Our single blossoming sunflower of a few weeks ago has been joined by hundreds of other blooms.
2) Farm News
- Bulk, Organic, Home-Grown Tomatoes!
- Fields Full of News
- Jr. Master Gardeners Program
- Thank You from the Food Service Director at Salvation Army
- Log into your JBG CSA Membership Online
- Classes at The Natural Gardener
- Austin Public Library Green Living Talks
- Seed Saving Information Session
- Watermelon Festival
- Tomato Me Crazy Day
- Austin Organic Gardeners
- Travis County Master Gardeners Association
4) Quotable Food
5) Recipes
- Garlicky Sunchoke Salad with Dill and Feta
- Summer Squash Gratin
- Raw Fennel Salad
6) Vegetable Storage Tips
7) Johnson’s Backyard Garden Contact Information
Please send newsletter feedback, suggestions and contributions to farm@jbgorganic.com
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1) In Your Box this Week:
Pickling Cucumbers
Summer Squash- three kinds!
Onions
Potatoes
Assorted Sweet Peppers
Cherry Tomatoes or Green Beans
Loads of Tomatoes
Coming Soon:
Okra
2) Farm News:
- Bulk, Organic, Home-Grown Tomatoes!
We have a crazy amount of slicing tomatoes coming into the barn this week. Lucky you. Brenton has decided to sell some of the tomatoes at a bulk price. Members or non-members can order a 15-pound bag of slicing tomatoes which can be delivered to our drop-off locations or picked up at the farm either Wednesdays or Saturdays. CSA members and individuals on our waiting list may purchase 15-pound bags for $20. The price for non-members and other commercial customers is $25 per bag. There is no limit on the number of bags you may order. This is the last week for tomato sales, so check out our web site to place your order!
Tuesday's harvest of Bush Early Girl tomatoes.
- Fields Full of News
Jessica trims garlic for long term storage.
Angel and Will continue to ready the fields for new plantings of sweet potatoes and honeydew melons. This involves laying out plastic mulch and drip tape for some crops (ie tomatoes, squash, melons and cucumbers). While other crops are being directly seeded (pumpkin and beans). Our first cover crop of the season will be planted in the next few weeks. We’ll be seeding Zipper Cream peas otherwise known as Southern peas. This crop will help recharge the nutrient levels of the soils while allowing the land to rest a while.
Greenhouse seeding has been focusing on developing a new planting mix using compost. Our first two trials have resulted in a heavier soil mix than we would like for seedlings. This week’s mix will hopefully be the right combination of peat, compost, and amendments. Both tomatoes and peppers will be seeded in the greenhouse this week.
Brenton let me know the Jerusalem artichokes or sunchokes were ready to come out of the field. Now when he brought this detail up to me, he said “YOUR sunchokes are ready”. My immediate fear was that all those chokes were somehow going to be harvested by me, myself, and I. I have my doubts about this particular work crew actually getting that job done. So just for some self preservation, I’ve decided to confirm with Brenton that the sunchokes will actually have more than one harvester this season……The whole farm crew harvested our first ever crop of Jerusalem artichokes today. We are all excited to give them a try in upcoming CSA boxes
Harvesting Jerusalem Artichokes.
Jerusalem artichokes fresh from the field.
Sunchokes washed and ready for eating.
One work crew is currently sorting through tomatoes at a good pace and should be caught up with that task as long as harvesting of tomatoes slows down a bit. Fat chance of that happening anytime soon. Another crew is trimming off the stalks of the cured garlic being stored in the center of he barn. The garlic will now be ready for long term storage in onion bags and short term use in your CSA boxes.
We’ve been able to do some pre-preparation for the past few packing days. Both the onions and potatoes are being weighed and bagged the day prior to being shipped out. This has been a great thing for those of us who are in charge of keeping the barn organized (me) as it cuts down on the hectic pace and the disarray that shipping day creates.
Aaron has been inviting new CSA members from the waiting list to begin receiving weekly deliveries. This means that we are now sending out about 160 CSA boxes twice a week. Oddly, our Saturday delivery numbers always run lower than Wednesday’s. If you are one of those lucky names at the top of the waiting list, please consider our Saturday delivery option. We’ve also had great success with our bulk tomato orders. Thanks to everyone who can’t get enough tomatoes in their diet.
Chalon installed one of the new (to us anyway) walk -in coolers. It was immediately filled with onions by Saturday’s workshares as soon as Chalon was finished testing the cooling system. The poly-carbonate walls for the new greenhouse frame arrived today. Chalon will not be running out of things to do any time soon.
- Jr. Master Gardeners Program
Jr. Master Gardeners class.
Lettuce starts were donated from JBG to help make this harvest of greens.
- Thank You from the Food Service Director at Salvation Army
I want to take this opportunity to thank you and your organization for the generous food donation you make to the Salvation Army. As you know, we depend on the goodness and charity of the community to help us help others in need.
We want you to know that the fresh produce from your organic farm is always put to good use serving meals to our residents families as well as our transient clients. Your donation is always very much appreciated by all our residents.
Most people are not aware that on any given day we may serve upwards of a 1,000 meals throughout the day. Very simply the demand to provide this level of service is severely strained due to current economic conditions.Donations such as yours make a big difference in our ability to meet the needs of our ever-increasing client population.
Please accept our sincerest thanks to you and your organization for directing your contributions to the Salvation Army. If I can ever be of any assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I have included my phone numbers below. Again, thank you.
Sincerely,
Sharon Powell
Food Service Director
Salvation Army
Shelly, a Wednesday volunteer, brings in a crate of swiss chard from the field.
3) Events:
- 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
- Seed Saving Information Session
- Watermelon Festival
Free Parking
- Tomato Me Crazy Day
- 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.
Angel sorts tomatoes after a long hot day of harvest.
4) Quotable Food:
Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn. ~Garrison Keillor
5) Recipes:
- Garlicky Sunchoke Salad with Dill and Feta
- Summer Squash Gratin from 101Cookbooks.com, sent to us by Sarah Sloan.
Be sure to slice your potatoes as thin as possible. They get all melty and creamy. Slice them too thick and you’ll have trouble cooking them through because the zucchini cooks up more quickly. I use a box grater to shred the cheese here (as opposed to a micro-plane) – you get heartier, less whispy pieces of cheese which is what you want here. I’d also strongly recommend homemade bread crumbs here (see asterisk below).
zest of one lemon
1 1/2 pounds summer squash or zucchini, cut into 1/6th-inch slices
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cups fresh (whole wheat) bread crumbs*
1/2 pound yukon gold potatoes, sliced transparently thin
3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese, grated on a box grater (or feta might be good!)
Preheat oven to 400F degrees and place a rack in the middle. Rub a 9×9 gratin pan (or equivalent baking dish) with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with lemon zest, and set aside.
Place the zucchini slices into a colander placed over a sink, toss with the sea salt and set aside for 10-15 minutes (to drain a bit) and go on to prepare the oregano sauce and bread crumbs.
Make the sauce by pureeing the oregano, parsley, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes, and olive oil in a food processor or using a hand blender. Set aside.
Make the breadcrumbs by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes until the butter is wonderfully fragrant, and has turned brown. Wait two minutes, then stir the breadcrumbs into the browned butter.
Transfer the squash to a large mixing bowl. Add the potatoes and two-thirds of the oregano sauce. Toss until everything is well coated. Add the cheese and half of the bread crumbs and toss again. Taste one of the zucchini pieces and add more seasoning (salt or red pepper) if needed.
Transfer the squash to the lemon-zested pan, top with the remaining crumbs, and bake for somewhere between 40 and 50 minutes – it will really depend on how thinly you sliced the squash and potatoes – and how much moisture was still in them. You don’t want the zucchini to go to mush, but you need to be sure the potatoes are fully baked. If the breadcrumbs start to get a little dark, take a fork and rake them just a bit, that will uncover some of the blonder bits. Remove from oven, and drizzle with the remaining oregano sauce.
Serves about 8 as a side.
*To make breadcrumbs cut the crust off 2-3 day old artisan bread. Tear into pieces the size of your thumb, and give a quick whirl in the food processor. I don’t like my breadcrumbs too fine – and tend to leave the pieces on the large size – more like little pebbles than grains of sand.
- Raw Fennel Salad sent from Kelsey Byron
Fresh fennel peeled and sliced thin. Toss with grapefruit segments, olive oil, grapefruit juice, salt, and pepper. An easy, delicious way to eat raw fennel. Thought you might like to try it if you haven’t already!
David is our high school employee this summer.
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.
Store Fennel in a plastic bag, in the high-humidity crisper section of the refrigerator for no more than three to four days. Fennel loses its flavor quickly so it’s best to use it as soon as possible.
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, Winter Squash, Rutabagas, and Sweet Potatoes 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.
Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Scallions, and 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
e-mail: farm@jbgorganic.com
