By Megan Winfrey

I don't know about all of you, but I had enough carbs and starch last weekend to last a lifetime. I also had enough belly laughs, baby smiles, and family lovin' to last, well, at least until Christmas. I hope you all had a joyous Thanksgiving weekend as well! But I tell you what, I'm not going near any heavy food for at least a week, (....I promise? I think I promise?) and my box of organic JBG veggies is sure going to help with that! Cheese doesn't count, though. Obviously.

Butternut Squash & Kale Lasagna

• 2 small butternut squash, peeled and sliced
• 4 cups kale leaves, torn
• 3 tbs. butter
• 3 tbs. flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella or gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs

Heat the oven to 350ºF. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until foamy, about 30 seconds. Whisk in the milk, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, stirring until thickened.

Spread a layer of white sauce in the bottom of an 8x6 baking dish. Follow with a layer of squash, a layer of kale, and dollops of ricotta. Repeat until squash and kale are used up, ending with a layer of white sauce.

Spread the bread crumbs over the top in an even layer, then do the same with the shredded cheese.

Oil or butter a piece of aluminum foil and cover the dish. Bake for 55-60 minutes, uncover, and bake another 10 minutes until brown on top.

by Lucas Rager

Anyone else having this problem in their cabbage patch this year?

CSA Box Contents Week of Nov 30th

CSA Box Contents Week of Nov 30th

Medium Box
Beet, Red
Carrot, Orange
Cauliflower, Romanesco
Greens, Collards
Greens, Kale, Curly
Greens, Spinach
Herb, Dill
Lettuce, Mixed head bag
Potato, Sweet
Scallions

The farm is looking great this week! Photographer Scott David Gordon came out early morning this week to grab shots of our early winter bounty. Get to farmer's markets early this weekend for limited Purple Cauliflower (and lots of other colors), plenty of Fennel, Carrots, Parsley and lots and lots of greens!

Mmm, carrots. Photo by Scott David Gordon

JBG's famous Homegrown Carrots in the field. Photo by Scott David Gordon

This years tomato stakes going into storage for the winter. Wow! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Carrot harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

We love fennel this time of year! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Dewy morning fennel fields. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Close up on that beautiful Fennel. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Scott captures mornings at the farm perfectly. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Have your tried our Braising Mix yet? Photo by Scott David Gordon

Spinach is loving the cool, wet weather. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Rows of pea shoots. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We love parsley. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We're starting to plant these onions this week. Photo by Scott David Gordon



Stuck in the mud. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We've got a colorful lettuce mix on the way. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Event more pea shoots.

Spinach gets a close-up. Photo by Scott David Gordon

 

Shakey Graves in JBG - Brittany Teuber for iHeartMedia

• JBG's best hat sales rep rocking out at the Ogden Theatre in Denver ^
• This hilarious story about the destiny of Shakey's Hat that night. Thanks, Nathan!
• Ever heard of a Glass Armonica? Us either, but JBG staffer Kate is BUILDING ONE and it's so much cooler than your creepy uncle who tries to play wine glasses at Christmas. We're hoping she can perform this diddy at the Christmas party... we shall see.
• Erica Nix's workout video (filmed on the farm) "Chick Chick," is out. We're dying.
• When it gets cold in Texas, the CSA packing crew dons matching outfits and becomes the "CSA flannel mafia." It might be the only cold weather clothing they own. Lookin' good fellas!
• From Farmers Market Manager Phil - this Eagles of Death Metal cover is raising awareness (and money) to support victims of the Paris terror attacks through the Sweet Stuff Foundation.
• High quality, pastured, local eggs are a real beauty. JBG Sales Manager Michael posted this photo of his Yonder Way Farm egg in a side-by-side comparison and we are blown away.
• Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds 2016 catalog is here. Gotta go, see you next year, bye!

JBG's Holiday Gift Guide for the Austin Foodie

From every hip Austinite on your nice list this year, to the home chef who has it all, to your mom who just learned what a kohlrabi is, we've scoured the reaches of far East Austin, the deep Hill Country, and beyond to bring you the ultimate shopping guide for your local-eating friends and family. Keeping your dollars local this holiday season will not only support local businesses (who in turn, often keep their money local as well!) but also will make for unique, special gifts that will be used and enjoyed.

So happy holidays, and happy shopping!

1. JBG Veggies.. and More!

We couldn't make this list without putting some of our own amazing gifts on it! This holiday we have more options than ever to bring JBG straight to your loved ones:

• CSA gift subscription: Choose from one week to a full year of organic JBG veggies, delivered! Our CSA gift subscriptions are flexible and easy to redeem, plus you'll get to reap the benefits as well when you get invited over for that delicious home cooked meal!
• Market Bucks: Not sure what they want? Market Bucks are a fail-safe way to make sure your recipient gets exactly what they need. These can be used to buy veggies at market, on JBG merchandise, or they can save them in preparation for our Spring Transplant Sale to get their own backyard garden rockin' this spring!
• Sponsored Shares: Giving a gift in someone's name might be the coolest way to support local businesses, local nonprofits, and the giving spirit this holiday. Donated produce shares go directly to The Settlement Home and helps feed Texan children and young adults with histories of trauma and abuse. Each donated share comes with a handwritten card from our farmer, notifying the recipient of their gift and thanking them.

  

Check out our Gifts Page to start giving, or maybe you'd prefer to give Citrus for the holidays?

This is the part of the class where Ben teaches you about carving "a big juicy butt roast"

2. Butchery 101 at Salt + Time

Our good friends at Salt + Time Butcher Shop have a pretty stellar class schedule coming up. Basic Butchery, Meat Curing, Sausage Making and more are all incredible gifts for the carnivorous friends who want to learn how to do-it-themselves. You can even pick up your CSA share at Salt + Time while you learn to prepare the meats to accompany those yummy veggies!

Sign up your friends (and yourself!) on their Classes page. While you're there, don't forget to order your holiday roasts and platters before they sell out!

    

3. Locally Inspired Cookbooks

Austin has become quite the culinary town over the past few years, and has quite the list of amazing chefs - and they are willing to share their secrets! For that home chef who just can't seem to get enough cookbooks, three of our locally written favorites are Afield, by Dai Due's Jesse Griffiths, Jack Allen’s Kitchen: Celebrating the Tastes of Texas by Jack Gilmore, and The Homesick Texan Cookbook By Lisa Fain. You really can't go wrong with any of these, especially since they feature local, seasonal dishes from right here in Austin!!

4. Callahan's Merch (for your farmer friends)

We love our neighbors over at Callahan's General Store. They've helped us in a pinch on many occasions, and have just about anything you ever need! Stop in to satisfy the agrarian in your life - they've got tools, Western wear, the second coolest trucker hats in town, and baby chicks for your backyard flock!!

Stop by Callahan's after a morning volunteering at JBG and see what's in store!

5. Edible Treats from a Local Purveyor

If you're anything like us, you LOVE to try new goodies from Austin's creative food artisan. Why not grab a treat for your friends and family while you're shopping around the farmers markets this weekend? We like Kakawa Cocoa Beans from our friend Tom at Cocoa Puro (5 kinds of chocolate in one bite sized wonder), a spread of preserves from Stephanie at Confituras, or maybe a liquid cleanse from Juice Society for some post-holiday gut restoration.

6. Reservations for Noche Buena at Qui

Sometimes you just don't want any more stuff around the house. Maybe your home chef already has it all. Luckily, our friends at Qui are here to help you out with the second and third of their holiday dinner series! Treat that special someone with a holiday meal they won't soon forget. Celebrate Christmas and New Years with some of Austin's finest chefs on 12/27 and 1/3, for "for a dinner a la carte or part of a family style chef's tasting" with influences from both Filipino and Latin Noche Buena festivities.

Book your reservation before it fills up!

7. Kitchenware from Metier

Honestly, we're a little scared to walk into Métier. Their selection of cookbooks, vintage pieces, Japanese knives, chef apparel and more are a serious danger to the checkbook of any food lover in Austin. But that's what Christmas is for, right? Stop by and shop around for someone you love, and leave with a gift that your chef friend will reliably use for ages, hand selected by the team who brought you Lenoir. We've got our eye on these custom sayas from local maker A&K Wood Design. Please, Santa?

Métier is located at 1805 S. First Street, 78704. Grab us something while you're there!

We hope this will give you a good head start on the incredible amount of local talent we have here in Austin. This holiday, shop local and share the gift of food with your friends and family. You won't regret it!!

CSA Box Contents Week of Dec 7th

CSA Box Contents Week of Dec 7th

Medium Box
Beet, Red
Carrot, Orange
Greens, Chard, Rainbow
Greens, Kale, Curly
Greens, Spinach
Herb, Cilantro
Herb, Fennel
Potato, Sweet
Radish, Watermelon
Scallions

By Megan Winfrey

Instead of a recipe this week, I thought I'd share my prepping process (the tedious, sometimes annoying part) that inevitably must happen before the cooking (the fun part) can begin. I've been wanting to post about this for awhile because finally, after almost 8 months of receiving my CSA share, I feel like I've finally got my system down.

If I've learned anything at all, it's that prepped produce gets eaten and unfortunately, the bunches that go straight from the box to the fridge tend to end up in the compost. Sad, but true. But it makes sense. Who wants to prep AND cook? Who has that kind of time? When everything is washed, par-cooked, or chopped, cooking just seems more appealing. I hope these tips help y'all to make the most of your produce!

Prepping Process

1. The Greens
I always start here - probably because they're on top, but also because I'm a little obsessed with my salad spinner. If you don't have one, GET ONE. It's my BFF in the kitchen. They're surprisingly pricey ($30), but so worth it.
I de-stem the hearty greens like kale and collards, but just snip the ends off chard, spinach, and arugula. Soak, spin, and drain the green in batches, then lay them out to dry on paper towels. Once dry(ish), bag in gallon ziplocs** with one paper towel to soak up excess water. If you store these in the crisper drawer of your fridge, they'll be good for a week or even two.

2. Herbs
Simple. Just snip the ends of the stems and display in a cup of water like a bouquet of flowers. They look beautiful and will last for about a week this way.

3. Root Vegetables, etc.
The guys and gals at the bottom of the box get their stems trimmed and bodies scrubbed with a vegetable brush before drying in the dish rack. I almost always eat the carrots with Grandma's Hummus within a few hours, which is why I cut the tops right off (pictured). Beets get boiled, peeled, and chopped for snacking and salads. Everything else ends up in the fridge, ready for the week.



I try my best to do all of this the same day as my CSA delivery. Sometimes though, life happens, and my box remains untouched until the next day, which is just fine. The food will be OK.

** I try not to feel bad about using paper towels and ziploc bags because I literally reuse them until they fall apart and the zippers break. New kale goes into the old kale bag, that soggy paper towel is used to mop up a spill, and so on and so on.

This week was a busy one at our Garfield Farm. The field crews had a lot on their hands getting our crop of leeks into the ground. Every year we sell out of leeks, and so we are planting more than ever this year, even though they are quite labor intensive to grow. We are continuing our plantings of salad crops, radishes, and asian greens like bok choy to keep your winter plates full of greens!

In addition, the farm crews are working to build our soil fertility by seeding more cover crops this week. Assistant Farm Manager Jason says we've got over 1/3 of the farm in cover crop right now! Once grown, these "green manures" will be turned into the soil to increase organic matter and nutrients to grow healthy, strong veggies. Finally, we're seeding the first of our early Spring crops this week - though it might seem a bit early, we're excited for a great Spring and will be ready to plant as early as the weather will allow.

Who likes cilantro? Photo by Scott David Gordon

Cilantro harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Those carrots just keep getting sweeter. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Getting ready to transplant leeks. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We have to dig trenches to transplant leeks into, which is a lot of work! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Transplanting. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Baby leeks ready to go in the ground. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Slowly but surely. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Romanesco cauliflower. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Radishes in the field. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Coming your way this spring - artichokes! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Montana mixing cover crop to seed. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Cover crop growing in our fields. Photo by Scott David Gordon

So many greens! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Spinach harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

It's our biggest year for sweet potatoes yet! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Our colorful December fields. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Bok choy

Towering bok choy! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Lola Stephens-Bell. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Did you know that JBG donates food to help Lola Stephens-Bell, also known as the Nubian Queen, feed over 1000 free meals to the hungry each week? In a town like Austin where new restaurant pops up every week, her kitchen, Nubian Queen Lola's Cajun Soul Food, stands apart from the rest. Not only does she cook up some mighty delicious soul food, but she's serving it up with a side of food justice and we want you to know about her work! When 1 in 6 Texans doesn't have enough to eat, and 190,000 in Travis county ALONE are at risk of hunger (thanks to our friends at Capital Area Food Bank for the stats!), we need more people like Lola fighting the issues of food insecurity in Austin.

Lola's mission is to feed her community, and she is really living that goal by feeding thousands of meals to hungry folks who can't afford to eat in Austin each week. Her restaurant is home base for her daily outreach to the community, feeding whoever comes in, regardless of their ability to pay. Maybe you've seen her in her short yellow school bus (the "Cool Bus"), delivering meals to Austin's east side housing projects. Maybe you've stopped in to eat and seen her serving hungry folks for free out her back door. Or maybe you've seen the place on Sundays, when she closes down the restaurant to serve backyard meals for the community.

Lola cooked us up a hearty meal when we went to visit this week. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Lola learned to cook from her mother - raised in a large family without much money or resources in Lake Charles, LA, good meals were tough to come by and the family relied heavily on prayer to ask for things they needed, like food. Lola's mother taught her to love the art of cooking, and how to make just about anything from scratch, working with what they had. After she moved to Austin, Lola spent a few years in and out of homelessness, living in housing projects like Mason Manor and experiencing first hand the food insecurity that plagues parts of our city.

After a time, Lola was given divine inspiration to build a restaurant with a mission to take care of the community - and the spark of Nubian Queen Lola's Cajun Soul Food was born. Her faith in this mission has defied the odds and brought many helping hands to the project when funds or materials were desperately needed. 11 years ago, with only enough money for first month's rent, she took a leap of faith and signed a lease on Rosewood and Chicon. Soon after, a random act of kindness led to the donation of over $1,000 of kitchen equipment and soon, she was back in the kitchen using those home-cooked, made from scratch skills she learned from her mama..

As the restaurant began doing business, Lola began serving food to the hungry with meals cooked in her restaurant's kitchen - a few meals at first, then more and more. This didn't just affect those receiving her meals, but started to change Lola as well, magnifying her desire to do greater good. Lola wanted to grow her impact, tackle the problem of food insecurity in a bigger way. She also wanted to reach those who couldn't make it to her kitchen - this is where the short yellow bus came into play. Now, Lola takes her bus out into the community 4 days a week, giving away free meals, especially to hungry children, but also to anyone who needs it. Lola estimates that she is preparing and serving 1200-1500 meals each week in the community!!

Bart delivering JBG produce to Lola's. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Opening up this week's boxes. Photo by Scott David Gordon

So what does JBG have to do with Austin's one and only Nubian Queen? Every week, we are proud to help Lola in her mission to feed the hungry in our community. With the help of a farm friend, Bart, we donate lots of produce to Lola once, sometimes twice a week. Seriously, you should see the produce that the woman cooks up! These donations include returns from farmer's markets, "inglorious" veggies (those ugly beets, carrots, etc. that don't get bought) and more. Lola provides an outlet for produce that we can't donate to food banks - sometimes the shelf life on donated produce is so short that if the produce had to sit at the food bank for even a day, it might spoil before it could be used. Lola is always waiting for these deliveries, knife in hand, ready to process the organic veggies sent her way and get them into a meal - and fast. We are so grateful to her for providing this service to our community and ensuring that food is used to feed those in need and not go to waste.

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Lola also receives weekly donations from CSA egg provider Coyote Creek (800-1000 eggs!), and also has protein donations from Tyson Foods, who filmed the short video on Lola below. Want to know what you can do to help? Stop by the restaurant for a meal, and be sure to fill out a donation card on your way out! Enjoy some of the Nubian Queen's Cajun Soul Food and chat with the woman herself - we promise you won't regret it!



Remember, we have lots of ways for you to give organic veggies, and to feed those in need, this holiday season. Donate a share to The Settlement Home through our Sponsored Share program and help us reach our goal of 150 shares to feed children with histories of abuse and neglect. Or if you're as inspired by Lola's mission as we are, we hope you'll look for other ways to give this holiday season. Do you know anyone in your work, school, or church communities who are in need, or would really appreciate our CSA but might not be able to make it work financially right now? Contact the farm about setting them up a CSA subscription or Market Bucks for farmer's markets! We've got loads more gift options available here to make last-minute holiday shopping easy and stress-free.

CSA Box Contents Week of Dec 14th

CSA Box Contents Week of Dec 14th

Medium Box
Beet, Red
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Carrot, Orange
Greens, Chard, Rainbow
Greens, Kale, Curly
Herb, Cilantro
Herb, Fennel
Lettuce, Mixed head bag
Potato, Sweet

by Megan Winfrey

Christmas is less than 2 weeks away. Can you even believe it? This warm weather is really toying with my senses. I mean, I spent the day outside yesterday, in short sleeves, drinking cold beer. While that is one of my favorite activities, I'd much rather be bundled up drinking hot toddies by a fire!

One thing that has helped me get in the holiday spirit is the arrival of bulk citrus! The possibilities are endless when it comes to mixing holiday spices and citrus.

One of my favorite things to do is stick whole cloves into whole, unpeeled oranges. It looks fantastic and makes the whole room deliciously fragrant.

The two recipes below were made with G&S Groves organic citrus and are perfect for the holidays, or anytime.

Grapefruit Cream Pie

• 1 grapefruit, juiced and zested
• 1 orange, zested
• 1 graham cracker crust
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3 tbs. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350º.

Prepare the crust according to box or recipe directions (here's a recipe)

While the crust is cooling, make the filling. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks into the condensed milk. Continue beating and add the grapefruit juice and zest until completely combined. Pour into the pie shell and bake 15-18 minutes, until the filling has set. Let cool on a pie rack then refrigerate to chill.

Once the pie is cool, it is ready to top. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the whipping cream and powdered sugar together until stiff peaks form. Pile high on top of the pie and spread thickly and evenly. Top with a sprinkle of orange zest. Make sure the pie is completely chilled before cutting! Will keep in the fridge for 4 days.

Candied Orange Peels

I have been wanting to try and make candied citrus peel since my restaurant days, and I'm happy to report that it's easy and SO delicious. Now, I won't stop until I've candied every citrus peel there is.



I used this recipe and photographed the process for you. Enjoy!

This week on the farm we're transplanting lettuce, beginning to seed for spring in the greenhouse, and harvesting new crops like rutabaga and brussels sprouts! The cooler weather has been great for the crews, and to sweeten up our winter veggies.  We're looking forward to a few days off for the holidays!

We're harvesting lots of carrots this week! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Blue skies at our Garfield farm. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We're ready to start transplanting - two pallets of soil trays ready to go! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Those leeks we planted last week are doing great. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Beets. Photo by Scott David Gordon

JBG's braising mix out in the fields. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Morning harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We've got bok choy going to markets this weekend! Photo by Scott David Gordon

A bunch of peppermint. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We're putting in more work on our shade structure this week. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Brussels sprouts harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Yum! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Transplanting the next round of lettuce. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Important Christmas + New Years CSA Schedule Changes

Please take a careful look at the schedule changes below that will be for the upcoming two weeks of Christmas and New Years (beginning 12/21).

In order to give our staff some time to celebrate, the farm will be closed on Friday, December 25th and Friday, January 1st.

All Friday Austin Pickups for the next two weeks have been rescheduled for Wednesday December 23rd and Wednesday December 30th.  Same time, same place, earlier day.

All Friday Austin Home Deliveries for the next two weeks have been rescheduled for Thursday December 24th and Thursday December 31st.

Lakeline Farmers' Market will be closed on Saturday December 26th.  If you normally pickup your CSA share here, it will be sent to our Cedar Park Pickup Location (1505 Hunter Ace Way) on Wednesday December 23rd.  You can pickup your share between 3-7pm.

Mueller Farmers' Market will be closed on Sunday December 27th.  If you normally pickup your CSA share here, it will be sent to the SFC East Market (2921 East 17th St., 78702) on Tuesday, December 22nd.  You can pickup your share between 3-6pm.

Sunset Valley Farmers' Market will be closed on Saturday, December 26th.  If you normally pickup your CSA share here, it will be sent to the Barton Creek Farmers Market on Saturday, December 26th.  This market is located at 3033 Tamarron Blvd., from 9-1pm.

All Thursday Dallas Pickups for the next two weeks have been rescheduled to Tuesday, December 22nd and Tuesday December 29th.  Same time, same place, earlier day.

All Friday Dallas Pickups for the next two weeks have been rescheduled to Wednesday, December 23rd and Wednesday, December 30th.  Same time, same place, earlier day.

If you are going out of town this holiday, and you would like to donate your CSA share to The Settlement Home instead of postponing the delivery, it's as easy as sending us an e-mail. To find out more information on our CSA donations program, click here.

From our farm to your family, Happy Holidays!

Brussels sprouts are here! Photo by Scott David Gordon

It's hard to believe that we're approaching the new year once again. That we are about to reset our calendars back to Week 1 and start the farm calendar over once again. Over the next few weeks, there will be quite a bit of reflecting on 2015 - on what it means to be your farmers, the hard work that we do and our commitment to a healthy farm, a healthy community, and some darn tasty food! I hope that over the last year, we have been able to provide your family with a nourishing and satisfying variety of organic vegetables, and we look forward to continuing to build this relationship with you as we move into our 12th year of growing. For this week, though, the bustle of farm work continues.

We've got a wonderful new crop of veggies headed your way for markets this weekend! If you've been looking for some new variety to change up your meals we hope you'll head to one of our farmers markets this weekend - we'll be bringing only the best to make sure your holiday tables are bountiful. Look out for the first harvest of Brussels Sprouts - because what holiday meal is complete without some roasted Brussels? Rutabaga, the sweeter, Swedish cousin of the turnip, will be making an appearance as well. Finally, Napa Cabbage is back after some wild weather left us with a bolted crop last year, and I know the staff is particularly excited about this one. The market tables will have plenty of the usual favorites as well - kale, beets, herbs, greens aplenty!

Carrot field ready to harvest. Photo by Scott David Gordon

This week on the farm, our bulk carrot harvest is in full swing. JBG has grown quite the reputation around town for having some of the sweetest carrots around and we made sure to grow a ton for you and your family this year! Large harvests of root crops like this also allow us to ensure that CSA boxes continue to be bountiful during the low season, the cold month from mid-January to mid-February in Texas that is sometimes known as a "hungry gap" (though we promise, you won't go hungry!). During this season, greens and herbs are in season but growing very slowly, so having loads of sweet carrots, beets and other roots really give some girth to your shares and make for some delicious cold-weather meals. It's looking like a really great crop, so start pulling out your favorite carrot recipes now!

Thanks for stopping in, Johannes!

We had a surprise visitor at the farm this week! Some of you may have heard me talk about Roxbury Farm in New York at one point or another. Jean-Paul, the man who started Roxbury, a biodynamic and organic farm, has always been one of my farmer heroes. He has published so many open-sourced documents to help farmers start up their CSA programs. When I was first starting in the backyard garden, and then scaling up to first Hergotz, then Garfield, Roxbury Farm's resources were such a huge help and inspiration. So imagine my surprise when Johannes Courtens, son of Jean-Paul, came to JBG's Garfield Farm to volunteer this week! He is traveling with his partner across the country, and they traded a morning in the greenhouse for a box of our veggies. I wish them good luck on their great road-trip adventure - we'll be following your travels online. Thanks for coming by!

The shade structure is getting closer to completion - we'll be ready for Spring transplants in no time! Photo by Scott David Gordon

The field crew is finishing off the week transplanting leeks, finishing our shade structure, and harvesting more carrots for the weekend. We're finishing up plans for the holiday schedule (CSA members: check your email or click here to look at your schedule for next week). If you are going out of town over the next week or two, please let us know if you would like to donate your share to The Settlement Home by emailing the farm directly. Finally, tonight at 9pm is the latest time to guarantee that we can have your farm-fresh gifts delivered by Christmas. Hope to see you at market this weekend - tag us on social media with photos of those yummy holiday meals!

For more of the farmer’s perspective, follow Brenton on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram @farmerbrenton.

CSA Box Contents Week of Dec 21st

CSA Box Contents Week of Dec 21st

Medium Box
Beet, Red
Broccoli
Carrot, Orange
Citrus, Grapefruit
Citrus, Oranges
Greens, Chard, Rainbow
Greens, Kale, Curly
Greens, Salad Mix
Greens, Spinach
Herb, Parsley, Flat
Potato, Sweet

by Megan Winfrey

December is the craziest month of the year, hands down. I feel like I've been running a marathon all month! This week, I needed simple, but filling meals to energize me and get me through to the finish line. This recipe is a winner because it has the laid back comfort of Chinese food, but doesn't leave you feeling like you ate a bowling ball. Perfect for gearing up to gluttonous holiday feasting! Enjoy, and Happy Holidays to all y'all!

Purple Cauliflower Fried Rice

• 2 heads of purple cauliflower, shredded
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 tbs. sesame oil, divided
• 6 green onions, sliced
• 1 large carrot, cubed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 tbs. soy sauce or Bragg's
• 2 eggs, beaten

Stir the frozen peas and water together in a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce to med-low and cook until tender and heated through, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

**When shredding the cauliflower, don't worry about shredding the stems. The leafy tops are what have the rice-like consistency. (and the stems were really difficult to shred, in my opinion)

Heat 2 tbs. sesame oil in a wok or deep skillet over med-high heat. Cook the cubed chicken until lightly browned on all sides and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.



Heat the remaining sesame oil. Saute the green onions, carrot, and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the shredded cauliflower, cook and stir until tender but still firm to the bite.

Stir in the chicken, peas, and soy sauce and stir fry until mixture is hot and slightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Move everything to one side of the pan and pour beaten eggs into the empty side. Scramble the eggs until cooked through, then mix everything together, breaking up any large chunks of egg.

Garnish with cilantro or parsley and serve.



Makes great leftovers! Just gets better and better in the fridge

We had some fog this week! Photo by Scott David Gordon

The last week of the year has brought us some foggy weather and a great variety of crops. The greens and herbs are absolutely loving the moisture and we have lots of variety and color to fill your holiday tables. Thanks to Scott David Gordon for braving the weather and snapping these great shots at our Garfield Farm this week!

Cultivating new beds. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Fresh parsley this week. Photo by Scott David Gordon

The salad crops are loving this rain. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Curly kale. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Pea tendrils serve as both a tasty salad and a nitrogen fixer for the farm. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Mizuna, one of our trial crop of Asian greens. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Loads of alliums waiting to be planted. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Onions for the spring! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Greenhouse manager Brandon moves transplants outside to harden off. Photo by Scott David Gordon

More carrots being harvested this week. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Rutabagas are a favorite winter crop around here. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Photo by Scott David Gordon

From all of the staff here at JBG, I want to wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and happy holiday season! Today, the staff is taking a day off to rest and celebrate with their families. We're down to the last week of 2015 and I just want to say: thank you for letting me be your farmer this year. I'm coming out of my 11th year of farming and I couldn't be prouder of Johnson's Backyard Garden and the food we produce.

As we look ahead at 2016, we're asking our community what it means to be a shareholder at JBG, and if 2016 might be the time to make a big investment in your health, and our farm, by joining as a long-term CSA member. If you love our vegetables and intend to eat them year-round, please consider signing up for a 6 or 12 month CSA subscription. If you make the change now, we will send a special citrus gift your way! The benefits don't end there...

• 10% discount for 52-week subscriptions
• 7.5% discount for 26-week subscriptions
• A one-share CSA Gift Subscription to gift to a friend or family member, plus a free bag of organic citrus with an upcoming CSA delivery!*
• More than 250 varieties of seasonal, organic vegetables delivered right to your home or neighborhood, year round
• Flexible online management of your CSA schedule - postpone for travel!
• Customizable CSA boxes to ensure you get the veggies you want
• Add-ons to fill your kitchen with good food like local, free-range eggs and local, small batch roasted coffees

*Strike the iron while it's hot! Additional gifts are only available through 1/31/2016.

It's never been easier to make fresh, healthy produce a part of your New Year Resolutions, all the while making your contribution to sustaining local and organic agriculture. Call the farm at 512-386-5273 or e-mail Daniel or Ada to become a long-term CSA member. 

I often reflect on what it means to be a Community Supported Agriculture farm, and how amazing it is that our community has joined us on such a big journey to localize our food system and grow clean, organic vegetables in Texas. Our CSA shareholders are more than just customers - you are financial partners in our farm, putting faith in us by investing upfront, in return for a share of the farm's bounty in your weekly or bi-weekly CSA share. It's a share in the risks and rewards of farming - though we hope that we've been able to minimize the risks for you. Even this year, with two major flood events, our CSA boxes have never been fuller. You got muddy potatoes when the rains were insufferable, and beautiful sunflowers when our fields were bountiful.



Most CSA programs require that shareholders commit to a whole season - in Texas, these seasons are typically 15-25 weeks. As we've grown as a farm, it was important to ensure that the CSA remained affordable and approachable - especially for those interested in just giving the program a try. So we've lowered the commitment to join the CSA to just 4 weeks at a time. Many of our community members pay on a month-by-month basis and we hope this has been a valuable tool and an approachable way to give CSA try. Your commitment to our CSA allows us to cover our monthly costs and keep JBG's farm running strong.



But, it's our long term shareholders who allow us to make big investments in our farm to allow for longer-term growth so that we can continue to improve both in the fields and in the community. If you are a current member who loves the thrill of getting their weekly box, and have the financial capabilities, please consider joining our long-term subscribers. Signing up for a year's worth of organic vegetables is a powerful affirmation to your health and to the way you want to eat and feed your family in 2016.

Your commitment provides so much for the farm - upfront costs for seeds, fuel, and labor to grow the best organic vegetables around, improvements to our CSA offerings like customization and flex scheduling, and wiggle room to invest in larger improvements like the 1 acre of grapes and 1000 fig and pomegranate trees we planted last year. We are hopeful that in a few years, you might also be getting JBG fruit in your CSA share! There are so many more projects we'd love to take on to continue improving, but we can't do it without more long-term CSA members.

Photo by Scott David Gordon

To everyone who has played a role in the farm this year - CSA members, friendly market-goers, volunteers, staff, and friends, thank you for supporting your local community farm. I wish you a very happy holiday and am looking forward to what 2016 will bring!

Your farmer,

Brenton Johnson

CSA Box Contents Week of Dec 28th

CSA Box Contents Week of Dec 28th

Medium Box
Beet, Red
Broccoli
Cabbage, Red
Carrot, Orange
Citrus, Grapefruit
Citrus, Oranges
Greens, Chard, Rainbow
Greens, Kale, Curly
Greens, Spinach
Herb, Fennel
Herb, Parsley, Flat
Lettuce, Mixed head bag

by Megan Winfrey

The beauty of this recipe lies not only in the ingredients, but in the preparation.

Broilers, people. I am ashamed to say that I never really appreciated my broiler until just recently.

Take something very simple, top with cheese or butter (or both), pop under the broiler for just a minute, and BAM. A good dish becomes great. A lazy, hodge-podge meal becomes a cohesive unit when combined under a mountain of cheese and high heat. For those of you who already knew this, congratulations on a life well lived. For those of you who were like me, welcome to the light!

Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Bake

• 4 links of spicy venison sausage, casings off
• 1 head of broccoli, in florets
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Coat the broccoli florets and garlic in olive oil, salt, and pepper then spread onto a baking sheet in an even layer. Cook until tender and slightly browned, about 25-30 minutes.

While the broccoli cooks, brown the sausages in hot oil for about 5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.



Turn the broiler to high.

Transfer the cooked broccoli and garlic into a baking dish and top with the cooked sausages. Top with the mozzarella, then the parmesan cheese. Broil until brown and bubbly on top, about 5 minutes.

Pile onto a plate and enjoy! Great with crusty bread.