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!

The best in the biz. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Farm, in general - Funky Chicken Coop Tour in East Austin! This is a self-guided tour that happens Easter weekend here in our fair town that is run by the Urban Poultry Association of Texas. The purpose of this tour is to encourage city residents to raise chickens at home by demonstrating the many ways that chicken (and other poultry) housing can be incorporated into urban residence without violating city ordinances or creating a nuisance. Yeehaw!

Seru Andromius by Roi James

Our fabulous photographer, Scott David Gordon, has a great new podcast called Austin Art Talk, where he interviews a different Austin artist every week. The next new episode comes out tomorrow (March 3rd) and is with Roi James. It’s a beautiful and raw conversation about Roi’s struggles accepting his power and path as an artist and what he learned after surviving cancer almost 5 years ago. You can listen from the website, on iTunes, or on any other podcast app. Be sure to subscribe and share!

Lena (Wholesale Crew) - I’ve been really into chef David Chang’s new Netflix show, Ugly Delicious. I’ve never felt more validated in my life than when DAVID CHANG OF MOMOFUKU declares his love for Domino’s after he spends the day eating beautiful artisan pizzas in one of the most celebrated pizzerias in the country. The pizzeria owner is furious- it's hilarious. (Note: Aziz Ansari appears in a couple episodes.)



I’m also in love with Everything Sucks!, another new show on Netflix. As a 90s kid, I’ve always wished I could relive that decade to fully appreciate how much it shaped who I am, and this show does that for me. From now on, I will only introduce myself to new acquaintances by playing a clip of the dad joyfully singing and dancing along to Deep Blue Something’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

Missoula (Farm Dog) - My baby goat.



Ada (CSA and Marketing Manager) - I've got the spring fever and have been really busy building up my home garden this season. All the guys at the farm thought I was crazy for planting such a big garden (considering I work for a 200 acre farm), but I've officially caught the bug this year, and have been working by day at my computer, and by evening in my garden. Planning to plant lots of heirloom tomatoes and flowers. If there are any orphan transplants at the end of our Transplant Sale, these might find a home in my yard, too.

Also! I'm getting really excited about our Spring Picnic coming up on Saturday, March 31st. Usually we book some local honky tonk bands, but this year we've decided to go a different direction and are going to have some fabulous blues tunes gracing our stage. Planning an epic "egg" hunt for the kids, and of course we'll have the Gallop through our fields for anyone wanting a unique tour of our farm and vegetable production. Can't wait to have you all out to the farm!

Tracy (Barn Manager) - My daughter Eden Rayne is turning 5 next week and Tiny Tails to You, a local petting zoo to whom we donate some produce to, will be setting up shop in my backyard. I'm really excited to celebrate my awesome daughter! Also, it's about rodeo season, and the Austin Rodeo is one of my favorite events of the year.

Tracy and his kiddos! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

My non-pick would be Brenton's footwear decisions this Thursday...



Mike Mo (Wholesale Manager) - I'd like to give a shout out to Marcelino's Pan y Vino. This is my favorite morning taco joint as of late.

Pete (Wholesale Manager) - These insanely delectable chargrilled oysters I made recently. YUM.



Brenton (Head Farmer) - I want to give a call out to The China Family Restaurant on Guadalupe. Good Stuff! Also Mushashino - amazing sushi. Also! I recently went to see Pop Up Magazine's show in Austin, and thought it was amazing! Really unique stories, all told in very cool way. Kinda hard to explain, so you've just gotta go see it next time they're in town. Oh! I can't wait to start mowing my grass.

Fawn (Farmer's Market Manager) - I am excited about my fava beans (top right.) I planted them in October and will hopefully get beans in March, if it doesn't get too warm too fast. It's my first time growing favas. I also planted several varieties of garlic last October, including elephant garlic, that I am patiently watching grow. I've got some dragon tongue beans that have just sprouted (not pictured.) These are delicious and so easy to grow!

Fawn's garden.

Andrew (CSA Line Manager) - Nikki and I are hyped for "Meow Wolf Outside" during SXSW. Normally I stay away unless one of us is gigging, buuuut... this might be a must. We had so much fun when we went in New Mexico. With Austin during SXSW vibes and some hidden unreleased Shakey Graves cassettes, this is set to be a potent potion to have some fun.

Andrew at Meow Wolf in NM.

Casey (Customer Service Extraordinaire) - I'm enjoying my new carnivorous hanging pitcher plant. I've never cared for a carnivorous plant before, so it is definitely a learning experience. Fruit flies fall into the pitchers where they are digested. You just need to keep a bit of rainwater in each pitcher. It also likes high humidity, daily misting, and full sun. Best in bathrooms or kitchens where there is a lot of moisture in the air (like near the dishwasher). There is a really great short documentary about carnivorous plants to check out called Plants Behaving Badly. I highly recommend it! You will never look at plants the same way again!

If you are interested in buying one of these or other carnivorous plants like the Venus flytrap, head to The Natural Gardener!

Casey's carnivorous plant.

Recipe and Photo by Megan Winfrey

For not being a salad person, I've been making a ton of them lately! Not to say that I dislike salad, it's the total opposite.

I long to be a salad queen like my fellow blogger Mackenzie but lack the confidence to seemingly "throw it all together" into an effortlessly beautiful and delicious dish.

To get my feet wet I've been following recipes, which has helped me understand the gist of proportions, texture, acidity, and the myriad of other components that make the perfect salad. With each composed salad that I make, I get it a little bit more - and hopefully, I'll soon be able to grab whatever from the fridge and pantry and whip up a "salad thing" with confidence. Until then, I'm enjoying making recipes like this...



Crunchy Cabbage & Ramen Slaw

• 1 small cabbage, cored and chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, rough chopped
• 1 bunch chives, rough chopped
• 2 tbs. toasted sesame seeds
• 1 package of plain ramen noodles, dry
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. soy sauce

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a medium-size bowl and combine well. If your sesame seeds aren't already toasted, just throw them in a pan over medium-high heat, shaking constantly for about 5 minutes or until fragrant.

In a mason jar, combine the liquid ingredients. Put the lid on and shake well. Dress the salad just before eating! The salad will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and the dressing for up to 2 weeks.

CSA Box Contents Week of Feb 26th

**major contributions by Lindsey Bradley from AISD

Thanks to the Farm Fresh Fridays initiative by the Texas Department of Agriculture, JBG and AISD have partnered for a little over two years now. Can you believe it? It feels like just yesterday when Mike Mo, our wholesale manager, was crunching numbers and seeing if the collaboration was even feasible. Farm Fresh Fridays is a way for Texans to celebrate the role that agriculture plays in our community’s overall well-being. As a direct result, it's also redefining cafeteria food. All kids at AISD schools enjoy entrees every Friday featuring JBG’s seasonal organic produce!

Lunch scenes at AISD. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Over 30 million students in our country rely on school meals every day, making the seemingly-humble school lunch a very important meal - and an opportunity for us as farmers. With farm-to-school efforts taking off around the country, school lunches provide an important access point to these kids, not only nourishing future generations and fostering healthy diets, but also introducing students to the food system, in general.

Acquainting some kiddos with a brussel sprout. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

AISD REVOLUTIONIZES LUNCHES

Last school year AISD introduced seasonal menus - fall, winter, spring - to offer more variety, introduce new recipes and offer seasonal produce when available. Talk about gourmet! This included Farm Fresh Fridays, in the fall they featured JBG sweet potatoes, in the winter, greens (like collards and kale) and spring, carrots. AISD is determined to expand food access, nutrition education and sustainability. AISD Executive Chef, Louis Ortiz, and his team work closely with the district dietitian to ensure that all recipes are compliant with USDA regulations. Additionally, the school system has created even stricter guidelines through a clean label initiative with the Life Time Foundation, where they committed to eliminating what the Foundation has identified as the Harmful 7, from their menus.

Perusing the school lunch options from a higher vantage point. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Speaking of AISD Executive Chef, Louis Ortiz... he joined the district with more than 20 years experience in restaurants, as an instructor at Le Cordon Bleu Texas Culinary Academy and as a culinary trainer for H-E-B Central Market. Since joining AISD, Louis has helped evolve the cafeterias into desired dining destinations. AISD has a greater focus on cooking from scratch, has introduced more global flavors + plant-based options and offers many hands-on training opportunities for kitchen team members to enhance their culinary skills.

Chef Louis Ortiz. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Not only does AISD utilize our veggies in their Farm Fresh Fridays, but also in their sampling events. Remember when Mike Mo and Ada ventured over to Perez Middle School for the National School Lunch Week baba ganoush tasting last October? Well, they also do a tasting event during Earth Week. They will be sampling JBG radishes districtwide during the week of April 16-20 in celebration of our fair planet Earth. The point of these samplings is to expose students to new foods and educate them on the local food system. It will be similar to the baba ganoush sampling, the only difference is they will be keeping it simple with just raw radishes, not included in a recipe.

Baba ganoush sampling. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Ada and Mike Mo settlin' up their tabs at AISD. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

The folks at AISD have been revolutionizing the way kids eat lunch. Augmenting seasonal prepared food menus with salad bars and even a small fleet of Nacho Average Food Trucks! The original trailer opened at Anderson High School in 2015; however, this one is stationary. AISD introduced their first mobile Nacho Average Food Truck last March and will be welcoming the second mobile truck this March. These mobile trucks rotate to a different AISD high school daily, currently serving breakfast tacos in the morning and a global nacho theme menu for lunch. They have a third truck coming later on this year that will be used for events, athletics concessions, etc. The Nacho Average Food Truck was named and the wrap design created by students at Anderson High School. As for salad bars, all AISD elementary, middle and high schools offer this option daily. Elementary schools offer a modified made-to-order, while middle and high schools offer self-serve options.

Tasting at the cafeteria. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

“A Feast for the Eyes”

Not only does AISD revolutionize palates, but also thought patterns around food with fun veggie-centric activities. This past October, AISD hosted a district-wide art contest as a celebration of National Farm to School Month. The guidelines encouraged elementary school students to create artwork honoring local farmers and the use of local produce in the school cafeteria. The students were asked specifically to focus on carrots since carrots from JBG will be provided this spring during Farm Fresh Fridays. The winning artwork is to be used as promotional signage and displayed in all cafeterias throughout the district during Farm Fresh Fridays. Kind of a big deal, right? The schools received over 200 submissions - and the three winners: McBee Elementary fifth-grader Zara Lopez-Pina placed first; her brother, McBee fourth-grader Javier Lopez-Pina, placed second; and Natividad Ignacio, a Jordan Elementary fourth-grader, placed third. Congrats to these artistic kiddos! Feast your eyes, and peruse the winning artwork below.

The winning artwork!

We are thrilled to continue this partnership for another year of nourishing the burgeoning minds of our younger Austin community. It’s truly fascinating and inspiring to see how AISD is changing the way that students dine on their watch. Keep eating your veggies, folks! ‘Til next time!

Readying for the first transplant sale weekend! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

The transplant sale is upon us! The first instalment is this Saturday, 2/24. Before you head to the farm, don't forget to check out all of this year's transplants online. We are elated to be offering a vast array of herbs, fruits, and veggies. Our menu continually ameliorates and diversifies year after year, so don't miss it!

We are finishing up spring planting and captured the process of transplanting potatoes below. Check it out and get excited about some delicious summertime spuds!

Becky at the helm. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Farm traffic. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Scarlet turnips. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Transplanting spuds. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Getting potatoes in the ground! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Temo getting the rows ready for the transplant 'taters. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Our transplant crew having a quick 'tater tossin' break. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Working side by side. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Bunched carrots. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Carrotexture. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Grooming the vineyard. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Harvesting spring onions. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Spring onions. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Temo covering up the spuds with soil, so they can grow. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Some of the transplant varieties. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Seeding. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Recipe and Photos by Nadia Tamby

Quick PSA: Interested in grabbing some grapefruit with your CSA? Place a citrus bulk order here before they are gone for the season!

Over the holidays, I visited my parents (who have been living in South Africa for a couple years) and came back with an appreciation for South African gins that are infused with unique aromatics and herbs. I tried a number of gins that were distilled locally with fynbos (a general term for the many shrubs that grow in the Western and Eastern Cape regions) and while I love a good G&T, sometimes I like making something a little more involved. While I’ve been obsessed with South African gin, any gin you like will work in this recipe. I used lavender bitters to accompany the florals in my drink (protea and hibiscus in the gin, and elderflower liqueur as the sweetener), but you can play around with that depending on the gin you use.

I used this beautiful bottle of protea (a type of fynbos) and hibiscus-infused gin and I wanted to create a smooth cocktail that played off the floral notes of the gin without overpowering it. I love making egg white drinks because of the texture, but feel free to leave out the egg white if you aren’t up for it. The sweet-tart flavor of Texas grapefruit is perfect for this drink and I love the pale pink hue of it as well. Enjoy!



Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz fresh grapefruit juice
• 0.5 oz fresh lime juice
• 0.5 oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur
• 2 oz gin (your preference)
• 1 egg white (freshest egg you can get!) – optional

The set-up

Garnish:

• A slice of grapefruit (cut this slice before you juice it for the drink)
• 1-2 dashes of lavender bitters (or bitters of your choosing, go with something light – not angostura bitters) - optional

Equipment:

• Stainless Steel Cocktail shaker
• Small Sieve
• About 1 cup of ice for shaking the drinks
• A kitchen towel you’re not afraid to get a little dirty

Instructions:

The egg white is optional, but your drink will look and feel completely different with it. If you are able to eat raw egg, I highly recommend it. I promise your cocktail will not taste like eggs! Since the egg is raw, I recommend the highest quality, freshest eggs you can get your hands on.

Crack your egg and separate the white from the yolk, being careful not to break the yolk into the whites, or else your drink will not have the desired smooth frothy mouthfeel you’re looking for. Drop the egg white into your cocktail shaker and remove the white stringy part of the egg white if it is in the shaker (just pinch it out with your fingers). It usually stays attached to the yolk, but just in case, you want to remove it because you certainly do not want to have that texture in your gin sour. If you aren’t able to remove it, make sure that you pour your drink through a sieve first.

Add all the other ingredients to the shaker while stirring, adding the lime juice last. If you add the lime juice first, you may “cook” your egg whites, a little like ceviche – you don’t want that.?

Close the shaker (without the ice, at first) and if you are not an experienced cocktail shaker… I suggest doing this with a kitchen towel wrapped around the shaker, and over a sink, just in case! Without the ice, the egg whites will create bigger volume and frothiness (this is why I like to do it over the sink…sometimes it leaks out a bit as the pressure in the shaker increases). Shake for about 30 seconds and then add the ice to the shaker. Shake for another minute or so very vigorously.

Pour the drink in a glass through a sieve (use a spoon to push more egg froth through the sieve if needed). I find that I need to rock the shaker back and forth a couple times to get all the liquid out. Garnish with a slice of grapefruit and add a couple drops of bitters to elevate your drink even more. If you use a dark-colored bitter, use a dropper to carefully drop the bitters onto the foam. Use a toothpick to swirl it in to create a beautiful pattern on the top.

Protea in the Cape region.

CSA Box Contents Week of Feb 19th