Contents:
1) In Your Box this Week

2) Farm News

• Running Out of Room
• See ‘What’s Growing’ on our web site
  
• 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, Lakeway, and Westlake
  
• Sweet Corn will be available this week or next
  
• Open House and Potluck – Saturday Oct 17th
  
• 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

• Sweet Potato with Apple Butter
• Okra, Onions, Corn and Tomatoes

6) Produce Storage Tips

7) Johnson’s Backyard Garden Contact Info

1) In Your Box This Week
Baby Arugula
Okra
Basil
Acorn Squash
Yukon Gold and Caribe Potatoes
Sweet Peppers
Pablano and Anaheim Peppers
Jalapeno Peppers
Black Beauty and Dancer Eggplant
Summer Squash

Coming Soon: Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Corn

2) Farm News

• Running Out of Room

Brenton swears we are running out of room here at the Hergotz Hill farm. This week we added a few new beds to our “office field” in the pecan orchard to plant salad crops and protect them from the deer.

When we, the farm crew, showed up for work this morning the first thought on everyone’s mind was “What is Beth going to think of this?” Beth is the great protector of the pecan orchard; while Brenton is more likely to see land not used to it’s fullest production possibilities. Now I haven’t officially talked with Beth yet, but Brenton says she was informed of the new field development and was not thrilled about it. She has insisted on saving enough space to hold the annual Fall Open House/Potluck that is coming up soon (save the date Saturday, October 17th 3pm till dark).

I think Beth is more concerned about the kids loosing their open space (less room for playing out doors). Now granted, not every kid has a three acre pecan orchard for a backyard but it sure is a nice amenity for a farm kid. The lettuce patch approach to our deer problem will be a short term solution for us. As the River Road farm starts production in the next month we will phase out vegetable farming on the Hergotz Hill farm and it will be planted in a cover crop.

• See ‘What’s Growing’ on our web site - Please check it out www.jbgorganic.com, see what items will be gracing your table this winter season.

• JBG Accepting New Members for 2010 Soon! – Exciting news for the 2010 season involves increasing our customer base with the addition of 50 more acres of crop land. This means the waiting list will soon be a thing of the past. Right now, Aaron is working on the computer programming end of this task.  In a week or two we will start phasing out our waiting list. Those of you currently on the waiting list will have the opportunity to sign up for the delivery day of your choice and even suggest new delivery sites.

• New Thursday Pickup in the Works, Where would you like us to deliver? – Besides the upcoming changes to the delivery schedule posted below, we are considering adding Thursdays as an additional option for veggie pickups. One thing we’d like to hear from all our CSA members are suggestions for a new neighborhood location for Thursday’s deliveries
• CSA site hosts needed for Travis Heights, Lakeway, and Westlake - The deal works like this, if you want to host a delivery site you’ll need enough spare room for us to stack CSA boxes until they are picked up by members on pickup day. This could be a garage, a patio, or any place protected from the winter rains and summer heat. In return you get a CSA box of veggies five times a year. In addition to this, you also get to keep or share with neighbors any veggies not picked up by CSA members. We are seeking site hosts for Tuesdays in Lakeway and Westlake, and Fridays in Travis Heights. If you’d like to become a host, have questions about hosting, or have an idea for a new neighborhood pickup site, you can email us at  farm@jbgorganic.com or call the office between 7:30am and 12:30pm at 512-386-5273.
• Changes in Delivery Days Planned for October

Below is a chart of our new sites and pickup day changes starting October 9th.  Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns with the delivery day changes.

• 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.

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 www.outstandinginthefield.com. We hope you can join us for this wonderful event in September here at JBG.

• 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

“There are many of us who cannot but feel dismal about the future of various cultures. Often it is hard not to agree that we are becoming culinary nitwits, dependent upon fast foods and mass kitchens and megavitamins for our basically rotten nourishment.” M. F. K. Fisher

5) Recipes

• Sweet Potato with Apple Butter, from southernfood.about.com

4 medium sweet potatoes

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/3 cup spiced apple butter

1 tablespoon butter

Wash and cook sweet potatoes in boiling water just until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove skins and slices 1/4-inch thick. Grease a baking dish and place a layer of sweet potatoes in it; sprinkle with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and a thin layer of apple butter. Repeat until all ingredients are used. Dot with butter. Bake at 325° for 30 minutes.

• Okra, Onions, Corn and Tomatoes,  from thatsmyhome.com

8 ounces bacon

1 large onion, diced

3 large tomatoes, diced

4 C. whole-kernel corn, thawed, drained or cut from cobs

1 1/2 C. fresh okra, washed, trimmed and sliced or a 10-oz. okra

3/4 t. salt

1/4 t. milled pepper

Fry bacon in a large, heavy saucepan until crisp. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of drippings in the pan. Heat on medium and add the onion. Cook until tender, stirring often. Add the tomatoes, corn, okra, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Crumble the bacon over the top just 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.

A Praying Mantis out it the open and in his preferred habitat.

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