CSA Box Contents Week of Dec 7th

JBG's Holiday Gift Guide for the Austin Foodie

From every hip Austinite on your nice list this year, to the home chef who has it all, to your mom who just learned what a kohlrabi is, we've scoured the reaches of far East Austin, the deep Hill Country, and beyond to bring you the ultimate shopping guide for your local-eating friends and family. Keeping your dollars local this holiday season will not only support local businesses (who in turn, often keep their money local as well!) but also will make for unique, special gifts that will be used and enjoyed.

So happy holidays, and happy shopping!

1. JBG Veggies.. and More!

We couldn't make this list without putting some of our own amazing gifts on it! This holiday we have more options than ever to bring JBG straight to your loved ones:

• CSA gift subscription: Choose from one week to a full year of organic JBG veggies, delivered! Our CSA gift subscriptions are flexible and easy to redeem, plus you'll get to reap the benefits as well when you get invited over for that delicious home cooked meal!
• Market Bucks: Not sure what they want? Market Bucks are a fail-safe way to make sure your recipient gets exactly what they need. These can be used to buy veggies at market, on JBG merchandise, or they can save them in preparation for our Spring Transplant Sale to get their own backyard garden rockin' this spring!
• Sponsored Shares: Giving a gift in someone's name might be the coolest way to support local businesses, local nonprofits, and the giving spirit this holiday. Donated produce shares go directly to The Settlement Home and helps feed Texan children and young adults with histories of trauma and abuse. Each donated share comes with a handwritten card from our farmer, notifying the recipient of their gift and thanking them.

  

Check out our Gifts Page to start giving, or maybe you'd prefer to give Citrus for the holidays?

This is the part of the class where Ben teaches you about carving "a big juicy butt roast"

2. Butchery 101 at Salt + Time

Our good friends at Salt + Time Butcher Shop have a pretty stellar class schedule coming up. Basic Butchery, Meat Curing, Sausage Making and more are all incredible gifts for the carnivorous friends who want to learn how to do-it-themselves. You can even pick up your CSA share at Salt + Time while you learn to prepare the meats to accompany those yummy veggies!

Sign up your friends (and yourself!) on their Classes page. While you're there, don't forget to order your holiday roasts and platters before they sell out!

    

3. Locally Inspired Cookbooks

Austin has become quite the culinary town over the past few years, and has quite the list of amazing chefs - and they are willing to share their secrets! For that home chef who just can't seem to get enough cookbooks, three of our locally written favorites are Afield, by Dai Due's Jesse Griffiths, Jack Allen’s Kitchen: Celebrating the Tastes of Texas by Jack Gilmore, and The Homesick Texan Cookbook By Lisa Fain. You really can't go wrong with any of these, especially since they feature local, seasonal dishes from right here in Austin!!

4. Callahan's Merch (for your farmer friends)

We love our neighbors over at Callahan's General Store. They've helped us in a pinch on many occasions, and have just about anything you ever need! Stop in to satisfy the agrarian in your life - they've got tools, Western wear, the second coolest trucker hats in town, and baby chicks for your backyard flock!!

Stop by Callahan's after a morning volunteering at JBG and see what's in store!

5. Edible Treats from a Local Purveyor

If you're anything like us, you LOVE to try new goodies from Austin's creative food artisan. Why not grab a treat for your friends and family while you're shopping around the farmers markets this weekend? We like Kakawa Cocoa Beans from our friend Tom at Cocoa Puro (5 kinds of chocolate in one bite sized wonder), a spread of preserves from Stephanie at Confituras, or maybe a liquid cleanse from Juice Society for some post-holiday gut restoration.

6. Reservations for Noche Buena at Qui

Sometimes you just don't want any more stuff around the house. Maybe your home chef already has it all. Luckily, our friends at Qui are here to help you out with the second and third of their holiday dinner series! Treat that special someone with a holiday meal they won't soon forget. Celebrate Christmas and New Years with some of Austin's finest chefs on 12/27 and 1/3, for "for a dinner a la carte or part of a family style chef's tasting" with influences from both Filipino and Latin Noche Buena festivities.

Book your reservation before it fills up!

7. Kitchenware from Metier

Honestly, we're a little scared to walk into Métier. Their selection of cookbooks, vintage pieces, Japanese knives, chef apparel and more are a serious danger to the checkbook of any food lover in Austin. But that's what Christmas is for, right? Stop by and shop around for someone you love, and leave with a gift that your chef friend will reliably use for ages, hand selected by the team who brought you Lenoir. We've got our eye on these custom sayas from local maker A&K Wood Design. Please, Santa?

Métier is located at 1805 S. First Street, 78704. Grab us something while you're there!

We hope this will give you a good head start on the incredible amount of local talent we have here in Austin. This holiday, shop local and share the gift of food with your friends and family. You won't regret it!!

Shakey Graves in JBG - Brittany Teuber for iHeartMedia

• JBG's best hat sales rep rocking out at the Ogden Theatre in Denver ^
• This hilarious story about the destiny of Shakey's Hat that night. Thanks, Nathan!
• Ever heard of a Glass Armonica? Us either, but JBG staffer Kate is BUILDING ONE and it's so much cooler than your creepy uncle who tries to play wine glasses at Christmas. We're hoping she can perform this diddy at the Christmas party... we shall see.
• Erica Nix's workout video (filmed on the farm) "Chick Chick," is out. We're dying.
• When it gets cold in Texas, the CSA packing crew dons matching outfits and becomes the "CSA flannel mafia." It might be the only cold weather clothing they own. Lookin' good fellas!
• From Farmers Market Manager Phil - this Eagles of Death Metal cover is raising awareness (and money) to support victims of the Paris terror attacks through the Sweet Stuff Foundation.
• High quality, pastured, local eggs are a real beauty. JBG Sales Manager Michael posted this photo of his Yonder Way Farm egg in a side-by-side comparison and we are blown away.
• Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds 2016 catalog is here. Gotta go, see you next year, bye!

The farm is looking great this week! Photographer Scott David Gordon came out early morning this week to grab shots of our early winter bounty. Get to farmer's markets early this weekend for limited Purple Cauliflower (and lots of other colors), plenty of Fennel, Carrots, Parsley and lots and lots of greens!

Mmm, carrots. Photo by Scott David Gordon

JBG's famous Homegrown Carrots in the field. Photo by Scott David Gordon

This years tomato stakes going into storage for the winter. Wow! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Carrot harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

We love fennel this time of year! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Dewy morning fennel fields. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Close up on that beautiful Fennel. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Scott captures mornings at the farm perfectly. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Have your tried our Braising Mix yet? Photo by Scott David Gordon

Spinach is loving the cool, wet weather. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Rows of pea shoots. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We love parsley. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We're starting to plant these onions this week. Photo by Scott David Gordon



Stuck in the mud. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We've got a colorful lettuce mix on the way. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Event more pea shoots.

Spinach gets a close-up. Photo by Scott David Gordon

 

CSA Box Contents Week of Nov 30th

by Lucas Rager

Anyone else having this problem in their cabbage patch this year?

By Megan Winfrey

I don't know about all of you, but I had enough carbs and starch last weekend to last a lifetime. I also had enough belly laughs, baby smiles, and family lovin' to last, well, at least until Christmas. I hope you all had a joyous Thanksgiving weekend as well! But I tell you what, I'm not going near any heavy food for at least a week, (....I promise? I think I promise?) and my box of organic JBG veggies is sure going to help with that! Cheese doesn't count, though. Obviously.

Butternut Squash & Kale Lasagna

• 2 small butternut squash, peeled and sliced
• 4 cups kale leaves, torn
• 3 tbs. butter
• 3 tbs. flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella or gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs

Heat the oven to 350ºF. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until foamy, about 30 seconds. Whisk in the milk, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, stirring until thickened.

Spread a layer of white sauce in the bottom of an 8x6 baking dish. Follow with a layer of squash, a layer of kale, and dollops of ricotta. Repeat until squash and kale are used up, ending with a layer of white sauce.

Spread the bread crumbs over the top in an even layer, then do the same with the shredded cheese.

Oil or butter a piece of aluminum foil and cover the dish. Bake for 55-60 minutes, uncover, and bake another 10 minutes until brown on top.