles for curfew violations. They were released to guardians. #4 – Ofc. A. Lopez conducted a traffic stop on a 2004 Ford F250, he determined it to be stolen out of San Antonio. Two males were arrested and booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #5 – Ofc. L. Diaz conducted a traffic stop that resulted in a citation and release for possession of drug paraphernalia. #6 – Sgt. Hanson and Ofc. L. Diaz responded to a report of shots fired on Oak St. After a thorough investigation a male was arrested for Aggravated Robbery and Deadly Conduct. A firearm was recovered, and shots had been fired into the ground. The male was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #7 – Officers Cortez and Pena responded to a hit and run accident. One of the drivers fled on foot (the one who caused the accident), but he wasn’t located. While investigating the accident the officers discovered the driver who stayed, had three theft warrants out of Bexar Co. He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. Talk about bad luck!
I wish I could take a nap and wake up and it would be October. I can’t afford to drive anywhere because of the cost of gas, and I can’t afford to sit home with the AC on, what a mess.
Making cobblers
My trip to Devine, last week, was great. I enjoyed playing bunco with my friends and we truly missed the ones that were out sick. There were several of them and I really hope y’all are beginning to feel better. I got to see my newest great-granddaughter on Wednesday and of course she is a doll. Her mama is such a sweetie; I was allowed to hold her all I wanted to!
The corn fields are ready to be harvested for livestock feed and all the fields and pastureland I saw were really dry. It didn’t look as if there was much grazing land to be used. We finally had some rain around the 23rd or 24th of June. Burn bans are back in effect for almost all of our counties down here, and in fact, before the rain, Victoria County was saying absolutely no fireworks and they wouldn’t even be sold in the county. Since they had more rain than we did, that restriction was lifted, but many of the places that usually have fireworks show cancelled them. The two inches we had helped, but we need rain as badly as it’s needed in your area.
One day at lunch time, quite a while back (you know, back in the good old days when we could go eat at the Senior Citizen center?), I asked one of the men if he thought we were ever going to get rain. His answer was different to say the least, as he replied, “Yes, just as soon as this dry spell is over!” We both had a good laugh and went to our tables to wait for our food. I have to agree with him, we have had clouds several days this week and part of last week and only immeasurable drops of rain.
Where cobblers got their name is unknown to me, but I firmly believe it was some rushed housewife who decided to ‘cobble’ some flour, sugar and milk together and add some fruit from her pantry, who made the first one. Cobblers can be found in cookbooks dating from the early parts of the 20th century and possible even before. They are simple to make and always delicious as you can use any fruit you have on hand to make them. I have made them with apple pie filling, cherry pie filling, canned peaches or almost anything. (In fact, at one point in time, my daughter promised her lunch mate teachers a peach cobbler for dessert at lunch, got ready to make it and had no peaches at home. She used a couple of cans of fruit cocktail and had a hit on her hands!).
The following cobbler is a little different than the ones we usually make, in that it uses buttermilk (or soured milk) in place of the milk that’s usually called for. For some reason, it’s called “Magic Lemon Cobbler”. Since I’ve always felt a cobbler was sort of magical, in the way you put the dough mixture in the pan and then the fruit, and the dough rises to the top, the name doesn’t make much sense! We took a pan of it to my grandson and his wife last Wednesday and they seemed to enjoy it immensely. I’ve served it to my Pokeno ladies, by placing it in 8-ounce glasses and it was a hit with them also. The lemony flavor is really awesome.
Magical Lemon Cobbler
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup buttermilk (or soured milk*)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 can lemon pie filling (21-ounce)
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Place the stick of butter into a 9”X9” square baking dish and place it in the oven to melt while you mix up the batter. (Keep an eye on this, you don’t want it to get brown, just melt!).
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, (flour, baking powder, salt and sugar). Pour in the buttermilk, vanilla and lemon extracts and stir or whisk until just combined.
Pour the batter evenly over the melted butter in the pan, do not stir; spoon the lemon filling over the batter, bake for 45 to 55 minutes until the edges of the cobbler are golden brown. Cool before serving. *To sour milk, place 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in a measuring cup and fill the cup to the 1-cup line. Stir to combine and allow to sit until it thickens.
The following cobbler recipes are some of my family’s favorites, with the first recipe for peach cobbler being from my mother and grandmother. It’s a truly old family one, and as you notice, it uses fresh peaches.
Peach Cobbler
1 cup flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
¼ cup margarine
2 to 3 cups sliced fresh peaches
½ to 1 cup additional sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Melt the margarine in a 9×9-inch baking pan. Peel and slice peaches into a pot, adding ½ to 1 cup granulated sugar depending on the sweetness of your peaches. Heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in the extract and set aside while you mix the dough.
Mix together the flour, sugar and baking powder. Add the milk to make a soft dough and pour the dough mixture into the prepared pan. Top the dough with the peach mixture, (if it has made a lot of liquid, don’t use all of it); sprinkle with some cinnamon and sugar if desired, bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until done.
Cherry or Apple Cobbler*
1 cup flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
¼ to ½ cup margarine
1 can apple pie filling or cherry pie filling
1 teaspoon cinnamon or 1 teaspoon almond flavoring
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Melt margarine in 9×9-inch pan. Set aside. Combine flour, sugar and baking powder, add milk and vanilla. Mix to make soft dough and pour into pan with melted margarine. Stir cinnamon into apple pie filling or stir almond flavoring into cherry pie filling. Spoon fruit onto the top of the dough, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if desired. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cold with whipped topping or ice cream. *I feel you could use peach pie filling for this in place of either of the others.