2) Farm News
- Farm News
- Update on the Water Supply at the New Farm
- Farm Olympics
- Sustainable Food Policy Board
- Help Make us the Best of Austin’s- Best Local Food Company
- Log into your JBG CSA Membership Online
- Becoming A Garden Detective: Diagnosing Plant Problems
- Classes at The Natural Gardener
- Austin Public Library Green Living Talks
- Austin Organic Gardeners
- Travis County Master Gardeners Association
4) Quotable Food
- Clothesline Ketchup
- Three Pepper Salad
- Sweet Pepper Wild Rice Salad
- Betty Carol Gilbert’s Onion Casserole
- Chilled Zucchini-Yogurt Soup With Fresh Mint
- Snookie’s Ice Box Pickles
6) Vegetable Storage Tips
7) Johnson’s Backyard Garden Contact Information
Please send newsletter feedback, suggestions and contributions to farm@jbgorganic.com
We’re on Facebook! We’re also on MySpace, be our friend!
Tomatoes, fresh picked this morning, sorted this afternoon and then rushed off to the cooler.
1) In Your Box this Week:
Onions
Potatoes
Assorted Sweet Pepper
Coming Soon (if we can keep the deer out of the field!):
Okra
2) Farm News:
- Farm News
The heat has taken its toll on each of us this week. We’ve been trying to avoid the heat as much as possible by starting our workday at 6am, before the sun has a chance to add to the residual temperatures from the previous night. We try to spend as much of the afternoon as we can working in the barn out of the sun. Time in the barn is spent sorting tomatoes, processing harvested produce, and cleaning the barn for harvest days.
Yesterday we were lucky enough to be able to spend our afternoon at the cinema, watching Food, Inc. This new movie by Robert Kenner attempts to expose the highly mechanized ‘farming’ systems promoted by our government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. The American consumer blindly tolerates a food supply that is controlled by a handful of corporations who put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. All in all, it’s a good documentary to introduce the average person to some of the concepts, wastes, dangers and ironies of current food production standards. Personally, I felt like the movie was preaching to us converted foodies. However, I’d like to see this movies’ message make it successfully into the mindset of the American consumer. But I digress……
We are ready for the concrete flooring to be poured in the back of the barn and we’ve had a purifying water system installed in the barn to help ensure that all of our workers and volunteers have consistent access to water through out the day. Chalon has also spent time working on the greenhouse cooling system that seems to have malfunctioned during this heat wave. Temps in the green house reached 110 degrees but should ideally be closer to the 75-80 degree range. Chalon’s also been working on installing a lighting system in the barn. This will help us immensely when trying to sort tomatoes in the early daylight.
Conduit for our new lighting system.
And apparently Chalon never sleeps, as he’s also installed two exhaust fans for the barn.
Exhaust fans newly installed in the barn.
We’ve also been taking some of those fall crop starts out of the greenhouse and transferring them to the fields. Tomato cages, that had been placed on the first crop of Bush Early Girls, have been moved to our second planting of tomatoes. That first run of tomatoes will be plowed under to make room for more cucumbers.
Being from the Mid West and Northwest, I’ve never lived with air conditioning. Everyone one here just chuckled at my naive thoughts of not having access to that cooler air for the entire summer. I scoffed at Aaron when he bought a unit for the kitchen and needed to run it in March. Well, after the recent heat wave I may be a convert. Brenton has offered to get an air conditioner for my living space and I think I’ll take him up on it. Does this make me a Texan?
- Update on the Water Supply at the New Farm
Having a reliable irrigation water supply is one of the most important elements to having a quality vegetable production in Central Texas. For the past few weeks, at our new farm, we have been busy digging test wells and trying to find the best location for a 16″ irrigation well. To that end, we have investigated over 10 test wells and a couple of 5″ wells. Next week should be our time frame for establishing that new well. So far we have not found a tremendous amount of water on the new farm but we have located water almost every where we have looked. Ideally we would like to have a flow of about 10 gallons per minute for each acre that we are farming. In order to have a water supply of 400 gallons per minute it could take multiple wells….with each well costing about $15,000 just for the well. The actual pump and electrical service can easily add another $15,000 to the cost of each well.
Test drilling at the new farm.
The new well will allow us to be able to irrigate larger sections of the field quickly and not have to wake up several times in the middle of the night changing the irrigation sets. In addition, when setting out transplants to the field plant starts will experience extreme heat in the afternoon, this stress to their system is known as transplant shock. It is especially important that those new starts have water to cool them down for the first few days until they get established.This first season (fall of 2009) we plan to farm about half of the acreage (20 acres) at the new farm. We will need a minimum of 200 gallons per minute to irrigate the vegetables under production. In our current drought conditions, we will also need water available to germinate cover crops on the remaining 20 acres that will not be in production. The cover crops will help hold the soil in place while increasing nutrient content and friability of the soil.
- Farm Olympics
Will claims to have invented ‘farm olympics’ but I think Dylan had a big hand in the conceptual development. Events include tractor jousting, the implement relay, and the ever popular tomato cage carry. This is what we do on rainy days like today.
Will attempts to set a world record.
Brenton takes the gold with a carry of twenty cages.
Tyler experiences the agony of defeat.
- Sustainable Food Policy Board
Austin’s City Council approved a new advisory board to coordinate city and county efforts to grow local food economy in November of 2008 and Edible Austin’s got a good story on the topic. The City of Austin believes that making a wide variety of safe, nutritious and sustainably grown food available to all our residents will have a positive affect on the region’s efforts to reduce energy consumption as well have a positive impact on our local economy.
- Help Make us the Best of Austin’s- Best Local Food Company
Last year, the Austin Chronicle’s ‘Best of’ Awards’ critics picked Johnson’s Backyard Garden as the Best Farm to Table Local Food Initiative. Well, it’s that time of year again……….the 2009 ‘Best of Austin’ Award is published in this week’s Austin Chronicle. We are shamelessly soliciting all interested persons to VOTE FOR US as the ‘Best Local Food Company’. Here’s how it works. You can pickup a copy of the Chronicle, fill out your ballot and send it in. Or you can follow the link above to place your electronic ballot. We’d like and appreciate your support and remember to get those ballots in by July 21. Thanks!
3) Events:
- Becoming A Garden Detective: Diagnosing Plant Problems
July 11, 10am – noon. Join us to learn the causes of plant problems, the process for diagnosing plant problems, and preventive garden management techniques. This class is free and open to the public. A plant clinic will run during the seminar to help you diagnose current problems so please bring samples of problem plants. This free seminar is presented by the Travis County Master Gardeners Association, a volunteer arm of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County . For more details, see http://www.tcmastergardeners.org or call the Travis County Master Gardener’s help desk at (512) 854-9600.
Welcome Austin’s New City Council in an: Eco-Change Exchange
Thursday, June 25th from 5:30-9:00 PM at City Hall
- Classes at The Natural Gardener
Saturdays through mid-September. 9 a.m. The Natural Gardener, 8648 Old Bee Cave Road. Free. 288-6113.
- Austin Public Library Green Living Talks
Varying times through Aug. Check Web site for schedule and locations. www.cityofaustin.org/library
- Austin Organic Gardeners
The Austin Organic Gardeners meet the second Monday of every month at Zilker Botanical Garden. www.austinorganicgardeners.org Meetings start at 7 p.m.
- Travis County Master Gardeners Association
The Travis County Master Gardeners Association holds it’s monthly meetings on the first Wednesday of each month. www.tcmastergardeners.org Meetings starts at 7 p.m.
Jessica, Carrie and Bess test the juice content of our tomatoes.
4) Quotable Food:
- Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch. Orson Welles (1915 – 1985)
5) Recipes:
- Clothesline Ketchup
This recipe comes from friends of my mother’s, Loretta Williams and her mother-in-law Starley Williams. It is the ketchup I grew up eating and has been made by the Williams family for over 70 years. It is a great recipe to help deal with that glut of tomatoes you get at the end of the season.
1/2 bushel tomatoes, scald, peel and cutup late in the afternoon. Put in a cloth bag, an old pillow slip works very well, and fold over so no bugs can get in. Hang the bag on the clothesline overnight to drain. The next morning run the tomatoes through a colander.
Add:
5 1/2 cups of sugar
a small handful of kosher salt
1 T ketchup spice
1 quart weak vinegar (1/2 water, 1/2 vinegar)
Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir often scrapping the pan with a flat wooden spoon. Preserve in hot sterilized pint jars.
If you can not find ketchup spice at you grocer’s use:
3 t. allspice
3 t. nutmeg
3t. cinnamon
2t. ground cloves
1 t. black pepper
- Three Pepper Salad, from whatscookingamerica.net
1 red sweet pepper, cored and seeded
1 yellow sweet pepper, cored and seeded
1 orange sweet pepper, cored and seeded
1 small sweet onion, peeled
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil leaves
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
Slice sweet peppers into matchstick-size pieces and place in a large bowl. Slice onion into matchstick-size pieces and add to the bowl. Add parsley or basil. Sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Add rice vinegar and sesame oil, stirring to mix well.
Cover and refrigerate approximately 1 hour before serving. To serve, toss salad again and sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese.
- Sweet Pepper Wild Rice Salad
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
14-1/2 ounces chicken broth or vegetable broth, divided
1-1/4 cups water, divided
3/4 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 green onions, chop1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
In a small saucepan, combine the wild rice, 1 cup broth and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 50-60 minutes or until rice is tender.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the long grain rice and remaining broth and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes or until rice is tender. In a large nonstick skillet, saute the peppers and zucchini in 1 tablespoon oil for 3 minutes. Add onions; saute 1-2 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender. Transfer to a large bowl. Drain wild rice if necessary; stir into vegetable mixture. Stir in white rice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with lemon juice and remaining oil; toss to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Betty Carol Gilbert’s Onion Casserole from plantanswers.tamu.edu/publications/onions/onionrecipes
1 lb. onions, sliced and separated
1 egg, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Paprika
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium saucepan combine onions with water to cover. Bring to boil 1 minute. Drain. Transfer to 8-inch square baking dish.
In a bowl combine egg, cream, salt and pepper; pour over onions. Sprinkle with cheese, then paprika. Bake 25 minutes.
- Chilled Zucchini-Yogurt Soup With Fresh Mint By Martha Rose Shulman. Sent to us by Marian Schwartz.
What’s summer without cold soups? My new favorite and easy cold soup is this one, which uses two items lately in our boxes, zucchini and mint.
This refreshing soup is unbelievably easy to make. To chill it quickly, place the soup bowl inside a larger bowl, then fill the larger bowl with ice and water. For best texture, be sure to strain the soup before serving.
2 pounds zucchini, sliced
2 cups water
Salt (1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons)
3 cups plain low-fat yogurt
3 tablespoons finely chopped mint
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, pressed or mashed to a paste in a mortar and pestle (optional)
For garnish:
1 small zucchini, sliced paper-thin
4 mint leaves, cut in thin slivers
Pour the water into a saucepan fitted with a steamer and bring to a boil. Place the zucchini in the steamer, set over the boiling water, cover and steam for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool for about five minutes. Do not drain the steaming water.
Place half the zucchini in a food processor fitted with the steel blade, add 3/4 teaspoon salt, and puree until smooth. Add half the steaming water, then pulse until smooth. Scrape into a bowl, and repeat with the remaining zucchini and steaming water and another 3/4 teaspoon salt. Scrape into the bowl with the first batch. Whisk in the yogurt, the chopped mint, pepper, lemon juice and (optional) garlic. Taste and adjust salt. Chill in the refrigerator or in an ice bath.
Pour the cold soup through a medium strainer into a bowl. In order to extract maximum flavor, use a rubber spatula to press the soup against the strainer and to scrape soup from the outside.
Toss the thinly sliced zucchini garnish with a generous pinch of salt, and place in a strainer set over a bowl or in the sink. Let sit for 15 minutes. The zucchini will soften. Rinse and pat dry. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with several slices of zucchini and a sprinkle of slivered mint leaves.
Advance preparation: This is best served on the day it’s made – but that shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying leftovers for lunch the next day, especially if it’s made without the optional garlic.
- Snookie’s Ice Box Pickles from Chip and Candi Wendt at Food Heads
It is an old German recipe that has been passed down through Chip’s mother’s family. Handwritten on the card are the words “das gute schmecken!”…good taste. Check out their web site at foodheads.com
7 cups thinly sliced cucumbers with skin on (smaller cucumbers are best)
1 cup slivered white onion
1-1/2 cups slivered green peppers
Brine:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cups white vinegar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
2 cloves garlic (smashed)
1 sliced fresh jalapeno pepper (optional)
Place cucumbers, onions and green peppers in a container with a lid, big enough to add brine. Combine brine ingredients in small pot and bring to a boil. Let cool to room temperature and pour over cucumbers, onions and peppers. Toss well and store in refrigerator overnight. They will keep at least 3 weeks, but I can’t imagine them lasting that long!
“Das gute schmecken!”
6) Produce Storage Tips:
We aim to grow and package our vegetables to maintain the highest taste and nutritional quality possible. However, once they’ve left the farm it’s up to you to keep them fresh and nutritious. There’s no refrigeration at the CSA drop points so it’s best to pick up your box as early as possible. Here are some additional tips on how to store this week’s share:
Tomatoes should be kept uncovered at room temp, but can be refrigerated if very ripe. All other fresh vegetables belong in the refrigerator.
Peppers and Cucumbers should be stored in the crisper, and washed before use.
Basil can be stored upright in a jar of water at room temperature, or in an open bag on the counter. These three all do well frozen also (they will loose texture but not taste).
Eggplants, Potatoes, Onions are best kept moderately cool, no lower than 50 degrees. A cool, dry dark place is best- on the counter, in a cupboard or basket. Don’t whole store onions in the refrigerator because the moisture is bad for them. Don’t store potatoes near onions. The onions will absorb moisture from the potatoes.
Summer Squash will last 4-7 days in plastic bags in the crisper.
Checkout our storage tips on our website for a more complete guide, and of course, feel free to contact us with any questions. The National Center for Home Food Preservation is your guide for how to can, freeze, dry, pickle or ferment just about anything.
7) Johnson’s Backyard Garden Contact Information
Johnson’s Backyard Garden
9515 Hergotz Lane, Box E
Austin, TX 78742
Office Phone: 512.386.5273
Office Hours: M-F 8am to 12:30pm
