Much of what you know about Texas may include the words big, large, oversize and open. The Lone Star State is widely known for big areas, large amounts of food, oversize trucks, and open ranges. It is also known for its many ranches — in fact, much of the state, including the region between San Antonio and Austin called the hill country, was originally settled by ranchers.

The first ranchers raised cattle, sheep and a variety of other farm animals. Others were farmers as well as ranchers, cultivating fields of grain and grasses to feed their ranch animals and themselves. Ranching is big business in Texas, but it doesn’t necessarily require huge plots of land or livestock.

Texas hill country isn’t the dry, flat land you might have seen in Westerns. There is no shortage of year-round water. This area is dotted with lakes, rivers and streams. Ground water is readily available as well. When you’re in the hill country, there are trees and other types of greenery in just…