Aubrey checks out the seedlings for growth.
From the Farmer's Perspective…
At JBG, we continue to be very busy seeding and planting. Just this morning, we planted 8,000 row feet of green beans – the equivalent of nearly two miles – so get ready for lots of green beans! We are also continuing to dig up sweet potatoes and should have these in the CSA boxes for the next couple of months. Our bok choy is looking really good in the field and will be ready to harvest soon. We have arugula ready to harvest now, so look for it in your CSA box this week. Monday we also started picking the first of our fall tomatoes. Quantities will be limited this week so not all shares will receive them, but we should have enough to go around soon once the plants have had more time to produce. Our summer squash should be making a return next week as well.
Tomatoes harvested Monday at River Road
Brenton and Hector examine the arugula.
In the greenhouse, there are over seventy-five thousand transplants growing. This includes broccoli, rutabaga, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, lettuce, kohlrabi, fennel, parsley, and endive. We are preparing the beds needed for all of these transplants and for the direct seeding of carrots and beets. There’s definitely a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks and months as these transplants continue to grow and start to produce.
Hardworking JBG workshares, interns, and staff pose in the greenhouse.
- 1) Farm News
- The Nitty Gritty: “Cooking Locally and Seasonally” by Grit Ramusckat, JBG Resident
- Eggs: Know Your Producer
- Austin American Statesman Article of Interest: At Del Valle Jail, Inmates Work the Land
- 2) Updates, Meetings, and Events
- Like Free Stuff? Follow JBG on Twitter and Facebook! Friday Giveaways every week!
- Back to School, Back to Healthy Seasonal Cooking: Join Sustainable Food Center for Cooking Classes
- 3) Recipes, by Melissa Vance, JBG CSA Member
- Hot Pepper Chili
- Spice Mix
- Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
- Spiced Pork and Winter Squash with Noodles
1) Farm News
“Cooking Locally and Seasonally” by Grit Ramusckat, JBG Resident
As a lover of food and cooking, I am always searching for new and ingenious recipes for transforming our farm-fresh CSA produce into tasty and diverse meals. What sets the following two cookbooks apart from others that also focus on seasonality is that they contain more than just recipes. Stories from local farmers and food artisans here in Central Texas provide a rich backdrop to the recipes. Getting to know our local food producers a little better through their stories makes appreciating their work easier. These cookbooks help build community as they connect us to our growing local food scene.
The following are brief reviews of two recent publications. Both books are available through Book People.
Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods, by Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian
This cookbook was published by the founders of the Edible Cities Magazines of which the Edible Austin Magazine is part. The first two thirds of the book contain in picture and print the best Edible stories gathered from all Edible City Magazines of the past years. There you will find a henhouse story by Carol Ann from Boggy Creek Farm as well as my favorite story from Hugh Fitzsimmons’ Thunderheart Bison. The remaining third features the best of all Edible City recipes separated into spring, summer, fall and winter sections. The recipes are further organized into first courses, main courses, side dishes and desserts. Amy Crowell’s recipe for wild onion and spinach tart is there too, as well as Dai Due’s mashed sweet potatoes with candied kumquats.
Another neat thing about this book is that the reader gets a great overview of what happens in local food scenes all over the country. This makes it an ideal travel guide. Food memories of another region can be brought home and relived. In the end, the Edible cookbook connects readers to an even bigger local food community, one that brings together the whole country.
Eating Local: The Cookbook Inspired by America’s Farmers, by Janet Fletcher
The book takes the reader to ten small-scale family farms across the country that share their favorite recipes with us. The book is organized into categories of vegetables, fruit and meat & eggs and within each category the recipes are organized alphabetically. One of our local farms here in Austin—Green Gate Farms—run by Skip Connett and Erin Flynn, is featured in the book.
Both cookbooks are interspersed with gorgeous photographs, which do a great job documenting not only the look of the finished dishes, but also the local terroir, food artisans and farmers at work.
Celebrate local food! The Sustainable Food Center is working on a totally local food cookbook, featuring stories and recipes from local farmers, farmers market shoppers and local food artisans. To submit your recipe to the SFC cookbook project, email susanl@sustainablefoodcenter.org.
And as some of Brenton’s role-model farms such as Angelic Organics have already done I think it’s time to work on a JBG farm cookbook. Don’t you agree…?
Eggs: Know Your Producer
Fruitful Hill chickens enjoy the pasture
The recent salmonella-linked egg recall has underscored the importance of knowing how your eggs are produced. JBG works with two local egg producers, Fruitful Hill Farm (formerly named Ringger Family Farm) and Tierra Madre Farms, both of which are committed to treating their chickens well and to producing high-quality, healthy eggs.
Fruitful Hill Farm is located in Smithville, TX, and is run by the Ringger family. Here’s how they describe how their chickens are raised:
Fruitful Hill eggmobile
Tierra Madre Farms is located in Rosanky, TX, and is operated by John Chandler. Here’s how he describes how his chickens are cared for:
Tierra Madre chickens
To get eggs from these local producers, just add them to your CSA order when you sign-up or renew. Then, you can pickup your eggs when you pickup your CSA share. If you have any questions, please email the farm at farm@jbgorganic.com or call the office between 8am and 12pm, Monday-Friday, at 512-386-5273.
Austin American Statesman Article of Interest: At Del Valle Jail, Inmates Work the Land
Read a Statesman article about an innovative gardening program at a Del Valley jail.
2) Updates, Meetings, and Events
Like Free Stuff? Follow JBG on Twitter and Facebook! Friday Giveaways every week!
Follow our new twitter @JBGOrganic, or check us out on Facebook! It’s a great way to stay updated on the goings on around the farm, plus we’ll be having a special giveaway every week!
JBG Twitter Master Hector Gonzales takes on Brenton Johnson
Back to School, Back to Healthy Seasonal Cooking: Join Sustainable Food Center for Free Cooking Classes
The Happy Kitchen/La Cocina Alegre is hosting cooking classes in September.
September might seem far away as we sweat through the heat of the summer, but all that fantastic fall produce is closer than you think. Register for the Happy Kitchen’s upcoming cooking and nutrition class and learn what to make with the bounty that fall brings! Classes will cover how to select and prepare healthful, seasonal foods as well as nutrition information that can help you and your family meet your health and wellness goals.
What you get:
Six 1.5 hour classes filled with cooking and nutrition information
Five bags of groceries (one at each of the first 5 classes) to try that week’s recipe at home
Numerous recipes and nutrition handouts
A free copy of The Happy Kitchen cookbook
*Registration for all 6 classes is required; Cost is $175
When: Wednesday nights from 6:30 – 8:00 pm 9/29, 10/6, 10/13, 10/20, 10/27, and 11/13
Where: YMCA Town Lake, 1100 West Cesar Chavez Street, Austin, TX 78703
3) Recipes, by Melissa Vance, JBG CSA Member
Whenever I have an abundance of sweet peppers and chilies I like to make this recipe. It may seem strange to cook such a spicy dish in the summer months but hot foods can actually help cool you off. Serving this chili with plenty of cold beer doesn’t hurt either.
- 4 tablespoons lard or butter
- 2 yellow onions, diced (about 2 cups)
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)
- 4-6 various sweet peppers, seeded and diced (about 2-3 cups)
- 4 jalapenos or hinkelhatz, seeded and minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- ¼ pound bulk chorizo
- Spice mix, below
- ½ cup tomato paste
- 1 quart tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 12 ounces beer (Fireman’s Four is great)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup dried beans, cooked (3 cups prepared) or 2 cans pinto beans, drained
- 1 cup shredded cheddar, for garnish
In large stock pot over medium high heat, add the lard or butter. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook until almost translucent. Add the peppers and jalapenos and cook until slightly caramelized, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and sauté a minute longer. Add the ground beef and chorizo. Cook until the meat is nicely browned and cooked through, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add in the spice mix, stir to combine, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, honey, beer, and chicken stock. Add the beans and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 1½ -2 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a handful of shredded cheddar.
Spice Mix
- 1 tablespoon granulated onion
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground chipotle
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
This cornbread packs a little heat along with the sweet! It’s also great with corn added to the mix. To keep the cornbread tender make sure not to over mix the batter and don’t combine the wet and dry ingredients until just before you are ready to bake it.
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 3 jalapenos, seeded and minced
- 1/2 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
- 1 tablespoon lard or olive oil
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place a 9” or 10” cast iron pan or pie tin in the oven to preheat.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until almost combined, maybe 4 or 5 strokes. Fold in the jalapenos and cheese. Do NOT over stir! Add the fat to the hot pan and allow to melt. Pour the batter into the hot pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Serve warm in wedges.
This recipe will surprise you. The cinnamon and paprika pairs so beautifully with the squash and pork without being “sweet”.
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound pork chops, cut into bite-sized cubes
- 2 yellow onions, sliced thinly
- 1 large winter squash (acorn, butternut, or kabocha), peeled, seeded, and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 pinch cayenne
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 1 ½ cups pork or chicken stock
- ½ pound pasta, long or short shapes
- 1 ½ cups sour cream, at room temperature
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pork and brown well. Sauté until cooked through. Transfer the pork from the pan to a bowl and set aside.
Add the onions and a pinch of salt to the hot oil and cook until almost translucent. Add the cubed squash and sauté for about 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute longer. Add the cinnamon stick, paprika, cayenne, thyme sprigs, raisins, and stock. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the squash is tender.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to al dente and drain.
Add the pork to the squash mixture to heat through. Remove the cinnamon stick and thyme sprigs. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sour cream. Serve hot spooned over warm pasta.
Washing and Sorting Beets
(Photo from Rutgers)