By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist
Texas cantaloupe is a staple for hot summer months, and this season brings a good crop from Dixondale Farms.
Family-owned since 1913, Dixondale Farms is the largest cantaloupe producer in Texas. The farm’s location in Carrizo Springs offers an ideal climate of hot days and cool nights to grow cantaloupes with good sugar content, good straw color and flavor that is desired by consumers.
Although this year’s heat has been a challenge, it’s still been a successful growing season.
Harvest started June 1 due to the warmer temperatures.
“Our typical day during cantaloupe season starts before six o’clock,” Mike Garza, farm manager, said. “We pick cantaloupes until all our fields that need to be picked are done. Some days it could be four hours, and some days it could be seven hours. We try to be done picking cantaloupes before 1 p.m. because it just gets too hot.”
The entire process is dependent upon the weather and when each cantaloupe is ripe and ready to be harvested. This limits the amount of acreage they harvest each day.
They grow, harvest, grade, chill, sell and transport all from the farm.
Planting begins in late February and continues through mid-March.
“The cantaloupe grows at the vine, and then they start making blooms. Each bloom is the possibility of a cantaloupe,” Bruce Frasier, Dixondale Farms president, said. “We bring bees in. They pollinate them. Generally speaking, from the time I see the first bloom to the time that we’re harvesting is about 45 days.”
The staggered planting schedule allows them to have a steady supply of cantaloupes throughout the season.
Frasier noted the cantaloupes stay mainly within the state, where they ship to retailers like United Supermarkets, H-E-B, Albertsons, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Sprouts.
“The Texas chains really are supporting us, and they rely on us. We rely on them,” Frasier said.
Customers know and love the Carrizo Cantaloupes brand.
“Our cantaloupes are called Carrizo Cantaloupes, and (customers) know they are going to be consistently good. They also know they are not going to be around a long time,” Frasier said.
The short transit time, aroma and sweetness of their Texas cantaloupes are what set them apart from their out-of-state competitors.
Sugar content within the fruit is measured with an indicator called the Brix scale. The standard measurement is nine. Carrizo Cantaloupes measure as high as 14 on the scale.
“I joke that maybe we should issue a toothbrush with every sale, so they can brush their teeth afterward to keep away from cavities,” Frasier said.
The sweet legacy of the Carrizo Cantaloupes and Dixondale Farms is one Frasier is proud to continue for his family, his employees and the town of Carrizo Springs.
That helps them focus on the primary reasons they work hard to farm today with an eye to the future.
“One is our employees and Carrizo Springs, a small town of 5,000 people. Dixondale Farms is a big factor in the economy,” he said. “The other is our vendors. They are relying on us to continue. We are the fourth generation. I married into this family. I have been fortunate enough to gain the respect of all the employees, and they depend on me. I depend on them.”
The sweet aroma and every bite of Carrizo Cantaloupes is a tradition they’ll continue for years to come.
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