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CSA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: EVELISE SANDIDGE
08/04/17 — Heydon Hatcher
A very happy Friday to all of you! It’s an especially happy Friday because... we’re back with another CSA Member Spotlight! It’s been quite awhile since we’ve taken a closer look at the amazing community that we've cultivated around our CSA. We hope that this series will highlight the diverse nature and composition of this community, and how each member integrates the CSA into their varied and oftentimes bustling lifestyles. This week, we had the immense privilege of interviewing Evelise Sandidge, one of our longest CSA Pickup Site Hosts and very warm and engaging long-time Austinite with quite the green thumb.
Located in the Zilker Park neighborhood, her home is a beautiful limestone cottage with a vast yard verdant with an impressive array of greenery, most notably her fragrant and blooming plumeria. Folks often refer to her carport setup as the "Cadillac" of pickup sites as she's honed it's effectiveness over the 12 years she has been hosting. She makes sure that everyone's veggie pickup is seamless week after week and we couldn't be more grateful for the JBG CSA community that she cultivates. Learn more about Evelise below!
![Evelise. Photo by Allison Smoler.]()
Evelise. Photo by Allison Smoler.
How long have you been a CSA Site Host?
I moved here in ‘01, so I would say I started being a host in ‘03 or ‘04. I know that when I started JBG just had 2 markets. They had the one downtown, and they might’ve had another one… Brenton would deliver the veggies to my house on Saturdays. Back then, my day was Saturday, but now it’s Friday because the markets are so busy these days. On Saturday, he’d drop off the veggies and that went on for quite awhile until he got so busy. So, 12 years.
How did you hear about the farm and get involved?
I found out about the farm at the Downtown Market, and my friend Jill was taking me by Brenton’s booth because she loved his vegetables. That was when he was still on Holly Street. Then he said he was going to be gone because he was moving. We didn’t realize what he was moving to! We were like, “Oh my god! This guy is really going to do something HUGE!” Which he has.
So then, I got on the website and they were looking for hosts! So I thought, I could definitely be a host! I have a carport, so I contacted them and a few months later I was the Zilker Neighborhood host! JBG brought the table, veggies, ice chest, and clipboard, and everything just grew from there.
![Photo by Allison Smoler.]()
Photo by Allison Smoler.
Do you have any funny delivery truck run-in stories?
Lucas is a hoot, he’s a sweet pea. I always see him at music events. We have all these mutual friends that are musicians, and he’s hanging out with them. It’s such a small world... Lucas is everywhere I go when it comes to music.
![Photo by Allison Smoler.]()
Photo by Allison Smoler.
What’s your standard plan of action when it comes to leftover veggies?
If I’m not getting a box, I’ll use them. I’ll donate them to friends who are having a challenging time or need food. A lot of times I’m out of town on Fridays, so I’ll have the neighbors come by and check around 7 pm (when the pick up window closes) for extra veggies. They always get used, and nothing goes to waste. I use what I can, but I always share.
What is your favorite veggie? What veggie stumps you the most?
Cukes, peppers, and tomatoes are my favorites... I like all those together. My favorite season is summer for veggies. I like all veggies though. I can’t think of anything that I don’t use besides the sweet potato vines. I just don’t know how to use them!
My favorite thing that comes in the box is melons. Oh my goodness, I love melons. When it’s melon season, I freak out. I had a melon in my box last week or the week before that was like a cross between a honeydew and something yellow-y. It was spot on. It was perfectly ripe to eat right then, and I did.
![Photo by Allison Smoler.]()
Photo by Allison Smoler.
What is your favorite recipe?
I would have to say a pasta sauce because I can utilize so many of the veggies - onions, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, zucchini, squash. Anything that can be chopped up and put into pasta sauce, I do that. Because I’m cajun, we always use onion, green pepper, and celery. So, I just add everything else on top of that.
I prefer any recipes where you can use a ton of the veggies, and pasta sauce is definitely one of those. You can put everything but the kitchen sink in it.
Where did you learn to cook?
My grandmother, Mawmaw, and mom taught me. Though when I was growing up, I didn’t want to eat anything but junk food. I would eat away from the house, but as I got older and started living on my own, I would call both of them for the recipes that I grew up with. My darling daughter, Sharamay, and I went to visit Mawmaw a couple of years ago when she was 101 in Louisiana (she's 104 now!). Mawmaw always made fig preserves and kumquat preserves for us growing up, and we have pictures of her and Sharamay from that trip standing at the stove stirring kumquats. Even at 101 she is still teaching the art of cooking. She doesn’t remember all the recipes anymore, but my mother sure does.
![Mawmaw and Sharamay in 2013.]()
Mawmaw and Sharamay in 2013.
![Sharamay, Mawmaw, and Evelise.]()
Sharamay, Mawmaw, and Evelise.
All my cooking skills come from Louisiana and flying by the seat of my frying pan. Whenever we would get to one of our relative's homes, they'd have a bathtub full of crawfish, and big huge pots outside filled to the brim with crab and shrimp. Louisiana is for eating.
![Photo by Allison Smoler.]()
Photo by Allison Smoler.
What are you cooking now?
Stuffed peppers. I put meat, rice, and quinoa in them. I don’t go for a lot of red meats, so I use ground deer meat.
When you aren’t gushing over the CSA, what do you do?
I garden. That’s what I’m doing for a living right now. I was doing interior plants, but I now do gardens for people... more flower and ornamental type gardens. I do weeding, pruning back, watering, and stuff like that.
Back in the 80’s I lived in a biodome in NC. I ran a three-story geodesic dome greenhouse. We grew our own food there. There were two swimming pools that were 15 feet across that helped with the moisture. So, the different floors had different vegetables growing on them. I had veggie gardens around, too - we did french intensive gardening. We had a cow we milked, we made our own butter, we had chickens that we got eggs from, and ate the chickens, too. I learned a lot about gardening there.
![Photo by Allison Smoler.]()
Photo by Allison Smoler.
If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you bring?
A huge thanks to Evelise Sandidge for taking the time to meet with us and her continued support of the farm. Another huge thanks to Allison Smoler for taking beautiful photographs! 'Til next time.
Located in the Zilker Park neighborhood, her home is a beautiful limestone cottage with a vast yard verdant with an impressive array of greenery, most notably her fragrant and blooming plumeria. Folks often refer to her carport setup as the "Cadillac" of pickup sites as she's honed it's effectiveness over the 12 years she has been hosting. She makes sure that everyone's veggie pickup is seamless week after week and we couldn't be more grateful for the JBG CSA community that she cultivates. Learn more about Evelise below!
Evelise. Photo by Allison Smoler.
How long have you been a CSA Site Host?
I moved here in ‘01, so I would say I started being a host in ‘03 or ‘04. I know that when I started JBG just had 2 markets. They had the one downtown, and they might’ve had another one… Brenton would deliver the veggies to my house on Saturdays. Back then, my day was Saturday, but now it’s Friday because the markets are so busy these days. On Saturday, he’d drop off the veggies and that went on for quite awhile until he got so busy. So, 12 years.
How did you hear about the farm and get involved?
I found out about the farm at the Downtown Market, and my friend Jill was taking me by Brenton’s booth because she loved his vegetables. That was when he was still on Holly Street. Then he said he was going to be gone because he was moving. We didn’t realize what he was moving to! We were like, “Oh my god! This guy is really going to do something HUGE!” Which he has.
So then, I got on the website and they were looking for hosts! So I thought, I could definitely be a host! I have a carport, so I contacted them and a few months later I was the Zilker Neighborhood host! JBG brought the table, veggies, ice chest, and clipboard, and everything just grew from there.
Photo by Allison Smoler.
Do you have any funny delivery truck run-in stories?
Lucas is a hoot, he’s a sweet pea. I always see him at music events. We have all these mutual friends that are musicians, and he’s hanging out with them. It’s such a small world... Lucas is everywhere I go when it comes to music.
Photo by Allison Smoler.
What’s your standard plan of action when it comes to leftover veggies?
If I’m not getting a box, I’ll use them. I’ll donate them to friends who are having a challenging time or need food. A lot of times I’m out of town on Fridays, so I’ll have the neighbors come by and check around 7 pm (when the pick up window closes) for extra veggies. They always get used, and nothing goes to waste. I use what I can, but I always share.
What is your favorite veggie? What veggie stumps you the most?
Cukes, peppers, and tomatoes are my favorites... I like all those together. My favorite season is summer for veggies. I like all veggies though. I can’t think of anything that I don’t use besides the sweet potato vines. I just don’t know how to use them!
My favorite thing that comes in the box is melons. Oh my goodness, I love melons. When it’s melon season, I freak out. I had a melon in my box last week or the week before that was like a cross between a honeydew and something yellow-y. It was spot on. It was perfectly ripe to eat right then, and I did.
Photo by Allison Smoler.
What is your favorite recipe?
I would have to say a pasta sauce because I can utilize so many of the veggies - onions, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, zucchini, squash. Anything that can be chopped up and put into pasta sauce, I do that. Because I’m cajun, we always use onion, green pepper, and celery. So, I just add everything else on top of that.
I prefer any recipes where you can use a ton of the veggies, and pasta sauce is definitely one of those. You can put everything but the kitchen sink in it.
Where did you learn to cook?
My grandmother, Mawmaw, and mom taught me. Though when I was growing up, I didn’t want to eat anything but junk food. I would eat away from the house, but as I got older and started living on my own, I would call both of them for the recipes that I grew up with. My darling daughter, Sharamay, and I went to visit Mawmaw a couple of years ago when she was 101 in Louisiana (she's 104 now!). Mawmaw always made fig preserves and kumquat preserves for us growing up, and we have pictures of her and Sharamay from that trip standing at the stove stirring kumquats. Even at 101 she is still teaching the art of cooking. She doesn’t remember all the recipes anymore, but my mother sure does.
Mawmaw and Sharamay in 2013.
Sharamay, Mawmaw, and Evelise.
All my cooking skills come from Louisiana and flying by the seat of my frying pan. Whenever we would get to one of our relative's homes, they'd have a bathtub full of crawfish, and big huge pots outside filled to the brim with crab and shrimp. Louisiana is for eating.
Photo by Allison Smoler.
What are you cooking now?
Stuffed peppers. I put meat, rice, and quinoa in them. I don’t go for a lot of red meats, so I use ground deer meat.
When you aren’t gushing over the CSA, what do you do?
I garden. That’s what I’m doing for a living right now. I was doing interior plants, but I now do gardens for people... more flower and ornamental type gardens. I do weeding, pruning back, watering, and stuff like that.
Back in the 80’s I lived in a biodome in NC. I ran a three-story geodesic dome greenhouse. We grew our own food there. There were two swimming pools that were 15 feet across that helped with the moisture. So, the different floors had different vegetables growing on them. I had veggie gardens around, too - we did french intensive gardening. We had a cow we milked, we made our own butter, we had chickens that we got eggs from, and ate the chickens, too. I learned a lot about gardening there.
Photo by Allison Smoler.
If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you bring?
- My darling daughter
- Seeds
- Water
A huge thanks to Evelise Sandidge for taking the time to meet with us and her continued support of the farm. Another huge thanks to Allison Smoler for taking beautiful photographs! 'Til next time.
