Farming couple grows livelihood from the ground up

The first season that pecans rained down from the majestic tree in Diana and Saul Padilla's front yard, Diana knew she was home.
"I cried that time; there were so many pecans," she said, "I felt like the land was giving me something back."

The couple collected eight 50-pound buckets worth that first year, and since then they've turned the rest of their 15-acre property into a horn of plenty.

Fields of corn, sorghum, tomatoes, lettuce, eggplant, peaches, avocados, grapefruit, beans, squash, zucchini, melons and okra reach toward the sun. Around the Padilla home, goats, wild horses, ducks, chickens, cows and a peacock roam, adding surround sound to the already pastoral setting.

It wasn't always like this. Diana and Saul once had just an acre planted with veggies, a few fruit trees and some animals. But when the Brownsville Farmers' Market opened last year, the couple discovered just how hungry people were for fresh, local produce.

"Within the first 45 minutes, we sold out," Diana said. "And we had filled up the truck."

So they started to plant more. And more. Soon, they gave their farm a name: Yahweh's All Natural Farm and Garden. Yahweh is the Hebrew word for God.

"God put us here and gave me the farm's name," Diana said.

Before the Brownsville Farmers' Market began, Saul was driving a truck. Now, he works the fields and takes care of the animals, skills he learned growing up on a farm in Durango, Mexico.

"He's doing what he loves," Diana said. When Saul was a kid, the only thing his family went to the store for was soap. They got the rest from the land and nature. Fresh milk, meat, eggs, vegetables and fruit, wool from the sheep, and leather from the cows.

"I work all day," Saul said. "But I like it."

NEW ROOTS, OLD HOME

Saul and Diana never intended to set down, ahem, roots, in Harlingen. Diana, who works for Customs and Border Protection, was given an assignment in the Valley and planned to put in for a transfer when the year was up.

Their stay in Brownsville was an accident, Diana says.

"I was looking for a home for one of my friends. I didn't want to stay here and live in a new home," she said. "I wanted a home with character, with fruit trees, with history. We saw a sign on Ed Carey, a 5-by-3 little sign, and it said, ‘House and 15 acres.' I said, ‘Come on, let's go look at it.'

"I walked in and I said, ‘This is my home.' "

If it was an accident, it was a happy one. After all, how common is it today to find a couple ready and willing to put in hours on their plot of land planting and harvesting in the South Texas sun? The commodities they grow must be sold in large volume to reap a profit - at the Brownsville Farmers' Market, their large veggies usually go four for a dollar.

The couple's story starts in Chicago, where they met, fell in love and got married. Diana had a small piece of property behind her house, and Saul, who grew up farming, decided to make it into something.

"I told him I wanted pumpkins for Halloween," Diana said. "That first year, I had 200 pumpkins in my backyard."

Saul grew the vegetables and Diana cooked them up.

These days, she comes up with tempting recipes on the spot for her customers at the Farmers' Market.

"Eggplant?" Diana said to one woman, who was looking at the squat purple vegetable with confusion. "Bread it. Dip it in egg and then put some breadcrumbs on it, then sauté it in a little olive oil."

AGRICULTURAL TOURISM

Diana, who appreciates the small things in life, also knows how to think big.

This year the couple has lots of plans. They will begin their own Community Supported Agriculture system, a program in which consumers prepay for weekly deliveries of produce from local farmers. That way, their fruits and vegetables are fresh, local and in season, and small farmers can depend on a group of dedicated customers to buy their products, she said.

The Padillas hope to sell between 100 and 200 "Farm to U Food Baskets." This year, starting in September, participants will be able to pick up baskets at the farm, or those working in an office building with 50 or more other customers can request a mass delivery.

The couple is also in the process of purchasing land with a small house to turn into a farm store. Diana plans to sell baked goods and other items made from the ingredients they farm on their property. They also hope to host field trips for nearby school districts to teach youngsters about plants and animals.

"We're only a mile from the Ed Carey exit, so it would be real easy for people from the city to bring their families out and feel like they are in the country," Diana said. "Harlingen needs some tourism."

When the Padillas talk about their plans for their farm, they speak with a confidence born of faith.

"This land was given to us by God," Diana said. "We are just his workers."