Contents:
1) In Your Box this Week

2) Farm News

• Crop Planning and our Rain Soaked Fields
• Happenings at the River Road Farm
• Moving Forward
• Open House and Potluck – Saturday Oct 17th
• JBG Accepting New Members for 2010 Soon!
• New Thursday Pickup in the Works, Where would you like us to deliver?
• CSA site hosts needed for Travis Heights/ Bouldin Creek and Lakeway
  
• Changes in Delivery Days Planned for October
• Food Democracy Now!

3) Events

• Introduction to Biointensive Food Gardening
• The Wildflower Center Fall Plant Sale & Gardening Festival
• Wheatsville Food Co-op’s Grand Re-Opening Celebration!
• Slow Food Austin presents Raw Talk & Tasting: Raw-Milk Cheese Meets Local Hops and Honey
• October Slow Session: The Best Chicken You’ve Never Had – Shades of Green Farm
• Austin Film Festival presents 7th Annual Film & Food

4) Quotable Food

5) Recipes

• Candied Winter Squash with Cinnamon and Honey
• Squash Soup with Horseradish Cream
• Winter Squash and Roasted-Garlic Bisque
• Roasted Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Tart
• Classic Eggplant Parmigiana

6) Produce Storage Tips

7) Johnson’s Backyard Garden Contact Info

1) In Your Box This Week

Baby Arugula

Okra

Basil

Kabocha Squash (last of season)

Cucumbers

Sweet Peppers

Hot Peppers

Black Beauty and Dancer Eggplant

Summer Squash

Sweet Potatoes

Green Garlic (Sat)

Maybe….Collard or Bok Choy (Sat)

2) Farm News

• Crop Planning and our Rain Soaked Fields

The recent rains have been nice, so we’re not likely to complain about irrigation problems with Mother Nature keeping us a bit ahead of the game. However, the rains may come as a blessing but there is also a curse tagging along.  We have been trying for the past two weeks to plant carrots.   We were all ready to plant those precious carrots seeds last week; beds were fertilized, tilled and shaped.  We planted three beds and then the rain stopped us.  Then this week, just as Angel had seeded another three rows of carrots in the field, we had a 15 minute thunder cloud burst. The ground was saturated, moisture clogged the seeder and the soft ground allowed it to dig trenches instead of planting said carrots just under the surface of the soil.

Besides rain, time is the best friend of farmers. Aaron spends an enormous amount of time on crop planning and, from his perspective, the rain delays his well thought out chain of events. The rains delay all field work as we just can’t get into the fields to do the prep work. On top of that, the greenhouse becomes overcrowded due to the delay in field work.

Transplants from the greenhouse give us more flexibility for planting options…but then crop planning changes to a piece of paper at the edge of the field, ” on the fly planning. “  This of course is Aaron’s bane, all his hours of work dashed by nature in just a few minutes. Yet plants have to go in the ground which means we need to adapt to today’s weather conditions. We forge ahead, albeit slowly, with planting while Aaron reorganizes the crop planning to record what actually happens in the field.

• Happenings at the River Road Farm

JBG has purchased 15,000 feet (that’s nearly three miles) of 3″ aluminum sprinkler pipe. Today we rented a huge trenching machine to lay down the irrigation main lines at the River Road Farm (we are installing nearly 1 mile of six inch pipe later this week).  Chalon spent time this week measuring and marking just where the irrigation should be placed. Today he will run the trencher and install the pipes.

We are also working on finishing the electric work on the irrigation pumps which will be installed shortly.

• Moving Forward

As my time at Johnson’s Backyard Garden comes to an end– my internship ends in six weeks– I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at other area farms. There are a multitude of approaches to organic farming and each farm operation has its own personality.  Part of my interest in other organic farms comes from wanting exposure to as many philosophies as possible. Part of my interest comes from the desire to start my own farm. I’ve spent countless hours perusing real estate listings and making site visits in search of my  own land.

Going big or small? That’s been the issue all along. My family farming adventure includes my son and his family;  for several years the four of us have talked of organic farming on just a few acres. Though I’ve been most interested in finding about ten or so acres, the reality is that we’ve been looking at farms of all sizes. Recently a seven acre farm has offered some amazing black land and close proximity to Austin. But all of the sudden seven acres seems much too small, especially if I plan to include livestock.

Fifty seven acres, one of my other current options, offers plenty of land along the river with enough space for native habitat, wildlife, livestock and a few acres for farming. The draw back is that this piece of property is about two hours north of Austin. So our search for a farm continues and we probably will be searching for quite a while longer until I spot the property that feels like home.

• Open House and Potluck Saturday October 17th
  

Our Fall Open House and Potluck is coming up soon; we’re planning on Saturday Oct 17th, 3pm till dark. We’ll be sending out an official Evite invitation soon to collect RSVPs. We’re offering live music, farm tours, and lots of good potluck food. Last time the food was so delicious we had several folks request recipes afterward, so please consider printing up your recipe and bringing it along for others to copy and take home.

3) Events

• Introduction to Biointensive Food Gardening

October 4, 9 am to 2 pm Introduction to Biointensive Food Gardening with the nonprofit Green Corn Project. This is a hands-on class that teaches the basics of “Double Digging,” an organic gardening method that builds the soil and produces more vegetables in a small area. Visit www.greencornproject.org/gc/ for class details, and while you’re there, sign up as a volunteer to help dig and plant fall vegetable gardens for Austin’s underserved communities.

• The Wildflower Center Fall Plant Sale & Gardening Festival

October 10 and 11 (Members-only preview, Friday, October 9th) Dozens of hard-to-find native plants are included in the 300 species that will be on sale at the biggest native plant sale this fall in Central Texas. Experts will provide hourly tours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. of the gardens, discussing nature and gardening topics. Activities for children. For more information about the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the Fall Plant Sale and Festival, go to wildflower.org

• Wheatsville Food Co-op’s Grand Re-Opening Celebration!

Saturday October 10, 4:00–10:00pm Wheatsville Food Co-op, Austin’s only community-owned grocery store, has completed our HUGE renovation project. Renovating and expanding a store like ours while remaining open to our many customers took a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication. Our staff, and 10,000+ owners deserve much credit in making this dream a reality.

Wheatsville’s renovation project has incorporated many sustainable building techniques into the new store and offices, including a rainwater collection system, highly efficient refrigeration systems, ultra-low flow dual flush toilets, recycled glass and concrete countertops, recycled steel doors, re-use of bricks from our original building, recycled soda bottle carpets, natural lighting, and extensive recycling of construction waste among many other green efforts. We expect to get Austin Energy Green Builder program recognition for these efforts. We’re also proud that we’ve been able to add 25 ongoing jobs due to the renovation.

• Slow Food Austin presents Raw Talk & Tasting: Raw-Milk Cheese Meets Local Hops and Honey

October 21, 2009 6:30-8:30 pm Barr Mansion Tickets: $50 ($40 Slow Food members) In the United States, the sale of raw milk cheeses that are aged less than 60 days is illegal. Fortunately, Slow Food’s Presidia program is working to protect this delectable artisan food. Cathy Strange, Global Cheese Buyer for Whole Foods Market, will lead an educational presentation and tasting of raw-milk cheeses complemented by Texas-crafted beer and pairing notes from Kevin Brand of (512) Brewing Company, along with local honey from Round Rock Honey. At this first annual fundraiser for Slow Food Austin you will enjoy an evening of unique flavors, meet some of their producers and mingle with other Austinites who share a passion for slow food. Get your tickets in advance to ensure a seat at the table in the beautiful Barr Mansion setting.

• October Slow Session: The Best Chicken You’ve Never Had – Shades of Green Farm

How good can chicken be? Austin will soon find out. Jules Assata and Sue Beckwith of Shades of Green Farm are raising birds that meet their own deliciously high culinary standards. What’s more, they’re the only certified organic meat chickens raised in Texas.

Jules and Sue are raising Colored and Freedom Rangers, breeds developed from heritage stock to be delicious and to thrive on traditional free range – NOT bred to bulk up fast or tolerate factory living conditions that would make a mother hen cry, like the ubiquitous Cornish Cross found in every grocery store, fast food joint and high-end eatery. In fact, these varieties were developed specifically to meet the very high standards of the French Label Rouge Program. And, while Shades of Green Farm is certified organic, the two women have been inspired by the European example to exceed the organic production standards in terms of stewardship of animal welfare and the environment.

Join Slow Food Austin for our October Slow Session and learn about Sue and Jules’ Bastrop farm and their personal journey leaping regulation and production hurdles that don’t do much for our small farmers or those of us who love good food. As always, the session is free. Light refreshments will be served. The Session will begin at 7 p.m. at Habitat Suites, 500 E Highland Mall Blvd, Austin. For more information or to RSVP, send an email to education@slowfoodaustin.org

• Austin Film Festival presents 7th Annual Film & Food

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Driskill Hotel – 604 Brazos 7:00pm to 10:00pm Tickets: $85/ $70 for AFF Members. Austin Film Festival presents the 7th annual Film & Food, one of the most talked about food-centric events in the city. Held at the beautiful and historic Driskill Hotel, Film & Food is an evening of cocktails and incredible cuisine created by talented chefs who represent some of Central Texas’ most notable restaurants. Attendees will have the opportunity to bid on unique, exciting items and experiences during silent and live auctions.

All proceeds from the ticket sales and event auctions benefit AFF’s Young Filmmakers Program. The Young Filmmakers Program was founded to encourage students, ages 9 – 18, to explore their creativity and improve their literacy skills through the arts of screenwriting and filmmaking. Programs are offered free through AISD schools and partner organizations.

For more information and to order tickets, go to http://www.austinfilmfestival.com/new/film_food

4) Quotable Food

“What we’ve got to do is change how we think about, for example, getting local farmers connected to school districts because that would benefit the farmers delivering fresh produce.” -President Obama, Health Care Forum, 8-20-09

5) Recipes

• Candied Winter Squash with Cinnamon and Honey, from southernfood.about.com

1 large butternut squash, quartered lengthwise

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Scoop seeds out of butternut squash. Arrange butternut squash pieces, cut-side down, in a large baking dish. Pour hot water in the baking dish to a depth of about 1/4-inch. Bake butternut squash at 350° for 50 to 60 minutes, or until tender. Cool squash; peel. Cut squash into 1/2-inch slices and place in a 9×13x2-inch baking dish. Pour butter and honey over squash, then sprinkle with pecans and cinnamon. Return to oven and bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until butternut squash is glazed and hot.

• Squash Soup with Horseradish Cream, from “Soup, Superb Ways with a Classic Dish,” by Debra Mayhew

1 butternut squash

1 cooking apple

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, minced

1 to 2 teaspoons curry powder, plus extra to garnish

3 ½ cups vegetable stock

1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage

2/3 cup apple juice

salt and freshly ground black pepper

lime shreds, to garnish (optional)

For the horseradish cream:

4 tablespoons heavy cream

2 teaspoons horseradish sauce

½ teaspoons curry powder

Peel the squash, remove the seeds, and chop the flesh. Peel, core, and chop the apple. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until soft. Stir in the curry powder and cook to bring out the flavor, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the stock, squash, apple, and sage. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the squash and apple are soft.

Meanwhile, make the horseradish cream. Whip the cream in a bowl until stir. Stir in the horseradish sauce and curry powder. Chill until required. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Return to the rinsed pan and add the apple juice, with salt and pepper to taste. Reheat slowly, without boiling. Serve the soup in warm bowls, topped with a spoonful of horseradish cream and a dusting of curry powder. Garnish with a few lime shreds, if you like.

• Winter Squash and Roasted-Garlic Bisque, from Bon Appétit, November 2000

2 heads of garlic, halved crosswise

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

3 cups chopped onions

3/4 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

4 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces

6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth

3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon whipping cream (can use milk instead)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Rub cut surfaces of garlic with oil. Put halves back together to reassemble heads. Wrap each tightly in foil; bake until tender, about 40 minutes. Cool garlic in foil. Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery; sauté until onions are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add squash, broth and 2 tablespoons sage. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered until squash is tender, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, unwrap garlic. Squeeze from skin into small bowl. Discard skin. Mash garlic with fork until smooth. Stir garlic into soup. Working in batches, purée soup in blender until smooth. Return to pot. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold. Cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to simmer before continuing.) Stir in 1/2 cup cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer soup to tureen. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon cream. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sage.

• Roasted Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Tart, Gourmet, November 1998

pastry dough

pie weights or raw rice for weighting shell

1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound)

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil plus about 2 teaspoons for brushing squash

1 small onion

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 whole large egg

1/2 large egg yolk (1/2 tablespoon)

1/3 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup grated Italian Fontina cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces)

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 1 ounce)

1/4 cup crumbled mild soft goat cheese (about 1 ounce)

1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and marjoram leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup fine fresh bread crumbs

On a lightly floured surface roll out dough into a 12-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Fit dough into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim. Freeze shell 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights or raw rice. Bake shell in middle of oven until edge is pale golden, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights or rice and bake shell 10 minutes more, or until bottom is golden. Leave oven on. Cool shell in pan on a rack.

Halve squash and scoop out seeds. Lightly brush each cut side with about 1 teaspoon oil and on a baking sheet roast squash, cut sides down, in middle of oven 40 minutes, or until soft. While squash is roasting, thinly slice onion and in a heavy skillet cook in 1/2 tablespoon butter and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Cool squash and scoop out flesh. In a food processor purée squash. Add whole egg, egg yolk, and cream and blend well. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in cheeses, herbs, onion, salt, and pepper to taste. Pour filling into shell, smoothing top. In a small skillet melt remaining tablespoon butter and stir in bread crumbs until combined well. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture evenly over filling. Bake tart in middle of oven 40 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool tart in pan on rack 10 minutes and carefully remove rim.

• Classic Eggplant Parmigiana by Laura Giannatempo from Fine Cooking 100, sent to us by Evelise Sandidge

This is how we do eggplant parmigiana in Italy: no breading and no puddles of cheese, just thin layers of fried eggplant with homemade sauce, a little fresh mozzarella, and good Parmigiano-Reggiano. It doesn’t get more authentic than this.

For the eggplant:

2-1/2 lb. eggplant (about 4 small or 2 medium-large)

Kosher salt

3 cups olive oil (or a blend of olive and canola oils)

For the sauce:

3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half

3-1/2 lb. plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped, or two 28-oz. cans diced tomatoes (preferably San Marzano), drained

Kosher salt

12 large fresh basil leaves, torn in half

For assembling:

6 oz. fresh mozzarella, torn into 1/2-inch pieces

1-1/4 cups lightly packed freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (3-1/4 oz.)

Salt the eggplant:

Peel the eggplant and cut each crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cover the bottom and sides of a large colander with a few eggplant slices and sprinkle generously with salt. Top with more layers of eggplant and salt until you run out of slices (you’ll end up with five or six layers). Let the colander sit in the sink or over a large bowl for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. The salt will draw out water and reduce the eggplant’s ability to absorb oil.

Meanwhile, make the sauce:

Heat the 3 Tbs. oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and barely golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 1/2 tsp. salt. Raise the heat to medium high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to break down into a sauce, 20 to 25 minutes. If the sauce begins to dry up before the tomatoes break down, add warm water 1 Tbs. at a time. Lower the heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until you have a thick, chunky sauce, 5 to 10 minutes more. (Too much liquid in the sauce will make the finished dish watery.) Turn off the heat, remove the garlic, and stir in the basil leaves. Season to taste with more salt, if necessary, and set aside.

Fry the eggplant:

Dry the eggplant by lining a large plate with a paper towel and setting a few slices on it. Top with another paper towel and layer on a few more slices. Repeat until you run out of slices. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of a 3- or 4-quart saucepan. Add the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil reaches 375°F, add as many eggplant slices as will fit comfortably in a single layer. Don’t crowd the pan. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you can test the oil temperature by dipping a tip of one eggplant slice in the oil. If it immediately sizzles, the oil is ready. Cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes on the first side and 1 minute more on the second. Working quickly, pick up each slice with a slotted spoon and press the back of another large spoon against the slice to squeeze out as much oil as possible. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat until all the slices are fried, layering the fried eggplant between paper towels and adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain the frying temperature.

Assemble and bake:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F. Layer about one-third of the eggplant slices so they overlap slightly on the bottom of a 10×8-inch (or similar size) baking dish. With the back of a spoon or an offset spatula, spread about one-third of the tomato sauce in a very thin layer over the eggplant. Evenly sprinkle about half of the mozzarella and 1/3 cup of the Parmigiano over the tomato sauce. Make another layer with one-third of the eggplant, one-third of the tomato sauce, the remaining mozzarella, and 1/3 cup Parmigiano. Make one last layer with the remaining eggplant, tomato sauce, and Parmigiano. Bake until the cheese has melted evenly and the top is bubbly, with browned edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

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:

Peppers 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 and 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.

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.

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

Contents:
1) In Your Box this Week

2) Farm News

• Rainy Days at the Farm
• New Farm Tools – Lister and Fertilizer Applicator
• The Future of Food in Austin
• Gratitude: The State of being Grateful; Thankfulness
• Open House and Potluck – Saturday Oct 17th
  
• Artisan Spotlight – Potter Ron Newsome
• Changes in Delivery Days Planned for October

3) Events

• Outstanding in the Field
  
• Plein Air Austin Painting Group Celebrates Local Farms this Fall
• Toby Hemenway and your Backyard Ecosystem
• Citizen Gardener Gardening Skills Course
• Introduction to Biointensive Food Gardening

4) Quotable Food

5) Recipes

• How to Cook a Spaghetti Squash
• What’s for Dinner- JBG Member Food Blog
  

6) Produce Storage Tips

7) Johnson’s Backyard Garden Contact Info

1) In Your Box This Week

Okra
Basil
Spaghetti Squash
Potatoes
Sweet Peppers
Pablano and Anaheim Mild Peppers
Jalapeno and Serrano Hot Peppers
Black, purple, green, white and Rosa Bianca Eggplant
Summer Squash

2) Farm News

• Rainy Days at the Farm

Well, our unofficial ground breaking at the River Road farm was delayed due in part to the wonderful gift of rain this week. Yes, the rain can be intrusive to the farmers routine, but it also makes for a nice break in the routine for us. The air has cooled and crops are reveling in the newly found relief from the summer’s heat. While the rainfall has produced a delay in our field work, harvesting must continue. Workshares walked to the fields, carrying their harvest crates, last Saturday. The harvest lanes were flooded and the work a bit on the dirty side. Did I mention fun? Everyone had great fun, it’s like sending a bunch of kids out to play in the puddles.

One workshare asked how much rain can the fields take before the crops begin to suffer? On one hand, none of the plants will do well sitting in water, but our sandy loam soils drain nicely and within a day we had no standing water. Although I couldn’t give her any definitive answer to her question, we had a great discussion in the barn about water conditions in Texas.  I could only give a personal opinion; from my perspective replenishing the local aquifers is the most important outcome of the deluge and that seasonal crops are way down the list of importance when it comes to concerns of ‘too much water’.  Farmers in general play a game with mother nature, betting that she will cooperate and the crops will produce a profit for the farm. Sometimes we lose that bet and crops (and profits) suffer. But this is a short term loss for the farmer. Long term, however, we need the aquifers to be healthy.  I, for one, would willingly deal with a short term crop failure against the long term loss of our water resources.

New Farm Tools – Lister and Fertilizer Applicator

I really enjoy all aspects of managing the operations at JBG.  One task that I particularly enjoy is devising solutions to getting field work done in a timely fashion.  Last week after talking with some other farmers and seeing photos of equipment setups, I decided to work with Timo (our irrigator and mechanic) to make a tool to help us pre-shape our beds and also apply fertilizer at the same time.  By using the tool to do two jobs with one tractor pass….we save fuel and avoiding soil compaction.  Additionally the fertilizer is put exactly where we need it so none is wasted by applying it to the wheel tracks.

A lot of old farming tools are discarded by modern conventional farmers but they are still very useful on our small farm. We always keep our eyes out for tools and recently we found some old listers and gauge wheels as well a toolbars clamps that we could use with our Clampco fertilizer applicator.  This saved us several thousand dollars compared to a new machine….and after a few trial runs and tweaking the machine ended up working really well.  The next step was to then calibrate the machine based on how fast we drive across the field and also based on the type of fertilizer we apply.  Our newest interns, Michael and Keith tested the flow rates and developed a calibration chart for quick reference for future use of the machine. Now the hard part is driving a straight line across the field~ Brenton

• The Future of Food in Austin by Grit Ramuschkat, JBG resident

I’ve been a member of the “Slow Food” Organization for a couple of years and recently started attending the Slow Food Austin monthly chapter meetings, which are quiet good by the way. Marla Camp, Editor of Edible Austin and recently elected Chair of the Sustainable Food Policy Board (SFPB), was invited to speak at one of the recent meetings. The SFPB is a big deal, since there are only about a handful of such boards in existence in the country. The board is an exclusively advisory body to the Austin City Council.

Marla introduced us to the goals of the SFPB and led a brainstorming session on what tasks we’d like to see the board take on. One of the first tasks the board will be working on is to conduct a local food analysis to find out to what extend Austin feeds itself. The goal is to put into numbers, how much food is available locally, what impact do local food purchases have on the local economy and who buys what and where. One unofficial estimate of local food purchases currently is 3 %, an unexpectedly low number I find, considering all the CSA farms that seem to have sprung up in the past years as well as the traffic Austin’s farmer’s markets seem to get. It’ll be great to have a hard number on that. Where will we go from there, then? Wouldn’t it be great, if we could obtain a local food revenue of let’s say 20% or more?

For a moment we were all pondering over what Austin could and could not produce locally. The extend of local food production these days seems to depend more and more on local rainfall or better the lack there of. Indeed, local experts recently suggested to declare the Austin area to be in a permanent state of drought. This would make Austin a marginal food growing habitat. We might not be able to grow our own rice, suggested one of the members in the audience. While growing our own rice or wheat on a large scale seems a little far fetched, one has to question Austin’s capability of growing peaches for example. While it never occurred to me that peaches require a lot of water, it made sense thinking about the juicy flesh we love to bite into. Considering the reputation of Fredricksburg grown peaches and the impact on tourism, this was a quiet shocking “food future thought”. However, I do think that there are many steps that can be taken in between growing or not growing. Growing with less water for example or changing attitudes about how our food has to look… . It becomes clear though, that water preservation has to become a topic in the forefront. The city of Austin made water conservation mandatory this year. Water preservation has to become reality not only for commercial growers but it starts in our own backyard gardens and front yard gardens, too.

What do you think? Can Austin feed itself? To what extent? What are the possibilities and limitations? Please direct your comments to Grit Ramuschkat and we will post them for you.

Members as well as Non-Members can attend the Slow Food Chapter Meetings. They are held the first Thursday on each month from 7:30 to 9 pm at the Habitat Suites.

For more information check the Slow Food Austin website.

The meetings of the Sustainable Food Policy Board are being held the first Monday of each month from 12:30 to 2:30 pm and are open to the public.

For more information on the Sustainable Food Policy Board go to Edible Austin

• Gratitude: The State of being Grateful; Thankfulness, by Keith McDorman, JBG Intern

I’m new here. New to organic vegetable production. New to full-time life on a farm. New to Austin. New to Texas. I’m a new intern here on the farm and I’ve been here for three weeks. What I’m not new to is the art of being grateful. Here are a few things that I’m grateful for:

I work outside every day. I am up before the sun and down after its gone. I am close to the natural, close to nature, I am a part of it. Living in a city makes me forget this. Living on the farm lets me remember. For this I am grateful.

I work with and near an abundance of high quality vegetables that are not tainted by the toxic poisons of human ingenuity. I eat them to my heart and soul’s content. For this I am grateful.

Every day I put my body to use – my legs, my arms, my core, my everything. I am forever exhausted, but in such a good way. For this I am grateful.

Brenton loves what he does. And when he laughs he has a silly giggle. It makes me smile. For this I am grateful.

When it is time to eat breakfast, or break for lunch, Angel says “Breakfast Time” or “Lunch Time” or “Taco Time” or “Melon Time!” He is joyful in all he does. It is such a pleasure to work with him. For this I am grateful.

I work side by side with two full time employees and three other interns. We laugh and talk and sing and eat together as we face each busy day. These people are incredible. I am glad to be around them. For this I am grateful.

Happy is a chicken and she lets us pick her up. She lays eggs all over the place for us to find. Gus is a neighborhood dog that comes over to be pet. Frankie is the farm dog who sprints up and down the farm lanes. There is a peafowl that makes all sorts of peacock noises. I might be getting a kitten. And this all happens in the place that I live. For this I am grateful.

On Wednesday and Saturdays we get to work with an ever evolving crew of volunteers. The positive energy and the conversations and the change of pace (and the occasional cookies) that they bring is delightful and refreshing. For this I am grateful.

Even if I never grow up, I want to be a farmer some day. I am here as an intern on this farm to continue the learning process to bring me a little further on that path. So far it has only been three weeks, but I like what I see.

• Open House and Potluck Saturday October 17th
  

Our Fall Open House and Potluck is coming up soon – we’re planning on Saturday Oct 17th, 3pm till dark. We’ll be sending out an official Evite invitation soon to collect RSVPs. We offering live music, farm tours, and lots of good potluck food. Last time the food was so delicious we had several folks request recipes afterward. So please consider printing up your recipe and bringing it along for others to copy and take home.

• Artisan Spotlight – Beth’s Dad….Potter Ron Newsome

Ever wanted something beautiful yet functional to serve your farm vegetables in?  If so, you’ll have a chance to see Ron Newsome’s pottery on Saturday, November 14 at Clayways on Burnett Road (http://clayways.com).  Ron is Beth’s father, and he and Beth’s mother, Lynn, spent a year living at JBG when Brenton and Beth first moved from here their house on Holly Street.  Lynn and Ron were extremely helpful during this first year, assisting Brenton and Beth with the transition and taking care of the children.

During his stay in Austin, Ron used the studios at Clayways, which continues to carry some of his pieces.

Ron studied for two and one-half years with F. Carlton Ball at Old Town Potters in Tacoma, Washington, and he received a BA from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington at the same time.  Ron and Lynn currently live in Wadley, AL (Lynn’s hometown), where his permanent studio is located.  Wadley, which has a population of 650 people, was recently featured in a story on NPR (click here) to read more, use this link: http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=112493600)  Wadley suffered the loss of hundreds of jobs when Meadowcraft Incorporated, the nation’s largest manufacturer of outdoor wrought-iron furniture, shut down earlier this year.  This closure has devastated the town of Wadley.

Ron continues to create beautiful works despite what’s happening in Wadley. Of his work, he writes:

“I try to make plain pots.  My effort has been to make pots that are useful, quiet and complimentary of a slower pace of life.  They are designed for simple everyday living and use and, if they function as well as I intended, will be pleasing as companions over a long period of time.” All of Ron’s pots are high fire stoneware, and all the glazes are safe.

Brenton and Beth wanted members to know about Ron’s work.  As an individual artisan living in Wadley, AL, there’s little chance members would come across his work on their own.  Unlike corporations with large advertising budgets, individual artisans often rely on word of mouth.  The current economic conditions in Wadley further attest to the importance of these community links.

He has a wide assortment of vases (large and small), bowls, covered dishes, casseroles, pitchers, large salad (or fruit) bowls, cream and sugar sets, condiment trays, plates, tea pots, mugs, tumblers and goblets. If members would like more information or photos please contact Ron at 256-610-0157 or email lnewsome@centurytel.net.  Also, he will be at Clayways (http://clayways.com) on November 14^th (look for details in coming newsletters).

• Changes in Delivery Days Planned for October

Several weeks ago, we asked our Saturday members if they would prefer a pickup on a weekday, and overwhelmingly, those who responded said yes. Therefore, we will gradually begin phasing out our Saturday deliveries starting the second week in October.

We will also be adding 4 new sites and offering pickups on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. All of the current pickup locations will remain the same, but we will add sites in Lakeway, Westlake, Allendale/Crestview, and South Congress. These changes will allow us to increase our membership, shorten our waiting list, and facilitate worker scheduling. In order to make the most efficient use of gas and time, we will group the pickup days by geographical area.

We will work with current Saturday members to accommodate their schedules during our transition by continuing to offer them the same Saturday delivery schedule until November 1st. If Saturday members wish to change before November to a week-day pickup, a Friday pickup will be available at beginning October 9th at the sites listed in the chart below.

TIMELINE:

We will continue to keep everyone updated as we make these changes over the next two months. Please let us know if you have any concerns or questions about these upcoming changes. You can email us at farm@jbgorganic.com or call the office between 7:30am and 12:30pm at 512-386-5273. Also, we seeking volunteers to host pickup locations for Tuesday afternoons at Lakeway, Westlake, Wednesdays in Allendale/Crestview, and Fridays in Travis Heights. Please contact us if you’d like more information about hosting.

3) Events

• Outstanding in the Field

Get your tickets while you still can for the Outstanding in the Field (OITF) dinner here on the farm on September 29th. OITF’s mission is to, ” is to re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it.” To read more about Outstanding in the Field, please visit their website at http://www.outstandinginthefield.com. We hope you can join us for this wonderful event in September here at JBG.

• Plein Air Austin Painting Group Celebrates Local Farms this Fall

The artist members of the Plein Air Austin group will be celebrating local farms this fall by gathering to paint at several organic Austin-area farms over several weekends. Each “paint out” will begin at 9 a.m. and wrap up by noon. Each event will feature plein air artists working in oil, pastels or watercolor and capturing lively scenes of farm stands and shoppers as well as beautiful old barns, funky tractors or whatever else catches our creative attention.

Artists of all kinds are invited to join us on these paint-outs and need not be members of Plein Air Austin to participate. Or, if you’re an art lover and collector, drop by a paint-out and meet the artists – who knows, you may end up the lucky buyer of a painting as freshly created as your farm stand produce. To let us know you’ll be participating, please visit www.pleinairaustin.org and click on “Calendar”. The artists are excited to celebrate local farms and promote the health, environmental and community benefits of eating locally. Bountiful places and beautiful art go hand in hand!

First stop for “Celebrating Local Farms” will be Boggy Creek Farm on September 12 at 3414 Lyons Road, Austin.

On Sept 19, we will visit Green Gate Farms at 8310 Canoga Avenue, Austin.

September 24, we will paint at Johnson’s Backyard Garden, 9515 Hergotz Lane, Austin.

October 10, artists will paint at Juniper Hills Farm outside Dripping Springs.

About Plein Air Austin: Plein Air Austin promotes painting directly from life through paint-outs, exhibitions, and fellowship benefitting artists as well as the community. It is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization with more than 80 artist members. Learn more at www.pleinairaustin.org.

• Toby Hemenway and your Backyard Ecosystem

September 24, 7 pm. Toby Hemenway, author of the popular permaculture guide, “Gaia’s Garden,” will talk about creating backyard ecosystems. BookPeople, Sixth Street and Lamar Boulevard. www.bookpeople.com (For a schedule of additional permaculture events and classes, visit www.permie.us/ )

• Citizen Gardener Gardening Skills Course

September 26, 8:30 am to noon. Basic gardening skills course presented by Citizen Gardener that includes information on Austin’s growing season(s), climate, soils, plants, as well as guidance on how to raise safe, nutritious food for your family. Bahá’í Faith of Austin, 2215 E. M. Franklin Ave. Register at http://basiccourse9.eventbrite.com For more details on the Citizen Gardener program, visit www.citizengardener.ning.com/

• Introduction to Biointensive Food Gardening

October 4, 9 am to 2 pm Introduction to Biointensive Food Gardening with the nonprofit Green Corn Project. This is a hands-on class that teaches the basics of “Double Digging,” an organic gardening method that builds the soil and produces more vegetables in a small area. Visit www.greencornproject.org/gc/ for class details, and while you’re there, sign up as a volunteer to help dig and plant fall vegetable gardens for Austin’s underserved communities.

4) Quotable Food

“Be fruitful and mulch apply.” Keith Johnson, Permaculture Activist Magazine

5) Recipes

• How to Cook a Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is a good alternative to pasta, potatoes, or rice. The cooked squash flesh shreds into threads like thin spaghetti or vermicelli, hence its name. On average, a spaghetti squash measures about 12 inches in length and about 6 inches in diameter. The squash should be an even light yellow color and firm with no bruises. Store whole at room temperature up to 3 weeks. Spaghetti squash is available year-round with peak season in fall.

Spaghetti squash has a very mild flavor, thus it is usually served with a sauce of some sort. It may also be enjoyed simply with salt and a bit of butter. Cooking the squash is very simple.

You will need:

• 1 spaghetti squash.

• Large sharp knife.

• Baking pan.

• Oven.

• Kitchen fork.

Prick the spaghetti squash all over with a skewer so it will not burst while baking.

Place whole squash in a shallow baking pan. Bake in preheated 375 F oven for 1 hour. When cool enough to handle, cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise with a serrated knife. Scoop the seeds and fibrous strings from the center of the cooked spaghetti squash. Gently scrape the tines of a kitchen fork around the edge of the spaghetti squash to shred the pulp into strands.

Cooked spaghetti squash is usually served with a sauce or gravy because the flesh is very bland in flavor. It may be served alone as a side dish with the addition of salt, pepper, and butter. Any pasta sauce that you can create will be excellent with spaghetti squash.

• What’s for Dinner

Melani Novinger, yet another one of our dedicated CSA members, wrote to inform us that she also has a food blog. Please read on……..

“I wanted to let you all I know that I too have a blog based off of what I get from the CSA (plus other local Austin produce/meat).  I started it about a year ago for some friends who wanted to know what in the world I did with all the produce I was getting, how to make homemade applesauce, and how to make an easy chicken broth.  It has lots of recipes for the CSA vegetables, beef (we got a 1/4 cow from Indian Hills Organics this year), farmer’s market produce, and baked goods (baking is my weakness)—focusing on the whole slow food, “if you know where your food came from it’s better” philosophy.  Thought I’d let you all in on it too.

It’s called What’s for Dinner and you can find it at:  http://melscooking.blogspot.com ”

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:

Peppers 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 and 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.

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.

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

Several weeks ago, we asked our Saturday members if they would prefer a pickup on a weekday, and overwhelmingly, those who responded said yes.  Therefore, we will gradually begin phasing out our Saturday deliveries starting the second week in October.

We will also be adding 4 new sites and offering pickups on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  All of the current pickup locations will remain the same, but we will add sites in Lakeway, Westlake, Allendale/Crestview, and South Congress.  These changes will allow us to increase our membership, shorten our waiting, and facilitate worker scheduling.  In order to make the most efficient use of gas and time, we will group the pickup days by geographical area.

We will work with current Saturday members to accommodate their schedules during our transition by continuing to offer them the same Saturday delivery schedule until November 1^st.  If Saturday members wish to change before November to a week-day pickup, a Friday pickup will be available at beginning October 9^th at the sites listed in the chart below.

TIMELINE:

October 9th – November 1st:

Monday no pickups	Tuesday no pickups	Wednesday NORTH	Thursday no pickups	Friday CENTRAL/EAST (option for new sign-ups or current Saturday members)	Saturday CENTRAL/SOUTH (for existing Saturday members only; no new sign-ups)
		Round Rock Cedar Park NW Austin Allendale/Crestview		East Austin Hyde Park Zilker South Austin	East Austin Hyde Park Zilker South Austin

After November 1st:

Monday no pickups	Tuesday	Wednesday NORTH	Thursday no pickups	Friday CENTRAL/EAST (option for new sign-ups or current Saturday members)	Saturday CENTRAL/SOUTH no pickups
	Lakeway Westlake Tarrytown South Austin	Round Rock Cedar Park NW Austin Allendale/Crestview		East Austin Hyde Park Zilker South Congress

We will continue to keep everyone updated as we make these changes over the next two months.  Please let us know if you have any concerns or questions about these upcoming changes.  You can email us at farm@jbgorganic.com or call the office between 7:30am and 12:30pm at 512-386-5273.  Also, we are currently looking for hosts for the new Lakeway, Westlake, Allendale/Crestview, and South Congress pickups.  Please contact us if you’d like more information about hosting.

• It’s Snake Season on the Farm

Temo and Jessica have had quite the morning today. Three snakes, one rat. Temo found two rattle snakes out in the fields hanging out around the water risers. Then there was a rat that had made it’s way into one of the empty irrigation pipes. A good flushing of the lines helped Temo clear him out. Meanwhile, Jessica was trying to seed flats in the barn when she spotted a water moccasin hiding in the soil mix.  All the snakes were juveniles, which means they were a bit more dangerous than their adult counterparts, not being able to meter out their venom like adults.

I suppose they were all in search of water and some relief from the heat. For us it is an adrenaline rush to discover their hiding spots; there remains a certain uneasiness between the critters and the farmers out here.  And it’s not likely to change anytime soon.

Contents:
1) In Your Box this Week

2) Farm News

• New Pickup Site for Tarrytown beginning September 2
• New Seed Varieties coming Our Way
• Donut Army Blog

3) Events

• Outstanding in the Field
• Cheese making with Slow Food Austin
• Plein Air Austin Painting Group Celebrates Local Farms this Fall
• For Love of Water: F.L.O.W. of appreciation, awareness, action for a sustainable future
• Pamela Walker’s New Book ‘Growing Good Things to Eat in Texas’

4) Quotable Food

5) Recipes

• Okra: How to get the Slime Out
• Fried Okra with Potatoes and Onions, Hot Peppers optional
• Okra with Tomatoes and Onions, with Basil optional
• Steamed Okra with Caps on Trick

6) Produce Storage Tips

7) Johnson’s Backyard Garden Contact Info

1) In Your Box This Week

Okra
Watermelon
Basil
Winter Squash
White or Red Onions
Potatoes
Sweet Peppers
Pablano and Anaheim Mild Peppers
Jalapeno and Serrano Hot Peppers
Black, purple, green, white and Rosa Bianca Eggplant
Yellow, Zephyr and Zucchini

2) Farm News

• New Pickup Site for Tarrytown beginning September 2

Lilo Pomerleau has graciously offered to serve as our new Tarrytown host.  Starting on Wednesday, September 2nd, Tarrytown members will now pickup their vegetables in the carport of Lilo’s home at 3402 Bonnie, Austin, TX 78703.  Click here to see a Google Maps image of the site.  Many thanks to outgoing Tarrytown host Allision Phillips – we appreciate her efforts and wish her luck in her move.

• New Seed Varieties coming Our Way

This week has been full of seed ordering for Aaron. Approximately $3,000 worth of seeds from carrots to bare root garlic will soon be arriving at our door. This will be enough seed to get us through the end of the year, Aaron hopes anyway. Jessica has been busy planting seeds to flats in the greenhouse. Her most recent experiment has failed, however. About a dozen flats of lettuce were seeded and placed in a dark temperature controlled storage space to germinate. We have not seen any progress on the lettuce sprouting though and fear we will have to reseed. There is always trial and error on a farm, it’s just part of the process.

Our cucumbers are not producing as heavily as we’d like this season. Aphids have once again infested the cucumber beds and slowed production to a virtual standstill. They seem to have a discriminating palate though, as gorgeous summer squash are growing like gangbusters in the very next row.  Today we also harvested and stored the rest of the butternut squash for this round of planting (we do have more winter squash in production for later in the season).

After harvesting this morning, Keith spent the rest of his day weeding the basil and running the rototiller through the beds close to the barn. Temo fixed yet another farm vehicle that has been out of commission all week. It seems essential to have a few skilled mechanics around any farm, luckily we have two. Oh yes, Temo also handled snake duties this afternoon. We try to keep the vegetation away from the water risers just so we are not reaching into a mess of tall grass when trying to get the irrigation going. While trimming near the risers today, Temo caught sight of a Copperhead and had to deal with ‘removing’ said snake. Not a fun job but it does have to be done.

We completed the task of installing tomato cages for the fall determinate tomatoes late last week. And Angel finished placing stakes among the new plantings of indeterminate tomatoes today.  This idea of growing fall tomatoes is new to me as a northerner. I have to admit that I’m very excited to see tomatoes fruiting well into the next season.

We’ve had some amazing workshare turnouts this week, twenty-two people helped us out on Saturday. With extra hands around the farm we are able to catch up on weeding the beds, getting boxes packed early and doing some extra cleaning around the barn.  Thank you to all who take time out of your busy schedules to help us meet our weekly deadlines. You are a big part of the community in Community Supported Agriculture.

• Donut Army Blog

Cathy Brigham, one of our valued CSA suscribers, has started a new blog, Donut Army, that focuses on what she cooks from her bi-weekly CSA box. Cathy claims she’s new at this blog thing but her site is interesting and may offer you some suggestions for your own kitchen experience with our organic produce. Thank you Cathy!

3) Events

• Outstanding in the Field

Get your tickets while you still can for the Outstanding in the Field (OITF) dinner here on the farm on September 29th.  OITF’s mission is to, ” is to re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it.”  To read more about Outstanding in the Field, please visit their website at http://www.outstandinginthefield.com.  We hope you can join us for this wonderful event in September here at JBG.

• Cheese making with Slow Food Austin

Slow Food Austin’s September 3rd Slow Session introduces you to making great cheese at home. Led by cheese-maker and teacher Scott Evans of Austin Homebrew Supply, this session will cover the basics of home cheese-making, offer a bit of cheese history, and discuss sourcing ingredients such as raw milk. Scott will bring some of his cheeses to sample and participants will leave with their own starter that can be finished at home. The Session goes from 7-9 p.m. We provide light refreshments; feel free to bring a beverage or snack to share. All Slow Food Austin Slow Sessions are free. Habitat Suites is at 500 E Highland Mall Blvd in Austin; just ask the front desk to direct you to the Slow Session.

The artist members of the Plein Air Austin group will be celebrating local farms this fall by gathering to paint at several organic Austin-area farms over several weekends. Each “paint out” will begin at 9 a.m. and wrap up by noon. Each event will feature plein air artists working in oil, pastels or watercolor and capturing lively scenes of farm stands and shoppers as well as beautiful old barns, funky tractors or whatever else catches our creative attention.

Artists of all kinds are invited to join us on these paint-outs and need not be members of Plein Air Austin to participate. Or, if you’re an art lover and collector, drop by a paint-out and meet the artists – who knows, you may end up the lucky buyer of a painting as freshly created as your farm stand produce. To let us know you’ll be participating, please visit www.pleinairaustin.org and click on “Calendar”. The artists are excited to celebrate local farms and promote the health, environmental and community benefits of eating locally. Bountiful places and beautiful art go hand in hand!

First stop for “Celebrating Local Farms” will be Boggy Creek Farm on September 12 at 3414 Lyons Road, Austin.

On Sept 19, we will visit Green Gate Farms at 8310 Canoga Avenue, Austin.

September 24, we will paint at Johnson’s Backyard Garden, 9515 Hergotz Lane, Austin.

October 10, artists will paint at Juniper Hills Farm outside Dripping Springs.

About Plein Air Austin: Plein Air Austin promotes painting directly from life through paint-outs, exhibitions, and fellowship benefitting artists as well as the community. It is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization with more than 80 artist members. Learn more at www.pleinairaustin.org.

4) Quotable Food

A lawn is nature under totalitarian rule. Michael Pollan

5) Recepies

• Okra: How to get the Slime Out, sent to us by Susan Randal

A tried and true way to really remove the slime from okra: Cut off stem ends and soak in a bowl of 2/3 water and 1/3 vinegar for awhile. Drain off the slimy liquid residue and rinse before cooking. It really works!

• Fried Okra with Potatoes and Onions, Hot Peppers optional, sent to us by Dorinda and Marshal (Treadwell host neighbors)
  

On a good sized cutting board cut and season each ingredient separately, so they can be added individually during cooking. Cut up size of each ingredient should be in comparison to cooking time for that ingredient.

Onions (yellow, white, or red) – chunky chopped or cut-up so they don’t cook too fast – no seasoning on this pile, remember they cook down some.

Hot peppers (to taste) (optional ingredient) – seed to reduce heat, chopped medium to small, but not tiny – no seasoning on this pile (we usually use jalapenos, red or green)

Potatoes – cut up or cubed in 1/4 to 3/8 inch size pieces (amount to be about equal to okra, but fine to be less too; will look less on cutting board) – seasoning: salt and pepper to taste, then dust lightly with flour and jumble around with fingers to very lightly dust coat (old southern black lady, Lilly Pearl, taught my gransmother this trick to keep potatoes from soaking up grease when frying while not changing the flavor or texture)

Okra – cut in 1/2 to 5/8 inch pieces and lay flat (cut side up) on cutting board for seasoning: salt and pepper to taste, I also sprinkled on some dill, then drizzle corn meal all over (no need to jumble or stir as the excess corn meal between the pieces will mix in when adding to pan)

Two cooking options: You can add all ingredients at same time (potatoes work best starting out on the bottom)and fry and stir or you can add in layers so some parts are less cooked/fried. Both ways are good, but produce different textures, with the second preserving more okra flavor and texture without the slime. I use olive oil, enough to cover the bottom of the skillet, less than 1/8 inch deep, as you don’t want to have oil left over after cooking but you need enough to fry with. Heat oil pretty hot (sizzles a water drop), add potatoes first and spread over bottom of pan, let fry a 3-4 minutes, stir and respread over bottom of pan. Let fry another 1-2 minutes and then add the hot peppers and onions sprinkled over top of potatoes, with the okra added and spread over that, including the excess corn meal. Let cook a little more before stirring the mixture together. The potatoes, this way, will have a little crispier outside. Then stir every minute until everything is done to your liking. The okra will continue to cook some being in with everything hot, so you can actually turn off just before the okra is where you want it. The longest part is preparing the ingredients.

• Okra with Tomatoes and Onions, with Basil optional, sent to us by Dorinda and Marshal (Treadwell host neighbors)
  

Onions (I usually use yellow, but others fine) – slice in wedges that creates long strips 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide

Tomatoes – depending upon size and type of tomato, slice in wedges 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide or cut in chunks

Basil (fresh works best, but dry is fine, optional) – fresh, several leaves (use whole or torn up just a bit); dry, 1 tsp to maybe 1 tbl, depending upon size of dish being cooked

Okra – pods can be left whole with caps or cut in 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces (I cut okra for this dish, but use whole with caps for just steaming okra by itself)

Can be cooked with or without a lid, but is faster with the lid and also steams while simmering. Olive oil to cover bottom of skillet, enough to simmer dish and cook into dish. Add onions, then tomatoes, add a pinch of sugar (cuts the acid of the tomatoes, but not enough to flavor dish), sauté/simmer till onion starts softening and turning translucent, add basil (optional), stir again, add okra and stir every minute or so until okra starts to soften, turn off heat. If using lid, leave lid in place a 3-5 minutes, if not, stir a couple times over 3-5 minutes to finish the okra.

• Steamed Okra with Caps on Trick, sent to us by Dorinda and Marshal (Treadwell host neighbors)
  

If okra is not overcooked, it will not be slimy. Also, whole okra steamed (do not boil) with caps on (is part of the trick) tends not to be slimy. Marshall says get a pan with a steamer basket boiling, put in whole okra, steam for 5 minutes, turn off, leaving okra not limp but with some texture (the rest of the trick). The okra will turn a little darker when done, but don’t overcook. You can serve whole and cut it on the plate or hold the cap handle to eat it; it should have enough firmness to do so.

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.

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

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