Green Garlic

Beauregard Sweet Potatoes

Bok Choy

Pickling and Slicing Cucumbers

Vegetable Amaranth Greens

Arugula

Okra

Basil

Butternut Squash

Sweet and Hot Pepper Mix

Black Beauty and Dancer Eggplant

Sweet Corn- we hope!

Broccoli for some boxes

The green beans are ready for harvesting! Without your help, we won’t be able to harvest all of them in time.  Give us a hand and ensure these delicious beans make it into the CSA shares.  Also, we have sweet corn that needs harvesting, too.

Volunteers should arrive at the farm tomorrow at 8am and plan on helping out until 1pm.  Please bring water to drink and wear long sleeves and pants for protection and sturdy shoes.  Also consider bringing a large brimmed hat, work gloves and snacks.   Also, please bring a large tote bag to take your vegetables home with you.

If you can’t make it out tomorrow, we have Workshare opportunities every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 8am to 1pm.  Please give Carrie a call in the office at 512-386-5273 if you’re interested in participating.  If you want to join us tomorrow, directions on what to bring, what to where, and how to get here are listed below.

From Airport Road, 7th Street or 183 South: Merge onto 183 South and get in left-hand lane.  Turn left onto Thompson Lane at the 2^nd traffic light

after you cross the Colorado River Bridge. Callahan’s General Store and a Shell gas station will also be on the left. Take Thompson Lane until it dead ends

into Hergotz Lane. Turn right onto Hergotz Lane and continue for a couple of miles until the road makes a sharp left hand turn.  After going around the

curve, continue for about ¼ mile and turn right to stay on Hergotz Lane (there is a dump truck parking lot on the left, and you will see a small, hand-painted

sign for Johnson’s Backyard Garden on the right).  Turn right into the last driveway before Hergotz dead ends.  Follow this driveway past the first field on

your right.  Once you reach the Pecan Orchard (grassy section w/pecan trees) turn and park just off of the road on the grass.

The glorious rains continue to slow us down in the field, however, we did have a wonderful break from the precipitation for Outstanding in the Field. In case you missed the story and photos in the Statesman last week, you can still catch them here.

A call to action for all Plumbers and Sheetrock Installers. We need your help (or your recommendations for a great handyman) to finish our barn remodel.  Plumbing: we have two small bathrooms that  need to be topped out.  Sheetrock: needed in both the bathrooms and the office.  These are two small jobs that would make a huge difference to the staff, interns, and volunteers that put in time at the farm.  Please let us know if you  ( or someone you know) can help. And thanks in advance!

• At the River Road Farm

Today the farm crew is working at the River Road farm. We are starting to install the irrigation pipes, so all hands are needed to get the fittings right and the line placed in the trenches.  All the transplants for the new farm are currently growing in the greenhouse. We should be planting in the new fields within the next three weeks

• Close Encounter With James McWilliams, the Author of ‘Just Food’, by Grit Ramuschkat, JBG resident

When I randomly staggered into Bookpeople the other day, a book titled “Just Food – Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsible” displayed in the entry area caught my eye. Since I am a strong believer in the many benefits of eating locally, I was simultaneously curious and offended by the title. Curiosity won and I decided to take a closer look. The date of the talk accompanying the new release hadn’t passed yet, so I was determined to go.

The author James McWilliams is an associate professor of history at Texas State in San Marcos. He has written articles for the New York Times & Slate Magazine and this is his second book.

The “food miles” argument, meaning how far food has traveled before you buy it, has become a popular slogan for the go-local movement (we have all seen phrases such as “Local food tastes miles better”, “Eat local…a thousand miles fresher” on bumper stickers). “By carefully counting food miles, we miss the big picture,” McWilliams says. According to his research, resources spent on transportation account for 11% of the total energy cost of food. To just look at food miles might not necessarily mean much. For example, the tomato might be grown locally, but the fertilizer might have come from far away. McWilliams quoted a study where grass-fed lamb grown in New Zealand and shipped to Great Britain turned out to emit less CO2 than feedlot lamb grown and sold directly in Britain. This was because the British lamb was fed grain, which required fossil fuel to produce. However, as audience member Micheal Tobis pointed out, the study didn’t include the greenhouse gas methane.

“The locavore philosophy is flawed by its own simplicity,” says McWilliams. Yet, by addressing only one point of the go-local movement, McWilliams falls victim to oversimplicity himself. There is more to the locavore philosophy than food miles. Local food tastes better, because it’s harvested when fully ripe. Local food producers often subscribe to organic practices, which improve nutrition and soil health. By spending food dollars locally money remains in the community, strengthening it. What I take from McWilliams’ argument is a reminder to continue learning about where food comes from and how it’s produced. Buying local food makes it easier because there is a face — the farmer’s.

McWilliams believes that causes require sacrifice, yet he sees none in locavorism. He himself sacrificed meat after his research indicated that a meat-free diet reduces the impact on the environment more than buying all food locally. While I respect McWilliams for becoming a vegetarian, I don’t think that the go-local movement needs a sacrifice in order to be taken seriously. With regard to meat, as a nation we definitely need to reduce meat consumption in order to achieve a healthier, more sustainable food system. If we think locavorism needs a sacrifice, how about the sacrifice of giving up “cheap” food, which is often subsidized, and instead paying the true price upfront.

While it took some courage to face his critique of the go-local movement, I found my beliefs not cracked but strengthened. His message reminds me to stay critical of the movement, not to see it as an all-inclusive truth, look behind the scenes, request regulations and governmental changes, and to keep on engaging in the local food scene. After all, it’s a good thing!

Please direct your comments to Grit Ramuschkat at email@gritramuschkat.com and we will post them on the blog for you.

Articles by and about James McWilliams:

http://www.slate.com/id/2198756/

New York Times: Food That Travels Well, Free-Range Trichinosis

see also Austin American Statesman, Food Matters on 08/26/09

3) Events

• Michael Pollan’s The Botany of Desire on PBS

October 28, 2009 8:00pm I’ve been seeing this advertised on PBS recently and had no idea that it existed, but boy am I excited. One of my favorite books and authors, Michael Pollan’s The Botany of Desire, will be aired on KLRU on October 28th at 8pm. Get the details and see a preview on KLRU’s web site .

• 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.

• Austin Film Festival presents 7th Annual Film & Food

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

• Texas Book Festival, sent from Lisa Lawrence Gordon

Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, State Capitol building, Austin. This is a link to the schedule – http://www.texasbookfestival.org/Calendar.php one page for each day. If you scroll down you will see there is an entire tent devoted to Cooking. There are also some other panels you will find interesting in some of the other tents –the Lifestyle Tent for example has one on beekeeping adventures and another on gardening on Saturday. Be sure to stop by at 3:30pm on Sunday to hear Woody Tasch talk about his new book ‘Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money: Investing as if Food, Farms and Fertility Mattered’.

The Festival is free and open to the public, and there are a ton of fun things to do for families, children’s authors, entertainment, children’s activity tent, the Biscuit Brothers…the list goes on.

4) Quotable Food

“Your descendants shall gather your fruits.”— Virgil

5) Recipes

• Creamed Bok Choy, cooks.com
  

1/2 c. water

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. instant chicken bouillon granules

Several dashes pepper

Dash garlic powder

6 c. chopped bok choy

1/4 c. light cream or milk

4 tsp. cornstarch

In large saucepan combine water, soy sauce, bouillon granules, pepper and garlic powder. Bring to boiling. Add bok choy. Reduce heat; cover and simmer about 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Blend light cream into cornstarch; stir into bok choy. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. 6 servings.

• Barley and Bok Choy Egg Rolls, cooks.com

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup medium barley

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

3 tablespoons sesame or vegetable oil

4 scallions, sliced

1 red pepper, chopped

1/2 pound bok choy, shredded

1 tablespoon rice wine or white wine vinegar

1 (16 oz.) package prepared egg roll wrappers

oil for frying

In a saucepan bring 4 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to boiling. Add barley; reduce heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes until barley is tender and water is absorbed. In skillet cook ginger in oil one minute. Add scallions and red pepper. Cook, stirring until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add shredded bok choy; cook one minute until wilted.

Remove from heat. Stir in rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and barley. For each roll, brush egg roll wrapper with 1 teaspoon water. Place scant 1/2 cup barley mixture horizontally across center of wrapper, leaving 2 inch border on all sides. Fold corner tightly over fillings, then overlap right and left corners. Roll up tightly to enclose filling. Repeat with remaining barley mixture and wrappers.

In deep skillet heat 1 inch oil to 375 degrees F. Fry rolls in batches until golden and crisp, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Serve with soy sauce, if desired. Makes 12 egg rolls.

• Eggplant in Garlic Sauce (version III), aubergines.org

4 cups chopped eggplant (use cylinder shaped; should be chopped in about 1 inch cylinder shape segments)

8 cloves garlic minced

1/3 cup ketchup (approximation)

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

1/4 – 1/3 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons white soy sauce

1 tablespoon regular soy sauce

1 tablespoon Chinese chili sauce

3 tablespoons dry white wine

1/2 cup chopped green onions (green part only)

about 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in water

2 tablespoons hot oil (add to finished sauce)

Fry eggplant in oil over medium heat, for about 8 min. When frying cycle was completed, the eggplant is dark yellow in color. After frying drain well and set aside.

Fry ginger and garlic in a little oil for about 30 sec. When you smell strong aroma, add ketchup and stir for a minute or so. Add Chinese chile sauce and stir well. Next, add white wine and simmer for a minute or two. After this, add all other ingredients except green onions and cornstarch. Stir and allow mixture to simmer for a couple of minutes before adding cornstarch. Just as mixture starts to thicken, add chopped green onions and hot oil, stir for a minute or so and add eggplant to sauce. Once eggplant is coated with sauce, turn off fire, remove from wok/skillet and serve over white rice.

• Autumn Pumpkin (or Squash, or Sweet Potato ) Pie, adapted from southernfood.about.com

1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree, (or try any winter squash or sweet potatoes)

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup evaporated milk, undiluted

2 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 unbaked pastry shell (9-inch)

Combine pumpkin, sugar, salt, spices, and flour in a medium mixing bowl. Add eggs; mix well. Add evaporated milk, water, and vanilla; mix well. Pour into pastry-lined pie pan. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350° and bake about 35 minutes longer, or until center is set.

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