June 7, 2024

Today’s Forecast

🌱 Planting roots

Soli Organic’s Innovation Advisor, Ulf Jönsson, showing the herbs maturing in the facility’s grow room. | Photo by SATXtoday team

Ever wonder where your herbs come from? Some San Antonians are gifted with a green thumb and can grow them at home, but for the rest of us, we flock to the nearest H-E-B to pick up fresh parsley + basil.

Soli Organic, one of the leading companies providing your shopping shelves with the freshest herbs, just opened its newest facility in San Antonio, and SATXtoday was invited for the ribbon-cutting and a grand tour.

🤝 Soli Organic and Brooks City Base

Soli Organic is the nation’s leading soil-based indoor organic agriculture company. “We are growing incredibly high-quality organic and leafy greens using state of the art technology... all year around,” says CEO Matt Ryan.

Located on the grounds of a decommissioned US Air Force Base, Brooks is promoting new development while enhancing economic prosperity on San Antonio’s southeast side. Soli Organic is not only bringing sustainable farming techniques — like using 90% less water than tradition farming — but has also created 100 additional jobs for the area.

The facility also provides healthy food access to a community that the USDA designated as a food desert due to a lack of access to healthier food options.

🚜 Farming... inside?

Yes, you read that right. Here’s how it works:

Seeding
The beginning of the line where the precision organic fertilizer (from chicken barns), soil, and seeds are placed in trays together.

Germination
The seedlings are maintained at ~80°F for two to seven days and uses 100% relative humidity in order for the plants to sprout.

Nursery
For 10 days, the sprouted seedlings continue to grow with regular irrigation and lighting cycles in ~80°F.

Planting
The young plants are loaded on to long tables before moving to the next stage.

Grow Room
The plants grow here until they are ready to be processed.

Harvesting
Here, the plants are harvested, weighed, and prepped for packing.

Find Soli Organic near you

Asked

Where do you get your herbs from in San Antonio?

A. H-E-B
B. Trader Joe’s
C. Whole Foods
D. Walmart
E. My garden
F. A local community garden

Plant your answer

Events

Friday, June 7

“Star Wars” Trivia | Friday, June 7 | 6:30 p.m. | Mas Café, 10738 Braun Rd., San Antonio | Free | Visit one of the city’s newest coffee shops and use the force to test your knowledge on all things “Star Wars.”
Pride Night & Mercadito | Friday, June 7 | 7 p.m.-12 a.m. | Jaime’s Place, 1514 W. Commerce St., San Antonio | Free | Dance the night away as you listen to Bidi Bidi Banda with your drag queen host, Kristi Waters.
Fiesta Noche del Rio | Friday, June 7-Saturday, Aug. 3 | 8:30-10:30 p.m. | Arneson River Theatre, 418 Villita St., San Antonio | $8-$20 | Enjoy the 67th season of music, singing, dancing, bright costumes, and drink + snack options that support local children’s charities.

Saturday, June 8

24th Annual Festival of Flowers | Saturday, June 8 | 9 a.m.-5 p.m. | Shrine Auditorium, 901 N. Loop 1604, San Antonio | $8 | Get ready for plant swapping, herb cooking demonstrations, seminars, and a free plant for the first 1,000 people.
Chill N Grill | Saturday, June 8 | 10 a.m.-2 p.m. | Farmers Insurance, 9820 Braun Rd., San Antonio | Free | Try some barbecue by C Hawk BBQ, play games for a chance at prizes, listen to live music, and shop from local vendors.
Puro Zine Party | Saturday, June 8 | 5-9 p.m. | Confluence Park, 310 W. Mitchell St., San Antonio | Free | Celebrate Pride Month with poetry readings, a zine workshop, live music, themed merchandise, and paletas to beat the heat.
Puppy Rave | Saturday, June 8 | 7-11 p.m. | Hops & Hounds, 1119 Ave. B, San Antonio | Cost of purchase | Dress you and your dog in rave attire to get 20% off your tab and listen to a live DJ showdown.

Sunday, June 9

Link X Lou Permanent Jewelry Pop-Up | Sunday, June 9 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Greenhouse Coffee, 223 E. Hildebrand Ave., San Antonio | Cost of purchase | Grab a coffee and treat yourself to a permanent bracelet or ring.
Annual Rosé Picnic | Sunday, June 9 | 12-4 p.m. | Barons Creek Vineyards, 5865 E. US-290, Fredericksburg | $55 | Celebrate National Rosé Day with live music, games, a pop-up boutique, permanent jewelry, and of course, Rosé.
Second Sundays | Sunday, June 9 | 12-5 p.m. | Hays District, 125 Lamar St., San Antonio | Free | Support local artisans by browsing through art, vendors, drinks + bites, and listen to DJs spin tunes all afternoon.

Events calendar here

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Eat

Meet your new dinner date: Purple Carrot plant-based meals

A green caraf and glass, plate of vegetarian noodles, and plate of limes on a green table.

Purple Carrot’s nutritious meals are loaded with flavor. | Photo by Purple Carrot

Introducing your secret weapon against boring, tasteless meals: Purple Carrot.

Purple Carrot offers chef-prepared, fully plant-based meals that are ready to eat in under two minutes. Prefer to cook yourself? Opt for meal kits or shop plant-based grocery items from a fully stocked “plantry.”

This spring, Purple Carrot is ushering in the warm weather with vibrant, seasonal meals like Roasted Red Pepper Farro Bowls with chickpeas and mint (yum).

Pick your Purple Carrot plan

News Notes

City

The San Antonio Charter Review Commission gave its final recommendations for changes to our City Charter. The list includes raises for council members and the mayor, new term lengths, and the elimination of tenure + salary caps for the city manager. Learn more about the review commission. (TPR)

Number

$55.9 million. That’s how much money San Antonio generated during the 2023 Valero Alamo Bowl in December, according to a report by Economic Analytics Consulting LLC. The football game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Kentucky Wildcats brought ~43,000 visitors and was the fourth-largest crowd in the event’s history.

Giveaway

Looking for an icy treat to start the weekend? Hemisfair and Paleteria San Antonio are giving away free paletas this afternoon. The catch? The offer is valid for the first 50 people who join them at Central Games Plaza in Yanaguana Garden starting at 1 p.m.

Furry Friend Friday

Meet four-year-old Staffordshire Terrier mix, Glen, who is looking for his fur-ever home. Glen’s favorite things include being outside, going swimming, and playing with his corn toy. He is a friendly dog who loves to be around people. Visit Glen today.

Drink

The Rotary Club of Fredericksburg Foundation is hosting the Fredericksburg Craft Beer Festival tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Marktplatz in downtown Fredericksburg. Your $25 ticket includes three sample beer tastings, a souvenir tasting glass, live music, and play outdoor games. Tickets are only available at the gate.

Development

A Walmart in New Braunfels will undergo a $2.7 million update that includes multiple upgraded departments. Shoppers will see new refrigerated cases, a family restroom, and an additional 4,000-sqft. The project will take about three months to complete but construction won’t begin until Feb. 24, 2025.

Pets

McIntyre’s Southtown is hosting its Dog Days of Summer Pup Up Market on Sunday, June 9, from 3 to 8 p.m. At this free event, you can celebrate your furry best friend with dog caricatures, a vendor market, photo ops, mini milk bone pup cups, and giveaways.

Sports

Assistant coach Bill Armstrong reveals the team will not likely add any more players to their roster. Get the latest news, analysis, and insider information for the Baylor Bears with Locked On’s daily, team-focused podcasts.

Finance

You know a restaurant’s good if other chefs eat there, and you can trust a gym where athletes train. So, we’ll trust this rec: This card recommended by The Ascent has no annual fee and offers up to 5% cash back, a sign-up bonus, and 0% intro APR into 2025.*

Pets

Bowl goals for dogs = Premium proteins. Vibrant veggies. Tantalizing textures. Be the dog parent who keeps mealtime exciting with 50% off Nom Nom’s pre-portioned, freshly-made meals.*

Open

☕ Meet Terra Cafe

Terra Cafe has replaced Revloución at The Rim Shopping Center, and can be found across the street from North Italia. | Photo by SATXtoday team

Did you plan to meet up with friends at Revolución in The Rim? You were probably confused when you saw new signage where Revolución’s used to be.

Let us introduce you to Terra Cafe. Last weekend, the coffee spot transformed its space and emerged as a fast-casual eatery serving coffee, juice, and food. According to General Manager John Lauber, the shop sources and roasts coffee that has “the lowest carbon impact on the earth.”

So, what’s different? Terra is dedicated to providing a new health-conscious eating experience. On its menu, you’ll find:

Coffee drinks
Fresh cold-pressed juices (made in-house daily)
Breakfast + lunch items (with plant-based dietary options)
Craft cocktails

Owner Maroulia Paulson’s (and co-owner of TruFusion next door) goal is to “develop + deliver brands to the San Antonio market that are focused on pursuing a healthy lifestyle of fitness, nutrition, and self-care.”

Launch party details

The Buy

The clear bag you need to go hands-free at any concerts, games, or events this summer (it’s stadium-approved).

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Adriana

From the editor

I took a tour of the Soli Organic facility at Brooks this week, and all I kept saying was, “Wow.” I don’t have a green thumb whatsoever and this company has managed to grow thousands of herbs inside a ~150,000 facility. I can’t even keep a basil plant alive.

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