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!

Ada (Blog Writer)

I laughed out loud when I saw this picture on Instagram. The caption reads, "No one planted it. but there it is, all the same. A rogue tomato is growing on a piling in the water around Brooklyn Bridge Park...." There's an entire NY Times story about it. This mysterious tomato plant seems a little less mysterious to me, because we have rogue vegetables growing ALL OVER the place at Hergotz. One time a huge bins of melons got run over in the parking lot. Weeks later, there were hundreds of (edible) watermelon sprouts growing out of the parking lot gravel. We currently have a few rogue tomato plants (with fruit) growing on the small grassy patches next to our cooler, and we've had a comically productive butternut squash plant growing in the ditch near our compost pile. I could go on, but you get the point. Drop a tomato somewhere, water + sunlight, and you might just get a tomato plant.



My other pick is Club Home Made! I was excited to see this little bit of press that came out about our fall classes a couple weeks ago. Check us out if you haven't already!

Scott

Pink - 60" x 40" - Watercolor on paper by Jan Heaton

If you live in Austin and want to learn more about the art scene and get more involved I would recommend a few things.

• -Sign up for Art Alliance Austin’s weekly newsletter to learn about all of the upcoming art events. Do that here.
• Check out my weekly podcast Austin Art Talk, interviewing local artists and creatives. www.austinarttalk.com You can listen directly from the website or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, iHeartRADIO. Pretty much any podcast app can find it. Let me know what you think. People seem to love it. You can also follow me on Instagram @austinarttalk.

I also want to highlight a few specific events coming up soon that I think are important. There will be a group exhibition opening at Davis Gallery on September 14th from 7-9 titled the Big Pink Blanket of Love, Work by Jan Heaton & Friends. I just interviewed Jan on my podcast and the story behind the show is tragic but what has emerged is really inspiring and the exhibition supports a really important cause. Learn more.

Very shortly my interview with Chris Cowden the executive director of Women & Their Work with be released. September 12th from 7-10 they are having their Red Dot Art Spree which is a fundraising event that will feature over 150 works by some of the best contemporary artists in Texas, all priced $750 and below, and tax-free. There will also be a silent auction. Learn more

Faith (CSA Coordinator)

I've been devouring the Area X trilogy. (More on that here.)

Brenton

I've been really into these fingerling sweet potatoes that we harvested this week. I very simply roasted some this week and they were awesome. (Here is a recipe for simple roasted fingerling sweet potatoes like Brenton made.)

Fingerling Sweet Potatoes. Photo by Brenton.

Megan (Recipe Developer)

This month I'm into staying home, deep cleaning, meal planning, cooking, going to bed early and waking up early for yoga, finishing my book (Liar's Club by Mary Karr), and shooting a bunch of fall inventory for my vintage shop. After traveling every weekend in August, I am so dang excited to home-body it up and take care of business, mind, and body.

So much fun vintage! Photo taken from the Loyal Vintage Instagram.

Heydon (Recipe Developer)

I had the immense privilege of attending the Auburn opening game at the dazzling and very air-conditioned AT&T Stadium, otherwise known as Jerry World, with my boyfriend and some family over the weekend. My family is a group of unremitting and die-hard Auburn fans. WAR EAGLE. The matchup was against Oregon, and the last time we faced the Ducks was in the 2011 National Championship when Cam Newton was at the helm of our offense. Auburn won a national championship that year, so we were excited to see a re-match of this cross-country rivalry. It was an abysmal game, for the most part, Auburn looking adrift, until a sensational comeback led by true freshman, Bo Nix, in the final quarter. We lost our minds and I lost my voice. Thanks for the good times, Dallas. Can't wait to see what Bo has in store for this season... should be a stressful and very fun one. College football is back, baby!

Photos by Heydon Hatcher.

Nao (Farmers Market Crew)

I'm Nao Ward. I'm a happy market staff at Sunset Valley, and am PSYCHED about starting a position with AmeriCorps' Bicycle Outreach Program on September 3!

Andrew (CSA Packing Manager)

I've been enjoying focusing on my music lately. I'm playing tonight, Friday 9/6 at Spokesman for Imaginary Stereo and will have a couple of cassettes coming out this month. You can also give my groovy tunes a listen on my Spotify.