Photos by Farmshare Austin student, Lizette Dahlgren.

Join the staff and students of Farmshare Austin at Prizer Gallery (located at 2023 E. Cesar Chavez) from 5:30pm to 8pm on Thursday, March 5th for drinks & appetizers as they gear up for Amplify Austin's 24 hours of giving. 

We'll have beer from Hops & Grain & Real Ale, wine, & appetizers made with fresh vegetables from Farmshare. The gallery walls will feature documentary photographs of Farmshare's new farmer education program.

Come have a drink, eat some good food, & learn about how Farmshare is training new farmers & increasing food access in our community. This event is free and open to all - hope to see you there!  Click here for more info.

Our greenhouse is full of activity. Photo by Scott David Gordon

As we gear up for Spring, our greenhouses are full of transplants - both for us and for your gardens!  We hope you will join us for our Annual Spring Certified Organic Transplant Sale!  Here are some of the photos Scott captured of what's going on in our greenhouses.  Hope to see you out there on Feb. 28th, March 7th, March 14th, or March 21st!

Romaine lettuce transplants. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Our greenhouse manager, Enrique, organizing flats. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Transplants. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Kale transplant. Photo by Scott David Gordon

And, in our fields...

Spinach harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Just harvested spinach. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We continue to put lots of transplants into the ground. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

By Jessye Hipp

Hide the veggies and the salad on the dinner plate without your kids every knowing it’s there!

This puree is perfect for upping the nutrient levels for our kid’s dinner.  They will assume the puree is extra creamy mashed potatoes and will gobble them right up!  Also, by combining the puree with thinly sliced kale, they won’t be able to fight you on eating salad!  I learned this trick when I was living in The Netherlands, where they cut up and mix everything on the children’s plates together so they can’t pick anything out that they “don’t like”; it’s genius.  This is a real winner.  Enjoy!

Parsnip & Turnip Puree w/ Dino Kale

Time: 30 mins  Serves: 4

-1lb parsnips, peeled and diced

-2 medium turnips, peeled and diced

-1/2 cup of heavy cream

-4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

-1 rosemary sprig, whole

-2 tbls unsalted butter

-salt & pepper

-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

-1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

-1 cup of dino kale, thinly sliced

-1 tbls chives, thinly sliced

-1/2 tbls olive oil

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Place diced parsnips and turnips into a medium saucepot, cover with water, salt generously, and bring to a boil.  Simmer the veggies until they are very tender when pricked with a fork.  About 10-15 minutes.



Meanwhile, in a small saucepot, combine the heavy cream, butter, garlic, red pepper flakes, rosemary sprig, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Bring the cream mixture to heat over medium-low.



Drain the veggies, and then return them to the saucepot immediately.  Allow some of the excess water to evaporate.

With a hand blender, or you can transfer the veggies to a stand blender or food processor, begin to puree the veggies.   Slowly adding the cream mixture as needed. Puree until the mixture is completely smooth.



Add in the parmesan cheese and dino kale.  Mix over low heat until everything is well combined, and the kale has gotten a chance to wilt slightly.  About 5 minutes.



Taste for any additional salt and pepper needed.

Lastly, drizzle in the small bit of olive oil.

Enjoy with chicken, steak, or pork!  Just substitute for mashed potatoes!  The kids won’t even know ;)

CSA Box Contents Week of Feb 23rd

Getting behind the wheel. Photo by Scott David Gordon

This past Sunday, I attended a potluck for the Growers Alliance of Central Texas (Gro-ACT).  Gro-ACT is comprised of local growers, and we meet periodically to share information on farming and to socialize.  On Sunday, we went out to Munkebo Farms.  I had never been out there before, and I thank Germaine for hosting and showing us around the place.  It was fun to see all the ducks, chickens, guineas, wild boar, pigs, and cattle they raise.

One thing I really like about these Gro-ACT gatherings is that it gives me a chance to talk with farmers who have more experience than I do.  For example, I was looking forward to talking with David Pitre, long-time farmer at Tecolote.  On Sunday, I told him about my decision to use as little plastic as possible at JBG and wanted to get his thoughts on how best to farm without it.

David echoed my feelings about plastic and said he doesn't like to use it, either.  He said they do use drip tape, but they work to make that last as long as possible through taking good care of it and patching it when needed.  They plant mainly on bare ground and cultivate when needed for weeds; in fact, the only crops they mulch at all are peppers and eggplant because they stay in the ground so long.  His answer both surprised and relieved me - I was surprised that he didn't need to mulch most of his rows, and I was also relieved that he was able to make weed control work through cultivation.

Another reason that I like to go to these potlucks is the food!  Farmers often are good cooks, and this group didn't disappoint.  I wanted to do my part by bringing something  good to eat, too, so I devised a recipe for vegetable rolls wrapped in collard leaves.  I have say, they were pretty good!  Here's the recipe if you want to give it a try.

Collard greens growing in the field. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Collard Vegetable Rolls

Ingredients:

-(1) bunch collard greens (slice off the stem and the center vein so it will roll up well; once you do this, the leaf will look a little bit like the shape of a football)

-(1) bunch carrots

-(1/4) red cabbage

-(1-2) beets

-(2) avocados

-(1) head lettuce

-(2-3) small Mexican limes

-(1) bunch multiplying onions/shallots

-fresh ground pepper and salt

Directions:

Using a small stock pot, boil about one inch of water.  Then, place the trimmed collard leaves into the boiling water and then flip them over.

Lay out the collard leaves flat so you can fill them like a burrito.

For the vegetables going into the collard rolls, make sure that they are all very finely cut up.  I did this by grating the carrots, using a mandolin for the beets, and slicing the lettuce, cabbage, and multiplying onions as thinly as I could.  Slice the avocados into fourths and use one quarter per roll.

Once you have your collard leaves laid out flat and all of your vegetables cut finely, place the vegetables onto each roll like a burrito.  Then, once you have included everything, squeeze the vegetables with a little lime and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and salt before folding up the sides of the leaves and rolling shut like a burrito.

Then, slice each roll in half before serving.  For a condiment, I used Braggs.  Also, I brought along some hummus from Tom's Tabooley, and it was fantastic with these rolls.  I was happy to see Tom's Tabooley set up at the Hope Farmers Market for the first time last Sunday.  Thanks, Toms Tabooleh, for being there and giving me the idea to serve it with my rolls!

Look at that growing strawberry! Photo by Carrie Kenny

On another exciting note, we have strawberries growing in our high tunnel greenhouse!  It's a small crop, but it looks like it is doing well!  Maybe next time we can plant more!

A transplant gets its start in the field. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We are continuing to play catch-up with our preparations for Spring.  All of that rain we had earlier in the year set us back a little bit.  As you will see from Scott's photos, there's a whole lot of planting going on!

We had not one but two transplanters going! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Collard transplants ready to go in the ground. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Measuring to make sure the transplants are planted at the right distance apart. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Newly planted rows. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Preparing beds for planting. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Salad mix. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Artichokes. Photo by Scott David Gordon



 

Multiplying onions. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Brussels sprouts. Photo by Scott David Gordon

The painting is done on this truck! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

On February 28th, we'll be hosting a pickling 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 this Saturday morning, workshop attendees are invited to come out to our beautiful River Road farm and learn the basics of canning, pickling, and fermenting. In addition, attendees will see a demo on how to preserve Asian inspired pickled carrots and scallions. Kate will also be workshopping how to make fermented cabbage, beet, and turnip slaw. Folks are invited to bring their own 16oz/pint-sized mason jar and lid in order to make seasonal vinegar pickles to take home. There will also be a Q&A session with Kate following the demos.

We were lucky enough to have Kate out to the farm before, but previous attendees need not worry: there will be different projects and demonstrations going on this time around. If you'd like to see a bit of what the day looked like last time around, click here to see Holly Postler's rendition of the day or the Chronicle's recap. If you come to the farm early, you can tour our fields or visit the Spring transplant sale.

The class will include a hands-on project, where folks will make their vinegar pickles of seasonal veggies (harvested directly from the fields surrounding the workshop!!). Recipes and techniques will also be shared for making Asian-inspired carrots and scallions and fermented turnip, beet, and cabbage slaw. (Ingredients for these delectable recipes will be available on-site should folks be inspired to scurry home and make the goods themselves!)

What: Picking Class with Kate Payne! 
What Else: Spring Transplant Sale & Opportunity to Explore the Farm! 
When: Saturday, February 28th from 10:30am-12:30pm 
Where: 4008 River Road, Cedar Creek, 78612 
Cost: $30 per order, $35 day-of 
To reserve your spot now, please click here!

Sign up to learn pickling skills from Kate Payne. Photo by Scott David Gordon