Photo by Scott David Gordon

The farm is in overdrive this week, with temperatures in the 90s kicking our summer production into high gear. We're harvesting loads of sunflowers, tomatoes, cucumbers, okra and more -- and we've got lots of great new crops on the way! Some CSA members got a little extra slice of the bounty this week, as we sent a bouquet of sunflowers with your share to thank you for being a part of our community supported agriculture program. Enjoy the week in photos!

Harvesting sunflowers. Photo by Scott David Gordon

CSA members might have gotten a sunny surprise with their box of veggies this week! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Did you see? Our tomato sale just started! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Harvesting in a tunnel of tomatoes. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Malabar spinach is a heat-loving green.

Bicolor amaranth is another summer treat. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Dandelion greens are still coming in despite warmer temps this week! Photo by Scott David Gordon

The Garfield Farm, week 24. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Our next cucumber succession is ready, just in time for markets this weekend. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Cucumber harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Nothing says summer like a fresh cuke. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Our grapes are growing like crazy too! Photo by Scott David Gordon

We're harvesting some acorn squash these days. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Happy squash plants in the sunshine. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Look for melons in a few weeks! These plants are crawling right into our footpaths. Photo by Scott David Gordon

You may have seen our rave review of Laura Dunn's touching documentary, The Seer: A Portrait of Wendell Barry after Laura invited Austin-area farmers to the film's premiere during SXSW this year. Well, we are so excited to announce that we're teaming up with Laura, Alamo Drafthouse, and the Sustainable Food Center to host our very own screening of The Seer on July 9th! We hope you and your family will join us on Saturday, July 9th at our Garfield Farm. Tickets will be available very soon through the Alamo Drafthouse page.

Whether you're Wendell Berry's biggest admirer or have never heard of the man, The Seer will change the way you eat, consume, and care about your local area farmers and farmland. And where better to watch a film celebrating farmers than on a farm... surrounded by farmers! The movie screen is going to be set up in the middle of our certified-organic 200 acres. We can't think of a better way to celebrate summer than to bring you out for this film.

Wendell Berry.

In order to bring this important story on-home, we thought it would be fitting to introduce viewers to some of Austin's own agricultural players. SFC will lead a panel discussion among local-area farmers, and hopefully set the scene for the day-to-day realities of the folks growing food in and for our community. In addition to those farmers sitting in on the panel, other farmers will be in attendance and its our hope that you meet, greet, and high-five the men and women growing food for you. As they say, know your farmers, know your food.

Proceeds from this event will help to rebuild the greenhouses at Johnson's Backyard Garden that were just destroyed by recent storms. Buy your tickets for July 9, we can't wait to see you!!

Details

Where: JBG Garfield Farm, 4008 River Rd. Garfield, TX 78612

When: Saturday, July 9

6:30 PM: Doors Open

7:30 - 8:30 PM: Panel Discussion

9 PM: Movie begins

Bring a blanket or chairs, a picnic, a cool drink, and enjoy the show! We hope the whole family will join us - kids under 12 get in FREE!

Our farm stage - soon to be big-screen!

 

 

by Megan Winfrey

Nothing says summer in Texas like ripe, juicy Fredericksburg peaches. And what a treat, the crop is early this year! I scooped up a $7 bag from the Vogel Orchard stand off of 290E on my way back to Austin last week, and I could smell them the whole way. It was amazing. There are several orchards to choose from between Stonewall and Fredericksburg, and most of them offer all sorts of delicious peachy treats like ice cream, candies, teas, and preserves. It also just feels good to buy produce right from the farm stand, doesn't it? It feels so authentic and real, and for us city dwellers, it's an extra special experience.

Peach Crisp with Basil & Mint

Filling:

• 8 peaches, thinly sliced
• 2 tbs. white sugar
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 8 basil leaves, torn
• 8-10 mint leaves, torn

Crisp:

• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 tbs. cold butter, cubed

Preheat oven to 400ºF

Prepare the filling by mixing all of the ingredients directly in your 9x13 baking dish. Spread the filling out evenly.

Next, combine all of the ingredients for the crisp in a bowl and work together with your fingers until a crumbly texture forms. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the peaches, transfer to the oven, and back for 25-30 minutes or until the topping is beginning to brown and the peaches are bubbling. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

CSA Box Contents Week of June 13th

Finally, a little bit of sunshine at the farm! This week was a big shift in the decidedly-PNW weather that central Texas has been experiencing, and we were grateful for the change in pace it provided us. Harvests all week have been noticeably less muddy, we can actually get our trucks around the farm, and this heat is finally putting some color on our early tomatoes!

Lots of crops are on the upswing with the better weather. Our zucchini and cucumbers have seriously taken off. If you're stopping by markets this weekend, be sure to grab a big load of these to help us move through our harvest - time to bust our your best pickles and zucchini bread recipes! We'll have an abundance of Juliet tomatoes as well - these plum-style tomatoes are sold by the pint and are absolutely delicious in salads, on pizza, roasted - pretty much any way you can dream up to use em, they'll really shine.

Time to bust our your Ball jars and juicers! Photo by Scott David Gordon

The Annual Tomato Sale is currently delayed until we have a little more tomato variety to offer, but in the meantime, we've got a really special box to bring you that we hope you'll enjoy. The cooler temperatures have extended our harvest on greens like kale and collards and herbs like mint and parsley, right up to our first big cucumber harvest. What better combination of ingredients for a nice big glass of nourishing green juice? We are offering a JBG Juice Box, available for a short time only, to share this abundant season with you. The Juice Box is available for pickup at this weekend's markets (order by 2pm today to ensure you get one!). It will contain juicy quantities of cucumbers, greens, herbs, and juicing roots like our sweet carrots and beets! You can order yours here.

Out in the fields, we are as busy as we can be trying to take advantage of the drier week. We've been out seeding more sunflowers, prepping as many beds as we can for transplanting (because who knows when the next rain will hit), and even though it sounds crazy, starting some of our longer-germinating crops for Fall in our shaded greenhouse structure - parsley and a round of peppers for late summer planting. The projects seem never ending with the sunshine - get the new greenhouse up, fix the trucks, clean-up projects everywhere! We hope you don't mind a slightly shorter newsletter this week while everyone at the farm enjoys this heat and makes hay while the sun shines, as the saying goes. We'll see you at markets this weekend!

Progress on our rebuilding efforts! Photo by Scott David Gordon

A diverse and colorful summer squash harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Dry weather! Sunshine! Finally! This week, we hustled to take on more projects than there are hours in the day to take advantage of the break from the wet weather we've been experiencing. The farm crew has been all over the place and we can't thank them enough for their dedication! Thanks to Scott David Gordon for these images from the farm, as well as from last weekend's farmer's market at Lakeline. Enjoy!

A very full Colorado River after loads of rain in May. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Yellow straightneck squash on the vine. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Pattypan squash - they sure do look like UFOs! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Pick up some of our certified organic sunflowers this weekend at markets! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Colorful June spread. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Zinnias and sunflowers will be at all of our markets this weekend! Photo by Scott David Gordon

A busy Lakeline Market. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

A young market customer with a sunny find. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Our Lakeline Market Staff last weekend! Photo by Scott David Gordon

by Megan Winfrey

Our CSA boxes are looking a little different lately, and that is because summer produce has officially arrived! I get so excited at the turn of each season to become re-acquainted with the flavors I've been missing. One of my favorite things to do with summer produce is to make pickles and experiment with different vinegars, ratios, spices, and vegetables. This is my absolute favorite quick pickle recipe because all of the ingredients are pantry staples and it is extremely well balanced and simple. Use these tasty morsels in salads, pastas, wraps, sandwiches, on popcorn, with cheese, or straight up. There are a million possibilities and I intend to discover as many as I can!

Quick Pickled Peppers

• 3 purple bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 3 banana peppers, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, mashed
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 1 tbs. honey
• 1/2 tsp. salt

I just made an 8 oz. jar of these pickles for immediate use, so this recipe is for that size only. Simply double or triple the quantities for a larger batch.

First, prepare the peppers by de-seeding and de-ribbing them as best you can. For spicier peppers, I recommend wearing latex gloves. Thinly slice them and pack them into your jar along with the smashed garlic cloves. Leave 1" of room at the top of the jar.

Put the vinegar, water, honey, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Don't let it get quite to a boil. Remove from the heat and carefully pour over the peppers to cover. Tamp down the peppers to release any air bubbles, then let cool until room temperature. Screw the lid on and refrigerate until ready to use! Most peppers will be ready to eat in an hour or two, but can stay in the refrigerator for a week. Since we didn't properly seal the jar, these should go straight into the fridge and be eaten in a timely manner!



I decided to use my quick pickled peppers in my weekly pasta salad. I also utilized the leftover brine for the vinaigrette! Just add oil and shake well.