Potato crops. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

It’s transition time at the farm! Days are getting longer and temperatures are slowly rising. With the arrival of Spring, we are moving from the hardy, winter crops to the tender, heat-loving ones. All the tomatoes, peppers, okra, and eggplants have been planted and fertilized! Onions are starting to bulb out, too! The cucurbits are in the ground and on their way, but it’s been tough for the melons this season. What’s a cucurbit, you might wonder? Think cucumbers, melons, and squashes! They love the heat, so this cool snap has them growing at a slower pace. We are holding our breath until they are ready to be picked! Summer's fruits sure are the bee's knees.

Tomato season quickly approaches with the first batch of green tomatoes headed to markets soon. Dust off that favorite fried green tomato recipe! Red tomatoes will be headed to your plates in the next month. We’ve been getting all of our ducks in a row in preparation for the wonderful yet chaotic tomato season; getting a good harvest/sorting team together, dialing in our commitments with wholesalers, and putting our ‘mater game faces on. Grapes are growing, but winter sure did take its toll on our vineyard.

Guess what we had the first harvest of this week? Potatoes! See you at markets this weekend to get these hot ‘taters! ‘Til next time!

Grapes slowly growing! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

'Maters. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Green tomatoes coming soon! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Glorious greens. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

We are in a transitional time at the farm. We are moving from hardy crops to the tender, heat-loving ones. We had our first potato harvest this week, so look for them at markets this weekend! Tomato season quickly approaches with green tomatoes coming very soon.

Prepping beds. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Potatoes forever. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Gorgeous carrots. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Carrot harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Vineyard. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Grapes a-growin'! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Tomatoes growing up. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Getting the cages on the 'mater plants. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Mountain of cages. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Beet harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Green tomatoes! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Recipe and Photos by Megan Winfrey

If you ever find yourself at Polvos on South First, which I really hope you do (and regularly), you'll notice the incredible salsa bar in the middle of the main dining room.

Personally, I'm not a salsa snob. I don't have a favorite salsa in town like most Austinites, I just ask that it's not roasted.

At Polvos, I usually skip the salsa all together and go for pico de gallo and lots and lots of escabeche - the spicy pickled carrots you may have wondered about. I could make a whole meal out of them.



I had never tried making them before, so I was excited to give this recipe a go.

I substituted golden beets for the cauliflower because I had so many in my CSA share. I'll probably stick to the recipe next time, as the beets didn't crisp up like I wanted them to. Still delicious, though!

Whether straight out of the jar, on tacos, or in salads, escabeche is a new fridge staple in our house!

CSA Box Contents Week of Apr 9th

What an amazing Spring Picnic and Garden Gallop 5K! We honestly can’t stop thinking about it. The music was incredible, the run route a rugged good time, the weather was gorgeous, and the company couldn’t have been better. Our photographer captured so many beautiful images from the day, that we posted the collection in its entirety on Facebook here. Check ‘em out and tag yourself!

Picnic views. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

We have quite a lot of thanks to mention... so, here we go! First of all, thank you so much to our volunteers, we honestly couldn’t have done it without you. We know you could spend your Saturday doing anything else, and that you donated your time to us means the world. Thank you to Marcelo’s Sand and Loam for donating sand! The sandpile was once again a HUGE hit, and even better with a fresh supply to conquer. We are grateful for Whittlesey Landscape Supplies for kindly gifting mulch so as to transform our mud pit into a dance-able and picnic-able surface. Oscar Ornelias and Jonny Nicholas had everyone grooving, too, and for that we are ever-so-thankful! We are so lucky to have so many talented musicians here in our fair town.

Dancin' folks. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Sandpile shenanigans. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Jonny Nicholas' set. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

We appreciate The ABGB for being such wonderful partners and supplying beer to quench our hard-working volunteers’, musicians’, and employees’ thirst. A huge thanks to The Ginger Armadillo for once again trekking out to the farm to sling their delectable fares and to Chameleon Cold-Brew for ensuring that everyone was sufficiently caffeinated and entertained with their cornhole and giant Jenga! We are also thankful for Austin Materials Marketplace for supplying most all of the materials for our kids’ activities and all the signs in general. Recycling materials is so fun!

Austin Materials Marketplace made this possible! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

We want to thank everyone in our community who came out to hang, enjoy a picnic, or dance to some rockin’ tunes. To the runners and walkers, we are grateful that you came out and braved the mud. Made for a rugged and farm-tastic run, eh? Steve Sisson and his Rogue Running crew once again transformed our muddy farm into one awesome 5K route, and for that, we are so very grateful. A huge congrats to our two first place winners, Tanya Stanley and Jason Brooks! Keep on runnin', folks! 'Til next time.

Steve calling the shots. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Winners of the race! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

 

Finishers. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Our Spring Picnic and Garden Gallop 5K was a huge success! A GIANT thanks to everyone who came out to walk, jog, enjoy music, sling delicious food/coffee, or just hang out in the grass! We love having the community out to the farm during this most beautiful season. Our photographer, Scott David Gordon, once again captured so many beautiful moments this past Saturday that we published the collection in its entirety on our Facebook, check it out here. Keep on runnin' and see you next year!

Regan sound-mixing. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Starting the race! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Hydration/snacking station. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Tractor-top views. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Roxy really taking "rogue running" literally and showing her own interpretation of the garden gallop route. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Route snacks. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Finishing hand in hand. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Setting up picnics. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Sandpile conquering. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Pals. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Celebrating a completed run with a KISS! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Brenton, Steve, and Ada, three huge players in throwing this event year after year. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

JAMS! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Little Picasso. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Tractor hangs. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Happy folks. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

The race winners! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Picnic peeps and the Giner Armadillo food truck in the distance. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Krishna, our CEO, made it with his FAM! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Ginger Armadillo slinging delicious food. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Long-time picnic attendees. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

More music! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Trampoline chaos! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

The finished veggie artwork from the picnic at Hergotz. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

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!

Farm folks showcasing the kiddos' Spring Picnic artwork. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Becky (Farm Manager) - O.Henry Pun-Off World Championships. Basically exactly what it sounds like. A bunch of world class punsters throwing down the best of dad humor. May 12. 11-4pm @ The Brush Square Museums Foundation. (right downtown) I go every year. It's always a good laugh-- bring a blanket and some lawn chairs and Come on out!!

Scott (Staff Photographer) - I’m really looking forward to the Fusebox Festival happening April 18-22. You get to see and interact with local, national, and international artists and experience things that are innovative and out of the ordinary.

“The performances, the parties, the meals, the discussions, etc, leverage and celebrate the potential of the live situation."

To learn more be sure to listen to my interview with one of the founders Ron Berry which will be released Saturday morning April 7th on the Austin Art Talk podcast. You can subscribe on any podcast app or listen directly through the website.

Missoula (Farm Dog) - My new life jacket from REI! Isn't it cute? I wore it out of the store and haven't wanted to take it off since. Got it for my paddling trip on the South Llano this weekend. Plan to grab some grub at the Junction Truck Stop after. Quality small-town eats right there!



Ada (CSA and Marketing Manager) - I've been really into radishes lately. I used to think radishes were only good for a crunchy garnish, but after watching an episode of Top Chef where radishes were the star of the show, I've been super inspired. I'm panicking a bit, knowing that radish season will soon be over. How many radish dishes can I get in before that?! I've yet to finish watching this season but am rooting HARD for Shirley. GO SHIRLEY. I hope she wins.

Heydon (Blog Writer) - I just got back from a mini-vacation in Las Vegas! I went to see my boyfriend perform with Petra and the Wolf. It's an incredibly unique puppet show put on by Glass Half Full Theatre and scored by Mother Falcon. The puppets are marionettes, and the musicians are on stage whilst the puppeteers are performing. It's magical for kids and adults alike. The troupe had 7 performances at The Smith Center for Performing Arts within a couple of days... talk about a beautiful and awe-inspiring space!

Petra peeps. Photo by Dannie Snyder.

I'd never been to Vegas previously, so I really enjoyed walking a TON, getting lost in casinos, ogling the crazy plant installations, and people-watching to the max. If you've never been to Las Vegas, you should think about experiencing it. It's like nowhere else and such an interesting pocket of our country. So weird and wild simultaneously. Go to the Peppermill Restaurant and Lounge (thanks for the tip, Ada), it'll be your new favorite diner/bar, for sure. My favorite casino, you were probably wondering? El Cortez, hands down.

Pete (Wholesale Manager) - Birthday is on April 9th, and going hiking with the family this weekend. Going back to school at St. Edward's University this fall, and they are one of our restaurant customers too!! Looking forward to Avengers: Infinity War coming out! Cannot wait until pepper season starts... my favorite veggies.

Megan (Recipe Blogger) - Let's see let's see...just a lot of family stuff happening this month- my daughter's 3rd birthday party, baby showers, and crawfish boils! I'm excited to incorporate my CSA produce into the dishes I'll prepare for these events. I'm also super excited to go to the Sounds and Sips event at the Thinkery on April 12th. Think night at the museum...for adults! There will be interactive and educational pop-ups from all sorts of local collectives and of course, booze and food! Read all about it here.