Recipe and Photos by Nadia Tamby

This might sound very involved but the only part that takes some attention and time is making the spring onion jam. You can prep everything days in advance and throw this together in a few minutes the night you are serving it. If you’re like me, you’ve been getting a bunch of spring onions in your CSA box for a couple weeks now. I usually wash and thinly slice all of them and store them in a container to use throughout the week. I garnish meals with the green parts and use the white parts in breakfast hashes and anywhere you might use onions. Despite tossing them into everything from salads to scrambled eggs, I am still left with too many. Make this sweet-savory “jam” and use it on cheese/charcuterie boards, on salads, on toast with eggs. This isn’t exactly a real “jam” in consistency but rather caramelized green onions, so I usually just put the hot mixture into small jars and refrigerate them. They keep fine in the fridge for a month as long as you are careful to use a clean spoon.



Ingredients:

• 1 bunch golden or red beets (reserve greens for another use, trim ends)
• ½ lemon (zest and juice)
• Fresh goat cheese
• Toasted hazelnuts
• Drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil

Jam:

• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 2 bunches spring onion, sliced thinly (trim off roots and dry ends)
• ¼ cup white wine (anything will do, sweet or dry)
• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Roast the beets for about 45 minutes at 425F. I wash them and wrap them in foil (forget seasoning them at this point, you’re going to peel them after anyway), and roast until they feel firm but can be pierced with a knife. Let them cool a bit and peel them by rubbing the skins off with your hands. Slice them and drizzle olive oil, lemon juice and zest on them. They can be stored for a few days like this in the fridge to soak up the lemon flavor.



Make the “jam”:

In a small pot, heat up butter or oil and sauté the green onion until soft but not browned. Add the mustard seeds, sugar, salt, apple cider vinegar and white wine and cook on low to medium-low heat stirring until most of the liquid evaporates. Taste and adjust salt or sugar or vinegar to your liking. If your jam seems more like soggy green onions, simply add a few more tablespoons of sugar and let it caramelize the greens a little more (and let more liquid evaporate).



Serving:

Serve the beets on a platter with a few dollops of spring onion jam, a smear of goat cheese on the plate, and top with toasted hazelnuts (toast whole nuts on a skillet for a few minutes until they smell nutty, then give them a rough chop). Drizzle extra olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

CSA Box Contents Week of April 2nd

By Hector Gonzalez

Hola! Allow me to introduce myself... My name is Hector Gonzalez and I’m the guy that helps the farm with their social media efforts. I started first as a volunteer in 2010 and, after a few visits, I approached then-office manager, Carrie, about JBG’s social media efforts. After we met, she invited Brenton to the chat, and we elaborated about how the farm could share more about what it was and how things were done. At the end of the day, I had a job being their social guy!

I honestly try to keep a low profile and just be a helpful voice for people with questions about JBG. I am grateful and kind to everyone who uses all the farm’s vegetables. I even asked Scott, the farm’s uber-talented photographer, not to include me in the farm’s photos, as I felt I wasn’t interesting enough. That was a lie. I didn’t feel comfortable with my appearance. There was a time I weighed 350 lbs. I felt disgusted with myself.

Last year, I started some changes. You can read some more in this recent article about my journey. Let me be clear about something I learned. Even with having an infinite amount of vegetables available, you can be unhealthy. Part of my new education was learning how to use the farm’s CSA in a healthy manner.

I have no dietary restrictions, although I was vegetarian (2 years) and vegan (1 year) while living in California. I enjoy finding and using flavors in a tasty way. I love to eat and home cooking is the way I love myself and give love to the people I invite over. I don’t eat meat too often as I prefer to see how the vegetables work together. I am not a big fan of fake meat substitutes, either, as I opt to discover different ways to make vegetables. I must say my curiosity has led me to several venues: when I have lots of root vegetables, like beets, radishes, and turnips, I pickle these with miso and sake for a savory treat with sweet notes. When I’m tired of kale chips, I switch to collard green ones. This is one of my favorite new snacks. Recently, I’ve been using greens as a base for salsas, with delicious results in pasta or even tacos.

Watermelon radishes in a dish I made on Valentines Day.

My vegetable rules

1. Try the vegetable raw. Find what I like and dislike about it. Then experiment with the different flavor transformations it can have. How do spices affect it? Which ones make the flavor shine the most? What happens if I leave it outside the fridge overnight? Be curious about the vegetable and be playful with it.
2. Broil. I am a big fan of the broil function from my oven. High heat to quickly sear vegetables. One of my favorite things to do is thinly slicing vegetables, then put these in a circular shape, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle some spices and let the broiler finish the job. Remember to set your timer!
3. Vinegar is your friend. The acid factor can REALLY make your vegetables shine in different manners. I love quick pickling fennel and onions overnight in an apple cider solution with a few spices and a dried hot pepper. Another use, while sauteing greens, add some vinegar to the pan and cover for a second, letting that steam infuse the meal.
4. Measure yourself. It might seem a bit anal but knowing how much are you eating is quite valuable. It helps you better plan your day and your meals. This in combination with using apps like LoseIt or MyFitnessPal to log the food you consume can help you see what can be improved and how to better eat.
5. Be smart about your food. I used to eat every bite from my plate when I didn’t need to. Growing up in Mexico, there were times food wasn’t abundant. I gained this voracity about eating everything and not letting anything go to waste. That’s a mistake. I now portion my meals in a way that I know what I’m cooking, how much and how I’m using my CSA box in a smart and measured way.

These are the things that have worked for me, but might not be your cup of tea. That’s okay! We all have different tastes and loves. Find a way to cook that satisfies you and gives you joy, while also being careful with your health. I truly believe health and happiness are closely related.

Check out more of my recipes/cooking escapades on my Instagram or check out a couple recipes from blogs past here, here, and here!

Photo courtesy of the Austin American-Statesman by Erika Rich.

**Don't forget! The Spring Picnic and Garden Gallop 5K is this Saturday! Get out to the farm for some exercise, exploration, great music, and even better times. Find more info and buy tickets here!**

Market beets. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

We headed to the SFC Downtown Farmers Market this past weekend and fraternized with the folks working and perusing alike. The mid-week rain gave our crops some hydration and gave us a little cool weather reprieve.

The Spring Picnic and Garden Gallop 5K are this Saturday! Have you bought your tickets yet? Check out more info here. Come join in on the fun!

SFC Farmers Market. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Carrot pretties. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Market talk. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Dogs love veggies, too. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

French Breakfast radishes. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Carrot sorting. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Lettuce harvesting. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Rainbow chard harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Chard rainbows. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Mellow yellow. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Spinach harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

A little hydration. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

 

Recipe and Photos by Megan Winfrey

There are weeks, they come and go, when cooking actual meals feels like too much of a task for me. I snack too much, go out to eat, Favor in, and the contents of my CSA box sit sadly in the fridge.

When the drive to cook returns, so does the guilt of letting my beautiful produce deteriorate. Luckily I've learned a few tricks for making the most out of them.

Leafy greens turn into savory, paper-thin crisps when baked on low in the oven. They can take a range of seasonings from sweet to spicy, but I like them best with just a drizzle of olive oil and a few cracks of sea salt. Wilted greens may take less time to bake than fresh ones, so just keep an eye on them in the oven!



Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Destem the collard greens and cut each half into thirds, making pieces about the size of your palm. I like to leave in the dinosaur kale stems, but if you only have curly kale I suggest removing the stems. Cut the kale into similar sized pieces.

Thoroughly wash and dry the greens. Damp greens won't crisp up as well in the oven. Once dry, put all of the greens in a big bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and crack sea salt over them in an even layer. Mix thoroughly with your hands, rubbing the oil into the crevices of the kale.



Lay the greens out on a baking sheet. They can be touching, but not overlapping. Bake 10-15 minutes or until dry and slightly browned. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a serving dish. Depending on how many bunches of greens used, you may have to bake them in several batches.

Serve immediately - or keep in a brown paper sack up to 3 days.

CSA Box Contents Week of Mar 26th

Have you heard? Our annual Spring Picnic and Garden Gallop 5K is just around the corner. This is one of our most favorite farm events, and if you come join us next Saturday, 3/31 from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm, you’ll see why! Adult tickets are only $5. As always, kids under 12 get in free. This event will take place at our Garfield, Texas farm nestled on the banks of the Colorado River at 4008 River Road, 78612.

Winners of a Garden Gallop past. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Our 5K Garden Gallop and 1-mile Kids Fun Run is perfect for runners and walkers alike and is truly the best way to see our working organic farm. Is there anything like this event anywhere else? We’re not so sure, but it sure is a unique and wonderful community event. Skip past our compost pile, jog through towers of tomatoes, and celebrate the season with your friends and family. Worried about the length of the 3.1-mile route? Take a shortcut! No one judges out at the farm. Have a baby to haul along? Bring your off-road stroller! It’s called a Garden Gallop, but we absolutely welcome the avid walker with open arms, as we have a quite a few amblin' aficionados on staff here at JBG. It usually takes about 45 minutes to an hour to complete the route while moseying along, obviously varying depending on your personal pace.

Gettin' ready to run. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

We can't wait to share our lush fields of carrots and rows of budding Spring crops. It’s a great way to sneak a peek of what veggies are headed to market in the coming weeks. Steve and his crew at Rogue Running will be there metamorphosing our bustling farm into a dynamic race course complete with aid stations and cheerleaders at several junctures along the way. We will be starting the 5K at 11 am sharp, so arrive at least at 10:30 in order to gather your bib and stretch before we officially start the race! The first place male and female will both be awarded CSA subscriptions. So get your running shoes on and get to trainin’, there are veggies to win!

Ready to run! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

On the course. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

OR, skip the Gallop all together and bust out your best picnic blanket. There will be live music by Johnny Nicholas & Scrappy Jud Newcomb as well as Oscar Ornelas who will be performing blues on our butterfly stage. A huge thanks to The ABGB for providing free beer for the musicians. We don’t know how we’d quench ours or the musicians’ thirst without you, time and time again. For the kiddos, we'll have an "egg" hunt and loads of arts and crafts activities. Speaking of, we headed to the Austin Materials Marketplace last week to rescue some of the leftover SXSW materials that were headed to a landfill from the expo center. We are repurposing the found materials so that kiddos can paint and express their inner Picasso. Pretty cool, eh!? On top of that, our ever-popular sand pile is ready to be conquered. A huge thanks to Marcelo’s Sand and Loam for donating a load of sand to spruce up our dwindling sand supply. Do you or your kiddo want to know more about tractors and/or what it feels like to be at the helm of one? We will have all of our tractors lined up on display with information on what each one of them specializes in day-to-day. You and your kids will be able to climb up into the driver’s seat and experience farmer-vision behind the wheel.

Arts and crafts. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Tractor vision. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Sand pile good times. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

The Ginger Armadillo food trailer will be on site serving their delicious "elevated Texas cuisine". Think: BBQ Pork Tacos, Crispy Harvest Cakes, Black Bean Frito Pies, BBQ Beet Fries, Brussels Slaw, Kale Caesar Salad, and Rainbow Slaw! They are slinging only the most delicious fares and featuring our organic veggies as much as possible. Chameleon Cold Brew will be there making sure everyone is caffeinated with free coffee and samples of their notorious cold-brew. They will also be lugging out their giant Jenga tower and cornhole. Yeehaw! This event is BYOB, BYO-picnic blanket, BYO-dancin' shoes, BYO-good vibes. Please DON'T BYO-DOG though! We love your pups, but our farmers prefer you keep them at home. Grappling with heading to market to swoop your weekly veggie haul or to make it out to the event in Garfield? We will have a market stand set up at the event! CSA members, rather pick up your CSA at the Spring Picnic? Shoot us an email at farm@jbgorganic.com or call us at 512-386-5273 and we will get it scheduled. See you at the farm!

Ginger Armadillo food truck! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Gettin' down! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Picnic-in' Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Market stand. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

• Purchase tickets here!
• Check out the Facebook event here.
• And for fun, you can take a look at the race course here.