1) In Your Box This Week

2) Farm News

• JBG Now Accepting New CSA Members!
• A Call to Support Austin’s farmers
• Wholesaling in the New Year
• Goings-On around the Farm
• Happy Holidays from the Crew at Johnson’s Backyard Garden

3) Holiday Recipes

• Carrot, Dill & White Bean Salad
• Sauteed Broccoli Rabe with Garlic and Olive Oil

4) Produce Storage Tips

5) Johnson’s Backyard Garden Contact Info

1) In Your Box This Week

New Potatoes!

Dill

Butterhead Lettuce

Carrots

Broccoli Raab

Sweet and Hot Peppers

Cauliflower or Broccoli

Green Garlic

Tomatoes

Bok Choy

Coming Soon:

Radishes

Spinach

Scallions

Kale

Lots more broccoli and cauliflower!

2) Farm news

• JBG Now Accepting New CSA Members!

Johnson’s Backyard Garden is expanding, and we are inviting Austin residents to become new CSA members.  If you know anyone who loves local, organic vegetables as much as you do, let them know about your CSA membership, and encourage them to look us up!   Our goal at JBG is to have a real impact on Austin’s local food chain by providing as many Austin residents as we can  with food straight from our farm. So share the news with your friends, family, co-workers, church members, or anyone else you’d like to share fresh, organic veggies with.  Word of mouth is our best advertising!

• A Call to Support Farmers at the Downtown Austin Farmers Market
  

The Downtown Austin farmers market will have an exciting new layout beginning the first of the year.  With the changes, though, the council members are considering removing parking spaces dedicated to farmer parking.  Suzanne Santos, the director of the Downtown market is asking for our support in calling the offices of Council Members Chris Riley and Mike Martinez, and Mayor Lee Leffingwell.  The major concerns with removing the parking spaces are:

1)    Safety – Removing designated farmer parking will force farmers to double park while they hurry to unload a truck full of produce.

2)    Best conditions for farmer produce/product – If a farmer is forced to off-load partial inventory from their trucks and then park in the parking lot or parking garage, then the condition and quality of their product for the Austin shopper is at risk to get damaged, stolen, or not sold because the product is not readily available to the farmer’s stall.

3)    There are plenty of public parking spaces available nearby – The availability of public parking is more than adequate at other metered spaces.  In addition, the shoppers who come downtown specifically to visit the market may park for free in the 700-space state parking garage next to the market. This is courtesy of a State of Texas agreement with Sustainable Food Center.

Please call these three numbers and express your opinion for having designated parking for farmers at the Downtown Farmers Market on Guadalupe Street between fourth and fifth , along fourth and along west fifth street.

1. Austin City Mayor
Mayor Lee Leffingwell

lee.leffingwell@ci.austin.tx.us
Phone: (512) 974-2250

2. Mike Martinez, Council Member

Mike.martinez@ci.austin.tx.u
Phone: (512) 974-2264

3. Chris Riley, Council Member Place 1

chris.riley@ci.austin.tx.us
Phone: (512) 974-2260

• Wholesaling in the New Year

You may know that we’re going to be growing on an additional forty acres in 2010.  As we expand, we are keeping our CSA as our top priority.  We are going to have a lot of excess produce, though, and we will be wholesaling to local restaurants and markets to help us fill in the gaps while we grow our CSA membership.  We are about to launch a shopping cart web site, where market or restaurant buyers may select the type and quantity of produce they wish to purchase.  We will deliver on our non-boxing days–Mondays and Thursdays.  We hope this fills a real need in Austin for its local restaurants and markets–a direct connection to a local farm, and fresh organic veggies!  If you are a restaurant or market owner and would like to learn more about our new wholesaling enterprise, please call or email us!

• Goings-On Around the Farm

JBG just installed a light on the greenhouse, so those members who pick up boxes in the evenings at the farm can see a little easier!

Special request from the interns in their humble trailers: a microwave is needed for the lunch rush during the day.  If anyone is willing and able to donate, email the farm at farm@jbgorganic.com or call 386-5273.

• Happy Holidays from the Crew at Johnson’s Backyard Garden

Brenton’s wife Beth, his brother Aaron, the kids Lila, Ada, Drew, Jimmy, and even the dog Frankie drove down to Alabama Friday morning to visit family for the holidays.  Brenton will be joining them Wednesday afternoon, after he makes sure all the CSA members get their vegetables, of course.  Carrie, our wonderful Office Manager is in DC with family for the holidays.  As for the interns, Kristyn flew to visit family in New Hampshire this weekend, Neysa and Travis are driving up to Dallas on Wednesday night to see both of their families who, coincidentally, live about five minutes apart, and  Keith will be visiting with friends in town, and making sure the farm is still here when everyone gets back.  We hope you all have a joyful and relaxing holiday, and eat lots of our veggies with your families!

3) Holiday Recipes

• Carrot, Dill & White Bean Salad (from 101 Cookbooks)

I like to buy young carrots at the farmers’ market – slice them slightly thicker than a banana chip for this salad.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fine grain salt
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots

more olive oil (or ghee) for cooking
2 cups sliced carrots, cut 1/4-inch thick on deep bias
3 cups cooked white beans
scant 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons brown sugar (or honey)
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Methods:

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and shallots in a small bowl. Stir and set aside.

In your largest skillet over medium high heat, toss the carrots with a splash of olive oil or a spoonful of ghee (I love ghee with carrots). Let them cook in a single layer – they’ll give off a bit of water at first. Keep cooking, tossing gently every three or four minutes until the carrots are deeply browned. All told, about twelve minutes.

Add the beans and dill to the skillet and cook for another five minutes, or until the beans as well heated through. If you are using beans that weren’t canned you can allow them to brown a bit as well (just cook a bit longer, and stir less frequently) – they can handle this in a way that most canned beans can’t. If you need to add a bit more olive oil to the pan – do so.

Place the contents of the skillet in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle with the brown sugar and pour the 3/4 of the lemon-olive oil mixture over the top. Toss gently. Let sit for ten minutes. Toss gently once again, taste and adjust with more salt or sugar or lemon juice if needed to balance the flavors. Serve warm or at room temperature and finish by sprinkling with the almonds just before serving.

Serves 6 – 8 as a side.

• Sauteed Broccoli Rabe with Garlic and Olive Oil

Ingredients:

1 bunch broccoli rabe                                                                                                                                                                               2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Sea salt, to taste

Method:

Boil several quarts of water to boiling. Remove any tough or damaged outer leaves of broccoli rabe. Peel thick, lower stems from broccoli rabe. Tear broccoli rabe into large pieces. Clean broccoli rabe in a large amount of cold water until all dirt is removed.

When water is boiling, place broccoli rabe pieces in colander and pour boiling water over them to scald. Drain broccoli rabe well and set aside. Meanwhile, heat extra-virgin olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper. Sauté garlic until browned. Be careful not to burn garlic! Add broccoli rabe to the pan and toss to coat with garlic/pepper mixture and heat through, around 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, if desired.

4) 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:

To store dill, place the stems in a glass of water in the fridge and cover loosely with a plastic bag. Be sure to keep the leaves about the water level.

Broccoli Rabe should be stored in plastic bags or containers and kept in your vegetable crisper.  It will keep for 5 to 7 days.

Peppers should be stored in the crisper, and washed before use.

5) Johnson’s Backyard Garden Contact Info

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