Johnson's Backyard Garden

Get Ready for Spring

Neysa — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:02:10 +0000

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

Those Fabulous Greens

Neysa — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:55:12 +0000

Garlic stays in the ground all winter, from November to April

1) In Your Box this Week

2) Farm News:

From the Farmer’s Perspective …. Fabulous Greens
The Consistency of Change, by Grit Ramuschkat, JBG Resident

3) New South Austin Pickup Location Replacing Brodie/Slaughter THIS WEEK!

4) New Round Rock Pickup Location

5) Updates, Meetings, and Events

Johnson’s Backyard Garden Slow Food Farm Tour and Heirloom Plant Sale, March 6th, 13th, and 20th, from 10am to 2pm
It’s That Time of Year Again! Johnson’s Backyard Garden Annual Spring Potluck
Resolution Gardens will Build a Garden for You!
Intern Donations Requested!
So Long, Keith; Good Luck Urban Patchwork!

6)Quotable Food

7) Recipes

Easter Carrot Soup
Warm Turnip Greens Dip

8) Produce Storage Tips

9) Johnson’s Backyard Garden Contact Info

A harvest of Red Ace beets

1) In Your Box this Week

Carrots
Turnips
Spinach
Broccoli
Kale
Lettuce
Dill
Green Onions

Avocado from G&S Groves
Oranges and Grapefruit from G&S Groves and Jonas Ybarra

(Jonas’ grapefruits may not be as pretty, but they’re just as tasty!)

2) Farm News:

From the Farmer’s Perspective… Fabulous Greens

We are almost finished planting potatoes at the River Road Farm. Good thing, too, because our greenhouse is just bursting with transplants ready to go out. Because we only have one transplanter, we’ve had to give priority to planting potatoes instead of transplanting other crops. This week we should get back on schedule, though, and the beautiful plants in the greenhouse seem to have perked up in anticipation. Hopefully with our expansion in the coming year, we won’t have to do this balancing act again. The snow day last week wiped out a bed of cauliflower transplants, which are more susceptible to the cold than their green cousins, broccoli. What is doing very well in the field, though: the leafy greens. We hope you are enjoying the kale, spinach, and mustard you’re getting in your boxes! Cooked greens sure are tasty on a rainy day. And don’t forget that gorgeous lettuce! As the heads get bigger in our field, so will the amount of lettuce you get in your boxes. Take notice of the lettuce in your box these coming weeks, and you’ll be able to watch them grow yourself.

Lettuce transplants

The Consistency of Change, by Grit Ramuschkat, JBG Resident

Whenever my husband Steven and I take a stroll out into the fields, we are amazed at how different things tend to look compared to just a few weeks earlier. Historically, life in the city has been associated with such a fast pace and life in the country rather with a calm serenity, a slower pace and sometimes even a backward-ticking clock. Well, not so with Brenton in charge! With his seemingly bottomless pool of energy, steady enthusiasm for his work and his vision of growth for the farm, change is the only constant. Where there was a small barn, there is a big barn, where there was a small intern house, there is no house, where there was an orchard, there is two trees, then no trees, then an open field, then rows upon rows of promising looking vegetables. Where there was one tractor, there is three, all in different colors and with different applications. In the same parcel of the field, there was garlic, then came potatoes, then winter squash and now a sea of carrots.

These human-induced changes tend to catch our attention and often are rather finite (however, again, “finite” is not a term in Brenton’s repertoire). They often scare us a little and sometimes we feel resistant to accept them. However, I do have to say that with change being so prominent at this farm, I feel I have become more flexible and open to change myself.

Then there is nature, which itself is in constant motion. Nature’s changes are more subtle though and tend to quietly sneak up on us. Nature-induced change is cyclical also, and thus, while constantly changing also reoccurring. This steadiness of change tends to comfort us and reassures us that we are part of a bigger picture. In nature, change and consistency become one.

How can we associate fear and resistance with one type of change and reassurance and comfort with another? Could we possibly take the feelings from one and transfer it onto the other, to make it also comforting to us? After all, it is change that propels us, that gets us somewhere (again, look at Brent!). Change is what nature does and since we are part of nature, let’s embrace change into our lives as well!

3) New South Austin Pickup Location Replacing Brodie/Slaughter THIS WEEK!

Beginning THIS Friday, March 5th, Brodie/Slaughter will no longer be a CSA pickup site. The new site in South Austin will be:

8110 Cattle Drive, Austin, Texas 78749

If you are currently picking up Fridays at Brodie/Slaughter, you do not need to do anything at this time. You will automatically be transferred to 8110 Cattle Drive for your March 5th pickup. If you are picking up at a different pickup site and would like to change your pickup location to 8110 Cattle Drive, please call us at 386-5273 or email the office at farm@jbgorganic.com.

4) New Wednesday Round Rock Pickup Location!

Beginning 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

5) Updates, Meetings, and Events

Johnson’s Backyard Garden Slow Food Farm Tour and Heirloom Plant Sale, March 6th, 13th, and 20th

Saturday, March 6, JBG is collaborating with Slow Food Austin on a Slow Food Farm Tour and Heirloom Plant Sale. Come by our farm to tour our greenhouse, fields, and participate in a discussion about organic farming and CSAs in Austin. Browse through our heirloom Ark of Taste transplants and take some home to plant in your garden! JBG’s heirloom transplant sale will continue through the first three Saturdays in March from 10am to 2pm. These three weeks we will also be carrying heirloom transplants at the Downtown Austin Farmers Market and the Sunset Valley Farmers Market.

For two weeks only, current CSA members may order these transplants for pickup at their CSA drop off sites. This sale will extend from Tuesday, March 9th- Saturday, March 20th. If you are interested in purchasing heirloom transplants for your pickup during these dates, keep an eye on our web site for available varieties and directions for ordering. We will send out an email to members once these details are online.

Boston Marrow Squash

It’s That Time of Year Again! Johnson’s Backyard Garden Annual Spring Potluck

Saturday, April 10th, Johnson’s Backyard Garden will host its Annual Spring Potluck! Come join us for live music, great food, tractor rides around the farm, and lots of fun activities for the kids. We truly believe that our CSA members are some of the best cooks in Austin, so come hungry to this locavores heaven, with tons of locally-raised and prepared dishes. We’re ready for this year’s potluck to be the best one yet! JBG will be sending out Evites soon, so save the date and keep a look out!

Resolution Gardens will Build a Garden for You!

Resolution Gardens will build a garden for you! If you’ve wanted to start growing some veggies in your back yard but haven’t got the time, tools or know-how, give Resolution Gardens a call. They’ll do all the hard work that it takes to get a garden installed including plants, soil, seeds, compost and siding- and then presto! you’re ready to start gardening for yourself. They can even help you maintain, harvest and re-plant from season to season. From 4×8 Raised-Beds to Yard Farms and everything in between, if you want to grow food, they’ll help!

Resolution Gardens is located at 2205 W 35th Street. For more info, check out www.resolutiongardens.com.

Intern Donations Requested!

The interns are on the lookout for kitchen and bedroom supplies for their humble trailers. Specifically, the interns need a microwave to heat up their lunches, and a washing machine for their dirt-caked work clothes! 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.

So Long Keith. Good Luck Urban Patchwork!

Keith just completed his 6-month internship. We'll miss you!

JBG’s charming intern Keith McDorman completed the last day of his internship at the Downtown Austin Farmers Market on Saturday. Keith is going to begin new employment at the non-profit CSA, Urban Patchwork. Urban Patchwork supports community gardens and urban, local farms, as all the farmland is within the boundaries of the urban neighborhoods who choose to participate. Neighborhood residents and businesses host farm plots in their yards in exchange for fresh veggies and other opportunities that reduce cost of living and increase the quality and value of their land and lives. For more information on Urban Patchwork, visit www.urbanpatchwork.org.

6)Quotable Food

“A good farmer feeds all its animals even the ones that can only be seen with a microscope.” –Jean Paul Courtens, Roxbury Farm Soil Fertility Manual

7) Recipes

Easter Carrot Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

1 1/2 pounds carrots, cut into 1/4 inch rounds

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Method:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the carrots, broth, ginger, 1 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and the pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the carrots are soft, about 20 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes. Using a blender, puree the soup in batches until smooth. Return to pot and rewarm over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk the cream in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Fold in the remaining salt and dill. Divide the soup among individual bowls and top with the dill cream

Warm Turnip Greens Dip

5 bacon slices, chopped

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 bunch turnip greens, finely chopped

12 ounces cream cheese, cut into pieces

1 8oz container sour cream

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup grated parmesan

Method:

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium high heat 5 to 6 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 Tbsp. drippings in Dutch oven. Saute onion and garlic in hot drippings 3 to 4 minutes. Add wine, and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of Dutch oven. Stir in turnip greens, next 4 ingredients, and 1/2 Parmesan cheese. Cook, stirring often, 6 to 8 minutes or until cream cheese is melted and misture is thoroughly heated. Transfer to a lightly greased 1 1/2 qt. baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with remaining Parmesan cheese. Broil 6 inches from heat 4 to 5 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. Sprinkle with bacon.

8) Produce Storage Tips

Spinach, Kale, Collards and Mustard Greens are best stored in a plastic bag or Tupperware in the vegetable crisper for 3-5 days.

Remove the tops from carrots before storing them in you refrigerator. Greens draw out nutrients from the root.

Our full greenhouse

9) 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

Sunny Weather and Steady Progress

Neysa — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:30:30 +0000

Finally some sun in our still-wet field

1) In Your Box this Week

2) Farm News:

From the Farmer’s Perspective …. Sunny Weather and Steady Progress
Tea-Tasting at Zhi Tea Gallery, by Grit Ramuschkat, JBG Resident

3) New South Austin Pickup Location Replacing Brodie/Slaughter

4) In Need of a New CSA Host for Round Rock!

5) Updates, Meetings, and Events

Johnson’s Backyard Garden Slow Food Farm Tour and Heirloom Plant Sale, March 6th, 13th, and 20th
It’s That Time of Year Again! Johnson’s Backyard Garden Annual Spring Potluck
Beets, Not Bonuses: Slow Money is just 90 votes away from being named one of the best ideas to change America!
Intern Donations Requested!
Austin Blogs: Gadora Wilder

6)Quotable Food

7) Recipes

Carrot Coconut Soup
1-Minute Spinach

8) Produce Storage Tips

9) Johnson’s Backyard Garden Contact Info

Thankful for a warm day to harvest

1) In Your Box this Week

Carrots
Radishes, Turnips, or Rutabaga
Kale, Spinach or Mustard Greens
Bok Choy or Broccoli
Cabbage or Brussels Sprouts
Lettuce
Dill
Green Onions
A smattering of potatoes
Oranges and Grapefruit from G&S Groves

2) Farm News:

From the Farmer’s Perspective …. Sunny Weather and Steady Progress

This was a week of progress at JBG. The weather last week provided a much needed thaw to both our crops in the field and our harvest crew. On top of that, we got the majority of our potatoes cut and planted, we began planting on our new River Road field, and we are even making progress on our equipment needs!

Even though the welcome change in weather wasn’t the direct cause of it all, the sun on our backs seemed to make all our hard work this week go a little further. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, workshares helped cut up nearly 10,000 pounds of potatoes to transplant. Potatoes can be planted whole, because sprouts come from the eyes on the potato, but cutting them up makes the supply go a little further. As long as there is an eye, there will be a sprout. As fast as the workshares were cutting, we were hauling them over to the new field on River Road and transplanting them. Not only was this job monumental because of its size, but it is the first planting on our new property! Picture thirty-six 850-foot-long rows on our new farm (easy to visualize, right?): that’s how many potatoes we’ll have for your boxes this spring. Some great varieties, too: Purple Majesty, Yukon Gold, and Red Gold.

Meanwhile, our equipment needs moved ahead this week. A long-time CSA member, Mark Goldberg, is helping us finance a BWI bedshaper for 60” beds. This is going to make it much easier for us to keep on a strict planting schedule. If we have the right equipment to make beds ahead of time, we won’t find ourselves in the position we have the last few months, where the rain made it impossible for us to work the soil and plant. Thanks so much, Mark, for your support. And thanks to all of our CSA members who are helping us keep our organic farm running efficiently.

Finally, the crew at JBG got some fantastic financial news last week. We have been approved for several grants! One, the Young Farmers Grant which is dedicated to helping beginning farmers maintain their businesses, has awarded JBG $10,000 for seed and fertilizer purchases! JBG can spend as much as $300 a week on fertilizer, so this grant is going to be a tremendous help. And two, we were also awarded a GOTEPP (Go Texan Partner Program) grant, which will match us $18,000 (meaning if we raise $18,000, they will match us with another $18,000) for advertising and customer relations. If JBG can raise $18,000 to match GOTEPP’s grant, we will be spending it on new vegetable boxes for our CSA members, making organic cotton JBG t-shirts, developing our web site and making our CSA membership process run more smoothly. If you’re interested in learning how to contribute toward this goal, please click here. Every little bit helps!

We’re hoping the warm weather continues (though I hear Tuesday night is supposed to be a little rough) so we can keep getting all of our planting done to make our spring boxes as full and plentiful as they can be during the fruitful spring months.

From the Farmer’s Perspective is written by Neysa King. To read more by Neysa, check out her blog at www.dissertationtodirt.com

Cutting potatoes was a week-long project

Purple Majesty Potatoes

Tea-Tasting at Zhi Tea Gallery, by Grit Ramuschkat, JBG Resident

For this month’s Slow Food meeting we gathered at Zhi Tea Gallery in East Austin for a tea-tasting session.

The owner Jeff, who ventured to New York for tea inspiration and to Austin for tea business, knew a whole lot about tea and was eager to share every bit with us.

While there are more rigid guidelines for tasting wine (e.g. starting with whites followed by reds or moving towards sweetness), there aren’t any “official” tasting rules for tea. “From subtle to strong, from odd to familiar -everything is possible and depends on the spirit of the group of tasters”, said Jeff. We started with green, moved on to white and over to red (Rooibos tea). What that said about the spirit of our group is up for interpretation…

There are two key elements to enjoying tea: 1. buy good tea and 2. brew it well. “No worries”, said Jeff, “both things are easy to achieve”.

Since we were clear on point one that evening, we went straight to point two – the brewing.

Green tea likes a little less than boiling water (185 F to be exact). 1 tsp of leaves per cup, steeped for 2 minutes (a little kitchen alarm clock comes in handy). Green tea is the frugal among the teas, since the same batch of leaves can be brewed several times. Each new brewing makes for a little surprise – a slight change of flavor. Green tea is generally the most delicate of teas, since it has not been oxidized for very long. It is processed within one hour of its harvest by simply toasting the leaves in a hot wok for a few minutes to dry them out – that’s it. Hence it has only a shelf-life of 6 months. Oolong teas as well as black teas are oxidized for longer periods and thus have a longer shelf life. White tea likes a little warmer water (195 F) and has a shelf-life of one year.

Jeff is a USDA-certified organic manufacturer, which means that not only his sourced teas but all the ingredients he uses to create his house-blends are certified organic. He works on his creative blends in his tea kitchen adjacent to the store, were he tests, tastes and refines to perfection. Our group got to try “Ambrosia”, a white tea blend including pineapple chunks, coconut shavings and coconut flavoring. Upon hearing flavoring I anticipated that the tea will taste too artificial, like pina colada-scented candles, but to my surprise it didn’t. It was pleasantly aromatic and sweet (without any sugar added) and I’d say, it was quiet a dessert tea and highly recommend treating it as such. I liked Ambrosia and with it the idea of sipping on several cups of nice tea after dinner instead of indulging in a piece of coconut-pineapple cheesecake.

In between teas we enjoyed a colorful array of treats made by the slow food members (green tea infused brownies, homemade bread, and more tea-infused butter cookies in the shape of tea leaves, wow). The scrumptious treats were justified as pallet cleansers.

I never got around to asking Jeff about the meaning of his business name that evening, but upon researching the world wide web, I found that ” Zhi” is a chinese character that can mean a whole bunch of things: substance, wisdom and aspiration. Characteristics that Jeff’s teas certainly can live up to. This spring will be Jeff’s first time visiting some of the estates he’s been purchasing tea from. He was very excited and we wished him all the best. May he bring new inspiration home! Austin will be ready for him.

Links:

Visit Zhi Tea Gallery on the web at http://www.zhitea.com/

Join the next slow food meeting at http://slowfoodaustin.org/

3) New South Austin Pickup Location Replacing Brodie/Slaughter

Beginning Friday, March 5th, Brodie/Slaughter will no longer be a CSA pickup site. The new site in South Austin will be:

8110 Cattle Drive, Austin, Texas 78749

Temo and new intern Marissa drive back from the field

4) In Need of a New CSA Host for Round Rock!

Our current Round Rock CSA host is no longer able to serve as a pick up site. If you are interested in becoming the next Round Rock CSA site host, please email us at farm@jbgorganic.com. Site hosts are entitled to 4 free quarterly CSA boxes, and any other produce not picked up in the designated time. Please contact our office for more details.

5) Updates, Meetings, and Events

Johnson’s Backyard Garden Slow Food Farm Tour and Heirloom Plant Sale, March 6th, 13th, and 20th

Saturday, March 6, JBG is collaborating with Slow Food Austin for a Slow Food Farm Tour and Heirloom Plant Sale. Come by our farm to tour our greenhouse, fields, and participate in a discussion about organic farming and CSAs in Austin. Browse through our heirloom Ark of Taste transplants and take some home to plant in your garden! JBG’s heirloom transplant sale will continue through the first three Saturdays in March from 10am to 2pm.

It’s That Time of Year Again! Johnson’s Backyard Garden Annual Spring Potluck

Beets, Not Bonuses: Slow Money is just 90 votes away from being named one of the best ideas to change America!

Slow Money is just 90 votes away from being named one of the best ideas to change America in the online competition sponsored by Change.org.

This is a great chance for us to spread the word about Slow Money. More than 650,000 people saw and voted on ideas in a similar contest last year. And the top 10 ideas of 2010 will be presented at an event in Washington, D.C. to relevant members of the Obama Administration, and then promoted to more than one million readers, bloggers and activists.

If you’re interested in learning about the national Slow Money movement and subscribing to the mailing list, click here.

Intern Donations Requested!

Introducing new intern Margaret Wittenmyer

Austin Blogs: Gadora Wilder

Check out Gadora Wilder’s blog where she describes Johnson’s Backyard Garden’s CSA and workshare programs. Lovely pictures of the eggs we add to our boxes, too! Thanks, Gadora, for the shout out!

http://gadorawilder.com/2010/02/13/fresh-eggs-from-johnsons-backyard-garden/

6)Quotable Food

“Butter vs. Margarine ? I trust cows over scientists.” –Anon

7) Recipes

Carrot Coconut Soup

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped

1 TBS + 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

2 TBS fresh ginger, sliced

4 medium cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp curry powder

2 cups sliced carrots, about ¼-inch thick

1 cup sweet potato, cut into about ½-inch cubes

5 oz canned coconut milk

salt and white pepper to taste

Method:

1.Chop onion and let it sit for at least five minutes.
2.Heat 1 TBS broth in a medium soup pot. Healthy Sauté onion in broth over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
3.Add garlic and ginger and continue to sauté for another minute.
4.Add curry powder and mix well with onions.
5.Add broth, carrots, and sweet potato and simmer on medium high heat until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
6.Add coconut milk.
7.Blend in batches making sure blender is not more than half full. When it’s hot, and the blender is too full, it can erupt and burn you. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8.Return to soup pot and reheat.

1-Minute Spinach

1 bunch fresh spinach
1 tsp lemon juice
1 medium fresh garlic
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Optional:
chopped tomato
kalamatta olives
cashews
goat cheese
few drops tamari soy sauce

Method:

1.Chop or press garlic and let it sit for 5 minutes to bring out its health-promoting benefits.
2.Bring lightly salted water to a rapid boil in a large pot.
3. Cut stems off spinach leaves and clean well. This can be done easily by leaving spinach bundled and cutting off stems all at once. Rinse spinach leaves very well as they often contain a lot of soil.
4. Cook spinach in boiling water for 1 minute.
5. Drain and press out excess water. Toss in rest of ingredients while still hot.

8) Produce Storage Tips

To keep broccoli at its freshest stage, store it for 3 to 5 days in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Broccoli can also be stored by freezing it. Peel the leaves from the stalk. Blanch the broccoli in steam for 5 minutes. Cool, and then place the broccoli in a sealed plastic bag. Broccoli can be stored in the freezer for up to 10 months.
Wrapping cabbage in plastic and storing it in the crisper section of your refrigerator limits its exposure to air flow, and thus reduces respiration and retards spoilage. Just as importantly, plastic wrap keeps external moisture out, preventing mold and rot, while helping the cabbage to maintain its internal (cellular) moisture-without which, the cabbage leaves lose their firmness and begin to wilt.

New seedling in the ground

9) 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

How Many Organic Farms Would it Take to Feed Austin?

Neysa — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:09:38 +0000

Angel harvesting carrots

1) In Your Box this Week

2) Farm News:

From the Farmer’s Perspective …. Organic Farms, Big and Small

3) New South Austin Pickup Location Replacing Brodie/Slaughter

4) In Need of a New CSA Host for Round Rock!

5) Updates, Meetings, and Events

Healthy Cooking 101 at Whole Foods
Bad to the Bone: Stubb’s Presents Chef Smackdown
JBG and Slow Food Austin March Farm Tour and Plant Sale

6)Quotable Food

7) Recipes

Kale or Collards Frittata
More Uses for Mustard Greens

8) Produce Storage Tips

9) Johnson’s Backyard Garden Contact Info

Easter Egg Radishes

1) In Your Box this Week

Carrots
Hakurei Turnips or Kohlrabi
Collards or Kale
Radish or Beets
Bok Choy or Mustard Greens
Green Onions
Dill or Parsley
Oranges and Grapefruit from G&S Groves
Avocados from G&S Groves

2) Farm News:

From the Farmer’s Perspective …Organic Farms, Big and Small

A lot of people marvel at the size of our farm. 70 acres, 60 vegetable types, over 300 varieties! But as far as farms go, we are actually pretty petite. According to the USDA, the average number of farmed acres on small farms in the United States is 160. And that’s just for small farms. For large farms, the average size is over 2,000 acres. Compared to that, our 70 acres seems downright diminutive.

But not all of those are organic farms, right? Organic farms might have different standards of “big” and “small.” But let’s think about it another way: not by what’s out there now… but what’s needed. How much food can a farm, whatever its size, actually produce? How many farms would it take to feed a city like, say, Austin? A good rule of thumb is that 1 acre of land in vegetables can provide enough to feed about 100 people or 30 -35 weekly CSA shares. That means that once JBG has 30 acres in full production (right now we have about 16), we have the potential to feed around 3000 people a week or produce 1000 CSA shares per week. If the population of Austin proper is 680,000, that means it would take over 225 farms of JBG’s size to feed everyone!

It makes you think. Where are all of these farms, and people to farm them, going to come from? Austin has a great organic food culture that has ballooned over the last decade, and continues to grow. But when you see the amount of farms it would take for Austin to be able to feed itself completely, it’s clear that there remains a big need for more organic farming, and more organic farms. “Big” as we tend to see organic farms doesn’t seem so big when you consider those numbers. We need much, much more acreage in Austin planted in organic crops. Ideally more than 7000 acres just to feed Austin!

Farming in our country is a lost art. Organic farmers here in Austin and around the United States are doing their best to rediscover techniques and designate more land to organic farming. Young farm interns are our greatest hope for the future. But not everyone is going to be a farmer, so how can we all do out part? Perhaps the best thing we can do right now is to help those who want to farm find a viable way to do it, and that means supporting local, organic agriculture to the best of our abilities. Shopping at farmers markets and/or joining a CSA are great ways to start. Helping your local farms financially or with volunteer hours is great, too. Starting a small garden or helping community gardens is also good. Only when we make organic farming a mainstay of our communities, and our diets, will it become a real part of our future.

3) New South Austin Pickup Location Replacing Brodie/Slaughter

Beginning Friday, March 5th, Brodie/Slaughter will no longer be a CSA pickup site. The new site in South Austin will be:

8110 Cattle Drive, Austin, Texas 78749

4) In Need a New CSA Host for Round Rock!

5) Updates, Meetings, and Important Events

Healthy Cooking 101 at Whole Foods

Saturday, February 20th, 10:00 am Free!

Wondering how to cook all those vegetables, whole grains, and other healthy foods that you know you should be eating? Join Mary, our Healthy Eating Specialist for a special mobile class on how to easily choose and prepare the most nutrient-rich and health-supportive foods.

Meet at the Healthy Eating Desk in Produce.

Bad to the Bone: Stubb’s Presents Chef Smackdown

On Saturday, Feb. 27th, 6 – 9:30 pm, Stubb’s outdoor stage in downtown Austin will turn into a kitchen arena where three of the state’s highest profile chefs will battle it out, each choosing a preferred ingredient to stump their competitors’ culinary prowess. The chefs will create a dish that includes all three of the chef-picked ingredients which could range from diverse edibles such as grapefruit to cauliflower to oysters.

Audience participants and a panel of noted culinary experts will sample the dishes and use live text voting to determine the winning chef. The DJ, el john Selector, will be spinning bad-to-the-bone soul, funk and world beats to keep the tempo pumping until final votes have been cast.

Once the winner is announced, the evening melds into a rockin’ live concert with Charanga Cakewalk, a seven-piece Latin band featuring master multi-instrumentalist Michael Ramos and known for pan-Latin tunes that dive into deep, urban grooves.

On tap for the chef throwdown are three of Texas’ youngest and most acclaimed chefs – David Bull, named as one of Food & Wine magazine’s Top Ten Best New Chefs in 2003 and who is now Bolla’s executive chef at the Stoneleigh Hotel in Dallas; Shawn Cirkiel, executive chef of Austin’s Parkside Restaurant, recently named by Bon Appetit magazine as one of the “Hot 10 New American Taverns”; and Paul Petersen, star of TLC’s BBQ Pitmasters and author of Keeper of the Flame Interactive Cookbook. Petersen was also former executive chef of Café Cenzio at the Gage Hotel.

A live video feed will project all of the kitchen stage action onto Stubb’s stage canopy so the audience can see close-ups of the food preparation as well as the live feed for the text voting results.

A limited number of TICKETS available here: http://tinyurl.com/ybx7zg5

SFC thanks our sponsors, Stubb’s, Whole Foods Market Austin, Texas Culinary Academy and Cuvee Coffee!

When/Where
Saturday, February 27
6pm – 9:30pm
Stubb’s Amphitheatre
801 Red River
Austin, Texas
Tickets: http://tinyurl.com/ybx7zg5

JBG and Slow Food Austin March Farm Tour and Plant Sale

Dry weather Friday finally let us plant in the market garden

6) Quotable Food

“April is the cruelest month, T.S. Eliot wrote, by which I think he meant (among other things) that springtime makes people crazy. We expect too much, the world burgeons with promises it can’t keep, all passion is really a setup, and we’re doomed to get our hearts broken yet again. I agree, and would further add: Who cares? Every spring I go out there anyway, around the bend, unconditionally. … Come the end of the dark days, I am more than joyful. I’m nuts. ”
— Barbara Kingsolver (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life)

7) Recipes

I love Kale. In fact, I love all cooking greens. Olive oil, garlic, and onion mixed up in a pan with greens is one of my favorite meals. But sometimes you want to mix it up a little and use those greens in different ways. Here are some of my other recipes for greens beyond the sautee.

Kale or Collards Frittata

Ingredients:

6-8 eggs

1/2 cup milk

A good melting cheese of your choice (I love a good Fontina)

1 bunch of Kale or Collards (or any other cooking green)

2-4 cloves garlic

1 bunch green onions

Olive Oil

Method:

Set oven to broil, or bake at 400 degrees.

In a bowl, beat eggs together. Add milk. Shred cheese and mix in.

In an oven-safe sautee pan, heat up olive oil. Add onion and garlic. Satuee until soft. Add greens and sautee until soft and bright green. Add salt and pepper to taste (at this point you can also add in whatever other veggies you’d like in your frittata). Before greens are completely done cooking, add egg mixture to pan. Stir until eggs become firm on the bottom. Don’t stir too vigorously, you want the eggs and veggies to stay together like a sort of pie. When the eggs are almost done cooking, transfer the pan into the oven and let cook for about 5 minutes. The mixture should rise and get brown and crispy on the top. Take the pan out, sprinkle a little parsley, salt, and pepper on top and enjoy!

More Uses for Mustard Greens

I love the spiciness of mustard greens, and it is even more intense when the greens are raw. Try using them chopped up in your salads, or as a green in a savory sandwich like a BLT or tuna melt.

8) Produce Storage Tips

Spinach, Kale, Collards and Mustard Greens are best stored in a plastic bag or Tupperware in the vegetable crisper for 3-5 days.

We hope sun this week will give our transplants a good nudge!

9) 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