In lieu of a regular November meeting, 11 members of the San Saba Garden Club (SSGC) took a day trip to Homestead Heritage in Waco, Texas. The group consisted of SSGC President Debbie Shahan and members Marjean Alexander, Jan Beaver, Barbara Bell, Gail Ivy, Rhonda Killion, Sarah Lott, Denise Mayfield, Mona McMahan, Janis Murray, and Karen Sloan.
Homestead is a 550-acre farm where members live on site and adopt a lifestyle of faith, simplicity, health, and productivity that involves hands-on work for all. Among the community’s pursuits are farming with draft animals, gardening, beekeeping, quilting, weaving, basketry, metalworking, cheesemaking—the list of goes on to include virtually every aspect of daily living. The group, formed in the early 1970s, maintains its self- sufficiency through a long-standing tradition in which highly skilled artisans apprentice the community’s youth to become the next generation of expert craftsmen. The fruits of their labor are of exceptional quality.
Visitors are welcome to observe Homestead workers at their daily chores. SSGC members enjoyed wandering from one artisanal shop to the next, watching craftsmen at work and purchasing some of their wares.
After a fascinating and informative morning, the group had a delicious lunch at Café Homestead, which specializes in farm-to-table produce, locally sourced food, and homemade breads and pastries.