Dismiss
LOCALLY GROWN, ORGANIC PRODUCE DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR.

ALL THE TOMATOES YOU COULD POSSIBLY WANT

03/10/09 — Aaron

Radishses fresh from the field.
Table of Contents 1) In Your Box this Week 2) Farm News
  • All the Tomatoes You Could Possibly Want
  • Heirloom Tomato Starts for Sale
  • Open House/ Potluck
  • Log into Your Account
  • Educational Video
  • Volunteers Make it All Happen
  • We are Building Intern Housing
  • New Interns
3) Events
  • Seats available for the Bacchanal at the Hotel St. Cecilia
  • Gardening for Wildlife Seminar
4) Quotable Food 5) Recipes
  • Arugula and Olive Pesto

  • Roasted Beet, Peach and Goat Cheese Salad

6) Vegetable Storage Tips 7) Johnson’s Backyard Garden Contact Information

Please send newsletter feedback, suggestions and contributions to farm@jbgorganic.com

We’re on Facebook! We’re also on MySpace, be our friend!

Parsley and spinach.

Parsley and spinach.

1) In Your Box this Week: Broccoli Florets Spinach Green Garlic Salad Mix Baby Arugula Beets Radishes Tomatoes Mint Parsley Oranges Grapefruit Coming soon: Lettuces!

    This list is subject to change depending on availability and quality of crops on harvest day.  You’ll find the most accurate packing list on the homepage of our website.

  • CSA members report that we have the sweetest carrots they have ever tasted!CSA members report that we have the sweetest carrots they have ever tasted!

    • 2) Farm News

    • All the Tomatoes You Could Possibly Want: Keeping up with the hectic pace of spring planting has meant that we are growing (not going) crazy. Within the last week we have transplanted 2700 tomato plants and more will still be planted next week. Wow! Along with the standard varieties like Bush Early Girl and Roma, we have been raising heirloom tomatoes with some fascinating names ( and tastes and colors). These early tomato heirloom varieties include Pruden's Purple, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Pineapple, Black Krim, Rose de Berne, Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra, and Marianna's Peace.
    Lucas and Dylan transplant peppers.

    We have been doing some seed trials with the cucumbers and summer squash. Seeds of a few varieties have been seeded both in the greenhouse and directly to the field. Hopefully this will give us some information on which practice will produce healthier plants and bigger harvests. Just this week we have seeded 1100 cucumbers and 1100 summer squash. This is just the first succession and the numbers sound overwhelming to me but I'm sure you will all enjoy the bounty.

    We will also be transplanting three types of basil and direct seeding spinach, chard and green beans this week. Will continues to hill the potatoes each week; they just keep bursting through the ground with a rush of green growth. Will was also able to fertilize the onions with feather meal last week. Grit, Jeff, Stacey and myself  hand cultivated the onions to get the Nut Sedge out and work the fertilizer into the soil.
    Though it's late in the season, we are going to try and eek out one more round of mustard, turnips, and radishes. Our biggest battles there will be the late spring heat and the flush of insects that come with it. And, yes, we still have deer. Brenton says 'a herd' has been playing havoc with the plastic mulch, but we are not disheartened.....ah, the life of a farmer.
    • Heirloom Tomato Starts for Sale: We have those heirloom tomatoes, mentioned above, for sale. If you're interested in growing some of the most beautiful and flavorful tomatoes in your own backyard garden, check out our web site to place your order and we will deliver the starts to your weekly drop off sites for the next couple of weeks. Â  All transplants are seeded to 1" plugs and cost $1.00 each. We require a $20.00 minimum order, and this minimum can include any combination of the plants we have available.
    Black Krim Pruden's Purple Rose de Berne Green Zebra Aunt Ruby's German Green Cherokee Purple Marianna's Peace Pineapple
    • Open House/Potluck: We have picked a date for the special occasion, please joins us at the farm on Sunday April 19th from 4pm til dark. We will provide music and entertainment. Bring a dish to share, your own place settings and all the friends and family you can think of. Bring a chair or a blanket, and BYOB. You do not need to be a CSA member to attend, this is an event for everyone (except your canine friends, please leave them at home). So mark your calenders and peruse your favorite recipes in preparation for this annual event. We'll meet in the orchard and have a walking tour of the farm with other local foodies.
    • Log into your Account and check details regarding pickup, renewal and changing your orders. It’s a great way to save time and improve accuracy of all our subscription.
    • Volunteer Workshares Make it all Happen: We would like to express our gratitude to the folks who help us around the farm. Every week, both Wednesday's and Saturday's, workshare volunteers arrive at the farm at 8:00 am with sun screen and water bottles in hand. These folks get a different assignment each week and it's not always pleasant work (check out the photos below). Yet they are dedicated to the local food concept, enjoy the farm experience and take home a box of organic veggies at the end of the day.  For those of us who are interns on the farm , these workshares also provide our primary socializing for the week. Did I mention the freshly baked cookies, brownies, and muffins, homemade yogurt and kombucha tea they bring along to share? Interns love their workshares. We are always excited to see the regulars and the newbees show up.  I realize I don't have photos of all of you, but here is a smattering of the  people who make sure the harvest gets completed for your weekly CSA box.

    Workshares on the packing line:

    Gilbert

    Emily Manny Shelly Julie Tammy Stephanie Carla Evelise, who some of you may know as the host of the Treadwell pick up site. Susan Workshares help clear the massive brush pile. Richard Denise Shelly
    Workshares delighting in  a job well done and the fine veggies they will take home.
    Lauren, Violet and Tahila THANK YOU EACH AND EVERYONE (even if you are not pictured here)!
    • Building Supply Donations - NEEDED - We are Building Intern Housing: And would like your help. We are looking for donations of building supplies to complete small housing units for the interns.   More space is needed for incoming interns.
    If you are so inclined and/or inspired to offer up supplies, here's what we need: Plywood, 2x4's, tin, windows, and doors. It's a small list that will have a big impact for us. Thank you in advance.  On Saturday or Sunday afternoons we can arrange to come by and pickup items with our box truck.
    Small housing units for interns.
    • New Interns: We've recently had a few intern candidates come for a farm visit, which is part of the interview process of getting a job here at Johnson's Backyard Garden. Folks come to us from everywhere; ranging from other farms to the 'big city' (this week from Chicago and Toledo) looking to further their farming knowledge, broaden their life experiences and contribute to the slow food movement. It's always exciting to meet people who want to join the efforts of small scale organic farming. Each of the candidates has something different to bring to the table and we welcome the energy and knowledge that each individual can share. Each person adds something special to the Johnson's Backyard Garden community.

    This also means that some interns will be moving onto other ventures. Dylan will be leaving sometime in April with the plan to work on a farm somewhere near his partner's graduate school (she hasn't decided where yet, but he's hoping for Arizona). Lucas, our official non-intern intern, will be returning to Germany at the end of March to work on his family's farm for a while (ie. "to save up enough money to tour more of America").

    Will, who is an employees not an intern, will also be finding other living arrangements. Will plans to continue working at JBG, as the field manager, while pursuing his own farming venture in the Austin area. I, on the other hand, plan to intern at JBG through next November. This will mark my one year commitment and hopefully have provided me with enough experience to also pursue farming in the Austin area.
    Lucas Dylan Will Bess
    3) Events:
    • Seats available for the Bacchanal at the Hotel St. Cecilia: Join us for 10 courses of all local foods featuring some of the more rare, esoteric and special ingredients. Feast on handmade sausages, whole spit-roasted lamb, ducks stuffed with pheasants, fresh crawfish, organic vegetables from Boggy Creek and Rain Lily farms, first-of-the-season goats' milk cheeses, giant Hubbard squashes and other oddities and rarities like chasteberries, lemon blossoms and allspice leaves. Live music from Stanley Smith and Jon Doyle. Special room rates are available at the hotel, too, for the very nice price of $200 per night. $125 per person, BYOB. Complimentary cocktails included. Outdoors. 6:30pm 'til you give up.Please respond via email at daidueaustin.com if you would like seats. Thanks! Jesse Griffiths and Tamara Mayfield, Dai Due, daidueaustin.com, 512.524.0688.
    • Gardening for Wildlife Seminar: 7 p.m. March 25. Learn how to create a place for wildlife in your backyard and how to get certification as an official wildlife habitat. Zilker Botanical Garden center, 2220 Barton Springs Road. Free. 444-8765.

    4) Quotable Food:
    • Worries go down better with soup. ~Jewish Proverb
    5) Recipes:
    • Arugula and Olive Pesto, from seasonalchef.com

    3 cups arugula 1/2 cup best-quality extra virgin olive oil 1 small clove garlic, coarsely chopped 1/4 cup pine nuts 1/4 cup coarsely chopped kalamata olives, or other oil-cured black olive 1/4 tsp. salt Freshly ground black pepper to taste 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese

    1. Place all ingredients except cheese in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

    2. Transfer mixture to a small bowl and stir in the cheese. Taste for seasonings adding salt or pepper as desired.

    Makes enough sauce for one pound of pasta.

    • Roasted Beet, Peach and Goat Cheese Salad, from allrecipes.com

    2 beets, scrubbed 1 bunch mache (lamb's lettuce), rinsed and dried 1 bunch arugula, rinsed and dried 2 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced 2 shallots, chopped 1/4 cup pistachio nuts, chopped 1 (4 ounce) package goat cheese, crumbled 1/4 cup walnut oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar salt and pepper to taste

    1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Wrap each beet in two layers of aluminum foil, and place onto a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the beets are tender, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Allow the beets to cool slightly, then remove the skins. Let the beets cool to room temperature, or refrigerate until cold. Once cooled, thinly slice the beets.

    2. Place the mache and arugula into a large mixing bowl. Add the sliced beets and peaches; sprinkle with the shallots, pistachios, and goat cheese. In a separate bowl, whisk together the walnut oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper until emulsified, and pour over the salad mixture. Toss well, and serve.

    We would love to share your recipes, too! Please email your favorites to bess@jbgorganic.com

    Butterflies have arrived!

    6) Vegetable Storage Tips:

    We aim to grow and package our vegetables to maintain the highest taste and nutritional quality possible. However, once they’ve left the farm it’s up to you to keep them fresh and nutritious. There’s no refrigeration at the CSA drop points so it’s best to pick up your box as early as possible. Here are some additional tips on how to store this week’s share:

    Spinach, Kale, Chard, Lettuce, Salad Greens, Bok Choy, Braising Mix and Cooking Greens will stay fresh in the crisper for 4-7 days and should be kept in plastic bags. Any bunch greens can be freshened by cutting an inch of the bottom stalks and soaking the entire bunch in cold water for 10 minutes. Place in a plastic bag in the fridge for a few hours to revive.

    Carrots, Radishes, Turnips, Beets, and Parsnips should be stored in plastic bags. They'll last two weeks in the fridge. Take tops off carrots before storing, leave greens on radishes, turnips and beets, with both roots and tops in the bag.

    Broccoli will last 4-7 days in plastic bags in the crisper.

    Oranges and Grapefruit are best kept at room temperature of 60-70 degrees and used within two weeks. Do not store in plastic bags.

    Parsley and Cilantro are best with bottoms of stems trimmed, placed upright in a jar of water in the fridge. Basil can be stored upright in a jar of water at room temperature, or in an open bag on the counter. These three all do well frozen also (they will loose texture but not taste).

    Checkout our storage tips on our website for a more complete guide, and of course, feel free to contact us with any questions. The National Center for Home Food Preservation is your guide for how to can, freeze, dry, pickle or ferment just about anything.

    7) Johnson’s Backyard Garden Contact Info:

    Johnson’s Backyard Garden 9515 Hergotz Lane, Box E Austin, TX 78742

    Office Phone: 512.386.5273 Office Hours: M-F 8am to 12pm

    e-mail: farm@jbgorganic.com website: www.jbgorganic.com

    OLDER POSTS