1) In Your Box this Week

2) Farm News:

• From the Farmer’s Perspective …
• Hergotz Over Time: 1995 to Present, by Steven Mattern, JBG Resident

3)  Updates, Meetings, and  Events

• Veggie Loving Co-workers? Join Johnson Backyard Garden’s “CSA To Work!”
• JBG Will Begin Selling Tomatoes in Bulk
• Fast Veggie Facts

4) Quotable Food

5) Recipes, by Melissa Vance, JBG CSA Member

• Carrot Fries
• Beans N’ Greens
• Broccoli Cheese Soup

6) Produce Storage Tips

7) Johnson’s Backyard Garden Contact Info

1) In Your Box this Week

Carrots
Swiss Chard
Beets or Kohlrabi or Leeks
Green Onions
Potatoes
Basil
Fennel
Summer Squash
Garlic

Coming Soon!
Tomatoes
Peppers
Corn
Melons
Cucumbers

2) Farm News:

• From the Farmer’s Perspective … Working on Two Farms
  

This morning I drove Brenton’s red minivan around Hergotz Farm, sticking hot pink flags in the soil.  I was marking the beds that we are no longer harvesting from, so that Temo and Angel knew that they could till the beds in and take the irrigation pipe over to the River Road farm.  Every day we are trying to straddle our farm crew between two farms, as the items at Hergotz Lane decreases and River Road gets more and more productive every day.  Today, most of the crew left early to go to the new farm to prepare beds for sweet potatoes.   The harvest crew stuck around a little longer in order to get all the items from Hergotz Lane (Swiss Chard, Kohlrabi, Cabbage), before heading over to River Road in the afternoon to get potatoes and summer squash for the boxes.

Splitting the crew between the two farms is a logistical challenge, as we try to make sure everyone has the right vehicles and tools they need for the jobs they need to do.  Friday afternoon, the heavy downpours made things a little slower at River Road, as the crew was caught at the new farm without enough rain gear!  Vicente fashioned a rain jacket out of a large sheet of plastic, and we were good to go.

Summer crops are fairly time consuming and require a lot of attention, making River Road all the more pressing.  Summer squash needs to picked at least every other day.  Every day is better.  The tomatoes are beginning to blush, which means it won’t be long before we really have a big harvesting job on our hands.  Red tomatoes don’t wait!  Basil also needs picking every day or every other day, as the plant bushes out really quickly and is prone to flowering.

So much to be done at River Road means we really appreciate the extra help we’ve been getting at Hergotz.  Everyone who came out last week to harvest onions really did a nice job, and now we have tens of thousands of pounds of onions drying in our greenhouse.  Thanks to everyone who supports our efforts at JBG.  It’s hard work, but growing food is what we love to do.

From the Farmer’s Perspective is written by Neysa King.  For more by Neysa, check out her blog, Dissertation to Dirt.

• Hergotz Over Time: 1995 to Present, by Steven Mattern, JBG Resident

In the three years that my wife Grit and I have had the pleasure to live and experience life out here on the JBG farm, we’ve seen a lot change. We moved into the old, early 20th century farmhouse just months after Beth and Brent bought the property and moved here themselves. When we arrived, it was a wild place: overgrown cow pastures, barbed wire fences and the scraggly remains of an old pecan orchard, past its prime. Now, thanks to the tireless work of the Johnson’s and their team, we enjoy plentiful organic vegetables from one of the largest CSAs in the southern US.

In addition to seeing the changes from the ground level, I’ve been interested in watching the Google Earth images of the property over time, dating back to the mid 1990’s. It’s interesting to see how the land changes between these dates. It’s either lush and green or dry and brown, depending on the season. The quarries change and new ones appear. And finally on February 21, 2007, the first evidence of JBG appears.

For easier viewing, I downloaded all twelve images Google Earth has of the property and put them together in one place. The dates are in the upper left corner of each image. Check out the changes yourself!

See the images here.

3)  Updates, Meetings, and  Events

• Veggie Loving Co-workers? Join Johnson Backyard Garden’s “CSA To Work!”

Do you and your coworkers love organic, local veggies?  JBG is willing to make your workplace a new drop off site if you can generate enough interest.  If you can get at least 10 new members at your place of work, let us know and we might be able to make your work building a new CSA drop off site.  A great convenience for people who just want to grab their veggies and head home after work.  We will bring our CSA right to your workplace door!

• JBG will Begin Selling Tomatoes in Bulk

Tomato season is upon us!  If you are all about tomatoes, you can order some from JBG in bulk this summer.  We will offer large slicer tomatoes, $25 for 10 pounds and $50 for 25 pounds;  San Maraano Italian Heirloom Sauce Tomatoes,  $25 for 10 pounds and $50 for 25 pounds;  and Heirloom Tomatoes, $50 for 10 pound box.  Keep an eye on our web site for more details and how to order!

• Fast Veggie Facts: Summer Squash

Summer squash is extremely high in manganese and has been found to have anti-cancer effects.  The antioxidants vitamin C and beta-carotene also have anti-inflammatory properties that make them helpful for conditions like asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, where inflammation plays a big role. The copper found in summer squash is also helpful for reducing the painful symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

For more facts about vegetable nutrition, check out World’s Healthiest Foods.

4) Quotable Food

“Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bands.”  –Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Jay (Aug. 23, 1785)

5) Recipes, by Melissa Vance, JBG CSA Member

• Carrot Fries

• 4 large carrots, peeled
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Cut the carrots into 2-3 chunks.  Cut those chunks lengthwise into quarters (or even eighths if the carrot is particularly large).

Place the carrots on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place in the oven and bake, tossing about half way through, until the edges of the carrots start to caramelize, about 20-30 minutes.  Keep an eye on them after 15 minutes to make sure they don’t burn.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly on a pepper towel lined plate.

Cook’s note: We LOVE these fries!  Baking carrots in the oven really intensifies their sweetness.  Try them with cinnamon sugar dusted over them!  Yum.  Make sure to let them cool a bit before serving because they tend to get a tad crispier that way.  Enjoy!

• Beans N’ Greens

• 2 strips smoked bacon, cut in matchsticks
• Olive oil, if needed
• 1 yellow onion, small dice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
• 1 bunch beet greens or swiss chard, stems removed, sliced thinly
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 1 cup chicken stock or water
• 2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• Kosher salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Place an ovenproof pot over medium heat, add the bacon.  Sauté until the bacon renders down and becomes crispy.  Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Add additional oil to the pot if needed.

Add the onion and sweat until tender.  Add the garlic and ginger and sauté while stirring until fragrant, about 1 min.  Add the greens and vinegar and cook until slightly wilted.  Add the remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and place in the oven for about 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and check the consistency.  If the beans are not thick enough cook on the stove over medium heat until it thickens.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir in the crispy bacon and serve hot.

Cook’s Note: This version of BBQ beans is less smoky and a bit brighter with the addition of vinegar.  When bell peppers are in season they are a wonderful addition.  It’s a great way to sneak in your greens while at a cookout.  Enjoy!

• Broccoli Cheese Soup

• 2 1/2 cups of broccoli, stems and florets separated
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, small dice
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into small rounds
• 1 gold potato, peeled and small diced
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 sprig thyme, chopped (or substitute dried)
• 1 tablespoon flour
• Pinch cayenne, garlic powder, and onion powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups chicken stock or broccoli cooking water
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1 tablespoon Dijon
• 1 cup gouda or cheddar, grated
• Kosher salt and black pepper

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the broccoli florets and blanch them for 2-3 minutes or until they turn bright green and are crisp tender.  Remove florets to a bowl and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.  Reserve the cooking water.  Set aside.

In a soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the broccoli stems, onion, and carrot and cook until the onion is almost translucent.  Add the potato, garlic, and thyme and cook for 4-5 minutes.  Sprinkle the vegetables with the flour, cayenne, garlic powder, and onion powder and stir to coat.  Add the chicken stock or 2 cups reserved broccoli water and the bay leaf.  Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer.  Cook until the potato is tender.  Remove from the heat and stir in the cream and cooked florets.  Remove the bay leaf.

Transfer the soup into a food processor or blender and puree to your liking.  If the soup seems too thick add a little broccoli water to thin it out.  Pour back into the pot.  Add in the mustard and reheat the soup if it needs it.  Remove from the heat and stir in the grated cheese.  Do not add the cheese while the soup is cooking because high heat makes the cheese separate into oily clumps.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve warm with crusty bread.

Cook’s Note: This is a great way to use up extra broccoli stems leftover from florets.  I just save them in a baggie until I have enough for soup.  This isn’t as heavy or thick as many other versions of this soup it is still very much a comfort food.  Remember, cooking the florets separately and adding them in at the end will help maintain their beautiful bright green color.  Enjoy!

6) Produce Storage Tips

Place Summer Squash in a plastic storage bag before refrigerating. I have found that it is best to wrap the bag tightly around the Summer Squash, squeezing out as much of the air from the bag as possible. Wrapping Summer Squash in a plastic bag will almost double its storage life by minimizing its contact with air.

7) 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

This entry was posted on Monday, May 17th, 2010 at 10:55 pm and is filed under Newsletters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.