By Megan Winfrey

How about them 'maters!?

When my mama first introduced me to tomato pie I was a little uncertain, but that uncertainty quickly turned into an empty pie plate. It's now one of my favorite tomato dishes because of it's ease and versatility. Feel free to experiment with this recipe using other herbs and vegetables - the possibilities are endless!

Tomato Basil Pie

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

5 tbs. iced water

1 stick cold butter, cubed

3 large or 4 small tomatoes, thinly sliced

1/2 cup of basil leaves, cut into ribbons

2 green onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup mayo



For the crust: 

Gently mix flour and salt in a large mixing bowl or in a food processor.

Use your hands to mix in the cold cubed butter, or add slowly to the food processor while pulsing. Add the iced water, one tbs. at a time. If done in the food processor, the dough will form into pea sized balls. Once combined, form the dough into a disc and let it sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until chilled.

Once the dough has chilled, use a floured surface to roll out an appropriately sized circle for your pie pan. Lay the crust into your pan and flute the edges. Line the crust with aluminum foil and lay down pie weights or uncooked beans to keep the crust from rising. Bake for 10 minutes at 375ºF. Let cool.

The filling:

Lay the sliced tomatoes in the bottom of a colander. Sprinkle them with salt and let sit 10 minutes to release fluids. Pat the tomatoes with a paper towel to remove excess liquid.

Lay one layer of tomato slices in the bottom of the cooled pie crust, overlapping the edges. Follow with half of the basil, green onions, and garlic. Follow that with half of the cheddar and mozzarella. Repeat this sequence using the rest of the ingredients.

Spread the mayo on top of the last layer of cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes at 375ºF.

Cool on a wire rack.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Photo by Carrie Kenny

Farmshare Austin is Now Accepting Applications for Fall!

If you are interested in learning how to farm organically, apply for Farmshare Austin's Fall class! Applicants should have a passion for local food production and organic agriculture. A prospective applicant should be prepared to make a commitment to a six month intensive program, and be punctual, eager, and willing to work hard. Previous farm or garden experience is preferred but not necessary. Students must have full time availability and demonstrate a strong desire to learn about small scale sustainable agriculture.

The Fall 2015 program begins September 15th, 2015, and runs continuously through February 1st, 2016, with breaks for the holidays. Students are expected to participate 40 hours per week for a total of 20 weeks.  The Fall 2015 application deadline is August 15, 2015.

For more information on how to apply, please click here.

Onestino harvests purslane. Photo by Scott David Gordon

July has arrived, and our fields are looking good.  We've got melons on the way!  And, remember the grapes we planted not too long ago?  They're doing really well - check out the photos Scott David Gordon got of these growing plants.

Here come the melons... Check out that cantaloupe. Photo by Scott David Gordon

And watermelon. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Blossom. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Grapes! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Grape plant. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Rows of grapes. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Montana driving the tractor. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Rows of purslane. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Just harvested purslane. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

July has arrived, and we've got watermelon growing in the field! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Happy 4^th of July from the Johnson family and the whole crew at JBG – we hope you have a fantastic holiday.  Remember to stay safe and to eat your organic vegetables!



If your holiday plans include a cookout, there’s still time to order some of our organic tomatoes for your celebrations - if you act quickly! We have an abundance of varieties - large homegrown tomatoes, San Marzano sauce tomatoes, green tomatoes, plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and yellow tomatoes.  Get them while you still can by clicking here.

Farmers Markets Will Be Open Saturday the 4th!

And, if you are looking for something to do the day of the 4th, head on out to one of the many Saturday farmers markets we attend (for a full list, click here).  They'll be open so you can get the produce you need.  Wear your red, white, and blue and show your support for the local farmers in our community - we can't think of anything more patriotic.  Be sure to bring the kids, too, as these markets are a lot of fun for all ages.  Hope to see you there!

Thank you, Nellie! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Thank You, Nellie!

At JBG this week, we were sorry to have to say goodbye to Nellie Stephenson.  Nellie did an amazing job as our Wholesale Sales Manager, and she will really be missed.  We thank you for all of your hard work, Nellie - please stop by and see us every once in awhile!

CSA Box Contents Week of July 6th

CSA Box Contents Week of July 6th

Medium Box
Beet, Red
Carrot, Orange
Cucumber, Slicing
Eggplant , Regular / Black
Herb, Spearmint
Okra
Onion, Yellow
Pepper, Sweet Medley
Potato, Red
Tomato, Red Slicer

By Megan Winfrey

After spending a long weekend in our hometown of Fredericksburg, my hubby and I really didn't feel like cooking dinner when we got home. With what little we had in the fridge, including Johnson's green tomatoes, I threw together these delicious open faced sandwiches. This recipe is super modifiable and proves that green tomatoes don't have to be fried - they're delicious all by themselves!

Green Tomato Tartine

I used:

A good quality everything bagel, toasted

Goat cheese

Red onion, sliced

Green Tomato, sliced

Fresh cracked black pepper

Fresh cracked Himalayan sea salt

You can obviously use any type of bread or bagel, other spreadable cheeses, greens, herbs - really get creative!

But always finish with fresh cracked salt and pepper. In my opinion, fresh tomatoes just call for it.

Here's an awesome post from Brit+Co with tons of delicious looking green tomato recipes. You'll want to try them all, so go on and stock up on those bulk tomatoes at the next market!

CSA members- give us your feedback! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Current and Former CSA Members - We Want to Hear From You!

Help us make this the best CSA it can be by filling out this quick survey (really, it doesn't take long!).  As encouragement to complete the survey, we are offering your choice of one gift: extra veggies, a tote bag, or a CSA share gift certificate to share with a friend,to name a few.

We hope that you take the time to share your experience and ideas with us. With your help, we aim to build an even better CSA that fits your needs and inspires your palate.

Current CSA members, please click here to access the survey.

Past CSA Members, please click here to access the survey. (Note to past members: there was a glitch in the survey that you may have received via email.  It has now been fixed.  Our apologies if you tried to complete this before and weren't able.  If you can, please fill it out here as we'd love to have your insight.)

Many, many thanks for sharing your thoughts and your time with us!

Beautiful fields. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Our fields are looking good out there - and full of lots of summer favorites including tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, and squash.  This week, we've also been harvesting arugula and malabar spinach.  As always, thanks to our crew for all of their hard work out there.

Onestino & Juan work on the arugula harvest. Photo by Scot David Gordon

Arugula close-up. Photo by Scott David Gordon

View of arugula harvest from above. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Carrot harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Melons! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Watermelon! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Yellow squash & blossom. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Pepper on the vine. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Shaping new beds. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Malabar spinach. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Okra. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Recently, I took a little trip to California.  Actually, it wasn’t so little since I drove all the way there (and back!) in a 1970 VW bus.  Also, the journey was a pretty significant one because it took me back in time – and not only because of the bus.  The reason I drove was to meet up with old friends to see the Grateful Dead play again.

As many of you know, I used to be quite a Deadhead, and in my younger years, I followed the Grateful Dead around as they toured the country.  To support myself, I made and sold grilled cheese sandwiches out of my – you guessed it – VW bus.  So, when I heard the band was going to play again, I knew I had to go.

I guess I could have just taken a plane, but I couldn’t resist the idea of driving in a VW bus one more time.  I figured, this might be my last chance.  So, I looked on Craigslist and found a red beauty from 1970.  It was love at first sight, and that bus ended up doing an amazing job on the road.  And, I even used it as a kitchen to sell grill cheese sandwiches again!  Believe it or not, I made enough money to pay for the whole trip.  The only trouble I had was five (yes, five!) flat tires, but, one by one, I replaced them all.

There is something about hitting the open road that’s amazingly freeing.  For me, it's pretty hard (nearly close to impossible) to leave my worries about the farm behind, but this time, I focused primarily on the road ahead of me.  I was able to do this only because I know I have such an amazing staff – really, the best.  I have to thank them for allowing me to take this journey - it is because of all of you that I had the confidence needed to step away for a couple of weeks.

I have to say, though, by the end of the trip, I could feel the farm pulling me back like a magnet.  That trip was incredible – I can’t even describe how much fun it was.  But for me, there really is nothing I love to do more than farming, and I am glad to be back.   There is one thing, though, that I’ve kept with me from my journeys, and that’s the VW bus.  I can’t stop driving it, despite being back at work.  I think my old truck is probably feeling a little neglected right now as it hasn't moved from the driveway since my return.  I've even put farm plates on the VW bus, making it an official farm vehicle!  
I figure, what better form of transportation for a local Austin farmer?  If you see me driving around town, be sure to wave!

When I first went out to the Garfield farm after my return, I was amazed at how incredible the fields looked.  Really.  It feels like the tide is finally changing after the struggle we went through following all of that seemingly endless rain.  We suffered a fair amount of damage in terms of decreased yields; plus, all of that water washed away much of the fertility we added.   But now, it seems things are looking up.

And I have even more good news: this past Wednesday, our plans for the new barn at the Garfield farm have been approved!  We can now start construction on what has been a lengthy process.  Those of you who read this blog know that I have been trying for years to build a new barn here - it’s hard to believe we are actually going to break ground!  This will be such a huge improvement for our farm as we will finally be able to consolidate our operations in one location.  Right now, we grow the vast majority of our crops at the Garfield farm but then wash and pack them at our Hergotz location.  Having everything in the same place will increase our efficiency and bring all of our staff together.  I can’t wait!

So, while I’m grateful (yes, grateful!) to have had the chance to take to the road to see the Dead again, I’m even happier to be home.  For me, there is nothing like being back in the fields.  I guess I really am a farmer at heart.

CSA Box Contents Week of July 13th

CSA Box Contents Week of July 13th

Medium Box
Carrot, Orange
Cucumber, Pickling
Eggplant, Medley
Greens, Arugula
Herb, Spearmint
Melon, Korean
Okra
Potato, Red
Squash, Zucchini
Tomato, Red Slicer

By Megan Winfrey

Last week, I decided to make pickles out of the bounty of cucumbers I'd received. I wasn't planning to blog about it, because my pickle recipe isn't anything to write home about. But upon discovering that I didn't have salt (and I wasn't about to wake the baby for a grocery run), I had to improvise. And that, I thought, was worth a blog post.

ACV Pickles

Canning Jars

Pickling cucumbers (the short, fat ones)

Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother

Additions such as:

Garlic

Sliced Peppers

Peppercorns

Dill

Red Pepper Flakes

This one is super easy, folks.

Cut the ends off the cucumbers and slice into rounds or spears.

Pack your jars with the cucumbers and any of my suggested additions.

Fill the jars to the brim with ACV.

Put the lids on tight and refrigerate for 3 days.

I thought these turned out FANTASTIC! A little intense for some, sure - but I'm a die hard fan of pickles and ACV, so it worked for me. ACV has endless health benefits and these pickles are a great way to get your daily dose without drinking it straight. I'll be using mine with pulled pork sandwiches and tuna salad!

Melon harvest toss. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We've got a whole lot of melons coming in!  Check out these images Scott David Gordon of the harvest and of all of the new planting we are doing.

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

New planting. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Rows of squash. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Zucchini in the field. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Squash harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Harvesting under blue July skies. Photo by Scott David Gordon

As I mentioned last week, I am very excited to be finally moving ahead with the construction of the new barn at the Garfield farm. Once built, this new facility will allow us to consolidate all of our operations in one location. This is huge because it means we won't have to transport our harvests from Garfield to Hergotz for washing and packing. It also will bring all of our staff together making it easier to work as a team. The only downside is I will have a longer commute in the morning! I have gotten used to getting up, grabbing my coffee, and taking a short walk to the office to check in. The good news is I won't have to be driving back and forth all the time - for that, I'd trade my early morning walk to the office any day.

In anticipation of this big change, we are also taking another close look at our organizational structure. At JBG, I like to think we operate inside of a process of continual improvement (most of the time!), and right now, we are focusing on refining job descriptions and identifying the gaps for which we need to hire. I imagine that soon, we will have new positions that need to be filled.  So, if you are interested in working with us, make sure you stay tuned to the blog and keep checking our jobs page at https://www.jbgorganic.com/jobs.

I have to say, with the new facility in place, the Garfield farm is going to be an even better place to work - it looks beautiful out there. I gave a tour of the farm earlier in the week to the Southwest Region Produce Team of Whole Foods Market, and I think they, too, liked being out in the fields. Various Whole Foods teams visit JBG throughout the year, and I always look forward to these tours. It's amazing to me that, despite how big they've grown, this local market still takes the time to visit our farm several times a year. I also have to thank them for letting us use their stores as pickup sites for our CSA members. This is extra work for them - and they certainly don't have to do it - but they take it on because they want to support us as a local farm and the CSA model as well. I am very grateful for their efforts on behalf of JBG. Thank you, Whole Foods - I can't wait to see you out at the farm again.

Photo by Scott David Gordon

CSA Members - Customize Your Boxes Now!

And CSA members - I wanted to make sure that everyone was aware that our CSA box customization feature is fully up and running! What this means is, each week, you can swap out up to two vegetables you don't want for ones that you do. For example, let's say you don't want beets or okra. You can now swap them out for two vegetables on our swap list - you get to choose!

I love the CSA model, but I also know it can be hard on families if there are vegetables you (or your kids!) just won't eat. With this system that allows for up to two trades, we are giving the traditional CSA model just a little more flexibility. You will still be eating in season and eating locally but with more choice. In the long run, it will also help us know more about our community's preferences as we can then take the information garnered from your swaps and use it with our crop planning.

Also, one more thing: our current model of customization requires you to make changes each week to your box within a small window of time. The window of time is short because we need to communicate the daily harvesting needs with our field crew; after a certain point, they won't be able to get it done in time (see below for the specific time windows).

HOW TO CUSTOMIZE:

1. Login to your JBG account during your customization window (see chart below) at jbgorganic.com (If you forgot your password, you can reset it or give us a call or e-mail to reset!). 2. Click on the button that says "customize this delivery". (If the button doesn't show up, that means it's not your customization time window). 3. Choose two items you don't want and swap them with two items that you do from our swap list! Enjoy!

IMPORTANT: In order to meet the demands of our harvesting schedule, these swaps must be done within a short window of time each week. The customization window will open for all members Saturday at 1am. This gives us time to determine, based on what's happening in the fields, what will be available for harvest and to post this on our site. The customization window, as shown in the chart below, will close depending on your pickup day. So, those who pick up earliest in the week will have the shortest time to make changes. While this is not ideal, it lets us harvest the freshest possible vegetables for you and still allow for customization.

Pickup Day & Location   Customization Opens - Customization Closes

Tuesday Delivery & Pickup             Saturday 1AM-Sunday MIDNIGHT

Wed. Delivery & Austin Pickups    Saturday 1AM-Monday MIDNIGHT

Wed. San Antonio Pickups             Saturday 1AM-Sunday MIDNIGHT

Wed. Houston Pickups                    Saturday 1AM-Sunday MIDNIGHT

Thurs. Delivery & Austin Pickups   Saturday 1AM-Tuesday MIDNIGHT

Thurs, Fri, & Sat Dallas Pickups      Saturday 1AM-Monday MIDNIGHT

Fri Delivery & Austin Pickups          Saturday 1AM-Wed MIDNIGHT

Sat & Sun Market Pickups                Saturday 1AM-Wed Midnight

Check your inside label when you get your next CSA share to see how our crew sees the customized contents. If you tried to customize, but there was a hiccup in the process, please shoot us an e-mail at farm@jbgorganic.com.  Thank you and hope you are enjoying this customization feature.

CSA Box Contents Week of July 20th

CSA Box Contents Week of July 20th

Medium Box
Beet, Red
Carrot, Orange
Cucumber, Pickling
Eggplant , Regular / Black
Greens, Arugula
Herb, Basil
Melon, Cantaloupe
Okra
Potato, Red
Squash, Zucchini

Photo by Scott David Gordon

By Megan Winfrey

There aren't many things I won't eat, as long as it tastes good. And I'm proud to say that the handful of things I disliked growing up, I've learned to love. The one thing I've never been able to get behind, however, is eggplant. It’s a texture thing. But with all of the eggplant I've been receiving lately, I decided I'd better try and use some of it rather than exchange it or give it away.

So, here's how I ate eggplant, and loved it.



Baba Ghanoush

3 medium eggplants

1 cup parsley

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup of lemon juice

1/4 cup of tahini

3 tbs. good olive oil

Salt and pepper

Any of your favorite JBG veggies for dipping

TAHINI  is a paste made from toasted sesame seeds and oil. You can find it with the peanut butter at most grocery stores, or make it yourself.

You'll need:

1/4 cup of sesame seeds, preferably shelled

2-3 tbs. vegetable or olive oil

Toast the sesame seeds for about 5 minutes on low, or until they become fragrant.

Transfer to a blender or food processor and puree into a coarse powder. Slowly add oil, one tablespoon at a time, and blend until a thick paste forms.  It will look a lot like natural peanut butter!

FOR THE REST

Heat your oven to 400ºF. Prick the eggplants all over with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Cook, flipping once, for about 40 minutes or until the skins wrinkle up and the flesh in tender. Let cool for about 30 minutes, then peel off the skins and stem. Cut into chunks and press out any left over liquids.

Israel harvests sunflowers. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Whoa, those sunflowers are getting tall!  And they sure are a beautiful addition to our harvest.  Thanks, Scott, for capturing these flowers as well as the vegetable crops we have growing out there.  As you'll see, we've also been getting a lot of new planting done.

A flower reaching up to the sun. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Those plants sure are getting tall - our crew might get lost in there! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Adrienne carts transplants out of the greenhouse to be planted. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Adrienne lays out trays to be planted. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Driving the transplants out to the field. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Regular volunteer, Marlena, starts seeding a new tray of transplants. Photo by Scott David Gordon

And in the field, the planting continues. Photo by Scott David Gordon

And the daily harvest continues. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Arugula close-up. CSA members - look for some in your box this week! Photo by Scott David Gordon

A parting shot of our sunflower harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Sunflower time! Photo by Scott David Gordon

I have to give a shout out to our amazing Operations Manager, Krishna Raghavan. It was his birthday earlier in the week, and this July also marks his third full year at JBG. Man, has he done a lot in three years! I don’t know where we would be with out him - really, there’s not an aspect of the farm that Krishna hasn’t worked hard to improve.

JBG's amazing operations manager, Krishna Raghavan. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Krishna has done so much that it’s impossible to list it all. He reorganized our overall business structure and organizational chart to better fit our needs, revamped our wholesale program and record-keeping systems, negotiated for employee health insurance, consolidated the farm loans, received grant funding for new greenhouses and for wholesale expansion, helped design the new irrigation system and barn/packing shed at the Garfield farm, updated our organic certification process - I really could go on an on. But you get the idea – this man can do it all! And, on a daily basis, he really does. He is the person that employees turn to most when there's a problem, and he keeps this farm going, day-in and day-out.

The amazing thing about Krishna is he does it all with such grace. He truly is one of the kindest people I know, and I feel incredibly lucky to get to work with him everyday. And did I say patient? I know I am not always the easier person to work with, but Krishna has the patience, focus and drive to keep me on task. We are so very lucky to have such an incredibly smart, kind, and hard working person on our team. Krishna, I wish you happy birthday and extend a heartfelt thanks for all you do for JBG.

Photo by Scott David Gordon

CSA Box Contents Week of July 27th

 

CSA Box Contents Week of July 27th

Medium Box
Carrot, Orange
Cucumber, Pickling
Eggplant , Regular / Black
Greens, Arugula
Herb, Basil
Melon, Cantaloupe
Okra
Pepper, Poblano
Potato, Red
Squash, Zucchini

 

By Megan Winfrey

I'm "sorry, not sorry" for this week's recipe. Something has come over me lately and I just want to put everything in a pie crust. I hope ya'll have been enjoying it as much and I (and my husband) have!

Tangy Beet Pie

Filling:

4 medium beets, cooked & peeled

1 medium red onion, sliced

2 tbs. brown sugar

3 tbs. butter

4 tbs. balsamic vinegar

Salt & Pepper

Crust:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 stick butter, cold & cubed

1 egg

3 tbs. cold water

In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add the cold cubed butter and mix with your hands until dough becomes grainy. Make a well in the center, add the egg and cold water, mix until soft. Form a ball. Roll out dough on a floured surface, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky. Roll dough large enough to cover your cake pan.

Once the beets are peeled, slice into quarters

In a large pan, heat the brown sugar. As it starts to melt, add the butter and stir. Add the beets and red onion and cook on med-high until caramelized, 10-12 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Reduce to low and add balsamic vinegar. Cook for 2 minutes. Sauce should thicken and become silky. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

To assemble, butter the bottom of a round or square cake pan. Pick beets from the mixture and line the bottom of the pan, forming kind of a beet "crust." Pour the rest of the filling in and cover with the dough. Tuck in the edges around the filling & pierce the crust in a few places. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.

BONUS!: I used my leftover dough to make a cinnamon sugar roll up!

Just ball it up, roll it out, sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar and roll into a log. Throw it in the oven with the pie and it will come out flaky on the outside, soft on the inside & delicious.

JBG's Nellie Stephenson at the Great Wall of China.

Look who made it to the Great Wall of China - none other than JBG's former Wholesale Manager extraordinaire, Nellie Stephenson!  Thanks, Nellie, for taking JBG all the way to China with you!

Squash harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Those summer vegetables are keeping us busy!  Check out some of this week's harvest in Scott David Gordon's beautiful pictures.  And, as you'll see, those sunflowers are still going strong!  CSA members - look for some of these flowers in your share this week.

Rows of squash. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Zucchini squash harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Zucchini squash harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Patty pan squash harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Sweet potato greens. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We have lots of melons just in time for this hot weather. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Whoa! Check out all of those sunflowers! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Square dance the night away in support of Farmshare Austin on July 31st! Photo by Scott David Gordon

This Friday, July 31st, Farmshare Austin will host its second annual Farm Raiser at the historic Saengerrunde Hall in Downtown Austin. The event will feature square dancing (with lessons first!) and live music from the Barn Owls, BBQ from Tony Grasso and Moontower Coop, local vegan and vegetarian delights, and craft beverages. Proceeds will be used to support Farmshare and the second Farmer Starter program beginning this September.

When: July 31th 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM

Where: Saengerrunde Hall, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX 78701

How: Individual adult tickets are $30 and children under 12 are $15. Table reservations for eight people are available for $200. Get yours today by clicking here!

Israel harvests sunflowers for CSA shares. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Woo-hoo - I'm loving these sunflowers!  CSA members - I hope you will love them, too.  For the first time in years, we're able to send some out in your box this week and spread the flower love.  We originally started growing flowers to attract beneficial insects, and now I feel like we are surrounded by their beauty.  It makes me want to plant even more!  We'd love to bring someone with experience in handling fresh cut flowers onto our team.  If you have such experience and are interested, send us an email at farm@jbgorganic.com.

A CSA share delivery complete with sunflowers this week.

Free CSA Box for New Members - Sign-up Now

And if you aren't a CSA member yet, I encourage you to sign up now to get a free box on us.   Yes, we are offering  complimentary box of fresh, certified organic vegetables to new members who sign up now.  We want you to join our wonderful CSA community - all you have to do is enter the code VEGNOW at checkout, and you'll get an additional week free of charge.  Just click here to get started.



Even though we are in the summer with August starting tomorrow, our greenhouses are already starting to fill up with transplants for fall.  Luckily, our new Greenhouse Manager, Brandon Mallonee, and new Assistant Greenhouse Manager, Adrienne Allums, are really rockin it!  Seriously, they're working super hard and doing a fantastic job.  We've also started constructing four additional shade structures that will be used to transition all those transplants from the greenhouses to the fields.  Basically, these shade structures help the plants adjust to being outside prior to be planted.  I have been working on extending our irrigation system to this new greenhouse area by digging trenches in which to lay the pipe.  I have to say, I've enjoyed being behind the wheel of the trencher - really, this week has been a reminder to me just how much I love building new things!

Join us for music, square dancing, and great food at Farmshare's 2nd Annual Farm Raiser. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Square Dance the Night Away with Farmshare TONIGHT, July 31st!

What are you doing tonight?  Yes, tonight, Friday, July 31st!  You should join me at the 2nd Annual Farm Raiser for Farmshare Austin at Saengerrunde Hall downtown!  Last year, I said I wasn't going to dance at the Farm Raiser, but then I couldn't help myself - I had to square dance to the tunes of the Barn Owls!  This year, we're lucky enough to have them play again - and, Tony Grasso of Moontower Coop will be back, too, cooking up some of his fantastic BBQ.   We'll also have local vegan and vegetarian delights and craft beverages.  Come on down and support Farmshare as they gear up to start their second Farmer Starter program in September.   Here are the details:

When: July 31th 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM

Where: Saengerrunde Hall, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX 78701

How: Individual adult tickets are $30 and children under 12 are $15. Table reservations for eight people are available for $200. Get yours today by clicking here!