Table of Contents:

1) In Your Box this Week

2) Farm News

• Fall Seeding and Planting
• Test Crops
• Workshare
• New Pickup Site Request for Tarrytown
  
• Op-Ed on Late Blight
  

3) Events: Outstanding in the Field

4) Quotable Food: Julia Child

5) Recipe for Kabocha Squash

6) Produce Storage Tips

7) Johnson’s Backyard Garden Contact Information

1) In your box this week:

Okra
Two melons – Watermelon, Cantaloupe & Galia Melons
Basil
Acorn Winter Squash
White, Yellow, or Red Onions
Caribe Potatoes
Sweet Peppers
Pablano and Anaheim Mild Peppers
Jalapeno and Serrano Hot Peppers
Black, purple, green, white and Rosa Bianca Eggplant
Yellow, Zephyr, Patty Pan Squash and Zucchini
Garlic Head

2) Farm News

• Fall Seeding and Planting

While working in this August heat, we all look forward to cooler weather. It helps that we are in the middle of seeding and planting for fall crops. Jessica has been busy seeding flats for broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, collards, kale, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, bok choi, fennel, more squash and cucumbers and lettuce. Her efforts will help ensure we have lots of variety in the coming months.

• Test Crops

This week, we are  planting more squash, & cucumbers and finishing up our final plantings of peppers, eggplant, and basil. We are also transplanting broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, collards, and brussel sprouts several weeks ahead of typical planting dates to see if we can extend their growing times. This will help us refine our planting calendar and crop rotation schedule. If we can plant a little earlier or extend our harvest of particular vegetables a little longer, it will allow us to offer members increased vegetable variety.

• Call for Workshares

JBG is looking for a few hearty souls willing to brave the August heat and help us harvest, wash, and pack vegetables on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8am to 1pm.  It is hot, but we always manage to have a good time.  Plus, all who participate get to take home a free vegetable share in exchange for their efforts.  If you are interested in learning more about Workshare, please call Carrie at 512-386-5273 or email us at farm@jbgorganic.

• New Pickup Site Request for Tarrytown

We are looking for a new location in Tarrytown to serve as our pickup point in this part of Austin.  Our current host, Allison Phillips, has done an excellent job, and we thank her for this.  Allison is moving soon, though, so we are looking for a new site.  We are open to commercial or residential suggestions that can provide a cool place for the vegetables (either air-conditioning or lots of shade) and easy access for CSA members (ample parking and pickup availability until 7pm).  Hosts are given a free box every quarter in exchange for the work they do.  Please email us at farm@jbgorganic.com if you have any suggestions and/or questions.

• Late Blight Op-Ed

Thank you to members Birgit Enstrom and Michael O’Donnell who both sent in this interesting op-ed on the late blight plant disease that has adversely affected this summer’s tomato crop in the Northeast: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/opinion/09barber.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 In this op-ed, writer Dan Barber traces the rapid spread of the disease back to the area’s excessive rainfall, the presence of the disease in starter plants from industrial growers, and, surprisingly,  the increase in home gardening. He argues that home gardeners may have inadvertently helped to spread late blight by purchasing infected plants from places like Home Depo, Lowes, Kmart, and Wal-Mart. While he in no way wants to discourage home gardening, he asks gardeners to consider their connection to the whole agricultural system, pointing out that infected spores can travel up to 40 miles. He states that gardeners can reduce the likelihood of using infected transplants by purchasing from local growers or by seeding their own. On a larger scale, he stresses the need for diversified vegetable farming (instead of large mono-crop farms) since such diversity helps shield farmers and communities against the damage that can be done to a single crop.

3) Events

• Outstanding in the Field

There are a limited number of seats left for the Outstanding in the Field dinner here at JBG on Tuesday, September 29th.  The event starts at 3pm and includes cocktails, a farm tour, and a several course meal with wine parings all prepared by Dai Due chef Jesse Griffiths (www.daidueaustin.com).  The meal will be served in the shade of our pecan grove.  Get your tickets while you still can by going to the Outstanding in the Field website at www.outstandinginthefield.com.

4) Quotable Food

“I’m awfully sorry for people who are taken in by all of today’s dietary mumbo jumbo. They are not getting any enjoyment out of their food.” — Julia Child

5) Recipe for Kabocha Squash

Thanks to Birgit Enstrom for sending in this recipe from justhungry.com:

Sweet and spicy roasted kabocha squash

• 1/2 small to medium sized kabocha squash
• 3 Tbs light brown, natural cane, or muscovado sugar, plus a bit more for sprinkling
• 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper or hot chili powder, more or less to taste
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbs soy sauce
• Oil for drizzling – pumpkin seed oil is preferred, or use toasted sesame oil, argan oil, or walnut oil (see notes)

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F. Line a baking sheet or two with silicon baking liner or parchment paper.

De-seed and cut the squash into slices about 1/2 cm or 1/4 inch thick. (Use a sturdy knife for cutting squash or pumpkin, on a stable surface, and be careful!)

Combine all the dry ingredients. Toss the squash slices in this until coated thoroughly. Add the soy sauce and toss well again.

Spread the slices in a singler layer on the baking sheet. Drizzle over them with the oil, and optionally sprinkle more sugar on them. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then turn over, drizzle with more oil and sprinkle more sugar, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Notes

Toasted pumpkin seed oil (Kürbiskernöl) is a mainly Austrian speciality, though they make it here in Switzerland too. It’s very nutty and dark, and is terrific in dressings and marinades. Toasted sesame seed oil or walnut oil can be substituted, or even expensive argan oil.

Instead of cinnamon, nutmeg and cumin, you can use a ‘pumpkin pie seasoning’ mix (or if you are in the Germanic parts of the world, a Lebkuchen mix would do too.)

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.

Melons should be ripened before refrigeration, stored in plastic bags when ripe. Melons should be used as soon as possible after ripening.

Checkout our storage tips on our website for a more complete guide, and of course, feel free to contact us with any questions. 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

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 at 5:38 pm and is filed under Newsletters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.