The arrival of a new month means another marvelous edition of our First Friday Staff Picks! We think that our staff is the best in the business (okay, okay, we are a little biased), but the JBG family hails from all over the place and covers the gamut in talents and interests. We love sharing events, adventures, and side projects that inspire and excite our JBG-ers (food-related or not) with the community. Check out the staff-curated list of favorites below!

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Farm, in general: We've got three events on the forefront of our minds: Contigo's Pig Out Party this coming Sunday (9/3) from 5:30 until 9. They'll be celebrating the long weekend by roasting a heritage breed pig, charcuterie offerings galore, and all the yummy libations. Grab a ticket and join the fun this weekend. We'll be there with a little market stand in case you missed your weekly market stock-up. On top of all the fun to be had, part of the proceeds from the event will be going to victims of Hurricane Harvey.

A post shared by Contigo Austin (@contigoaustin) on Aug 30, 2017 at 8:24pm PDT

Grab a ticket to see one of the screenings (they start today at the South Lamar Alamo Drafthouse) of the highly accoladed Look & See, A Portrait of Wendell Berry by Laura Dunn and Jef Sewell. This movie is an homage to the plight of the small farmer through the eyes and eloquent words of Wendell Berry. After moving back to his hometown in rural Kentucky, he immersed himself in the agrarian lifestyle and became no stranger to the struggles of modern-day farming. A beautifully composed cinematic masterpiece backed by heavy hitter executive producers, Robert Redford and Terrence Malick, to boot. You don't want to miss this!

Also, please note that the Farmer As Artist show at the Prizer Gallery has moved to Saturday, September 9th! Find more info on that show here.

Ada (CSA and Marketing Manager): Shout out to our amazing delivery drivers. Not only are these guys battling Austin traffic to make sure folks get fresh vegetables on time, but we're constantly getting emails of the good deeds they do along the way. I work very closely with our drivers (who all happen to be men at the moment), and am so proud to have these gentlemen represent the farm; they're a really special bunch. Special shoutout to Nate, who pulled over last week and extinguished a car that was in flames on the side of the road. Side note: Nate has several firefighters in his family, but never wanted to enter the profession himself and so instead perused work at an organic vegetable farm...

Nate, firefightin' superstar.

Fawn (Farmer's Market Extraordinare):  With all the recent events, it's hard to choose what to share. Hurricane Harvey quickly eclipsed the Great American Eclipse. At my place, we lost two big trees and some fences, but so many folks are left with so much destruction. This week I dropped my daughter off at her first day of Kindergarten. Some of you may remember when she was born or when I was working markets super pregnant five/six years ago. I was the Triangle, Barton Creek, and Hope Marmer's market manager, and there was nearly a hundred days over a hundred degrees that summer. There's nothing like a quickly growing child to really show the passage of time!

Fawn and Nyah!

Lyndsie (Farmer's Market Manager): It's moments like this that make me happy to work for JBG where we can actually do something to help (in reference to recent Harvey veggie donations).

PJ Harvey is my pick. Give her a listen.

Becky (Farm Manager): I want to give a plug PEAS Community Farm and Urban Orchard at Cunningham Elementary. PEAS is doing absolutely awesome work connecting kiddos to the outdoors and healthy eating. JBG is a huge fan of their work. We always donate plants and seeds whenever we can. They have two volunteer days coming up in September one on the 9th: 9am-11am and another on the 23rd: 9am-11am (More details here) I will definitely be attending one and would love to get more of the JBG community out there to support the important work they are doing. Here is a video about the program. Hope to see y'all there!!

Missoula (Farm Dog): These animal rescues from Hurricane Harvey. Warms my wittle pupper heart.

Had to get this gal out for a causal game of frisbee. Heart goes out to all those in Houston and other flooding areas. #storminnorman #throwingcautiontothewind #dopplerdog #tropicalstormfrisbee #blacksheerelementary

A post shared by Missoula Broussard (@chermissoula) on Aug 27, 2017 at 12:33pm PDT

Sarah (Volunteer Coordinator): I'm scootin' outta Texas this month! I'll be doing a Work/ Study gig for 9 weeks in North Carolina at the John C. Campbell Folk School! I'm signed up for two pottery classes and a weaving class, woohoo! Only thing I'm sad about is having to leave my pet fish, Shelby behind. I'm not worried about her though. That girl is a sweet fish with a bad attitude, she's gonna make it in this city.

Shelby, fish in the city.

Casey (Customer Service Superstar): Well, my thoughts are definitely with my hometown of Houston right now, but I'm feeling very grateful and lucky that my family is safe and without severe flood damage. Otherwise, I'm looking forward to planting a fall garden this weekend at my home. My boyfriend and I built some garden beds, and we had soil delivered from Organics by Gosh. They are a great local company in Austin that sell organic soil, mulch, and sand. They also have composting & recycling services. So, after a whole lot of shovelin', we are all ready to get some veggie plants in the ground! My dog, Odie, is also excited about the garden and ready to protect it from all intruders...or just dig holes in it when I'm not looking.

Odie on the prowl.

Krishna (CFO): In a stressful time, sometimes it's the little things that bring me joy. Look at this small tiny trash can that I keep my pins in. I just got it for $1.

Who doesn't love miniatures!?

Chad (Barn Crew): I'm really into this video this month.

Heydon (Blog Writer): I traveled to Mexico City with an amalgam of some of my favorite folks this past month and upon arrival was so enamored with this bustling metropolis. Dang, what a city, and just a skip away from ole Austin-town. The food was amazing, the drinks were absolutely fantastic, the museums + parks were incredible, and my little plant-lovin' heart was swooning... so much beautiful greenery! If you make it to Ciudad de Mexico, give me a holler because I have the biggest list you could ever imagine on notable places to visit, but for now here is an abridged selection of highlights: Lardo, La Clandestina Mezcaleria, Lucha Libre at Arena Mexico, Casa Azul (a bucket lister for me), Contramar, Bosforo, and the Luis Barragan House. I can't wait to get back.

All the love to Houston and surrounding cities that were affected by Hurricane Harvey - donate time or money or whatever you can. Texas forever.

??????? #luisbarragan #35mm #cdmx #?

A post shared by heydon (@heydopotato) on Aug 19, 2017 at 11:10am PDT

Okra harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

What a heart-wrenching week. Our hearts are with everyone who was affected by Hurricane Harvey. Are you a CSA member and want to help folks in Houston? Donate a CSA share! Email farm@jbgorganic.com and we will get your donation down to H-town to nourish our neighbors.

After a soggy weekend at the farm, we've been graced with moderate temperatures and some sun this week. We are excited to get back to markets after last weekend's hiatus. Are you a sweet potato fan? You're in luck, we've got a torrent of taters on the way.

Beautiful farm sky. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Greenhouse gathering. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Drying up some of the rain. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Montana working on the tractor. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Harvest trailer hangs. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Zucchini harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Dandelion green harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Fields a plenty. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Tons of sweet potatoes being harvested. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

That's one big sweet 'tater! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Heydon Hatcher

It's truly been a week of tragedy in our home state, but we're immensely humbled by the ceaseless acts of heroism and kindness we've been hearing about and seeing on the news. Did you hear Austin musicians have volunteered their time to perform in shelters, or that massive amounts of Austin restaurants are raising money (find an extensive list of who's doing what this weekend here) to send to our southerly neighbors for all the current and impending recovery efforts? Our farm community extends to Houston; we have CSA members, family, restaurant customers, and friends that have all been affected and we can't think of much else this week.

What We're Doing:

We're sending donations of fresh produce to those cooking in shelters and for first responders in Houston. A hot plate of food can provide real solace in tragic time like this. Side note: did you know, we donate an average of 500 lbs. of produce every week to Austin area food banks? Our Harvey donations will be (at least) this amount, and we have major hopes that donations will exceed our usual weekly sum. This week we sent a few hundreds of pounds of potatoes and sweet potatoes to Royal Fig Catering who is using donated produce to cook hot meals for various folks in the Houston and Humble area. We're looking to connect with more pop-up community kitchens in Houston... if you know of someone involved who could use a produce donation, email Ada at ada@jbgorganic.com. Beginning next week, our driver Lucas will be delivering produce donations to several community kitchens who are working tirelessly to help to feed those affected. Our partners at Central Texas Food Bank will also be supporting efforts.

Royal Fig donations.

We feel SO fortunate to come out of this disaster unscathed. Our fields were very soggy and our plants are a bit wind damaged, but there was no flooding or infrastructure destruction. Other Texas Farmers weren't so lucky though. How can you help: donate to State of Texas Agriculture Relief Fund (STAR) or Texas Center for Local Food, and continue shopping local at farmers markets. These farmers who've experienced damage still may have product to sell and still need to make money (especially if they need to rebuild from the storm).

CSA members: one easy way you can help is to donate one of your CSA shares. This produce will be added to our donations and sent to the Houston Food Bank as soon as they're prepared to accept perishable produce donations. Thousands of displaced Houstonions are going to be relying on food banks for their family's meals for months to come; a fresh head of lettuce or bunch of carrots is a welcome change from canned goods and boxed meals. There are tons of ways that we can help Houston right now, and we think this is a pretty easy one. Every little bit helps, right? Join us in this small but important way to give our neighbors a bit of comfort [food]. Email the farm at farm@jbgorganic.com to donate! We will tally up the total number of CSA donations we receive and send produce in bulk to Houston. How does this work? We'll simply remove the last delivery on your schedule, and your subscription will renew a week earlier.

A motor home, destroyed by Hurricane Harvey, lies on State Highway 188 between acres of flooded ranch land a few miles outside of Rockport, Tex on Aug. 26, 2017. Photographed for @nytimes .

A post shared by Tamir Ben Kalifa (@tamirhasacellphone) on Aug 27, 2017 at 12:54pm PDT

We know this info is out there already, but we thought we'd re-share some other ways you can help. We're no strangers to natural disaster on the farm, and know that anything helps.

Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund

Food Bank of Corpus Christi / Houston Food Bank

South Texas Blood & Tissue Center / We Are Blood

Houston Humane Society

Texas Diaper Bank

The Montrose Center

United Way of Greater Houston

Ever wanted a Yeti product? Full sale value of all products sold are going directly to Harvey victims today, 9/1. Find more info here.

There are a billion ways to give and help out... so let's get to it! Texas tough! Yeehaw!

Heavy rain and strong winds caused by #HurricaneHarvey Friday night in Corpus Christi, Texas. Fueled by warm water from the Gulf of Mexico, the Category 4 hurricane slammed into #Texas late Friday night, earlier than expected. It came ashore just northeast of Corpus Christi, packing 130 m.p.h. winds. ( Photographed for @nytimes )

A post shared by Tamir Ben Kalifa (@tamirhasacellphone) on Aug 27, 2017 at 4:15am PDT

Recipe and Photo by Megan Winfrey



There's a lot to love about the JBG blog, but I really look forward to the veggie indexes. It's so interesting to read about all the different varieties of eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, etc., and to identify them in my CSA box. This recipe is from the "Plethora of Peppers" blog post - which I've referred to about a dozen times this summer! I plan to use these pickled cherry bomb peppers in so many ways - on top of hummus, with burrata cheese, salt, and pepper a la Martha Stewart, in martinis and Bloody Marys, in omelettes, on nachos, on green salads, pasta salads, couscous salads, you name it.

CSA Box Contents Week of Aug 28th

Prizer Gallery. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

It’s time for the 5th Annual Farmer as Artist show at Prizer Arts & Letters! This exhibition explores the connections between farming and creativity and includes art from over 20 individuals who work in farming. With work from farmers at Boggy Creek Farm, Millberg Farm, Tecolote Farm, Urban Roots, Johnson’s Backyard Garden, Munkebo Farm, Farmshare Austin, Genesis Gardens, Agua Dulce, Texas Hill Country Olive Co, EllenMental Acres, Sand Holler Farm and more, this show is not to be missed. Proceeds from art sales to benefit Farmshare Austin.

Prizer Gallery. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Mackenzie Smith

Local Central Texas farmers share photography, painting, sculpture, mixed media, poetry, fiber arts, metals, woodworking, etc). The Prizer Creativity Room will be open and filled with supplies and invitations for participatory making on the theme.

Free food and drink, plus no shortage of delightful folks!

Prizer Gallery. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Drew Johnson

JBG Participants include the following:

• Brenton Johnson
• Drew Johnson
• Lyndsie DeCologero
• Mackenzie Smith

Prizer Gallery. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Opening Reception: Saturday, September 9, 6pm to 9pm

Exhibition Dates: Saturday, September 9 - September 23rd

Location: 2023 E. Cesar Chavez, Austin 78702

Contact: info@prizerartsandletters.org

The greenhouses are full of transplants. Lots of new crops going in the ground soon. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Beating the heat in week 34. The usual end of summer blues and everyone is back to school. We are busy training a fleet of new delivery drivers and got to enjoy the awe-inspiring solar eclipse at the beginning of the week. Looking for a job? We are hiring! Check out more information here.

Heading out at sunrise to do some planting. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Harvesting sweet potato greens. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Dew on a melon. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Watermelon family. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Yummy Arugula. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Braising mix coming up. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Bin of Spring Onions. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Turnip Harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

White Japanese Turnips. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Row of Zinnias. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Zinnia with Bumble Bee.

Bok Choi. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Bok Choi hand off. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Pulling up Sweet Potatoes. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Bin of Sweet Potatoes. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Flat Leaf Parsley ready to be planted.

Running the vacuum seeder. The greenhouse crew is super busy these days. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Sunflowers Bunches. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Half day harvest loaded up. Photo by Scott David Gordon