In case it hasn't been on your radar, we publish this fabulous staff-favorite-centric post every first Friday of the month! We thought it deserved a highlight since it's one of our long-time favorites and definitely a skim-worthy feature if you're in the market for new ideas and inspiration. Ever wonder what your local farmers do off the fields? Cue: FIRST FRIDAY STAFF PICKS!

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!

Brenton: I’m terrible at buying movie tickets in advance, so often go see movies at the Arbor. I love that place! I recently saw Joker and Parasite… this Korean film that I really enjoyed.

I also wanted to give a big shoutout to Yellowbird Hot Sauce. These guys have purchased hundreds (maybe even thousands?) of pounds of our peppers this past summer including habaneros, serranos, and jalapenos. Oh! And some of the ghost peppers we grew, too. Even our carrots have also made their way into the Yellowbird bottles. If you haven’t tried their hot sauce, get ready. It’s addictive, delicious, stuff. It’s the go-to hot sauce in our house, and is great to use in cooking, but is also thick enough to make for a dipping-style hot sauce. When this week’s freezing temperatures signaled an abrupt end (aka death) to our pepper plants, we called Yellowbird up and they happily ordered “the rest” of our red jalapenos. Can you believe it!? When I called George, the owner, he admitted that they had plenty of red jalapenos in inventory, but very happily bought the rest of ours anyway. It’s so incredible to be able to call on partners like this in a pinch, and we’re incredibly grateful for this relationship. And for their hot sauce.

Photo courtesy of Yellow Bird's Instagram.

And if you’re wondering, we loved Yellowbird even before they started to use our peppers in their sauce. This glowing endorsement is real! Try the sauce! Our favorite is the jalapeno.

Okay, I realize I have a lot of picks this month. It’s the weather! I’ve also been kayaking on town lake, or Lady Bird Lake, a lot! This perfect fall weather is all the excuse I need to take out the boats for a little spin. Don’t have any kayaks of your own? No problem.. There are plenty of rental places. If you’ve never kayaked or canoed on Town Lake, you should do it!

Annemarie: A few years ago I joined a trail running group out of curiosity and went from running 2-4 miles casually here and there, to running ultra-marathons (anything over 26.2 miles) in the mountains. This eventually led to my new side gig as a Health Coach focusing on trail running for beginners and fueling with proper nutrition (emphasis on JBG veggies). My goal as a Health Coach is to shine a spotlight on those who are new to running and feel overwhelmed and intimidated by the whole trail running concept because often times the beginning stages (i.e. running your first mile or two) are overlooked but they are just as important and require just as much work to get going. My website is in the making but you can follow along on my Instagram for now.



Ada: I’m pretty stoked for Club Home Made’s upcoming Everything But the Turkey class. This class is just what it sounds like - a Thanksgiving prep class. Come dirty up our kitchen and keep yours clean! This class will take place on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, meaning you’ll be ahead of schedule for your Thanksgiving prep. My partner Becky and I are pretty passionate about Thanksgiving, and we can’t wait to get you prepped to serve a bunch locally-sourced side dishes. You can see the full menu (and buy a ticket) here on our website. Per usual, we’ll be featuring some JBG produce!!



Ada, Continued: Also, Jenny Slate's new standup that just came out on Netflix is pretty funny and weird.

Faith: FKA twigs sophomore album is coming out this month after a four year wait, and I'm verrrrryy excited. She is this generation's Kate Bush in my opinion and an incredible artist. Here's an interview/review about the album.

Andrew: I just released a new cassette tape along with some other folks in my collective, Chill Select.  I’m also hosting a monthly lofi kickback show at the Spokesman. Last but not least, I’ll be in a show happening at Swan Dive on November, 7th. It’s a free show, but you should register here.  



Tim: “Weather.” Ada: “Would you like to say more?” Tim: “I love cold weather. Make sure you note my monotone delivery.” Noted.

Angie: Working at a farm, clothes have become something of a tool to me. They all get used, hard, and need to either be completely indestructible… or completely dispensable. I’ve found the perfect winter jacket that’s only $15 from Sam’s Club, making it dispensable. Unlike an expensive Patagonia jacket, for example, I’m okay with this one getting farm ragged. It’s the coziest thing in the world! Sam’s actually has some pretty legit outdoor clothing. I bought two of these, and suspect I’ll get more for Christmas. Or maybe I’ll just go all-in and ask Santa for one of these (photo on right).



Joyce: Plow Bao. I'm opening up a plant-based dim sum food trailer at Buzzmill’s new location on Shady Lane… and am so excited! We had a soft opening last week and I made hundreds of dumplings for the occasion. We aim to officially open in mid-November… stop by and say hi for all your dim sum and dumpling needs!





Krishna: I loved the post Ada wrote earlier this month about some of my recipes. I hope you enjoy!

Fawn: Fantastic Fungi film at the Wildflower Center next Thursday!

Heydo Potato: I have so much love and excitement about Claire Saffitz in Bon Appetit's YouTube series, Gourmet Makes, that I can't see straight right now. I have been consuming this mastery on the edge of my seat (or couch) nonstop since I discovered it. This angel of cooking recreates snacks and sweets that are ubiquitous in our culture, gourmet-style... think: Doritos, Starburst, Poptarts, Hot Pockets, etc.

She starts the show in the BA test kitchen conversing and tasting the product with fellow BA contributors who you know and love (sup Molly Baz and Brad Leone). She summarizes the taste profile, texture, feel, you name it, and COMES UP WITH A RECIPE JUST FROM HER SMART 'N SEASONED BRAIN (and ample testing). Watch it, she's amazing. Her nonpareil skill has me locked in a Gourmet Makes-binging daze. Isaac and I couldn't take our eyes off of the Poptarts episode . Here's a video a friend sent me that mirrors my sentiment exactly re: Claire from the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen. Rant over. Happy November!

Lena: I love hot dogs, and I love my dog. This halloween my worlds crashed together in a cute, floofy, plush plumperdog. Needless to say, she was the best dressed at the farm on Thursday.



Hector: I'm going to Italy for 15 days, where I'll help with the olive harvest at a farm, hunt for truffles with a cute dog, learn how to cook some Italian dishes with authentic nonas, sunbathe naked under the sun in Cinque Terre and even take a brief detour to watch Godspeed You! Black Emperor in Madrid. You can follow some of my adventures here .

Recipe by Isaac Winburne, Documented by Heydon Hatcher

Isaac’s Sweet Cakes

These pan-fried patties are a great side dish or the perfect snack in between meals. They could even be fattened up and used as a veggie burger, too. Once you’ve cooked them, they are easily reheated in the oven and just as delicious as the first time around. We served them as a late night snack with a smooth sour cream and dill dipping sauce (more on that below), but the flavors in the patty could pair well with a whole gamut of sauces. These sweet cakes are versatile, fun to eat, and a great source of beta-carotene! Get into it.

• 3 regular sized sweet potatoes (we found a comically giant one at market which sufficed)
• Six carrots
• Half of a red onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 3 eggs
• Parmesan
• Olive oil
• Unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper

Peel carrots and sweet potatoes. Cut the carrot tops off and cut the sweet potatoes to match the size of the carrots. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. Take out and let cool.

Finely chop the red onion and mince 4 cloves of garlic. Cook the onions in butter for 8 to 10 minutes on medium heat with salt and pepper to bait the flavors out, then add garlic to the mixture after about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Grate the baked carrots and sweet potatoes together, along with a healthy amount of grated parmesan into a big bowl. Add the onion and garlic mixture with more salt and a little bit of pepper. Finely chop 4 sprigs of thyme, thoroughly whisk 3 eggs, and add these ingredients to the bowl as well. Mix thoroughly. It should be dry but a little sticky.

Coat a large pan in olive oil. Let oiled pan heat up for about 2 minutes on medium high heat. Grab a few handfuls of the sweet potato mixture, ball the handful, and place it onto the pan. Do 4 or 5 at a time, or however many fit easily onto the pan you’ve chosen. Slightly press down on them with a spatula so that they become more patty-like. Be careful to not get popped by the hot oil. Let the patty fry and brown for 5 minutes on each side.



Serve with sauce and garnish! We whipped up a creamy dipping sauce using 4 big spoonfuls of sour cream, half as much mayo, a spoonful of horseradish, finely chopped dill, salt, and the juice of one lemon. Delicious. Hope you enjoy!

Photos were taken early this week, when temperatures were still mild and okra was still a flourishing. After the cold front that touched down on the farm at the latter part of this week, we'll be seeing a lot less of crops like peppers, okra, and squash.

Okra plants will produce all summer if you keep picking them, and what started out as inch-high seedlings are now 7 foot plants. Photo by Scott David Gordon. 

Long sleeves and gloves are a necessity to harvest okra - the leaves and stems of the plant have small, fuzzy spines that can make your skin burn and itch. Photo by Scott David Gordon. 

That good, good light! Photo by Scott David Gordon. 

Bed shaping as the sun rises. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Epic shot of an epic profession. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Warm and rich soil on a cool and brisk morning. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Purple daikon on display. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Who needs flowers when you could get an (edible) bunch of purple daikon? Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

A glowing leaf. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Have we mentioned the fact that fall is a bountiful time? Just look at those lush fields! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Daikon harvest, as seen from a top a box truck. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Bunched carrots are finally back! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Farmer Brenton multitasking: phone meeting and field scouting. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

 

 

CSA Box Contents Week of Nov 4th

CSA Box Contents Week of Nov 4th

Large Box
Beets
Carrots
Eggplant
Greens, Arugula
Greens, Collards
Greens, Kale, Curly
Herb, Cilantro
Onion, Multiplying
Pepper, Sweet
Potato, Sweet
Radish
Turnips

Yay! It’s your lucky day! A beautiful box or tote bag is brimming with seasonal vegetables, waiting for you to unpack, and devour. Maybe you’ve customized your CSA share (more on how to do that here) and you’ve got each meal perfectly planned. Or maybe, you didn’t pick the contents of your CSA box, and what’s showing up on your doorstep or at your community pickup location is a mystery. (But did you know we post CSA contents on our website every Tuesday and on social media every Wednesday?). Whether you meticulously plan the fate of each vegetable or whether you’re more of a go-with-the flow kinda CSA member, we know that it takes some devotion to use each and every item in your box. Today, we’re sharing 5 practices that will help you unpack, prep, and eat your veggies.

1. Have fun.

Use the unpacking process as a moment of reflection: You’re a grownup adult, and you’ve chosen to spend your hard-earned dollars on local and organic produce. You’re supporting a local farm, and helping to employ at least 50 full time farmers. (Thank you!) The bunch of kale in your hand was connected to a root system just yesterday, and was cut by hand by a JBG farmer. It’s as fresh as it gets! We know the unpacking process can take a hot-minute, but we hope it’s a minute (or 10) you can enjoy. Put on some tunes, maybe a cup of tea, and revel in the bounty we picked for you.

2. Storage

We’ve been hammering the importance of proper vegetable storage a lot lately, so we won’t go into too much detail. But in general: treat your veggies like the locally-sourced fresh treasures that they are…. Store them properly, and they’ll stay fresher, longer.

3.Micro-Prep Moments

Mirco-Prep Moments: We love Christna Chaey’s suggestion to “cook something every day”. She suggests to work little moments of food prep into your daily routine anytime you’d be in the kitchen, anyway. For her, this means doing a bit of meal prep (like chopping some greens or grating some garlic) while she waits for her morning coffee to brew. Doing tiny bits of prep here and there to help ready your veggie ingredients will make cooking dinner a speedier enterprise. For CSA members, we love the idea of peeling and chopping your carrots when you have a spare moment, washing and drying your salad greens, or roasting your beets and big rustic chunks of sweet potatoes.

Got a moment? Chop some potatoes. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

4. FIFO

If you’ve worked in a restaurant, grocery store, farm, (and maybe an investment firm?) you likely know about the concept of FIFO, or First In, First Out. This is how we manage our large, walk in coolers at the farm. When a new bin of kale is brought in from the fields, it’s carted over to our kale pallet. The bins of kale from yesterday are moved to the front of the pallet, for easiest access, and the newest kale is placed in the very back of the pallet, out of reach. This practice is the cornerstone of our cooler management, and it ensures that we’re able to go through bins of kale, for example, in a day or so’s time, without accidentally letting one bin of kale sit in the cooler for too long and loose quality. Use this logic with your own CSA boxes: If you get some sweet potatoes in your CSA share but still have a few leftover from last week, put the new ones in the back and move the older ones to a space where you will get to them first. When unloading vegetables into your crisper drawer, use this time to take inventory of what is still leftover from last week’s share - move the older produce to the front, and also make a mental note that those need to be used soon.

5. Dream a little.

  Perhaps we ran out of radishes, and purple kohlrabi are showing up in your CSA box instead. Use this unexpected and unfamiliar vegetable as a moment to stretch your culinary creativity. If you need some inspiration, this Buzzfeed article titled 31 Things to Do with Confusing CSA Vegetables is relevant. Some of our other favorite resources are The JBG Recipe Archive, Bon Appetite, and Food 52. When in doubt, use the google search bar: list the vegetable you’re looking to use, plus any other ingredients you’d like to use up. A search for “khlorabi, parsley, and milk” could lead you on path of fritters, soup, or a cheesy casserole. Life’s too short not to experiment in the kitchen from time to time. Chances are, you’ll cook something edible. And if you’re using seasonal vegetables, it will likely even taste good.

Did you catch Mackenzie's recipe for Collards with Miso and Coconut? If this isn't a combination of flavors you'd normally cook with, give it a whirl!

 

Congratulations if you’re reading this thinking about how you never have trouble eating your way through your bushel’s bounty. But if you sometimes struggle to make your way through all the vegetables, we hope these quick tips help you. Please remember to be in touch - we’re happy to answer any questions you might have or any concerns about swapped items, weird-looking radishes, or mystery greens.

CSA Members: Thank you to those of you who filled out our recent CSA Survey. If you didn’t give us your feedback but would like to, just check your email - the survey link should be there. If you have any other tips for unpacking and utilizing your CSA Veggies, we want to hear about it! Shoot Faith an email to farm@jbgorganic.com with any tips or tricks you’ve picked up along the years. We’d love to share here on the blog.

This week our photographer Scott swung by our packing shed location where he got some shots of us sorting hot peppers (RIP pepper crop) and washing bulk beets. At the farm, the focus was on harvesting greens like frilly mustard, dark and dense kale, and zesty arugula. The heavy rain forecasted at the end of this week meant for very heavy harvest schedules at the beginning of this week.

The last of the cherry bomb and habanero peppers for the season. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Tracy giving the pepper run down: temperatures dipped below freezing, we had to pick all of our peppers, and now we will attempt to sell all of these peppers. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Clean beets are at the end of this tunnel. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

The power washing never really ends around here... Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Harvesting dino kale to meet this city's incredible demand for local greens. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Do you dino? Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Loading up beet seeds into our 4 line seeder. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Four lines of beets are getting planted into beautifully prepped beds. Under the soil is a line of drip tape which will give these seeds the moisture they need to germinate. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Tender mustard greens are a spicy source of Vitamins A, K, and C. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Two of the women on our harvest team, making their way down a long row of red mustard. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Neon lines of arugula. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Hello, fall! Photo by Scott David Gordon

White Salad Turnips are sizing up nicely! Photo by Scott David Gordon

CSA Box Contents Week of Nov 11th

CSA Box Contents Week of Nov 11th

Large Box
Bok Choy
Carrots
Garlic, Green
Greens, Kale, Curly
Greens, Mustard
Herb, Parsley, Flat
Kohlrabi, Purple
Lettuce, Mixed head bag
Pepper, Sweet
Potato, Sweet
Radish
Turnips

Author: The Migoni Kitchen

Servings: 2 Large Mason Jars

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cup Diced Mixed Peppers (Mix of sweet and spicy, deseed hot peppers for milder mix)
• ¼ lb Carrots, diced
• ¼ lb Celery, diced
• ¼ lb Onion, diced
• 6 cloves of Garlic, minced
• 2 cups White Vinegar
• 2 Cups Water
• 2 Tablespoons Whole Black Peppercorns
• 1 Tablespoon Mustard Seeds
• 3 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
• 3 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
• 4 Bay Leaves
• 2 Large Sprigs of Oregano

Instructions In a large pot, combine the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar and bring to a boil

While waiting for the liquid to boil, combine the vegetables, peppercorns, and mustard seeds and evenly distribute into two 32 ounce mason jars.

Add 2 bay leaves and 1 sprig of oregano into each jar and then pour the hot brining liquid over, leaving about ½ inch of empty space from the rim

If you are planning to use the pickle mix within 1-2 weeks, securely cap and allow to cool before storing in the refrigerator.

If planning to store, fill a pot with 3-4 inches of water and bring to a boil. Place the mason jar in the boiling water and allow the jar to boil for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool and store at room temperature.

Before we jump into this week’s post, some important schedule changes for the week of Thanksgiving, only.

• All Houston deliveries will be made on Monday, November 25th.
• All Thursday Austin Pickups and Thursday Home Deliveries will be made on Wednesday, November 27th.
• All DFW deliveries usually made on Thursdays will be delivered on Tuesday, November 26th.
• All DFW deliveries usually made on Fridays will be delivered on Wednesday, November 27th. 

 

Sponsor A Share 

It's a bountiful time of year; consider sharing part of your harvest!

Bumper crop bounty. Boxes overflowing with a cornucopia of vegetables. Refrigerators stocked with a colorful array of organic produce, and a bowl of sweet potatoes on the counter. If you’re reading this, you’re likely a customer of ours, maybe a CSA Member, and we hope this describes your current vegetable inventory. The fall is one of the most plentiful seasons here in Texas! 

Today, we’re writing to ask you to consider sharing this bounty with those in our community who could use a little more fresh produce in their lives and diets. Specifically, we wanted to draw attention to our Sponsored Share Program.

Going out of town for the holidays? Consider donating your CSA share instead of postponing it!

Since January of 2012, with the help of our CSA Members and patrons, we’ve been sending weekly boxes of vegetables to two local organizations: The Settlement Home and SAFE Alliance. We did some quick back-of-the-napkin math, and over the past 7 and a half years, we’ve delivered around 1,245 boxes of fresh produce to The Settlement Home… that’s around 18,720 pounds of organic vegetables! The number is about the same at SAFE Alliance. These vegetables are integrated into the programming of both of these organizations. At The Settlement Home, for example, these veggies are available to the girls and young women who live on the premises at one of the organization's amazing group homes. Here, girls ages 7 through 18 live with a house mom. These homes are focused on building life skills in a more independent environment that will prepare the girls for life on their own or being integrated back into a family situation. The girls have a robust schedule chock full of recreational activities, and are out in the community on a regular basis. They also plan and cook meals together; this is where our veggies come in! Each week, residents at the Settlement Home have access to our fresh veggies as a part of their pantry staples, and vegetables are incorporated into shared meals and cooking classes.

One of the group kitchens at the Settlement Home. This is where our veggies are prepared and shared!

We are so proud of this long-standing partnership with these Austin organizations, but we could not do this without your help. So far this year, 77 of you have donated 141 shares. If you are one of these 77 folks and are reading this, thank you! But we still have a ways to go. Specifically, we usually send 156 boxes to Safe Alliance every year and 156 boxes to The Settlement Home - that’s 312 total boxes annually, meaning we need another 171 shares to cover this year’s needs.  So hear us out: If you need to postpone your share for the busy holiday season, please consider donating it instead. Traveling work work? Consider donating instead of postponing. All you need to do is email Faith (farm@jbgorganic.com) and let her know that you’d like to donate your share for a particular date. You can do this at any point in the year, but we find that many of you travel for the holidays, hence our usual ask this time of year. 

If you need all of your veggies but would still like to donate, you can simply purchase a share to go to the Settlement Home or Safeplace  on this page. And if you’re wondering what to get your friend or family member who has it all, you can donate a share of vegetables on their behalf. We’ll send them a card letting them know.

CSA Boxes headed to the Settlement Home.

 

JBG + The Central Texas Food Bank

 

We sincerely appreciate your support of our Sponsored Share Program. But did you know that’s not the only way our veggies make their way onto the plates of those in need? Every Tuesday, and sometimes on Fridays, too, the Central Texas Food Bank’s semi truck makes its way to our packing shed where it’s loaded up with pallets of donated produce. The vegetables that we donate are unsellable for one reason or another - sweet potatoes that were too big and scary-looking for customers to buy (true story) or bunched turnips with green tops that are a bit yellowed. All the produce is 100% edible, and just as nutritious as their glamour-shot-worthy cousins.

Photograph of Inglorious JBG produce by Kenny Brahn for Food + City for their article titled The Hunt for Food Waste. https://foodandcity.org/hunt-food-waste/

These less-photogenic but equally-as-tasty vegetables are distributed through CTFB’s pantry. And when we say pantry, we actually mean a 135,000 square foot facility where many local food banks go to fill their shelves and procure ingredients for their soup, so to speak.  Some of the produce gets cooked up in CTFB’s industrial kitchen as a part of their Value Added Meals Program and Nutrition classes. No matter which arm of the food bank our vegetables are funneled, the important part is they get used. Partnering with the CTFB to distribute our inglorious produce is one of the main ways we nearly eliminate food waste at JBG.  Wondering what happens to the produce that isn’t suitable for the food bank? It goes to a hog farmer. Zero percent of our produce ends up in a landfill, which, believe it or not is a thing that happens at some farms.

Last year we donated 120,616 pounds of produce, and this year we’ve already toppled that number! Since the beginning of 2019, we’ve donated 177,715 pounds of produce, which works itself out to be around 148,095 meals. Considering there are millions of Texans who are considered food insecure, this is just a small portion of the nutrient dense and healthy food needed to help feed our  neighbors.



(Above) Each week the CTFB pulls up in this large semi truck to scoop up farm-fresh veggies. (Below) Stats and images courtesy of the Central Texas Food Bank. To see more figures about hunger in our state, visit the "Learn More" section of their website.

If you feel like you have a bounty this season and would like to support the efforts of our amazing food bank, consider checking out their upcoming Empty Bowl Event  (it’s one of our favorite fundraising events of the year!), signup up for one of their many volunteer opportunities, or simply contributing monetarily. 

Our weekly volunteers sometimes help us sort donations for CTFB.

CSA Box Contents Week of Nov 18th

CSA Box Contents Week of Nov 18th

Large Box
Carrots X 2
Farmers Choice
Greens, Collards X 2
Greens, Mustard
Greens, Salad Mix
Herb, Parsley, Flat
Kohlrabi, Purple
Onion, Multiplying
Potato, Sweet
Turnip, Rutabaga

Stew night one at Club Home Made!

Recipe and photo by Megan Winfery.

Have you ever had one of those crazy busy weeks when you barely have time to eat (let alone cook), and then your CSA share arrives and you and think "How on EARTH am I going to make use of all this?!" If you're nodding your head like yep that's me I have one word for you - STEW! The humble pot of stew is just that - it doesn't like to brag - but it really is a one pot wonder that has nourished us humans since ancient times. Stew is healthy, delicious, versatile, and it practically cooks itself! Prep can be a little daunting if you dread chopping veggies, but I see it as a great opportunity to turn up some jams and give a bit of my time to the beautiful produce that is about to literally give me life. Another great way to get prepped is to attend a Club Homemade class, which is where I prepped this particular stew last Monday. Ada and Becky's cooking philosophy is absolutely inspirational and will change the way you cook. I can't recommend their meal prep club enough!

So you've got your CSA box or farmer's market haul and now it's time to wash and prep. Wash greens, root vegetable tops and herbs thoroughly in a salad spinner or a bowl of cool water then lay them out on a tea towel to dry completely. Peel or wash root vegetables and rinse off other items such as peppers. Properly store the produce that won't be going into the stew pot and get ready to prep everything else for their broth bath. If you see fit, you can cook your entire CSA share into one big pot of as stew meal prep or to freeze for a rainy day. A pot of stew can be as large or small as you like!

Here is the basic formula for stew that you can perpetually modify:

1. Coat the bottom of a large pot with oil or fat and set to medium heat on the stove.

2. Add diced aromatics like garlic, onion, and peppers and soften.

3. Add any meat you might be using and cook completely.

4. Stir in cubed root vegetables like carrots, turnips, rutabagas, potatoes, beets, turnips, and radish + any hearty herbs like thyme, oregano, and rosemary.

5. Add seasoning of your choice and make sure salt is one of them.

6. Let everything soften and meld together for about 10 minutes, then add your broth of choice. Use water if you don't have broth or enough to cover everything completely.

7. Bring to a simmer for the next 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are fork tender.

8. Remove from heat and add any soft herbs like cilantro, parsley, dill, and chives.

Serve with accoutrements like crusty croutons, soft boiled egg, Greek yogurt, dumplings, rice, or egg noodles. Stew stays good in the fridge (gets better, really) for a week and freezes very well!

Before we jump into some of the oddities of the Thanksgiving table, we wanted to remind you that the holiday is upon us. As if you could forget, but just in case. This means the JBG farm crew is taking the day off on Thursday, and our CSA delivery schedule will be a bit different next week. CSA Members, please make sure you’re aware of the changes to delivery schedules that can be seen here.

To be clear, pie is not a weird Thanksgiving food. Pie is a perfect Thanksgiving food. Photo by Scott Gordon.

We all know the American classics. Turkey, stuffing, rolls. Mashed potatoes, gravy and pumpkin pie. And then there are the oddballs - green bean and sweet potato casseroles. To a foreigner looking in, the addition of canned onion rings atop green beans and sugary marshmallows atop fresh sweet potatoes may be the most mind-boggling American tradition. As farmers, we grow food for a living. Our own Thanksgiving tables always reflect a balance of seasonal dishes (using the veggies that can actually thrive in Texas during this time of year) as well as some of the classics that we just can’t holiday without.

But if you want the turkey-day truth, many of the traditional dishes we know and love don’t quite reflect the Texas growing season in mid November. Potatoes, for example, are a spring crop for us Texan farmers. Might we suggest roasting and mashing some rutabaga or Hakurei turnips, instead. Slathered in gravy and mixed with butter, guests may not even notice the impostor. Pumpkins are a pain to grow during the fall due some mildew pressure and the short growing season, but you can make sweet potato pie that will fill this gap. Usual additions to stuffing include celery (almost impossible to grow in Texas, at any time), but diced chard stems or bok choy are an awesome, seasonal substitute. We know it sounds weird, just trust us. Green beans are not frost tolerant, and local green beans on a Thanksgiving table would require an unusually mild fall. Most farmers aren’t interested this degree of risk. We trust you’ll find the perfect balance this year between seasonal standards and old-time classics, but every year around this time we always wonder - if all of these vegetables are hard to grow at this time of year, how in the world did they manage to make their way onto the “classics” list? And where do the marshmallows come in? We’re taking a closer look at three such dishes.

Pumpkin pie:

The earliest versions of this dish in association with autumnal celebrations were probably made with pumpkin, minus the pie. Specifically, whole pumpkins were likely hollowed, filled with delicious things (perhaps including milk + sugar), then cooked over an open flame. Some of the earliest records of pumpkins in more of a pie formation come from the French, specifically, from a recipe by the famous French cookbook author Francois Pierre La Varenne in 1653. Here is the English translation from the same year:

Tourte of Pompion (Pumpkin) – Boile it with good milk, pass it through a straining pan very thick, and mix it with sugar, butter, a little salt and if you will, a few stamped almonds; let all be very thin. Put it in your sheet of paste; bake it. After it is baked, besprinkle it with sugar and serve.

Stock photo of pumpkins grown by some other farm. We would have trouble growing this crop for a fall harvest.

Fast forward to Civil War America when Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving an official national holiday. Pumpkins, which were a crop more easily grown in northern regions during the fall, were already a mainstay of unofficial Thanksgiving feasts. Though the holiday didn’t have as much of a stronghold in the South up until this point, after the institution of the official holiday, the pie, and feasting traditions in general, traveled southward. In 1928 Libby’s started canning pumpkin. And now the whole country is besprinkling this classic.

Sweet Potatoes + Marshmallows

Sweet potatoes are a favorite crop to grow here at JBG. Their leafy tops provide bunches of green in the hottest of summer days, and their roots sweet delight all through the fall. Sweet potatoes are carefully grown by planting “slips”  Next, they are unearthed by a tractor, and picked up, one by one, by a farmer’s hand. We put some serious love into this crop. Please, we repeat, please, don’t cover this perfectly sweet-on-its-own vegetable in marshmallows. But if you must, at least know the origins:

One of our favorite JBG sweet potato photos of all time. Galdino won the lottery with this one!

Sweet potatoes are native to central and north America, and were eaten (and farmed) in the Americas long before any pilgrims boarded a ship. (On a side note, here is a really interesting article pointing to evidence that sweet potatoes traveled across the Pacific...on a boat… before Columbus even stepped foot in America. ). African slaves in the South gravitated towards the orange tuber as it resembled yams, a vegetable native to their homes, and the vegetable grew well in the warmer Southern climates. The vegetable rooted itself in southern kitchens, and after Thanksgiving officially became a holiday, traditions of sweet potatoes moved north (just as pies of pumpkin traveled south). In fact, many southerners used sweet potatoes in lieu of pumpkins to pie.

But why the sugary pillows of marsh? . According to Saveur, marshmallows, once an expensive candy for the elite, started to be mass-produced in 1917 and manufactures released recipe booklets for everyday marshmallow recipes (as if that should be a thing) and here the sweet potato marshmallow duo was born. “Right away, Americans divided on whether that was a good thing. Southerners appeared to respect sweet potatoes too much to pair them with candy.” . In this divide, we’d like to think that Southerns had the right idea. Over 100 years later, marshmallows are still a relevant Thanksgiving topping. If you just must, we do like this recipe. (Spoiler: marshmallows are used in moderation).

See these potatoes? They were planted, picked, and washed by hand. Do you really want to bake them topped with candy?

Green Bean Casserole

Unlike the indigenous roots of both pumpkins and sweet potatoes in the Americas, it may be of no surprise that the combination of canned soup, frozen beans, and fried onions is a more recent...invention. We have the 1950's and the Campbell's soup company to thank for this love-it or hate-it Thanksgiving side dish. In this post-war era, there were advancements in both freezing and canning technologies, and women were more and more often entering the work force. Once such woman, Dorcas Reilly, was managing the Campbell's Kitchen and came up with the classic and beloved combination of just seven ingredients: cream of mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper, canned or frozen green beans, and french-fried onions. Since this recipe’s inception, it’s held its spot on the Thanksgiving table, with Campbell estimating that 20 million Americans will consume the dish on Thanksgiving day.  . We farmers need not scratch our heads any more about how heat-loving green beans occupy a seat of honor during a cool-weather holiday. They hail from a can.

A beautiful harvest of JBG green beans. From May.

Which Thanksgiving classics can’t you live without? What seasonal veggies are gracing your table? If you share any photos on Facebook or Instagram, be sure to tag the farm (@jbgorganic) so we can see what you’re up to! As always, thanks for reading and happy Thanksgiving!

This week at JBG, farm photographer Scott as well as our entire farm crew, were thankful for milder weather. Fall is truly such a bountiful time in Central Texas, and while trees in our area don't put on as much of a fall show as in other parts of the country, our lettuces sure to sport some beautiful fall hues.

Nothing like beautifully prepped beds before the sun has fully peeked out. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Spinach is coming in nicely. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Rows of nutritious spinach being cut by hand and inspected by harvest manager, Vicente. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

A single shining cilantro leaf. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Freshly harvested greens equates to better flavor and better nutrition. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Bunch, cut, bag, repeat. Ideally on a cool misty morning. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Our version of fall foliage. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

 

Might we suggest you make a salad. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Verdant fields. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Gradients of greens. And purples. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Last but not least, the kale. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

 

 

 

 

CSA Box Contents Week of Nov 25th

CSA Box Contents Week of Nov 25th

Carrots X 2
Greens, Collards X 2
Greens, Kale, Curly
Greens, Spinach
Herb, Parsley, Flat
Onion, Multiplying
Potato X 2
Potato, Sweet
Radish
Turnip, Purple Top

Colorful Salad for Four.

Recipe and Photos by Isaac Winburne and Heydon Hatcher

Whether you are gearing up for a home-cooked meal with a robust guest list of extended family, fine-tuning your pumpkin pie recipe for a low-key gathering with friends, or just relishing a relaxing week off -- this recipe is for you! *Quick* and *easy* are key words here, especially if you are reading this post-celebrations when even the thought of cooking makes you tired. A simple farm-fresh salad prepared with minimal effort is what we all need to nourish ourselves this time of year. We are all laden with an abundance of engagements till the year's end, so here’s to delicious, nutritious, and effortless CSA meals that almost make themselves. Without further ado, Isaac’s “Holy Cow, It’s a Quick & Easy Late Fall Salad”.

The quickest of sides to pair with a burger.

Salad ingredients:

• 3 carrots, sliced thinly
• 2 medium watermelon radishes, sliced thinly in half circles
• 2 stalks of green onion, thinly sliced
• ½ jalapeno, very finely chopped
• 1 small head of butter lettuce, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 sprigs of mint, chopped
• 4 sprigs of parsley, chopped
• 1 sprig of dill, chopped
• 1 Claussen pickle spear, finely chopped

Dressing ingredients:

• Juice of one lemon, plus some zest from said lemon
• 1 shot glass of white wine vinegar
• 3 shot glasses of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Claussen pickle juice
• 3 tablespoons of salt
• 1 tablespoon of pepper

Combine all salad ingredients, mix lightly. Dress salad with dressing ingredients in the bowl together, and toss thoroughly. Enjoy! This recipe serves about 4 folks.

Served with love.

Happy Thanksgiving, ya’ll! We hope this week’s newsletter finds you happily fed and full, both of belly and heart. This year we’re especially grateful for the abundance that our farm provides, not only for our employees who work here, but also for our Central Texas community. If you’re lucky enough to have some Turkey-day leftovers, we thought we’d share with you our three favorite ways to enjoy the extra abundance over the weekend.

Leftover turkey? We've got some ideas. Photo by Allison Marras.

Make a Sandwich.

If you’re hosting Thanksgiving, chances are you will have to make that inevitable last store-run before the big day. Make sure to snag a good loaf of bread, preferably something with some heft. Mashed sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce will play the part of condiments, and leftover turkey and ham the protagonist. Is there anything more classic than a turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving? The Turkey flavors you know and love, sandwiched between bread for a meal that comes together in a mere fraction of the time it took to brine, cook, and carve your turkey.

Photo via Bon Appetit - https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/article/15-best-ever-leftover-turkey-sandwiches

Bon Appetit put together a list of 15 Best-Ever Leftover Turkey Sandwich recipes, and although you can probably mange without a recipe for a sandwich, these deserve a gander.  . If burritos are a sandwich, then we’ll mention those here, too.

Put it in a pocket.

One of our recipe developers, Mackenzie Smith, first turned us onto the power of the pocket for transforming leftovers into something new and exciting via her blog World in a Pocket. But, we digress. Use frozen dumpling wrappers or make a quick (and easy!) empanada dough to pocket-up thanksgiving leftovers. Really, sky is the limit, but possible combinations could include stuffing + turkey dumplings or cranberry sauce and mashed potato pirogies . Here is recipe for Thanksgiving Leftover pop-tarts . How about green bean empanadas? Yes, please!

Photo by Mackenzie Smith from her collard, sweet potato, and black bean hand pies. Recipe on the JBG blog!

We know turkey leftovers can sometimes get gobbled up quickly, leaving only sad corners of casseroles, devoid of the crunch and pizzazz that once made them shine. Using these leftovers as simply a filling in a dish that is altogether new will help you love them all over again. To further freshen things up, add a few chopped herbs to your pocket filling or make a dipping sauce with some new flavors - maybe a soy-based sauce for dumplings or a lemony-yogurt sauce for empanadas.

Photo by Mackenzie Smith.

Gumbo

Several of our office staff hail from the gulf coast where the weekend after Thanksgiving is reserved for turkey gumbo. Even after the turkey has been picked clean and pile of bones is all that remain, there is still a bounty of flavor to be had from your bird. Make stock! And then use this stock to make gumbo!

For an speedy and fuss-free gumbo (we know you’ve been cooking all week) skip the homemade roux and buy the widely available jarred roux, instead. The best part about using jarred roux, aside from the fact that it shaves off hours of your cook time, is that it’s perfect every time and is never burnt. As far as what direction to go with your gumbo, there are many options. But again, because you’ve likely been kitchen bound all week, we say to keep it simple with a turkey and sausage gumbo. Here is a great base recipe.

Leftover turkey gumbo for the win. https://www.emerils.com/122684/turkey-bone-gumbo

If the thought of making a gumbo, specifically, intimidates you, making a soup or stew of any kind is the perfect way to put that turkey carcass to use. Make a quick and easy turkey udon noodle soup or a classic turkey noodle soup, good for the soul.

And maybe all these leftover transformations seem unnecessary. If that’s the case, just enjoy your leftovers exactly as they are. Happy thanksgiving from the farm! As always, we’re incredibly grateful for our wonderful Central Texas community. ‘Till next week!