Try using beets & beet greens in your pasta! Photo by Scott David Gordon

By Meredith Bethune

Pasta is always reliable for a quick weeknight dinner, but its nutritional value increases enormously when combined with plenty of fresh vegetables. A healthful dinner can be ready in the time needed to boil water and cook the noodles. Satisfying and seasonal pasta and veggie dishes can be made all year round-- greens combine perfectly with noodles in the winter, while tomatoes, pepper, and eggplant are natural companions in the summer.

You don't need much pasta to make such a dish. The noodles act as a carrier for the vegetables, so about two to three ounces per person is suitable. You can use this chart to properly estimate the dry pasta amounts. Now bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and set a kitchen timer about a minute or two less than the directions on the box indicate. The noodles will later be added to the pasta and cooked briefly, but you'll want them to remain al dente for appealing textural contrast. There are few things worse than gluey pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, warm some butter and olive oil in a pan, and then add some chopped onion and plenty of minced garlic. Red pepper flakes are also a nice addition at this stage, or perhaps a bit of dried marjoram or sage. Cook the onions for about five minutes, and then add the veggies. Harder vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, or peppers should be blanched or roasted in advance, while greens can be wilted right in the pan. A generous dollop of creme fraiche complements greens, root vegetables, and fresh peas, and makes the dish feel a bit more luxurious. The bright flavor of summer veggies hardly need it, however, as a tomato sauce base is more complementary. If you'd like, add a bit of shredded chicken, crisped pancetta, browned sausage, or cooked chickpeas for some more protein.

Don't get stuck on spaghetti-- the pasta possibilities are endless. You can experiment with orecchiette, bowties, and fusilli, as well as Japanese soba, Thai rice sticks, and American egg noodles. Decent whole wheat and gluten-free pastas are also more widely available these days. You can also make your own pasta from scratch. Of course it won't be quick, but it's a fun activity, and you can incorporate fresh vegetables like spinach, carrot, or beets into the dough.

Farfalle with Golden Beets, Beet Greens, and Pine Nuts from Epicurious

Fresh Carrot Pasta Dough from Martha Stewart

Bun Chay (Vietnamese Vegetarian Noodle Salad) from the Kitchn

sophiatx!  Thanks for sharing this beautiful picture of your tomatoes!

Take your best shots of anything JBG-related – the JBG logo on a truck, the JBG vegetables in your CSA box or the meal you cooked with them, JBG at the Farmers Market or in the grocery store, etc. Then, label your pictures on Instagram with #jbgorganic or #johnsonsbackyardgarden. Each week, we will select winner to be featured in the newsletter. The winner will also receive his or her choice of a JBG hat, tote, or t-shirt. Get out your phones and start taking pictures! We can’t wait to see what you create.

Photo by Scott David Gordon

This week, Scott David Gordon got some great shots of what's blooming in our fields.  In addition to being beautiful, flowers help us attract beneficial insects.  We hope you enjoy these colorful photos!

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

JBG Fields. Photo by Scott David Gordon

One my favorite things about being a farmer is learning the science behind growing vegetables; I really love examining what makes plants thrive.  When I first started farming, I focused on adding all of the nutrients into the soil through compost prior to planting.  This worked well, but now we have experimented with something a little different that is working even better.  That's another thing I love about farming - being able to design and implement creative solutions.  Instead of just adding all of the nutrients to the soil before anything is planted, we now use a system of fertigation that lets us inject nutrients into the irrigation water to feed the plants' roots directly.  This season, we did some test plots and noticed a tremendous difference between those fields where we added organic fertilizer to the drip irrigation system as compared to those in which we only utilized compost prior to planting.  Those that received the fertilizer through the drip tape did much better.  Also, the process of fertigation is more efficient, and we ultimately use less fertilizer inputs and can apply small amounts each week.  Plus, we can change what we add to match the plants' requirements as they grow.  For example, early in the season, the plants require more nitrogen for growth, while latter in the season, most typically utilize more potassium as they start to fruit.   Being the farmer geek that I am, I have a spreadsheet to help calculate fertgation recipes based on the various crops, their stage of growth, and the area to be irrigated.  The nice thing about this spreadsheet is that it automatically generates a recipe so we know what quanties to mix into our mobile fertigation unit.  Beth, my wife, likes to feed our kids green smoothies from our veggies - I like to think of our fertigation setup as a way to feed our plants "organic smoothies"!, too  Steve Diver, our horticultural consultant, has really helped us develop this more efficient and effective system of fertilization - thank you, Steve!  Due to our collaboration with him, our plants are looking better than ever.  Be sure to read Steve's detailed description below of how we use fertigation at JBG.

Noe prepares to feed the plants "organic smoothies" through the drip irrigation system.

Fertigation

By Steve Diver

JBG uses an integrated approach to provide soil fertility and pest control and to promote crop quality. Soil fertility is achieved through pre-plant and sidedress fertilization, plus fertigation and foliar fertization.  Fertigation is the practice of injecting soluble nutrients and bio-stimulants, such as liquid fish and humic acid, through the drip irrigation system. Farmers like fertigation because it delivers nutrients and biological stimulants next to plants roots. Fertigation can also be timed to deliver plant foods at critical stages of crop growth, such as fruit set, when nutrient demand is highest. This year, Brenton and I have ramped up the fertigation program. New injection equipment has been added to the farm, and we also developed a spreadsheet to manage the fertigation schedule and keep track of all the inputs, depending on the crop and what it needs.  As Brenton pointed out, we are seeing really good results from fertigation as the crops look strong and healthy.

Checking out the fields with Steve Diver. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Tomaotes are coming! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Our photographer, Scott David Gordon, visits the JBG fields weekly to photograph what's growing.  Thank you, Scott, for creating this visual link to the farm, week after week.  Here are some of the beautiful pictures he captured this past Monday.

Rows of thriving tomato plants. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Porfirio harvests beets.  Photo by Scott David Gordon

Beet harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We're doing a trial crop of nopales. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Harvesting Onions.  Photo by Scott David Gordon

Onion harvest closeup. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Cheddar cauliflower. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We're excited about all the tomatoes to come! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Just-harvested carrots. Pick some up at our booth at the Funkytonk Farmers Market this Saturday. Photo by Scott David Gordon

There's a new farmers market opening this Saturday: Funkytonk Farmers Market!

When: Every Saturday, beginning this Saturday, May 11

Time: 9am to 1pm

Where: 1012 W. Anderson Lane, Austin, TX 78757

Come visit the JBG booth at the Funkytonk Farmers Market this Saturday - we'd love to see you!

Jason holds his new son, Derrick William Hamelwright.

We would like to congratulation JBG employee, Jason Hamelwright, and his wife, Candice, on the birth of their son, Derrick William Hamelwright.  Weighing 6 lb. 10 oz,  Derrick was born on May 8th. Welcome to the world, Derrick!

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

by Louis Singh | dishalicious.com

I have to admit that aglio e olio (garlic & oil) is my favorite pasta dish to make. And I have to admit it's my favorite because it's so dang easy to make.

Warm smashed garlic & chili flake in olive oil, toss in your pasta with loads of fresh parsley and you're done. A simple peasant dish that explodes with flavor.

And versatility. Add some julienned swiss chard or kale. Toss in some roasted broccoli or cauliflower florets. Wilted spinach, roasted carrots, breadcrumbs, aglio e olio is a delicious blank canvas.

It's a great family-style dish, perfect for sharing. But it's so easy that I often fall back on it when cooking a quick meal for myself. Try this out and let your CSA box be your guide.

For 4-6 servings you'll need:

1 pound dry spaghetti

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

6-8 garlic cloves, smashed and minced

2 tablespoons parsley, minced

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt to taste

Here's how:

-Bring a large pot (6-8 quart) of water to a rolling boil. Season the water with about 3 tablespoons of salt. Taste the water, it should like the sea. Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring often, until al dente.

-Meanwhile, add the olive oil and garlic to a cold pan. Warm it over medium heat until it gently sizzles. You're looking to soften the garlic and extract all that beautiful flavor without browning (a.k.a sweat the garlic). Watch it carefully, because burnt garlic is no bueno. Adjust your heat as needed.

-Once the garlic has begun to soften, about 5-6 minutes, add the chili flakes. Add less for less heat, more for more.

-When the pasta is al dente, transfer it right from the pot into the pan with the garlic oil. The water clinging to the pasta is key and will help coat the spaghetti with the oil to make a sauce. Add the parsley and toss well.

And that's it. While the pasta is still hot, you've got more options. This is where you can fold in thin-sliced greens, toss in some spinach to wilt, or even julienned zucchini. Grate some Parmigiano or Pecorino over the top, or crumble in feta. (Though die-hard purists would scoff at the addition of cheese, as this is a proud peasant dish that needs no such luxuries. But hey, who's watching?)

Now take this technique and make your own recipes. Get cooking!

Got cooking questions?  We've got answers. info@dishalicious.com