Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Many of you have been knocking at the barn door inquiring when we're slated to have another U-Pick, and we are genuinely happy to say that after a two year hiatus, it’s finally happening! Next Saturday, June 17th, from 8 am ‘til noon, we will be having a tomato pickin’ party out at the Garfield farm that you won’t want to miss. We have an overflowing and endless tomato crop this year, and are thrilled that we have enough bounty to once again host a Tomato U-Pick. Our 2015 and 2016 tomato seasons were subject to severe weather, leaving our yields unusually low. But this year... we're swimming in oodles of tomatoes! Rows and rows of juicy red fruit, ripe for the picking. You wouldn’t believe all the large, firm slicers and snackable, sweet heirloom cherries. Plum tomatoes; and San Marzanos perfect for preserving. Yellow and red Romas, the perfect, succulent addition to augment any salad during the summertime. Are you hungry yet? Buy one (or more!) of our 10lb. boxes and fill it with your choice of our delicious, certified organic 'maters. You-pick your favorites! Pre-purchase your tomato box(es) for $25, or buy a box the day-of for $30.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

A note on the kiddos: We might be biased, but we indubitably believe that this is one of the best events out there for your kids. We hope you consider bringing the whole family to bask in the sun and get some fresh air! The joy that comes from harvesting your own food, especially something as fun to pick as tomatoes, is hard to quantify. There's nothing quite like running down a row, choosing the perfect tomato, getting your hands dirty, and truckin’ home with the fruits of your labor. It's a memory and a snack, all in one.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Timothy Patrick Clancy.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

In addition to the tomato-pickin' party, Ginger Armadillo will be there serving up breakfast and lunch in their spiffy trailer, and Cold Ones, the inimitable popsicle cart, will be providing sweet relief from the heat. As always, our monster sand pile is ready to be conquered and our fleet of tractors ready to be climbed. New to tomato preserving and want to learn more? We've got a workshop for that on the same day!

Kate Payne. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

We'll be hosting a Tomato Canning Workshop with Austin's own Kate Payne, author of The Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking and The Hip Girl's Guide to the Kitchen, on June 17th from 11 am to 1 pm. Learn how to prepare tomatoes for canning (either whole, diced, or in preparation for sauces) and see the process for putting them up using a waterbath canner pot. Workshop attendees will go home with a methodology and recipe packet for tomato canning in the comfort of their own home. Pair this new knowledge with a few pounds of 'maters, and you'll have fresh-tasting tomatoes all year long. The tickets are $30 pre-order, and $35 at the door. This class will be in our shaded lunch barn, but it's likely to be a warm day! Please dress appropriately. If you plan to pick your own tomatoes, we recommend long-sleeves, closed toed shoes, and ample sun protection. On top of that, be sure to bring something to take notes in, you won’t want to miss noting down this highly coveted preserving intel! Wondering about how you will acquire tomatoes for this workshop? Well, there are a handful of ways:

1. You can come to the farm before the workshop and take part in the aforementioned Annual U-Pick.
2. You can purchase 10 or 30 lbs. of San Marzano canning tomatoes that we'll have packed up and ready for you to take home after the workshop (Want more than that? Give us a call).
3. You can order tomatoes from our Tomato Bulk Sale that you can scoop up at a farmers' market or your CSA Pickup Location at a later date.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

If your tomatoes didn't take this year, or you're looking for a bit more volume, you don't want to miss this opportunity to pluck your own tomatoes straight from our bountiful crop and learn to can them all in one day! This is a true farm-to-cupboard experience! See you at the farm!

Zinnia glory. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Things are starting to heat up, and man, are our tomatoes lookin' good! Grab some next time you're at the market because these must be our best 'maters yet. Green beans and cucumbers are flying out of the field, too. This week, we spent a little time at the tomato sorting barn and saw how the ladies work their magic day to day. Check it out below!

Kale toss. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Green bean harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Cucumber fields. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Grapes comin' along. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Tomatoes. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Tomato harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Brenton movin' 'maters on the forklift. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Tomato sorting. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Onions curing. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Sorting. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Sorting. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Roxy dog. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Tomato care. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Andrew on the CSA line. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Jordan delivering. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Recipe by Megan Winfrey

We live in Texas, therefore we have eaten at Sonic. We have eaten at Sonic, therefore we love tots. I'm confident that these are mostly true statements. Also true - my body and my brain cannot seem to agree on when to stop eating Sonic tots. My body says NOW, my brain says NEVER. The solution to this very Texan problem? Veggie tots. Bing. Bang. Boom. Safe to eat in large quantities, and a great way to get those stubborn kiddos into veggies!

Veggie Tots

• 4 zucchini, grated
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 carrots, peeled and grated
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 3 tbs. fresh parmesan, grated
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Ketchup, aioli, etc. for dipping

Preheat the oven to 400.

Lightly oil a baking sheet.

Lay a clean dish towel in a colander over the sink. Add the grated zucchini to the colander, on top of the clean cloth. Sprinkle with salt and toss to coat; let sit for 10 minutes.

Gather up the cloth around the zucchini and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

Transfer the zucchini to a large bowl. Stir in the carrots, Panko, eggs, cheeses, oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder. Salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should hold together without crumbling. If dry, add another egg.

Form the mixture into tot shapes, or whatever shape you fancy, and place onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake until golden brown and crispy, 18-20 minutes, flipping once during the last 10 minutes.

Serve immediately with dipping sauce, or refrigerate for up to a week.

* To freeze, transfer cooled tots to an airtight container. Freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat in a 400 degree oven until warmed through.

CSA Box Contents Week of June 5th

Tracy. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Time for another installment of one of our most favorite blog series: the Employee Spotlight! We hope that these interviews will help acquaint you with the folks on the farm who are largely responsible for keeping the delicious JBG vegetables rolling out, week after week.

This week, we tracked down our ubiquitous and very hard-working Barn Manager, Tracy Whitehead. Over the past two years, he has become immensely integral to every part of operations here at JBG. Whether it be communication from the main farm to the barn or wholesale department, triple-checking produce availability, managing farm folks, or figuring out novel ways to ameliorate and expedite barn procedure more efficiently, Tracy has his hands in most steps of the process of getting veggies from the farm to your plate. He has gone through an evolution of roles at the barn: Wash Crew Lead, Cooler Manager, and most currently, Barn Manager. He's quite a character, and we are oh so grateful to have him on our team. Learn more about Tracy below!

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in small towns all around Abilene, TX. From middle school to high school I stayed in a little town of about 600 people called Hawley. Go Bearcats!

What brought you to JBG?

I have been managing small scale farms for the past 6 years. Before that, I helped churches and small programs grow food for food banks, and programs to feed the needy through food banks and donation programs. The one thing I felt I was missing was learning how it all came together on a larger scale. From learning how to crop plan and grow for large scale providers, to learning how to work and manage a large group of people to make all the different aspects of a farm work smoothly. My aim is to round out the last bit of my skill set before I make an attempt to run a farm on my own.

Tracy's dash. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

What is your current role at JBG?

I currently fill the role of Barn Manager at our Hergotz location. I compile and send the Pick List to the farm each morning. This is what let's our Harvest Manager, Vicente, know what to pick for all our department's daily needs. After that, I facilitate the main communication between the farm and the barn. This can range anywhere from quality and availability issues with produce, to ensuring materials are promptly shipped between locations as needed. I assist all our departmental leads in planning out work loads based on produce availability and other events we have going on throughout the week such as markets and wholesale distribution. Afterwards, I help the barn and the farm keep its produce rotated and organized throughout the coolers. I take weekly farm visits to go over with Vicente and Becky our availability for the following weeks as well as better fine tune what crops are in demand or not. This allows our sales teams, markets, and CSA to create an amazing range of produce for our customers. From there, I help create processes and workflows that range from ways to pack and handle produce more efficiently, all the way to making sure we are as up to date as possible on health and safety standards. There is much more, but the day really is a blur! With farming there is always so much to do in a day.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

What have you learned from your role?

More than one sitting would allow me to explain! One of the most important things I've learned is how to interact and facilitate a wide range of personalities. With such a large farm/family, it really is important taking the time to understand people's strengths and weaknesses and finding a constructive and positive way to set them up to succeed. I've learned from Krishna how to breathe, calm down, and not be so fiery when conflicts arise. I've learned how to better depend on other's strengths to accomplish even larger goals.

What's your favorite thing about working at the barn?

The people. I have a burning passion for farming and educating people on areas they want to learn and improve. Many of the folks here started working because they felt a need to reconnect with the Earth and our food. I love the opportunity to give them insight on how it all comes together. Sometimes the barn can be distanced from the farm due to location. Many here simply see the produce at it's final stage. I love being able to give them insight on the entire picture and how it came to be. I look forward to seeing their faces each day and discussing what wacky tasks we have to try and solve that day. Not to mention the constant supply of good food, humor and music!

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

What does your life look like off the farm?

Well outside of being a full-time farmer, I am a full-time father. I have a beautiful 4-year old daughter and a handsome 2-year old son. Most of my time is spent with them, trying to raise two positive impacts on our planet. My daughter loves crafts and planting seeds, so we spend a lot of time coming up with cool little projects. My son is just learning to talk, so a lot of time is spent with him learning the basics. When I'm not doing that I try to decompress by playing some video games (which strangely enough entail micro managing farms and people)!!

Tracy and his kiddos. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Do you cook a lot? What’s cookin’ in your kitchen?

Cooking and hosting is probably one of my most favorite things to do. This is probably one of the reasons I love farming so much. Things are so much tastier when you have put your own blood, sweat, and tears into them. I love various ways of cooking and processing meat, especially wild game. BBQ is one of my favorite things, but I have dabbled in just about everything. Cooking is like an art to me, and I am very much about presentation, taste, colors, and how they all go together. Many friends and family have pressed me to pursue a culinary career... maybe one day! The weather is just about right to start a slow smoked ham I think.

What might people be surprised to learn about you?

Hmm... maybe that I can sing just about every Disney princess song? Or maybe that I know all the My Little Ponies by cutie marks... Or maybe that before I really started pursuing farming I worked for one of the largest video game companies for 7 years? Actually, I think when people find out my age, that is the most surprising thing to them.

What’s your favorite and least favorite crops to deal with and why?

My favorite would be cucumbers, because I love pickles so, so much!! My least favorite would probably be okra, I like to call it the "Devil's Plant." It is so much work from start to finish. You have to harvest it's spiny fruit almost every day through a mass of prickly and itchy plant stalks. Afterwards you have to handle the itchy things as your packing. Not to mention, I am not a fan of the slimy taste.

What’s your favorite season?

Texas summer!! I love the heat so much. Nothing like working out in the heat, sweating all the toxins and stress of your day away. I never feel cleaner inside and out than I do in summer. Everything is alive and booming during this time. Some of the best vegetables of the year come from this season: tomatoes, peppers, melons and more! Also, nothing like relaxing in the shade, enjoying a nice ice-cold beer after a long, hard, hot day.

Enjoying that beer. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

If you were stuck on a desert island, and could only have three things, what would they be?

1. A very high quality pair of waterproof work boots
2. a Gerber Multi Tool
3. Maybe some durable plastic to create water from condensation? You can make just about everything else you need.

Staff Survey: If Tracy were a vegetable, what would he be and why?

Krishna: Celery - strong stalks to pull the load in the cooler!

Ada: A carrot - he's become as integral to our operations as our carrot crop. We grow so many carrots, and they can often be spotted in all corners of the farm - every cooler, sales of every department, usually some in the compost bin and a pile on Krishna's desk. Kinda like Tracy. He's everywhere. Anatomically, he's not too far either... lean and skinny (like one of our rainbow varieties) with some poof on top.

Mike Mo: Shishito - they/he are mild with the potential to be fiery.

Ryan: Tracy's like a beet--earthy and sweet and something you can depend on year round.

We're thinkin' Tracy will do just fine on that desert island... he's quite a resourceful one. A huge thanks to Tracy for taking time out of his immensely busy schedule to talk with us! 'Til next time, folks!

 

Tomatoes forever. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

"Overabundance is the theme at the farm right now," as our Farm Manager, Becky Hume, said earlier in the week, "and tomatoes are the bell of the ball." With the past two years of massive crop losses, we are being graced with a mild and wonderful season. We have so much produce as of right now, our coolers are packed in both locations. Cucumber, onion, okra, and zucchini harvests are mammoth! We've recently converted one of our greenhouses into an onion curing facility... it works as a low temperature oven so that the onion's exterior gets nice and papery. On top of that, our sweet potatoes are on the way. It's quite a laborious process, but our volunteers have been quite helpful with getting the splits in the ground so that we can enjoy these 'taters later in the season!

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.



Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Farm meeting. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Watermelons soon! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Squash blossom. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Zinnia details. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Flower harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Sunflower details. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Flower talk. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Potato wash. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Triangle Farmers Market spread. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Eggplants are here! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Have you heard about our U-Pick event? Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Startin' 'em young on that organic produce. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Triangle Farmers Market. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Triangle Farmers Market. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

SHISHITOS! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

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!

JBG Staff Happy Hour. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Casey Wiggins (Customer Service Extraordinare):  I've been in a pickling frenzy this week! The pickling cucumbers from the farm are so freakin' good, I just had to jar them up! I've added our carrots to a couple jars too. I'm going to pickle beets and radishes this weekend. Maybe even green beans and bell peppers too! Did you know you can even pickle watermelon rinds?! Is it bad for you to eat too many pickled things? Someone please let me know, but for now, more pickling!

Picklin' frenzy at Casey's.

Ada Broussard (CSA and Marketing Manager): With all the zucchini, squash, and cucumbers rolling in I've been loving my spiralizer that Mike Mo gave me. OODLES OF ZOODLES. If any CSA members are reading this and you don't already have a spiralizer: get one! It will change the way you look at a zucchini, promise.

Banana Mayo Sandwiches: Every Friday at the barn, we have an optional potluck at lunchtime. I've gotta say, the women at the farm are the ones who are really keeping this ritual alive (shoutout to Alli and Sarah). We all are pretty avid and regular home cooks, so our Friday potlucks are a great opportunity to finish off the week's leftovers or share something particularly delicious or innovative we've made, swap recipes, etc. It's a smorgasbord of local veggies, meats, cheeses... you name it. Last Thursday we were all swapping stories about the mysterious jars of pickled things that resided in the back corners of our fridge, and admitted that we were all a little timid to sample our own jars, yet completely willing and eager to give each other's a taste. So, last week's potluck theme (because some Fridays there is a theme) was: "Things we're afraid to eat". Needless to say (or perhaps it warrants a mention), everyone's pickled things were all delicious. We also sampled banana-mayo sandwiches whose flavors were a very distant memory to some Southerns in the group, but whose combination hadn't been revisited since childhood because "Things we're afraid to eat." I'm just here to say that a banana sandwich on white bread with a modest spread of Hellmann's mayo and a generous topping of Lays potato chips AIN'T THAT BAD. (And yes, I understand the social and environmental impacts of these ingredients, but for me, it's all about balance. CRUNCH.)

Mackenzie Smith (Recipe Blogger): Super jazzed about getting The World in a Pocket out onto the internet. For the past 5 years, I have been thinking about a way to talk about the idea that every culture or place has a pocket food (put simply, food-inside-of-food). Last month, Lauren Allen and I launched our little Pocketship and we are exploring the world through the lens of a dumpling (samosa, crepe, tamale, burrito empanada, etc)! We have a few recipes and stories up now, but we’re planning to expand our point of view by providing a platform where folks from all over can shine a light on their pockets, and the stories connected to them.

Photo by Mackenzie Smith.

Oh! And! My husband and I moved to Austin from NYC in September, and last Friday was his first dip into Barton Springs. Austin finally feels like home!

Megan Winfrey (Recipe Blogger): What I'm most excited about: TOMATOES! POTATOES! OKRA! PEPPERS! CUKES! SQUASH! This is my kinda produce. I love it, I live for it, I look forward to it every year.

What I'm also excited about: Some summer sun, hopefully?! I need to feel the incomparable combination of those hot hot sun rays on my skin followed by the icey icey water of Barton Springs. It's just not summer until that moment! Oh, and taking pics with an underwater disposable camera, obviously.

Barton Springs by Megan Winfrey.

Sarah Warren (Volunteer Coordinator): A friend of mine is moving to the Northeast for the summer and his dying wish was to have one last meat feast of Texas BBQ. Franklin's was recently outranked (according to Texas Monthly's survey) by a little BBQ joint in Lexington, so we decided to check it out. We camped out in Bastrop the night before and woke up at 6 AM to get there before the line got outrageous. That much meat on an empty stomach first thing in the morning was pretty rough, but baby, it was delicious and I never hurt so good. Also worth noting was the flea market across the street, where a bossy old lady sold me a little boy's cowboy hat (and a few other interesting items), pictured below:



And another glamour shot in my new hat, this one's for you mom!



Also! This hilariously passive aggressive, health conscious defacement of somebody's peanut butter in the break room! Someone's keeping someone honest and aware, tiny acts of kindness. It's things like these that make me feel that maybe the world's not such a big and anonymous place after all, you know?



Ryan Rosshirt (Barn Crew): So as far as vegetables go I've been making a lot of chilaquiles with squash and onions and Julio's brand salsa and lots of home fries with the potatoes and herbs from my garden.

As far as gardening I've really gotten into propagating cactuses from pads. People with large cactuses will give pads away for free and they're very easy to get going. Make sure you get prickly pear pads which are edible, have gorgeous yellow flowers in the spring and make those bright purple fruits all summer.

As far as activities go, we are kicking off the summer of resistance. You'll find me in the streets pretty much every weekend in June whether it's the March for Truth June 3, the March for inalienable Rights and Counteraction Against the Sharia Law March June 10, or block walking all month pushing for as much affordable housing as possible in the city code overhaul. There's also going to be a push for Austin to divest from fossil fuels and accelerate our clean power timeline. I could go on and on and on and on about opportunities to help our global community, underserved neighbors, and immigrant neighbors, but I'll leave that as my action summary for now.

Mike Mo (Wholesale Manager): Krishna. He's always keepin' the ship steady.

Krishna rules. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Heydon Hatcher (Farm Blogger): Africa Night at the Sahara Lounge. My roommate had a visitor in town last weekend from Portland, and in an attempt to show him the best time ever, we gathered a little crew to see some dear friends sax it up on stage with their band, Zoumountchi. Their musical stylings are all improvised on stage, and it's incredible. We shook, shimmied, and jived until the wee hours of the morning. It is seriously the BEST time. Smiles from ear to ear abounded all evening.

When I was home in Alabama at the beginning of the month, I had the immense privilege of photographing Jim Scott's nonpareil garden paradise on Lake Martin in southern Alabama. This work of horticultural art is such a feat, it is jaw-dropping. Check out one of their docks below, it was definitely my favorite. Such a divine oasis.

A post shared by heydon (@heydopotato) on May 12, 2017 at 8:52am PDT