Jeremy, Brenton, & Jesse tranplant onions. Photo by Scott David Gordon

From the Farmer’s Perspective

In addition to doing lots of seeding, we’ve been busy getting transplants into the ground for Spring.  We had to take some time off the last couple of weeks due to the rain, but we are back at it now.   For onions, we use the three-row transplanter pictured above.  Today turned out to be a great day for transplanting as seen in the pictures below taken by Scott David Gordon just this morning.  Thank you, Scott, for this step-by-step photo essay of how it works.

Bunched onion transplants. Photo by Scott David Gordon

First, we start with a bunch of onion transplants and then place them one by one into the cylinders that make up the carousel of the three-row transplanter.

Brenton places onion transplants into the carousel. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Placing the onion transplants in the carousel is easy at first, but once the tractor starts moving, it becomes more difficult.  As the tractor pulls the three-row transplanter, the carousel rotates, dropping a transplant into the ground every few inches.  As you will notice in the pictures, no one is actually driving the tractor.  This is because Brenton starts the tractor and then gets back into his seat to transplant (see below).  When we shape the beds prior to transplanting, the groves created for the tire paths are so deep that they act like train tracks and keep the tractor in line, even when no one is driving.

Jeremy, Brenton, & Jesse concentrate on keeping the carousel full as transplants are dropped into the ground. Photo by Scott David Gordon

The bottom of each cylinder in the carousal can open and close.  At a certain spot in the rotation, the bottom of the cylinder passing this point will open, and the transplant will fall down a chute between the packing wheels and into the ground.

Detail of cylinder bottom opening up and the transplant falling out. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Detail of transplant being placed in the ground and covered by the packing wheels. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Jesse concentrates on getting the transplants into the moving carousel. Photo by Scott David Gordon

It is harder than it looks to keep up with the moving carousel and takes lots of concentration.  If we do miss any spots, we fill them in by hand once we’ve finished.  Thanks to the three-row transplanter, we’re able to cover a lot of ground even with a small staff (and no tractor driver!).

Adding rows of onion transplants. Photo by Scott David Gordon

1) Farm News

* JBG is now accepting CSA members for Spring
* The Nitty Gritty: Bluefin Tuna – a Healthy Dish?

2) Updates, Meetings, and Events

* JBG Organic Citrus Sale
* JBG Organic Spring Transplant Sale

3) Recipes for Turnips and Cabbage

Workshares Kim & Sweetpea help bag beets on a cold day.

1) Farm News

JBG is now accepting CSA members for Spring.

Help us spread the word! Click here to join.

Bluefin Tuna – a Healthy Dish?

The cover of the Austin Fit Magazine from December 2010 reads as follows: The Healthy Dish: 35+ dishes from 25 favorite Austin restaurants emphasizing flavor without hurting your health. One of those healthy choices is Bluefin Tuna sashimi offered by the Musashino restaurant.

While Bluefin unarguably is healthy to consume – it contains the highest amounts of omega-3 fatty acids of all fish – there is another fact to this food. It is currently being fished to extinction!

For a food to deserve the title healthy, we cannot look at health from the eater’s perspective alone. Shouldn’t values such as environmental health or sustainability guide our food choices to an equal extent? Especially so shortly after the largest oil spill in history which soiled one of the two Bluefin spawning grounds, we absolutely have to define the health of a food in more than one category.  After all, if we don’t find a healthy restraint to our healthy appetite, there might very well be no more Bluefin tuna left.

Sources:
Austin Fit Magazine, December Edition
Tuna’s End by Paul Greenberg, New York Times Magazine, June 2010
The End of The Line, Documentary, 2009

2) Updates, Meetings and Events

Oranges from G&S Groves. Photo by Scott David Gordon

JBG Organic Citrus Sale

It’s not too late to order organic citrus.  JBG is hosting a bulk citrus sale for its CSA members through February. Members can purchase 10-lb bags of organic oranges or grapefruit at a cost of $10 per bag. These delicious oranges and grapefruit come from G & S Groves, a certified organic grower in McAllen, Texas, and they are great for eating or juicing. Brenton likes this citrus so much that he’ll eat 6 or 7 at a time. Like a little kid, he pokes a hole in the top and then squeezes out the juice and pulp. Regardless of how you choose to eat them, these oranges and grapefruit are hard to beat. To order, click here.

G&S Groves Ruby Red Grapefruit arrives at JBG. Photo by Scott David Gordon

JBG Spring Transplant Sale

During the month of March,  JBG will have organic transplants for sale. We will have a host of spring transplants for your garden, including an especially large selection of heirloom tomatoes. In March, CSA members can order transplants and have them delivered to their pickup sites. Community members can also order transplants and pickup here at the farm. Start planning your gardens now!

Seedlings begin to grow. Photo by Scott David Gordon

3) Recipes

Hakurei Turnips. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Patty’s Mashed Turnips

from Allrecipes.com.
Original Recipe Yield 8 – 10 servings

Ingredients

* 7 large turnips
* 1 cup milk
* 2 tablespoons butter
* salt to taste
* ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Peel, wash, and quarter turnips.
2. Boil 35-45 minutes or until tender. Strain and rinse cooked turnips.
3. Place in large mixing bowl and use fork to break up turnips into smaller bits. Add milk and butter. Blend to desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Heads of cabbage. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Cabbage Cakes

From allrecipes.com

Original Recipe Yield 15 cakes

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1/2 small head cabbage, cored and sliced thin
* 1 onion, thinly sliced
* black pepper to taste
* 1 1/3 cups plain yogurt
* 2/3 cup milk
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 2 eggs
* 2 cups flour
* 4 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* butter (optional)

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the cabbage and onion; cook and stir until the vegetables are soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Season with pepper, and set pan aside to cool.
2. Whisk together the yogurt, milk, vegetable oil, and eggs in a bowl until evenly blended; set aside. Stir together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet mixture into the well, then stir until well combined. Fold the cooled cabbage and onions into the pancake batter.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and butter or oil if necessary. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

Workers cast a shadow while transplanting. Photo by Scott David Gordon

The greenhouse fills up. Photo by Scott David Gordon

From the Farmer’s Perspective

At JBG, we are in the middle of one of our biggest seeding periods as we prepare for Spring.  In fact, we may soon run out of greenhouse space!  We have a second greenhouse frame constructed, and Brenton is considering getting this ready for use.  Other than being in danger of running out of space, we are in excellent shape for the Spring, thanks in large part to the time and effort Brenton, and his brother, Aaron, put into creating a detailed crop plan for 2011.  Each week, the computer program that Aaron designed for this purpse automatically generates a weekly greenhouse and field report.  The greenhouse report is used to determine what is seeded that week, and the field report shows what needs to be planted where in the fields.  At the farm at River Road, we’ve hung six 3ft x 4 ft laminated maps of the fields, and the crew uses these in conjunction with the field reports to determine planting locations for each crop.

JBG soil mix. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Each week, when Maura gets the greenhouse report, she first creates enough soil mix to fill as many seeding flats as the report indicates.  We make our soil mix here at JBG, using a mixture of peat moss, vermiculite, rock phosphate, blood meal, and green sand.  After we mix it, we water it so it’s pre-moistened prior to going into the flats.

Maura uses the dibble board prior to seeding. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Once the flats have been filled, we use a dibble board on each to create an indention in each cell for the seed.  We pull the seeds we need from our seed cooler and get started.

Maura places a seed in each cell. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We use either a vibratory seeder (pictured above) or a plate seeder to fill each cell with a seed.  The plate seeder uses a vacuum-based system to fill all of the cells at once.  With the vibratory seeder, it is a slower process as we must seed each cell individually.  Certain seeds, such as those for tomatoes and peppers, don’t work well with plate seeder, so we use the vibratory seeder for these.

Maura covers the seeds. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Once each cell has a seed, we cover the top with more soil mix.

Marua checks the greenhouse report prior to labeling flats. Photo by Scott David Gordon

After the flats for a particular seed have been completed, we use the greenhouse report to create labels.  These labels identify the week it was created as well as where it will be planted in the field (block and row number).

Grande Peppers seeded Week 12 for Block 2, Row 10 in the field. Photo by Scott David Gordon

The seeded flats then stay in the greenhouse for at least four weeks.  Some plants, like parsley, fennel, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers stay longer (up to eight weeks).  During this time, Maura monitors the greenhouse daily, checks the temperature, and waters the seedlings.  Since it has been so cold, she has had to place on tomato, pepper, and eggplants flats on heating pads until the seeds germinate.  Her careful and consistent attention will help ensure strong, healthy transplants.  For anyone who wants to create their own spring garden, we’ll have some of these transplants available for purchase during the month of March during our annual Spring Transplant Sale.  The selection will include a host of spring transplant as well as an especially large selection of heirloom tomatoes. Start planning your gardens now!

Seedlings begin to grow. Photo by Scott David Gordon

1) Farm News

* JBG is now accepting CSA members for Spring
* Nitty Gritty: Nine Stitches for Christmas by Steven Mattern
* JBG Produce Featured in Blogs

2) Updates, Meetings, and Events

* Organic Citrus Sale
* JBG Spring Transplant Sale

3) Recipes, by Melissa Vance, JBG CSA Member

* Black Bean and Chard Tacos with Cilantro and Sour Cream
* Roast Chicken with Turnips and Root Veggies

G&S Groves owner David Strohmeyer is greeted at JBG by Matt & Brenton. Photo by Scott David Gordon

1) Farm News

Week of January 17th CSA Box Contents

Nine Stitches for Christmas
By Steven Mattern, JBG Resident

While most families across the country were sitting down for their Christmas dinner, I found myself sitting in the emergency room with a 1½” laceration just above my right knee. I’ve managed to cut myself fairly badly a number of times but this was different and I learned two important things I’d like to pass on.

1. It’s important to have a well-stocked first aid kit and know where it is
2. Passing out is a possibility for a injured person who otherwise feels fine and hasn’t passed out before

Here’s the story.

My brother and I were hiking near JBG’s farm, a place I’ve hiked many times. I sometimes carry a machete to help bushwhack overgrown trails (and also because it makes me feel like Indiana Jones). I was stepping over a short fence when my blade got caught up and I stepped, knee first, into it. Apparently the edge I had earlier put on with a file was sharp since my double-fronted Carhartt work pants easily split open, along with my long underwear and knee. Even before I could see the wound I knew it was bad. I pulled up my pants to reveal a deep, gaping slash. It had cut through the skin and had exposed a fat layer beneath. My first thought was, “Not on Christmas!”

We lashed a wool glove over the wound to stop the bleeding and stumbled back home as quickly as possible.

My family was visiting and as soon as I got inside everyone began rushing around trying to help. I sat on the toilet seat while everyone tried to locate our first aid kits. They were scattered around (in the car, in the bikes, in the bathroom) but at least we had them. Another minor injury a few months prior had inspired us to update our first aid kits with larger bandages and rolls of gauze. We needed it all.

Everyone was telling me that I was in a state of shock even though I was entirely clear headed and felt fine. Then I started feeling faint, and cried out, “It’s going black…” just as the darkness descended and I lost consciousness. I had slid off the toilet and was lying on the bathroom floor when I came too. I awoke and for a moment didn’t know where I was.

The wound was deep and so we determined I needed stitches. We drove to the emergency room, all the while cursing myself for not having been more careful. Of course having my whole family around to help was immensely useful. Had I been alone and passed out on the trail, while the wound was still bleeding, things could have been much worse.

So, allow my nine Christmas stitches to remind you to double-check your emergency preparations before you need to use them.

Ho Ho Ho and a roll of gauze!

Be The Oak winter sushi recipe with JBG produce.

JBG Produce Featured in Blogs!

Check out the following two blogs for recent posts about JBG! The first, Be the Oak, includes a sushi recipe featured our winter produce.  The second, Blinded by the Bite, features JBG in a post titled, Know where your food comes from? You should!

G&S Groves Ruby Red Grapefruit arrives at JBG. Photo by Scott David Gordon

JBG Citrus Sale

This month, JBG will again be hosting a bulk citrus sale for its CSA members. Members can purchase 10-lb bags of organic oranges or grapefruit at a cost of $10 per bag. These delicious oranges and grapefruit come from G & S Groves, a certified organic grower in McAllen, Texas, and they are great for eating or juicing. Brenton likes this citrus so much that he’ll eat 6 or 7 at a time. Like a little kid, he pokes a whole in the top and then squeezes out the juice and pulp. Regardless of how you choose to eat them, these oranges and grapefruit are hard to beat. To order, click here.

Texas Navel Oranges from G&S Groves. Photo by Scott David Gordon

JBG Annual Transplant Sale

During the month of March, JBG will have organic transplants for sale. We will have a host of spring transplants for your garden, including an especially large selection of heirloom tomatoes. In March, CSA members can order transplants and have them delivered to their pickup sites. Community members can also order transplants and pickup here at the farm. Start planning your gardens now!

Maura diligently works on spring seeding. Photo by Scott David Gordon

3) Recipes, by Melissa Vance, JBG CSA Member

Black Bean and Chard Tacos with Cilantro and Sour Cream

Black Bean and Chard Tacos with Cilantro and Sour Cream

This is a very simple but very tasty recipe.  Perfect for Meatless Mondays.  Try topping the tacos with fresh pico or salsa if you have some.

* 5 tablespoons butter, divided
* 1 small sweet onion, small dice
* 1 bunch chard, stems removed, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
* 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
* 1 tablespoon cumin
* ½ tsp cayenne
* Kosher salt and black pepper
* Flour tortillas, toasted over a flame
* Sour cream
* 3 tablespoons cilantro, minced

Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Sweat the onion, swiss chard, and  jalapeno until tender.  Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the beans and mash with fork.  Add the cumin, cayenne, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.  Add  the remaining butter to the sides of the black beans and do not disturb it so it can form a crispy crust .  Once crispy on bottom, flip and crisp on other side.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve the black bean mixture in warm tortillas, topped with sour cream and cilantro.

Roast Chicken with Turnips and Root Veggies

Roast Chicken with Turnips and Root Veggies

When the weather is cold I love roasting a chicken.  The turnips and carrots we have been getting in our baskets are a wonderful accompaniment.  Cooking them alongside the chicken makes things easy.

* 1 chicken, about 3 pounds, almost room temperature
* Kosher salt and black pepper
* 4 tablespoons softened butter
* 6 white turnips, peeled and cut in thin wedges
* 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
* 1 onion, peeled and cut into wedges
* 5 medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut into wedges
* 2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat oven to 425 degrees.   Rub the chicken with butter and season liberally with salt and pepper.  Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.

In a large bowl, combine the turnips, carrots, onion, and potatoes.  Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.  Add the veggies to the roasting pan around the chicken.

Roast the chicken and veggies for about 20 minutes.  Without opening the oven lower the temperature to 325 degrees and continue to roast for another 20-30 minutes.  When the chicken is done, remove it to a cutting board to rest for at least 10 minutes.  Continue to cook the veggies, stirring and coating with the juices occasionally, until the potatoes and turnips are tender.

Serve the chicken with the root veggies as a side.

JBG Produce at the Sunset Valley Farmers Market. Photo by John McLean

Help us wash carrots Wed afternoon! Photo by Carrie Kenny

From the Farmer’s Perspective…

This week could easily be called the week of the carrot. With so many being harvested in the field, we have have been very busy washing these here at the barn. Many, many thanks to the hard-working volunteers who braved the cold on Monday to help us with this task – we are very grateful for your help. We’ll harvest more today and could really use some extra hands to help with the washing again tomorrow. If you would like to volunteer to help out from 12:30pm to 4:30pm tomorrow, Wednesday, January 12, please email us at farm@jbgorganic.com. All volunteers will receive a half bushel box of freshly harvested vegetables for their efforts.

Check out the photos below of the carrot washing from this morning – doesn’t this look like fun?

Jeremy and Brenton hose down some carrots.

Jesse hoses down some carrots.

Maura smiles while she works.

1. 1) Farm News
   • JBG is now accepting CSA members
   • Nitty Gritty: The Concept of Not Overeating
2. 2) Updates, Meetings, and Events
   • Organic Citrus Sale
   • JBG Spring Transplant Sale
3. 3) Recipes, by Melissa Vance, JBG CSA Member
   • Curried Cabbage Slaw
   • Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Dill

This past Sunday, at Boggy Creek Farm, many of the local area growers (including Brenton) got together for a pot luck and to talk farming.

Grower's Alliance of Central Texas (Gro-ACT)

1) Farm News

JBG is now accepting CSA members.

Help us spread the word! Click here to join.

Week of January 11th CSA Box Contents

The Concept of Not Overeating

Michael Pollan’s dietary guidelines consist of seven words: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. Even though this sounds simple, there is a lot to those words. Take the concept of not eating too much, for example. What does it really mean?

When an American eater is full, he’ll most likely say: “I am full”. When a French eater is full, he’ll say: “J’ai pas faim”. This translates to “I no longer have hunger”. The slight nuances in language (being versus having) reflect cultural nuances about our relationships to eating and when to stop. The state of being hungry is all consuming – it controls me. When I have hunger, my hunger and I are separate entities. This allows me to control it. Hunger is objectified and I have power over it. The Spanish language is similar to the French. Here, being hungry translates to “Yo tengo hambre” (I have hunger), not “Yo estoy hambre” (I am hungry).

Now, let’s compare the state of feeling full with the state of not feeling hungry any more. What is the difference? Once the stomach’s hunger sensation has vanished, it sends a message to the brain. Sounds like a straightforward communication, one would think. However, this is where the eater’s troubles begin. There is a delay of up to 20 minutes before the stomach’s signal reaches the brain. At the same time the brain tends to have “a mind of its own” and gives the eater all sorts of reasons for why to keep on eating past this point. One expression of this dilemma is the phrase: My stomach is full but my mouth wants more.

As the state of no-more-hunger equals the state of a healthy-fullness, it is without question the state to aim for. Some cultures such as the Chinese, Japanese or Native Americans have developed culinary guidelines which say to eat until one feels between 60 to 80% full. Determining when I am 100% full is easy. At that point, my mind is satisfied and my stomach is stuffed. Mind and body have agreed upon a uniform answer. Determining the three-quarter full point however, is much harder. Stomach and mind still argue. Stopping when not feeling hungry any longer requires much more awareness of the eating process. One has to be present while eating to notice the biological signal. One also has to develop a strong will to listen to that signal and not let the mind overrule it. In a culture where many meals are consumed while driving or in front of the TV, this is definitely a challenge.

Is it a challenge that’s worth tackling though? My friend Carrie thought so and has written about her struggles and successes in a blog. One of her successes has been that by stopping to eat when she feels no more hunger she looses weight. What makes this diet achievable in my eyes is that there is no restriction in what to eat, only a restriction in quantity. Don’t overeat, simple right?

2) Updates, Meetings and Events

JBG Citrus Sale

This month, JBG will again be hosting a bulk citrus sale for its CSA members. Members can purchase 10-lb bags of organic oranges or grapefruit at a cost of $10 per bag. These delicious oranges and grapefruit come from G & S Groves, a certified organic grower in McAllen, Texas, and they are great for eating or juicing. Brenton likes this citrus so much that he’ll eat 6 or 7 at a time. Like a little kid, he pokes a whole in the top and then squeezes out the juice and pulp. Regardless of how you choose to eat them, these oranges and grapefruit are hard to beat. To order, click here.

Transplants grow in the greenhouse.

JBG Annual Transplant Sale

During the month of March, JBG will have organic transplants for sale. We will have a host of spring transplants for your garden, including an especially large selection of heirloom tomatoes. In March, CSA members can order transplants and have them delivered to their pickup sites. Community members can also order transplants and pickup here at the farm. Start planning your gardens now!

3) Recipes, by Melissa Vance, JBG CSA Member

River Road Fields. Photo by Scott David Gordon

JBG Crew at River Road. Photo by Scott David Gordon

From the Farmer’s Perspective…

Despite the cold, we have been very busy planning for the warmer weather of Spring. In addition to seeding, we have been spreading compost and adding soil amendments such as sulfur and feather meal to over 1/2 of the fields at River Road. We want our produce to be as healthy and nutritious as possible, so we are working with a soil fertility specialist to determine what needs to be added now (and in the future) to our fields. The saying, “you are what you eat” is as true for vegetables as it is for people. The healthier the soil, the more nutritious the vegetable as plants absorb what the soil contains. To ensure healthy soil for the long-term, we have to put back in what the vegetables take away. We do this by composting, adding soil amendments, growing cover crops, and practicing crop rotation. Additions made to the soil now will directly affect the quality of our Spring produce, so we are working hard to make our soil is as nutrient-rich as possible. After all, you are what your vegetables eat.

Rutabega at River Road. Photo by Scott David Gordon

1. 1) Farm News
   • JBG is now accepting CSA members
   • Nitty Gritty: Apples to Alcohol by Steven Mattern
   • Call for Volunteers next Monday, January 10th
2. 2) Updates, Meetings, and Events
   • Organic Citrus Sale
   • JBG Spring Transplant Sale
3. 3) Recipes, by Melissa Vance, JBG CSA Member
   • Crispy Sweet Potato Bake
   • Pork Adobo Tacos

1) Farm News

JBG is now accepting CSA members.

Help us spread the word! Click here to join.

Week of January 4th CSA Box Contents

Apples to Alcohol

by Steven Mattern, JBG Resident

Those who have read Michael Pollen’s Botany of Desire remember that ol’ Johnny Appleseed wasn’t growing apples to eat them raw. In fact, most were too sour to be tasty. Instead, his apple trees were used to produce hard cider, a fact that significantly alters the myth surrounding his life!

A few months ago I stumbled across a blog post describing an easy way to make hard apple cider at home. As someone who’s wanted to make beer for a long time but been overwhelmed with the equipment and complexity, this was simple enough that I was willing to give it a shot.

The method was cheap, simple and easy and resulted in one gallon of a drinkable and alcoholic brew. A major convenience is that the glass jug the juice comes in is used as the fermenting vessel. The result was good enough that it inspired me start the next batch immediately. Here’s what you need:

The procedure is basically to open the juice, pour in the yeast, put on the airlock and wait a week.

Now, making hard cider from purchased juice was cool, but what I really wanted to do was make alcohol from fruit. I decided to give it a try.

Bushel of second grade apples.

At the farmer’s market Grit and I bought a bushel of second grade apples. Rather than grinding them I opted for a much more primitive yet still effective method. Into a 5 gallon food grade bucket went a dozen or more apples. A long piece of a 4×4 with a plastic bag around its bottom was used as a vertical battering ram, easily smashing them—skin, seeds, stems and all.

Grit smashes some of the apples.

To juice the pulp, I built a simple press with some scrap lumber and pipe clamps. The press was lined with cheese cloth which acted as a filter and the juice drained down through straws in containers. A gallon was quickly squeezed from less than a half a bushel of apples. We pasteurized the juice by bringing it up to a simmer and when it was cooled the yeast was added and the airlock attached.

Steven works with the handmade press.

After 10 days of fermenting the airlock stopped bubbling and I transferred the cider to 1 liter bottles containing 25 grams of sugar per liter for secondary fermentation. It is here that natural carbonation forms as more carbon dioxide is produced but can’t escape and is instead absorbed. At two weeks, this slight aging also allows the tannins to mellow and the flavor improves greatly. When opened on Christmas, the bottles contained a dry, delicious and very bubbly brew!

The finished product.

Here’s looking at you, Mr. Appleseed.

Call for Volunteers Next Monday, January 10th

Next Monday, January 10th, we are anticipating an extra large harvest of carrots. We need three hard-working volunteers to help sort, wash, and pack these carrots from 8am to 1pm. If you’d like to help out, please email Carrie at farm@jbgorganic.com. Thank you!

Help us with our carrot harvest Monday, Jan. 10th.

2) Updates, Meetings, and Events

JBG Citrus Sale

This month, JBG will again be hosting a bulk citrus sale for its CSA members. Members can purchase 10-lb bags of organic oranges or grapefruit at a cost of $10 per bag. These delicious oranges and grapefruit come from G & S Groves, a certified organic grower in McAllen, Texas, and they are great for eating or juicing. Brenton likes this citrus so much that he’ll eat 6 or 7 at a time. Like a little kid, he pokes a whole in the top and then squeezes out the juice and pulp. Regardless of how you choose to eat them, these oranges and grapefruit are hard to beat. To order, please go to our website at jbgorganic.com — we will have a link posted for ordering before the end of the week.

Transplants grow in the greenhouse.

Annual JBG Transplant Sale

During the month of March, JBG will have organic transplants for sale. We will have a host of spring transplants for your garden, including an especially large selection of heirloom tomatoes. In March, CSA members can order transplants and have them delivered to their pickup sites. Community members can also order transplants and pickup here at the farm. Start planning your gardens now!

3) Recipes, by Melissa Vance, JBG CSA Member

Lettuce grows at River Road. Photo by Scott David Gordon