Brenton:

For the past year or so, I've been working on this boat. And it's finally done! I've taken it out for a picnic dinner every single night this week after work. On Wednesday, we drove it for almost 20 miles - we put in at festival beach near Snake Island, then drove it all the way to the damn (near Red Bud Isle), and then back again. I've been getting a lot of looks because people don't know what to think of this frankenstein boat. It's a sailboat without a mast, and a motor attached, so the hull looks very different from the boats you would normally see on town lake.

About a year ago, I bought a 1973 Johnsons outboard motor from Craiglist - it was really cheap because it had quit working. I've always wanted to outfit a motor to be electric, and so that's just what I did with this motor.. I got some help from some friends, too, welding brackets, and doing some machine work. Finally we got it working, and it's actually working better than I expected. Say hello if you see me on town lake! I'm likely to be there every evening!

Ada:

Today! Friday May, 1st, I'm teaching a seasonal meal prep class on Zoom! Tune in at 11am CST to get some meal prep tips and recipe ideas. This is the perfect class and conversation for anyone new to the CSA. To make the most of your time zooming, consider grabbing some veggies and a knife - no reason we can't all chop n' chat together! RSVP to the (free) class and get the zoom link here. 



Also, my amazing sister Amelia is a high school art teacher and is co-founder of a nonprofit in New Orleans called Sketch Basin. Only 5 of 30 public high schools in New Orleans offer advanced Visual Art courses, and Sketch Basin has stepped in to help fill the void. They are currently raising money to help with next year's programming and need your help. You can donate to their organization here. Simply write "Sketch Basin" in the comment line.

One of Sketch Basin's students. Photo courtesy of Sketch Basin website.

Scott:

I recently interviewed Elizabeth McQueen for my podcast, Austin Art Talk. Elizabeth is the host of This Song podcast on KUTX. She started playing with her band back in 2014, and played at quite a few farm potlucks. The interview isn't out yet, but it's not one to miss. Follow the podcast on Instagram, or just subscribe to Austin Art Talk where ever you listen to the podcasts you love. In the interview, I talk with Elizabeth about many aspects of being an artist. At the end, she answers the main question she always poses to guest on her podcast: what is a transformational song in your life?

Elizabeth grooving at a JBG potluck back in 2014. Photo taken by... Scott!

Andrew:

I'm hosting a local producers competition "Flippers  Unite" to keep us together since we can't play shows at the moment. Sixteen local producers compete in a bracket style tournament. Each matchup features a unique sample and they make a song out of it. The community votes via Instagram on who flipped it better. A cassette tape will be made with everyone's tracks to timestamp this wild time for us and look back on something positive. It will be available on band camp for donations/pay what you want. Learn more at @lofi.kickback.atx or vote on your favorite beat on @atxrapscene .

Faith:

The We Are One film festival is something I definitely want to check out. It's a free YouTube hosted festival running from May 29th to June 7th and will feature movies from some of the top film festivals around the world. It's totally free, no ads, etc. Considering some festival films never make it to theaters, this is a super cool opportunity. Plus, they are collecting donations for the United Nations Foundation.

Hector:

Angie:

I turned this [fennel and leek gratin] recipe into a cream sauce this week and it was so dope.

Lauren:

I've been making lots of pizza these days! It's both the perfect quarantine activity and a great way to use up CSA veggies. I've been using this dough recipe, which works just fine with all all-purpose flour (although if readers want to get fancy with their flour, Barton Springs Mill is still offering free shipping in Texas!). It does take 3-4 hours to rise, but that works great for my WFH life currently. As far as sauce, it's super easy to turn a can of diced tomatoes into marinara, and as far as toppings, a quick Google search showed me that there are lots of kohlrabi-on-pizza enthusiasts; I used a veggie peeler to shave one small bulb and also added sliced leeks.

Looks like Lauren is making more than just pizza! Photo courtesy of her Instagram.

Heydon:

Some Heydon quarantine self-care: I've been adding goldmine powder to my cold brew every morning as it's supposedly very beneficial for the brain and stress relief. I just finished reading Zafon's Shadow of the Wind... beautifully written magical realism that transported me to Barcelona for some very enthralling mystery solving. I will be diving into his other books next.

Goldmine Adaptogen Powder. Photo courtesy of Woods Apothecary, where you can order the product.

BA test kitchen everything right now. This one really made my quarantine partner and I laugh a lot. Brad Leone is just so great. I've also been making TONS of playlists. Sending a virtual hug to everyone in the JBG community!

Have you met Brad? He's a great introduction into the BA Test Kitchen videos. Photo taken from Youtube.

Oh and my dear friend, Bowman, made this amazing music video for his band.

Shiva:

Normally, I don't have anything to share, but this time I really wanted to thank everyone at JBG who are working hard to provide nutrient rich produce to folks in these times.

Megan:

Lately I've had a bit more time on my hands, and so have been able to update my online Vintage Shop (Loyal Vintage) with lots of thrifted treasures that I added to the collection, pre-covid. Checkout my Etsy for lots of wonderful new listings!

 

Charity:

I am currently looking to doing things more in nature and how we used to do things. Such as gardening, making butter from fresh cream, exploring hiking trails, slowing down to really pay attention to what my mind & body are telling me. Nothing like being present and getting creative with the world around us.

The Farm:

There has been a lot to love the past month. Sometimes we post something to social media that really takes off. Our Earth Day message this year was one of those posts, and so we thought we'd share the post here. Checkout Farmer Brenton, in the days before the denim tuxedo!



Earth Day Post: Happy Earth Day, everyone.  Today, we're thankful for @farmerbrenton who, so many years ago, had a vision for a sustainable and organic farm that grew the juiciest red tomatoes, employed tons of local farmers, and was cared for like his own backyard.

Perhaps it was the years following the grateful dead in a VW bus, or maybe he was just born with two busy green thumbs, but whatever the inspiration, we're just grateful it happened, and grateful  for the farm's framework that enables us all to protect a little bit of mother earth, just east of Austin in Garfield, Texas. When you purchase local food: how much of your motivation is environmental? Local food takes significantly less energy (aka fossil fuels) to travel from the farm to your home. Local farms and ranches are smaller in scale when compared to the places producing the majority of your grocery store's produce, and if you're growing on a smaller scale, it means you can more easily (and economically) employ regenerative practices. Aka, you don't need to rely as heavily on chemical and mechanical inputs to run your operation (and can also do cool things like give your employees health insurance and the occasional keg of cold beer). .

If you're looking for a way to lessen your footprint, why not start with what lands on your plate? Not only will your dollars help preserve farmland, protect the environment, and stimulate the local food economy, but your food will also never taste so good. Happy earth day, everyone. Let's continue to take care of her. Onward, and upward.

The other thing that we're really loving this month is our community's creative response to getting food out there. Several of our partners including Yonder Way Farm, Mozart's, and Contigo, have started wonderful pop up markets where they're selling our vegetables, along with a plethora of other tasty goods. Checkout some of the pop up markets below! And checkout the Mother's Day event coming up at Mozart's - free flowers for the mamas!

The youngest family member of Yonder Way Farm, Exie Jo, at a Yonder Way pop-up market. Photo courtesy of Yonder Way Farm Instagram.

 

Vegetables, milk, eggs, sauces, prepared foods... One stop shop!