• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Southern Post Journal

  • Blog
  • Raised Vegetable Beds
    • Overview of the Project
    • Step 1 – Create a Plan
    • Step 2 – Building the Raised Beds
    • Step 3 – Clear the Space
    • Step 4 – Installing the Beds
    • Step 5 – Prepare the Beds
    • Step 6 – Build the Vertical Trellis
  • Learn More
    • About This Blog
    • About Me
    • Copyright policy
    • Privacy Policy
  • Show Search
Hide Search
You are here: Home / All Time Favorite Posts / An Olive Orchard Grows in Texas

An Olive Orchard Grows in Texas

Written by Jackie D'Elia  |  Published on October 28, 2010  |  Updated on June 30, 2022

Update: 2021

I was saddened to read of the passing of Sandra and the closure of Sandy Oaks. She was a remarkable woman who built a beautiful destination. Hopefully, this post shows what a wonderful place it was.

Road Trip! Time to take a day off and explore. Destination: Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard, Elmendorf, Texas. I left Houston, just before 7am. Sunrise was my first photo of the day. Elmendorf is about 20 minutes south of San Antonio, Texas and a three hour drive from Houston. I enjoy traveling west in the morning, the sunrise is behind you without any glare in your eyes.

My first stop about 2 hours later was Buc-ee’s in Luling Texas. It is a destination. They have everything… fuel, food, gifts, and clean spacious restrooms.

On to San Antonio, and south to Elmendorf, Texas. Once off the freeway, I traveled down a country road for a few miles. I passed not one, but two, splits in the road built around some very old oak trees. Nice to see that the road was diverted around the trees instead of removing them.

A simple sign above the gate leads the way up a driveway lined with olive trees.

Sandy Winokur

Saundra Winokur, the proprietor and owner of Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard is true pioneer. A native of Texas, who has through sheer grit, hard work and determination, created a thriving olive orchard right here in Texas. I’ve spoken to Sandy many times over the past 5 years but had never met her in person until today. She is charming, authentic and inspiring. She transformed this old ranch into something wonderful that folks from all over come to visit.

She employees a bustling staff of 15, including Ranch Manager, Miguel Villareal, Orchard Manager, Roberto Villareal and Executive Chef, Cathy Tarasovic. As you drive up the hill on the left is her private residence. A charming cluster of three separate buildings, the main house, the studio and the guest house built with a combination of stone and cedar. It’s like Tuscany… Texas style. The landscaping is beautiful with a blend of stone, pottery and native plantings. And yes, there are olive trees in her front yard.

One of my favorite photos




Clay pots are lovely on a stone bed.
Old wagon is art in the front garden

This is a working ranch. Adjacent to the homestead are cattle pastures, majestic oaks, and old cedar gates. It was very peaceful walking around taking pictures. So quiet, at times, all you could hear was the breeze just blowing through the trees.



Olive trees are everywhere. In clay pots, planted in garden beds, potted for sale in the nursery and planted in an orchard that spans 40 acres. Sandy’s websites provides detailed information about all of the varieties they sell. Her favorites?

Hard to say, of course, I like Arbequina, but I also like Pendolino, Picual and Manzanilla.




Over the hill and off to the right is a cluster of rustic buildings that is the heart of the olive ranch. The original gift shop and office and a production building.

I was greeted by Scruffy. As Sandy later told me, “He was dropped off at the gate a year ago in June and came down to the plant shed. Everyone took bets on how long it would take him to sleep at night in the house…. Less than a week.”

Exisiting Gift Shop and Office
Future Gift Shop and Offices

A new two-story building is under construction that will be the future home of a brand new expanded gift shop and offices. Visitors are welcome at Sandy Oaks Tuesday thru Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Saturdays feature an orchard tour and olive oil tastings. Sample their olive oil, olive leaf jelly, and all the other delicious food products from their pantry. Tour starts at 11:00 AM.




Overlooking the patio, is a fenced area where young olive trees in containers are growing. Sandy Oaks sells trees retail and wholesale. Customers can purchase these in sizes from 6″ pots to 15 Gallon containers.



Old Stone Mill Sandy Brought Back from Egypt

The orchard is about 40 acres and is lined with mostly Arbequina, Mission, Picual, Pendolino, and Manzanilla olive trees. Of the 11,000 trees, 7,000 are of the Spanish variety, Arbequina. There are 32 different varieties planted all over the orchard. Sandy continues to experiment with varieties to find which ones are best adapted for her San Antonio climate.



While observing the orchard, Sandy noticed that a cluster of olives trees around an old oak were growing much more vigorously than the rest of the orchard planted at the same time. Apparently, the robust growth comes from a colony of mycorrhizal fungi on the roots of the oak tree. Sandy is so convinced of the beneficial relationship she has incorporated the fungi into the potting mix and compost they put around the trees.

Mycorrhizal Fungi Colony


Production Building & Cooking Classes

The production facility is where they hold cooking classes and package their specialty foods. It was very interesting to see where the olive oil is made. At harvest time (about the end of the summer), workers pick the olives from the orchard. They are sorted and most are used for making their own blend of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. They offer a variety of olive related products from handcrafted soaps, spa and skin care products (made in part from olive leaf and infused olive oil) to delicious goodies for your pantry including “Olives with a Texas Accent!” ™).

Kitchen for Cooking Classes
Production Kitchen
Existing Gift Shop
Inside the Gift Shop
Olive Oil is Delicious


My visit to Sandy Oaks was delightful and I will be back for the opening of the new gift shop next year. If you are in the San Antonio area, it is definitely worth a visit. To learn more about Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard visit their website.

You’re sure to find warms smiles and friendly folks.

I asked Sandy for some parting words of wisdom for others who may be inspired to plant an orchard.

I think one has to love the business. Since it is an agricultural business, one has to be risk tolerant. It is very hands on, very much like raising children. – Sandy Winokur

Be sure to check Sandy Oaks website for upcoming events. Each month, she hosts an event and serves complimentary tapas. Wine, beer and olive leaf tea are sold by the glass.

Previous or Next Article
Previous Post: Macro Monday: Wild SunflowersMacro Monday: Wild Sunflowers
Macro Monday: Up Close, Perspective and Light Next Post: Macro Monday: Up Close, Perspective and Light

Filed under: All Time Favorite Posts, Garden Centers and Nurseries, Garden Tours Tagged with: olive trees

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Indu Bheri says

    October 28, 2010 at 8:02 am

    Jackie, Thank you for taking the trip and bringing back to us all those lovely pictures and details. Its definetly going to be on my To Visit list.

    The Buc-ee’s is a great stop. Their Taco’s are great !!

  2. David says

    October 29, 2010 at 8:18 pm

    Wow! I love that porch scene with the potted plants. Such a beautiful scene. David/ Tropical Texana

    • Jacqueline D'Elia says

      November 10, 2010 at 6:54 pm

      My personal favorite shot of the trip.

  3. itisi says

    October 30, 2010 at 1:12 pm

    Delightful. I could smell the different leaf armoas from my PC. Thanks for sharing. Another reason for a road trip and then on West for a winery.

    • Jacqueline D'Elia says

      November 10, 2010 at 6:53 pm

      I had a wonderful time there.

  4. Desert Dweller / David C. says

    June 19, 2011 at 2:08 pm

    Those are nice olive trees, especially interspersed with all the live oak pics. I wonder how the oil tastes from trees grown in high humidity, compared to those from drier Spain and Calif? Thanks for sharing, esp since my 1 and only potted Arbequina Olive died taking it in this winter a couple times.

sidebar

sidebar-alt

Copyright © 2009 - 2023 Jackie D'Elia, All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy