The same East Texas produce stand that had the “Big Ass Melons” sign I posted previously also had this great mayhaw jelly sign. I didn’t buy any because I loaded up on mayhaws this season to make my own jelly. I still have a gallon in my freezer. I am a little tired [...]]]>

The same East Texas produce stand that had the “Big Ass Melons” sign I posted previously also had this great mayhaw jelly sign. I didn’t buy any because I loaded up on mayhaws this season to make my own jelly. I still have a gallon in my freezer. I am a little tired of mayhaw jelly though and I started thinking of other things to do with mayhaws. A mayhaw margarita came immediately to mind. But instead of trying to perfect the mayhaw syrup myself, I gave some mayhaws to Bobby Heugel at Anvil. Bobby had never heard of mayhaws.

I told him it was a fruit that grew wild in East Texas and is now being farmed in the Big Thicket. It’s the fruit of the hawthorn tree and it’s only ripe for a brief period in May, hence the name “mayhaw.” The little red fruits look and taste like tiny crabapples. The tartness would make them perfect for cocktails, I told the bartender. He looked skeptical. I wondered if Bobby would throw the bag in the trash the minute I left the building.

Such was not the case. Last time I walked into Anvil, one of the bartenders offered me a free mayhaw cocktail to thank me for my contribution. He mixed up some sotol, mescal, and grapefruit juice with mayhaw syrup. It was quite refreshing. He also let me taste some mayhaw bitters the bar was brewing.

I am very proud to have made a contribution, however modest, to Texas mixology. Next time you’re in Anvil, ask for a mayhaw cocktail.

Mayhaw season is here and if you want to buy some, go visit Bill Jackson. He has a bunch in the freezer. The Jackson fruit farm is on the edge of the Big Thicket in Livingston. Bill Jackson grew up on this farm raising cotton and the food his family lived on. It [...]]]>

Mayhaw season is here and if you want to buy some, go visit Bill Jackson. He has a bunch in the freezer. The Jackson fruit farm is on the edge of the Big Thicket in Livingston. Bill Jackson grew up on this farm raising cotton and the food his family lived on. It was a hand to mouth existence. He tried growing peaches here, but a virus killed the trees. So he needed to find something else to grow.

Hawthorne trees grow in woods around his farm. So when he heard that farmers in Louisiana were farming mayhaws (as the fruit of the hawthorne tree is known), he decided to try it himself. Jackson has grafted wild strains of mayhaws from the nearby woods onto sturdy rootstock and is experimenting with several hybrids.

I bought a couple of gallons. I’ll show you how to make mayhaw jelly soon. So go get your mayhaws.

H.W. “Bill” Jackson
Jackson Fruit Farm
422 Jackson Fruit Farm Rd.
Livingston, Texas 77351
(936)685-4658
jfarms@eastex.net.