Hey Y’all! Farmer Brenton here. It’s been a while since I’ve posted on the blog, but there are so many awesome things going on at the farm that I wanted to share with you all this week. First, it’s spring, and so that means we are slammed with planting..I think I have shed about 15 pounds with all the hustling I’ve been doing! The fields are looking amazing, and it’s hard to believe that just over a month ago we were dealing with the most significant crop loss the farm has ever experienced. Right now, the fields are exploding with color and life. During this busy period, one of our biggest tractors blew the engine…. Because this is the busiest moment of our entire season, we needed to replace this tractor immediately so even though we just had a major loss we had no choice but to search for a replacement…. But.. this isn’t just any tractor, it’s our dream tractor! It’s the most powerful tractor we’ve ever had at JBG and is even equipped with GPS which means it can autonomously travel down our rows with incredible precision. Seedlings are planted and beds are prepped in straight lines that look like they were made with a ruler. It’s pretty nerdy farm stuff, but for the farm crew and me, this is VERY exciting.

For over 10 years, we’ve known that our operation would benefit from the power and efficiency of a tractor like this, but it hasn’t been a feasible investment until now. You should see the precision! I had so much fun breaking in our new tool that recently I stayed at the farm working on the tractor from crazy hours for weeks on end. The longest day was 22 hours! I worked last Wednesday from 6 am till the wee hours of the morning the next day working the fields to get all the crops planted in time since everything was killed by the freeze. Angel, who was JBG’s FIRST EVER paid employee that I hired over 14 years ago will be the operator of this tractor. His back had been giving him some trouble lately, but the seat on the new tractor is a “floating” seat, which means it bounces up and down to absorb any shocks and bumps. Needless to say, he’s loving it. This new John Deere is like the Cadillac of the farm, and I’m so glad it's Angel's, but like I said… I just couldn’t help myself but take a turn, too!

Tractors and spring crops are exciting enough, but we have one announcement that I couldn’t wait to tell you about: We’re opening a permanent New JBG Garfield Farmstand at our Garfield Farm!!! This, like the tractor, is a project that I’ve dreamed about… and almost started… for many years. But sometimes you’ve just gotta be patient until the pieces come together and until you get the perfect bout of energy and inspiration to pour into a new project like this. Well, we have both! We can’t wait for you to visit the new JBG Farmstand!





The JBG Farmstand will be happening every Saturday from: 9am - 1pm JBG Garfield Farm 4008 River Road, 78612

If you’ve visited the Transplant Sale this spring (still going on now!)  you’ve seen our market stand. We’ve had so much fun setting up this stand, that we have just decided to continue once the transplant availability slows. It’s been awesome to have our community out to the farm every Saturday, and it’s our hope that the JBG Farmstand will provide a fun community meeting place where people can really connect with the farm and land that grows their food.

Here are some other reasons the Farmstand is worth checking out:

• We will have a CSA Pickup there! Any CSA Member who picks up at the Saturday farmstand can choose 2 free veggies from the market booth! CSA Members: Don’t forget that you can always change your pickup just for one-time by emailing the office (farm@jbgorganic.com).
• Flowers! We just seeded thousands of flowers, and soon the entry road to the farm will be brimming with blooms, and as long as there are flowers to pick, we will be offering a pick-your-own bouquet option at the Farmstand. (CSA Members, we’re going to let you pick a bouquet for free!!)
• We also have a large number of herbs that are growing just next to where the Farmstand will be set up. While we will have some pre-harvested herbs for sale at the market booth, you can also pick your own!
• Sometime when June turns to July, it will officially be tomato time at JBG, and we plan to rope off a section of our tomatoes and then turn people loose. Our usual U-Pick (LINK) will be an extension of the Saturday Farmstand, and you and your family can pick your own box of homegrown, fresh off the vine, tomatoes. There’s no better tomato. Our Tomato U-Pick is a beloved event for so many families, and we can’t wait for ‘mater season. Soon!

We hope that all of these pick-your-own opportunities will help you enjoy a truly unique and authentic farm experience. Though we ask that you leave your pets at home, we encourage you to bring all the kids and friends. Our farm is 184 acres, and when you visit the Saturday JBG Farmstand, we really hope you feel at home and enjoy the whole property. If you’re a runner, you can come run around the acres of vegetables. Wagons are a great way for very small kids to experience the whole farm, and for the ones in-between, you can just let them loose down the dirt farm roads. We can’t guarantee that they won’t leave sweaty, dirty, and happy. There’s a giant sand pile that we’ll be sure to keep weeded, too!

Like most things at the farm, the plans for this Farmstand are organic and evolving, but we know it’s going to be great! The JBG offerings are just the beginning, and I am already thinking about collaborating with other producers for artisan cheeses and pastured meats. (But of course, I don’t want to get ahead of myself! For now, it’s just the veggies.) Our farm is big, and when the weeds aren’t outta control, it’s beautiful, too, and we can’t really think of a good reason why we shouldn’t share this space with our wonderful community who have supported us all these years. We hope you’ll check out the Saturday Farmstand… and tell your friends! It begins… tomorrow!

Thanks for reading, Farmer Brenton