We know how to enjoy sunny days
1) In Your Box this Week
2) Farm News:
- From the Farmer’s Perspective …. Get Ready for Spring
- Vegetable Vampire Transformation, by Grit Ramuschkat, JBG Resident
3) New Wednesday Round Rock Pickup Location THIS WEEK!
4) Updates, Meetings, and Events
- JBG Heirloom Plant Sale continues in March
- Save the date! JBG’s Annual Spring Potluck will be Saturday, April 10
- Slow Money Goal Reached! On to the next project…
- Intern Donations Requested
5) Quotable Food
6) Recipes
- Tofu and Bok Choi Stir-Fry
- Lamb Roast with Spinach Stuffing
7) Produce Storage Tips
8) Johnson’s Backyard Garden Contact Info
Travis has recently been hired as our greenhouse manager
1) In Your Box this Week
Spinach
Broccoli
Carrots
Lettuce
Green Garlic or Green Onions
Parsley or Dill
Kohlrabi
Bok Choy
Collards or Kale
Grapefruit
Oranges
Avocado
2) Farm News:
- From the Farmer’s Perspective …. Get Ready for Spring
An old Southern farmers’ saying is that after the last frost, the pecan and mesquite trees blossom. This weekend that’s just what we saw at JBG, which means some big changes are coming to our fields and to our crops. Before you know it, the winter greens, root vegetables and storage crops in your boxes will give way to spring and summer treats like potatoes, swiss chard, and those lovely tomatoes. Our crops will start growing bigger, faster, and our mentalities will shift from winter’s conservation to the abundance of the spring harvest. So much of a farmer’s time is dedicated to routines and preparation. Now is the time to get ready for the one of the year’s busiest seasons.
We can see that a lot of Austinites are getting ready Spring, too. Saturday JBG had a huge turnout for the Slow Food Tour and Heirloom Plant Sale. Locavores from around the Hill Country toured JBG’s fields and heard Brent’s perspective on organic, sustainable farming. That morning we started with two tables and a trailer covered in transplants; there were only a few flats left by the end of the day! Special Thanks to Austin Slow Food for putting the tour together and bringing so many people out to see our farm.
From the Farmer’s Perspective is written by Neysa King. To read more by Neysa, click here.
- Vegetable Vampire Transformation, by Grit Ramuschkat, JBG Resident
3) New Wednesday Round Rock Pickup Location THIS WEEK!
Beginning this Wednesday, March 10, 1119 Sam Bass Road will no longer be our Round Rock pickup site. The new Round Rock pickup site will be:
2009 Bent Tree Loop, Round Rock, Texas, 78681
If you are currently picking up Wednesdays at Sam Bass Road, you do not need to do anything at this time. You will automatically be transferred to 2009 Bent Tree Loop for your March 10th pickup. If you are picking up at a different pickup site and would like to change your pickup location, please call us at 386-5273 or email the office at farm@jbgorganic.com.
4) Updates, Meetings, and Events
- JBG Heirloom Plant Sale continues in March
This Saturday we had a tremendous turnout for JBG’s heirloom transplant sale. If you weren’t able to attend, don’t distress. JBG will continue selling heirloom transplants until the last tomato vine has left our greenhouse. There are three ways to purchase JBG heirlooms for your spring garden: via our website, at JBG’s Saturday plant sales, and at the Farmers’ Markets. An online order form is accessible from JBG’s homepage. If you’re a CSA member and spend a minimum of $20, we’ll automatically deliver your plant order along with your next scheduled box pickup. Otherwise, plants are self-serve pickup at the farm. For two more Saturdays, March 13 and 20, we’ll sell plants at JBG from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We’ll also continue to sell select varieties at the Wednesday Triangle Market and Saturday Downtown and Sunset Valley Farmers’ Markets during the next couple of weeks. Happy Growing!
- Save the date! JBG’s Annual Spring Potluck will be April 10
Saturday, April 10th, Johnson’s Backyard Garden will host its Annual Spring Potluck from 4 p.m. ’til dark. Join us for live music, great food, tractor rides around the farm, and lots of fun activities for the kids. Our CSA members are some of the best cooks in Austin, so come hungry to this locavore heaven, with tons of locally-raised and prepared dishes. We’re ready for this year’s potluck to be the best one yet!
- Slow Money Update
Great news! Thanks to the overwhelming support of our CSA members and other contributors, we reached our initial Slow Money goal and will sign the paperwork for our Capital Farm Credit loan later this week. The money will go toward three used tractors (all cost less than half the price of new equipment), vegetable washing equipment and tools to install drip tape irrigation at the new property on River Road. These crucial equipment needs would not have been met without your support. Everyone at JBG gives you their sincere thanks. As JBG continues to move toward greater sustainability and efficiency, we hope you will be proud of the substantial contribution you made, and continue to make, to our success.
If you’re interested in making a Slow Money contribution to JBG, we can still use your help!…just email us.
Making a loan to JBG is not only socially responsible, but it also makes good financial sense. The minimum loan amount is $5,000. In return, we offer monthly payments at 4% annual interest over 7 years.
When you offer your financial support to Johnson’s Backyard Garden, you become a positive force in Austin’s local food chain. You help ensure that some of Austin’s last historic farmland is preserved and continues to be cultivated using organic, sustainable methods.
To learn more about slow money…. check out our Slow Money page. Now that we have the right equipment, we want to use it in the best way possible. JBG’s next big initiative is to adopt Precision Ag practices. What is Precision Ag? Put simply, it is the use of new technology to make farms run at optimum efficiency. In our case, we would install GPS technology on our tractors in order to make them work more precisely, efficiently, and easier on our drivers. Installing a GPS system would essentially guide our tractors along the same, pin-straight rows again and again. What good does that do? Well, it eliminates human error when we make our beds for planting. Straighter rows mean we use all the land possible for growing vegetables. Also, it reinforces and isolates soil compaction to the aisles, rather than the beds, making our beds looser for the vegetables to grow (looser soil = better growing). Finally, knowing exactly where our beds will be made throughout the entire season will let us keep our irrigation drip tape in the ground longer than we currently can (a few months at best). This means we will greatly reduce the waste generated by having to pull up our drip tape up several times a season. Reducing waste is something we all know is good!
To learn more about Precision Ag and the tools involved, click on one of these links:
www.gpsfarm.com, www.agleader.com
- Intern Donations Requested
The interns are always on the lookout for kitchen and bedroom supplies for their humble trailers. If you have any gently used home goods you’d like to donate for our intern housing, please call us at 386-5273 or email Carrie at farm@jbgorganic.com.
5) Quotable Food
6) Recipes
- Tofu and Bok Choi Stir-Fry
1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry Sherry
1 teaspoon oriental sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
3 1/2 cups thinly sliced, trimmed bok choy
1 5-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
3 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
10 1/2 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
Combine first 4 ingredients in small bowl; mix well. Heat vegetable oil until very hot in heavy large wok or skillet over high heat. Add garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper. Stir-fry until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add bok choy and stir-fry until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Mix in water chestnuts and green onions and stir-fry until onions are tender, about 1 minute. Add tofu and lightly stir-fry until tofu is just heated through, about 2 minutes. Pour over soy mixture. Stir-fry until liquid boils and thickens, about 1 minute.
- Lamb Roast with Spinach Stuffing
Leg of lamb (about 6 lb), boned and butterflied
10 ounces of chopped spinach
3 minced garlic cloves
2 medium eggs, beaten
6 cups of plain croutons
¾ cup of onion, chopped
½ cup of water
½ cup of celery, chopped
¼ cup of parsley, snipped
¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup of olive oil
3 tablespoons of basil, snipped
1 teaspoon of dried rosemary, crushed
Pinch of dried marjoram, crushed
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Mint sprigs, to garnish
Cook the onion, celery, and garlic in hot oil until tender. In a suitably sized mixing bowl, stir together the spinach, beaten eggs, parsley, basil, marjoram, and black pepper. Add onion, celery and garlic to the bowl. Add the parmesan cheese and the plain croutons, then drizzle with water and toss gently. Set aside. Pound the lamb to an even thickness, then sprinkle with the dried rosemary. Spread the stuffing over top of the lamb roast. Roll up the meat and tie. Place the lamb seam side down on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast in an 350°F oven for two hours. Once cooked, allow to stand for twenty minutes before carving. Garnish with mint sprigs and serve.
7) Produce Storage Tips
When storing carrots, don’t expose them to ethylene gas, which is given off by fruit such as apples and pears. Ethylene triggers a bitter taste in carrots.
Our carrots keep going and going...this one probably won't go in the boxes
8) 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-Th 8am to 5pm, Friday 8am to 12pm
The farm office is closed 12 pm to 1 pm for lunch.
e-mail: farm@jbgorganic.com