Today, I had a great time giving a tour of JBG to Sonya Cote, executive chef at Eastside Showroom and Hillside Farmacy, and multimedia producer David Barrow.  They came to do some filming for The Homegrown Revival, a project they created to, “allow others to learn, share and create farm grown foods” (to read more about The Homegrown Revival and get info on their upcoming dinners, visit their website at thehomegrownrevival.com).  When I was talking to Sonya and David about JBG, I was struck by how much better we have gotten at growing high-quality produce.  There are so many things that go into determining vegetable quality, and when I first started farming, I had a lot to learn.  I still do! Vegetable quality is affected by almost every aspect of our operations, starting from how we grow our transplants to how we handle and store produce post-harvest.  Just after I finished explaining these many aspects of production to Sonya and David, I was approached by Julie Webb, a long-time workshare volunteer and host of our Bouldin Creek CSA pickup site.  What she told me was music to my ears – she said she thought today’s box was the best she’d ever seen!  That’s a big compliment from someone who has been getting boxes for over three years.  The high quality produce we are growing right now is a result of years of hard work and of our constant drive to improve.

Believe or not, we are harvesting the first of the okra this week!  In the past, we have seeded okra, but this year we planted transplants from our greenhouse, and they are doing really well.  CSA members will get the first of the season’s cucumbers in their boxes this week, as well as potatoes and beautiful Spring baby carrots.  Also in the box are green tomatoes – check out the recipes below for ideas on how to cook these.  We hope to pick the first of the red ripe tomatoes next week.  In addition to harvesting, we’ve been planting four different kinds of sweet potatoes slips including Japanese yams and garnet, white, and traditional Louisiana sweet potatoes.  With the summer season just getting started, there’s lots more to come.

Week of May 8th CSA Box Contents. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Potatoes
Mixed Summer Squash
Green Tomatoes
Fennel
Kale
Basil
Broccoli or Cucumbers
Carrots
Beets
Onions
Mint

Fried Green Tomatoes (from Southern Living)

Ingredients

* 1 large egg, lightly beaten
* 1/2 cup buttermilk
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
* 1/2 cup cornmeal
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 3 medium-size green tomatoes, cut into 1/3-inch slices
* Vegetable oil
* Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Combine egg and buttermilk; set aside.
2. Combine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or pan.
3. Dredge tomato slices in remaining 1/4 cup flour; dip in egg mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.
4. Pour oil to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch in a large cast-iron skillet; heat to 375°. Drop tomatoes, in batches, into hot oil, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels or a rack. Sprinkle hot tomatoes with salt.

Green Tomato Relish (from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

* 24 large green tomatoes
* 3 red bell peppers, halved and seeded
* 3 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
* 12 large onions
* 3 tablespoons celery seed
* 3 tablespoons mustard seed
* 1 tablespoon salt
* 5 cups white sugar
* 2 cups cider vinegar

Directions

1. In a grinder or food processor, coarsely grind tomatoes, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, and onions. (You may need to do this in batches.) Line a large colander with cheesecloth, place in sink or in a large bowl, and pour in tomato mixture to drain for 1 hour.
2. In a large, non-aluminum stockpot, combine tomato mixture, celery seed, mustard seed, salt, sugar, and vinegar. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Sterilize enough jars and lids to hold relish (12 one-pint jars, or 6 one-quart jars). Pack relish into sterilized jars, making sure there are no spaces or air pockets. Fill jars all the way to top. Screw on lids.
4. Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with boiling water. Carefully lower jars into pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary, until tops of jars are covered by 2 inches of water. Bring water to a full boil, then cover and process for 30 minutes.
5. Remove jars from pot and place on cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press top of each lid with finger, ensuring that seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Relish can be stored for up to a year.

JBG Featured in SpareFoot Blog

SpareFoot employees, in honor of Earth Day, came out to the farm to give us a hand last month.  To read about their volunteering experience, visit their blog by clicking here.  Thanks so much for your help!

2) Updates, Meetings, and Events

Green Tomatoes Available Now for Bulk Purchase

Green tomatoes bring back memories of growing up in Alabama and my grandmother, Mama Nell. Our green tomatoes are perfect for dusting in cornmeal and frying up, or also great for making pickled green tomatoes. These are available now. To order, click here or go to http://www.jbgorganic.com/tomatoes/.

JBG Bulk Tomato Pre-Sale – Order Now at a Discount!

This year for our Bulk Tomato Sale, we our offering an opportunity to pre-purchase bulk certified organic tomatoes prior to the beginning of our harvest at a discounted price.  All orders will be available for pickup at the peak of our season, June 6th through June 10th, at the farmers’ market you select for your order.

We planted over 30,000 tomato plants at our River Road farm and have a wide assortment of heirlooms, large red slicer tomatoes (perfect for a BLT or hamburger), and Italian heirloom sauce tomatoes (San Marzano). For small tomatoes this year, we have Juliet miniature plum tomatoes and multi-colored cherry tomato pints including super sweet Sun Gold cherry tomatoes, Red Super-Sweet 100s, Yellow Pear, and Black Cherry. I am happy to report that the tomato crop looks even better than last year! The plants are extremely healthy and loaded with fruit.

For more information and to place an order, click here.

Help JBG Deliver Vegetables to Children in Need

Every week, JBG delivers CSA boxes to the Settlement Home, a wonderful local non-profit and residential program that cares for and promotes the healing of abused and neglected children.  With the organic produce they receive from JBG, the Settlement Home provides nutritious meals and teaches the girls how to cook with all of these different kinds of vegetables.   Thanks to the support of CSA members, this program has been a great success.  We really need your help to keep it going!  To donate, click here or go to http://www.jbgorganic.com/settlementhome. Participation at any level is greatly appreciated.

Quick Dill Pickles

by Louis Singh |  photos by Jeff Stockton | dishalicious.com

Pickling is one of the easiest, most satisfying techniques you can master in the kitchen.  The premise pretty much remains the same:  use any vinegar you’d like, dilute it until it tastes balanced (not too sour, not too watery), and add spices.  We generally use a 1:1 ratio of vinegar:water.  Vinegars do have different acidity levels, so tasting your pickling liquid is the best way to determine if it’s right.  If your liquid tastes like a good pickle, you’ll get good pickles.

There’s a lot of recipes out there, but one of our favorite flavors is a good, old fashioned dill pickle.  Here’s a quick recipe for refrigerator-style dill pickles that will give you something to do with all of those summer cucumbers.

You’ll need:

2 medium cucumbers, sliced ¾” thick
2 large sprigs of dill
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup vinegar (white wine, cider or plain white)
1 cup water
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
pinch of red chili flakes

Technique:

Place the cucumbers, dill and garlic into a quart-sized glass jar or container.

Mix the remaining ingredients into a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil.  Stir to dissolve the salt and simmer for 2-4 minutes until the pickling liquid is fragrant.  Taste and adjust, if needed.  Not sour enough?  Add a little vinegar.  Too sour?  Dilute with a little water.  Flavors not popping?  Add a pinch of salt.  You can add more spices, but keep in mind the spices will get stronger over time as the sit in the jar.

Pour the hot liquid over the pickles to submerge and let it cool to room temperature.  Lid it and keep it in the fridge to enjoy for up to 2 months.  That’s it.  Now you have the technique, play with it.  Add brown sugar for bread & butter style pickles.  Change up the spices.  Use different vinegars.  Make your own vinegar!  (That is another blog in itself!)  Take this technique and make your own recipe.  Get cooking.

Got any food questions or techniques you’d like to learn?  Let us know @ DISHALICIOUS.COM