Brenton with basil rescued from the August heat!
1) In Your Box this Week
2) Farm News:
- Goodbye to Marissa
- From the Farmer’s Perspective….Dog Days of Summer
- The Nitty Gritty: “The Coolest Plants in Our Garden, Part 3: Stevia, a Sweet Plant!” by Grit Ramusckat, JBG Resident
3) Updates, Meetings, and Events
- Back to School, Back to Healthy Seasonal Cooking: Join Sustainable Food Center for Cooking Classes
- Tim Miller from Millberg Farms to Speak at Austin Organic Gardeners Club Next Monday, August 9th
- Help JBG at the Farmers Market!
- Like Free Stuff? Follow JBG on Twitter and Facebook! Friday Giveaways every week!
- Now Accepting New Members
4) Recipes, by Melissa Vance, JBG CSA Member and one for Sweet Potato Greens
- Stewed Okra with Tomatoes and Peppers
- Mashed Oven-Baked Acorn Squash
- Easy Baba Ghanoush
- Sweet Potato Greens Info and Recipe
5) Johnson’s Backyard Garden Contact Info
1) In Your Box this Week
Sweet Potato Greens
Sweet and Hot Peppers
1015 Onions
Okra
Basil
Yellow Squash
Winter Squash
Eggplant
Garlic
Purslane or Mint
Cucumbers
Coming soon!
Sweet potatoes
2) Farm News:
Goodbye, Marissa!
- Goodbye to Marissa
After six-months of hard work, Marissa has completed her internship at JBG. Her last day was this past Friday, August 6th, and we already miss her here at the farm.
- From the Farmer’s Perspective….Dog Days of Summer
In case you haven’t noticed, it’s really hot outside.
With temperatures breaking 100, working in the field was pretty tortuous last week. Everyone is moving a little slow and drinking copious amounts of water. After 10:30am, it becomes too hot to harvest, and the crew has to turn to something else, like taking up our tomato cages and stakes, and taking up plastic mulch around the winter squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, and basil.
Because the field has slowed down too (the plants don’t like the heat just as much as we don’t), we are using the time to prepare the field for the next round of big planting–that is, our fall crops like kale, collards, Swiss chard, lettuce and carrots. The heat should break in only a few weeks, and everyone will breathe a sigh of relief. Everything will get a little bit easier–watering, planting, harvesting, fertilizing. But even before the fall crops make their appearance, our second succession of tomatoes should crop up. The plants have already set flowers and we should be seeing some red in September! Until then, the fields are holding on through the heat, just like the rest of us.
“The Coolest Plants in Our Garden, Part 3: Stevia, a Sweet Plant!”
by Grit Ramusckat, JBG Resident
After working in the garden there’s nothing like a little breath mint to freshen things up. A home grown one of course!
Our favorite is to take a leaf or two from our stevia and mint plants and roll them into a little taco. The leaves of the stevia plant have 30–45 times the sweetness of sucrose (ordinary table sugar) and combined with the mint it becomes a potent breath freshener.
With its extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, stevia has garnered attention with the rise in demand for low-carbohydrate, low-sugar food alternatives. Medical research has also shown possible benefits of stevia in treating obesity and high blood pressure. Because stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose, it’s attractive as a natural sweetener to people on carbohydrate-controlled diets.
3) Updates, Meetings, and Events
- 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
- Tim Miller from Millberg Farms to Speak at Austin Organic Gardeners Club Next Monday, August 9th
Tim Miller is an experienced sustainable farmer in the Austin area, known for employing dry farming techniques on his certified organic farm in Kyle, Texas. His farm has won numerous awards for Mr. Miller’s water conservation efforts. Mr. Miller grows a mix variety of vegetables, as well as tending to plum, peach, and pecan trees. He will be speaking at the Austin Organic Gardeners Club on Monday, August 9th, at 7:30pm, at the Zilker Botanical Gardens. For more information about Austin Organic Gardeners, visit http://www.main.org/aog/index.htm
- Help JBG at the Farmers Market!
JBG at the Triangle Farmers Market
You say you want to workshare for JBG, but your schedule doesn’t vibe with our workday volunteer slots? Well, now you have a chance to volunteer at one of the JBG farmers market stands on Saturdays and Sundays! JBG currently has multi-tent stands at the Barton Creek, Downtown, Sunset Valley, Triangle, and Hope farmers markets, and we could use some help keeping our stand look stocked and fresh! Volunteers will be responsible for helping our interns in setting up the stand, stocking produce, making sure signs are up, and any other market-related duties assigned to them. In return, they can take home their choice of 10-12 veggies from our stand!
- 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!
- Now Accepting New Members
JBG is looking for some community support to recruit new CSA members. We started small, passing out pamphlets, putting up flyers, and relying on word of mouth, and we want to keep that community involvement strong. If you are interested in spreading the word about Johnson’s Backyard Garden and our CSA, drop us a line at farm@jbgorganic.com, and we’ll send you a stack of our JBG pamphlets to pass out to your friends, your coworkers, or the people hanging out at your favorite coffee shop. Together, we can make a real contribution to the community by making organic, local food accessible to more people.
4) Recipes, by Melissa Vance, JBG CSA Member
- Fried Eggplant Crisps
- Romesco Sauce
- Thai Coconut Red Curry with Summer Veggies
Fried Eggplant Crisps
Fried Eggplant Crisps
- 3 small eggplants
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs
- Canola oil
- Kosher salt
- Romesco sauce, recipe follows
Peel the eggplant and discard the stem end. Slice the eggplant into thin slices, about 1/4″ thick. Layout on a cutting board or sheet pan. Sprinkle the eggplant on both sides with salt and allow to weep for 1 hour. Remove the eggplant to a colander and rinse well. Dry thoroughly with paper towels and set back on cutting board.
Pour 1 inch of oil into a large sauté pan and bring to 350 degrees.
Set out three shallow bowls or plates for your breading station. Place the flour in one of the bowls. In another bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Pour the panko crumbs into the last bowl.
Dredge the eggplant slices in the flour, patting to remove any excess. Dip the floured eggplant in the egg mixture then coat it in the panko crumbs. Press the crumbs to the surface to make sure it adheres. Repeat procedure for all of the eggplant slices.
Fry the eggplant in the oil, in batches, until browned, about 4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Serve hot with the romesco sauce.
Cook’s Note: Try this as a snack – so good!! The inspiration for this recipe came from a recent visit to Olivia. They did a version of this at a Spanish wine dinner using a similar sauce. It was supremely tasty.
Romesco Sauce
- 3 medium tomatoes
- 2 red peppers
- 1 jalapeno
- 1/4 red onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup almonds, lightly toasted
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Kosher salt and pepper
Char the tomatoes, peppers, and jalapeno over a gas range, grill, or with a torch. Place the peppers in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap while hot, and let them sit for 10 minutes to steam. Remove the skin from the peppers to remove most of the char. Discard the stem and seeds from the peppers and jalapeno and place in the food processor along with all the remaining ingredients except the olive oil. Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil to form a thick, creamy sauce. Serve at room temperature or chill until ready to serve.
Cook’s Note: If you can make this sauce in advance and let it sit for a few hours or a day, do it. It really is better after having time to sit. If you need to remove the skins from raw almonds simply dunk them in boiling water for 1 minute, then in ice water for a minute. The skins will rub off easily.
Thai Coconut Red Curry with Summer Veggies
Thai Coconut Red Curry with Summer Veggies
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 5-6 cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cups assorted mild peppers, seeded and sliced
- 1 chile pequin or hinklehatz pepper, seeded and minced
- 2 cups summer or pattypan squash, sliced
- 1-2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste, plus more to taste
- 1 can coconut milk
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 cups cooked brown rice, kept warm
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the coconut oil or olive oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook until translucent. Add in the mushrooms and cook until they have released their liquid and have slightly browned. Add in the mild and hot peppers, and cook until they begin to soften. Add in the squash and cook until tender.
Mix the curry paste into the vegetables, coating well. Add in the coconut milk, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until the flavors have married. At this point, taste the curry and see if more curry paste is needed to reach your desired level of spiciness. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot over warm brown rice.
Cook’s Note: Remember to start out using just a little curry paste – you can always add more later in the cooking. Curry is a great way to get those “use ‘em or lose ‘em” veggies on the plate. This would also be great with cubed eggplant or chicken breast.
Sweet Potato Greens
Sweet Potato Greens Information and Recipe (used with permission from Tufts University World Peas Coop 8/02/07 CSA Newsletter)
Unlike the leaves of Irish potatoes, which are poisonous, you can eat the leaves of sweet potatoes. The sweet potato is one of the world’s most cultivated crops, and is grown all over the world, but especially in Asia and the Pacific. Some varieties of leaves are high in protein, and they can serve an important place in a diet that is based on tubers and other grains. They are also a good sources of the phenolic compounds, which can be useful for the prevention of cardiovascular and other chronic diseases. Chinese herbalist lore says that the leaves can improve the respiratory and renal system function.
Lola’s Kamote Salad
Thanks to http://inourkitchen.blogspot.com/ for this Filipino recipe
First wash and trim the sweet potato greens. I use just the tender stalk from the top, snapping it just at the point where it breaks with a snap. The rest of the leaves attached to the remaining hard stem are then pinched off and the stem discarded or if you have a recycling fool for a husband, they can be put in the compost or stuck back in the ground where they will generate more greens for you but probably not potatoes. After you have all your green leaves and tops washed, blanch them in boiling water for about two to three minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water. In the meantime, prepare: chop up some tomatoes and onions
finely mince fresh ginger (about a tablespoon) juice 1 lemon or lime (or according to your taste and size of lemon/lime) Patis (fish sauce) or bagoong (fermented fish paste) Mix all the ingredients above, adjust seasoning as needed and mix with the kamote greens. Serve. This is my preferred vegetable (when available) whenever we have anything fried be it fish or meat. If you have a non-fish eater like my Clone, you can also dress your kamote greens even simpler with just tomatoes, salt, and a spritz of lime juice.
JBG Eggplant, Squash, and Peppers
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 1pm
e-mail: farm@jbgorganic.com