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Harbet Lodge | Alvin, Texas
“What else do you have on this earth except the love of the Lord, love of the land, and the love of your family?”
History
Harbet Lodge has a long history of acknowledging the importance of family. This property has been lovingly cared for by the Knape family for decades. This 200 acre plot of land used to be used as a dairy farm. Harrel and Betty Knape (thus where the name HarBet comes from) wanted a space for their family and future generations to call home. They raised a family here and Gregg Knape was one of those six kids.
When Gregg was in high school (around 1970), they built this current homestead. Gregg grew up to become a veterinarian and then turned the feed store on property into a large animal vet clinic.
Gregg’s wife Cheryl Knape stated, “Gregg has made it his mission to take care of the animals because that’s who we are and what we do. He gets up in the middle of the night to check on mares foaling, horses colicing, and cows trying to calve, and he does all this with a glad heart because he knows that this is what he was called to do.”
The Knapes have created a beautiful space to relax, entertain, spend time with family, and create new memories. So whether it’s getting fresh eggs out of the chicken coop or feeding Quiznos the mini horse, you’re going to love the feeling of home you get when you stay here.
Accommodations
The farm hotel has 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, and can sleep up to 12 people. There’s a washer and dryer for doing laundry and a fully stocked kitchen for you to make your favorite family recipes in.
Harbet Lodge has lots of personal touches in the home and reclaimed goods. For instance, the kitchen shelves were handmade out of a cedar tree that was in the backyard and the bathroom barn door in the master bedroom was found in an old barn and has been with the owner for 40 years.
Pets are allowed too, so be sure to bring the animals to enjoy the farm with you.
The Experience
Upon arrival, a charcuterie board awaits you because we all know how hungry a day of travel can make you!
If you’re looking to experience the country life, this is it! This real working farm has cattle, miniature goats, miniature horses, chickens, a garden, and all of the outside space you could ever want to roam. There’s a fire pit to enjoy making s’mores or just sit and unwind after a long day.
You can also go bass fishing in the pond out back, take a ride in an ATV, or visit the animals in the vet clinic next door.
How to Book
If you're interested in learning more about these accommodations and are ready to make your reservation, go here to the Harbet Lodge website to reserve your date!
Things to do Nearby
Blackened Catfish with Sweet Corn Relish | Supporting Texas Farmers
If you're looking for a an easy, flavorful, summer meal idea, this blackened catfish with sweetened corn relish is just what you've been looking for. It's got a savory crust of spices on the catfish and is served with a slightly sweet and tangy corn relish. Look further in the post for the recipe.In the past year, I’ve worked with farmers, ranchers, vineyard owners and all sorts of people who directly work the land and animals to produce something for the public to consume. My favorite part of these adventures has been getting to know the people behind the food. A month ago, I went to a cattle farm and got to hear the rancher talk about his passion for his animals, his employees, and serving quality beef to the public. It’s in these moments that it really hits home how important it is to know where your food comes from.
This week I had the amazing opportunity to visit a few farms in Wharton, Texas, with Water Grows, a partnership of Texas Corn Producers and USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Texas. Myself and a host of other journalism types got to hear the farmers themselves talk about their passion for feeding people and the challenges they face. The Water Grows initiative enables agriculturists and those outside of agriculture to allow farmers and consumers to share their stories, connect, and learn how Texas farmers are growing more crops with less water so that we can save this precious resource for the future without sacrificing jobs and economic growth.We started off the trip by boarding a charter bus passing field after field while watching a video introducing us to the host organizations.
At our first stop, we met Daniel Berglund on his corn and rice farm. Among the corn stalks and rice fields, he spoke about how he conserves water by gradual sloping in the fields, so that no water is wasted, and his crops can stay adequately watered. While there, we were able to sample a delicious hors d’oeuvre of dirty rice with corn aioli prepared by Chef Brandon Silva.
Our next stop brought us to Homegrown Seafood. This seafood supplier grows catfish, red fish, shrimp, and striped bass. As we watched the catfish get harvested from the ponds, we learned that in just 9 months' time, catfish can grow up to 4 pounds in size (which is the size at which they harvest them). Also, in just one pond, they have around 60-70,000 catfish; and they have more ponds than I could count.
Of course, on a hot summer Texas day, we had to have a little "Ranch Vodka Soda" to cool off a bit.
Our last stop was at United Ag Cooperative. This working cotton gin and grain elevator gave us an inside look at how cotton plants are processed from picking to baling and just how much manpower it takes to pull it all off. It was so neat to learn how important the cotton industry is to our everyday way of life - beyond just textiles. This stop also had another delicious snack of smoked red potato salad prepared by Chef Brandon Silva.
The day finished off with a 3-course meal prepared with the local ingredients by Chef Brandon Silva. The meal was held under a white tent with beautifully set tables on Daniel Berglund's front lawn of him home site. Chef Silva has decades of experience at some of Houston’s finest establishments, including Degust, Uchi, Holley’s, and has performed on multiple stages in Europe. This renowned chef even made appearances on Food Network’s show Chopped!
For this meal, all the ingredients from the catfish to the beer and wine served were locally sourced from the region. There was Texas Succession beer from Braman Winery and Brewery, vegetables from Gundermann Acres, catfish from Homegrown Seafood, and a selection of wines from Lavaca Bluffs Vineyard and Winery.
While I enjoyed every part of the activities that day, the best part of this experience for me was sitting down to have dinner with the farmers and their families that evening. Farming is very much a whole family affair. It takes everyone working together for the crops to be successful. And it takes neighbors working with neighbors for them all to be successful.
On this culinary tour, we were able to experience and better understand the sustainable farming practices and the technology farmers are using to conserve and protect our valuable natural resources, especially water. There's something really special about knowing where your food comes from. Getting to see the actual rice fields growing and watching the guys bring in the heavy nets full of fish really puts into perspective how much passion goes into being a farmer.
Want to support local and make a delicious meal for dinner tonight? How about this tasty blackened Texas catfish with sweet corn relish?Here's the recipe:
Blackened Catfish with Sweet Corn Relish
Corn Relish Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh or frozen corn
- 2 cups chopped onions
- 2 cups chopped seeded cucumbers
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes
- 1 large green pepper (chopped)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons celery seed
- 1-1/2 teaspoons mustard seed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
Blackened Catfish Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 4 ounce catfish fillets
- 1 stick unsalted butter
Corn Relish
- In a large saucepan, combine all of the ingredients. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes or until thickened. Store in the refrigerator.
Blackened Catfish
- In a shallow bowl, mix together the black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, parsley, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, oregano, and thyme until thoroughly combined.
- Press the catfish fillets into the spice mixture to thoroughly coat.
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Place a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Put half of the butter into the skillet; set remaining butter aside.
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When the butter in the skillet is smoking hot, lay the catfish fillets into the skillet. Cook until the spices are burned onto the fillets and the catfish is opaque and flaky inside, about 3 minutes per side. Pour remaining butter over the catfish.
Put it All Together
- Top the catfish with the corn relish. Use as much or as little as you like!
More Texas Style Recipes You’ll Love
Bourbon Chocolate Pecan PieGringo’s Tex Mex Copycat Amazon SauceDewberry BBQ SauceMexican Street Corn Pasta Salad If you’d like to see more recipes like this, SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube Channel!