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!

THE FARM Check it out! Farmer Brenton was on the news!

MACKENZIE I am super excited about citrus season here in Texas! My friend has a big old Meyer Lemon tree in East Austin and she gave me 20lbs of those juicy things last week. So far, I have made a big batch of preserved lemons , a super refreshing lemon turmeric tonic with black pepper and honey, and a double batch of whole lemon salsa verde. Thinking about making whole lemon curd (yeah, you use the whole lemon!!) with the rest of these little balls of sunshine.

Mackenzie's preserved meyer lemons. Photo by Mackenzie, of course.

JOYCE PlowBao will be opening on Dec 7th at 5pm! Come check us out at Buzzmill Shady! We are sandwiched between Buzzmill and Infinite Monkey Theorem, so there's a great selection of alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks available. I'm really excited to be opening, and my 3 helpers are from JBG too! (Angie, Ginger and Adam)

Also! On Dec. 14th from 11am-2pm, PlowBao will be hosting a dog adoption event at Buzzmill Shady. We will be raffling off baskets with lots of great stuff (almost all local, hot sauces, sweets, gift cards, dog stuff, wine, etc). There will also be several vendors there including a pet portrait photographer. Last, but certainly not least, there will be some great dogs who need good homes. The main goal of the event will be to find Oscar, a 13 yr old dog, his forever home. Oscar has been with us for 3 years, and he has had very few inquiries :( I really want to find him a home by the holiday season so he can spend the new year with a family who will cherish him for the rest of his sunshine days.

ANGIE I am super excited about this sandwich that I ordered at The Beer Plant last weekend. It is entirely vegan and is one of the best sandwiches I have ever had! I can't wait to go back and get another one. It perfectly captures the essence of Nashville hot chicken and I think I enjoyed the fried mushrooms even more than I enjoy chicken (which is quite a lot). The icing on the cake is that they order loads of produce from us as well.

NASHVILLE HOT & CRISPY | 14.5 battered king oyster mushroom, pickled celery, purple cabbage, remoulade, pretzel bun

Yes, please.

FAITH I'm reading Underland by Robert MacFarlane, and it's like taking tiny journeys into fascinating crevices of the world. In one chapter, he visits a dark matter laboratory snuggled inside a salt mine 3000 feet below the earth's surface. The vehicles they use in the salt mine have to be constructed from pieces carried down miles of underground tunnels to the active site. Once they can't be used anymore, the vehicles are parked at the end of an abandoned tunnel and left to be slowly encased by the collapsing salt structure. What a tragically beautiful and confounding thing that will be stumble upon generations from now. And that's all before he even starts talking about dark matter! It's a good book.

MEGAN Busting out my Christmas records!! I just got the Molly Burch Christmas Album and I really love her take on the classics like Auld Lang Syne. A Very Kacey Christmas by Kacey Musgraves is a forever favorite, and I cannot wait to dive into her new Christmas Special on Amazon. It looks so retro and campy! And I can't forget the classics that frequent the turntable the most this time of year like Bing Crosby's White Christmas and Once Upon a Christmas by country music legends Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers.



ADAM My staff pick this month goes to Fukumoto on East 6th (right across the street from Shangri La). It’s a super under-rated local spot for sushi, yakitori, and other more adventurous offerings if that’s your style. Don’t leave without experiencing the grilled salmon skewer (my favorite thing on the menu) smoky, tender, and pairs perfectly with a cold glass of sake. Overall awesome quality food and a comfortable atmosphere. Pro tip- be sure to ask the chef about any off-menu specials!

ADA Zaza is my new favorite Instagram influencer (@redcarpetgirlz). Also, I wrote a piece for Edible Austin about the good folks at Roam Ranch! Check it out! Spoiler alert: there is a picture of a baby bison!

HEYDON My pick this month is my momma’s dark chocolate bourbon pecan pie. I’ve been making it the past couple of years when I’ve not been in Alabama for the holidays. It’s an attempt to summon some sliver of my mother’s inimitable cooking from afar. I love it so and think it’s a beautiful and drool-worthy addition to any holiday party. I’m not even a pie person and I crave it during the winter months. Pair with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream for maximum enjoyment. Follow this recipe.

Heydon's Mama's Dark Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie. Photo by Heydon.

SCOTT Check out Scott’s latest Austin Art Talk podcast episode where he speaks with four different people to learn more about Art From The Streets. And don’t miss their annual show and sale this weekend!

"The mission of Art From The Streets is to provide a safe and encouraging environment where the positive spirit of homeless and at-risk people is nurtured through artistic expression, offering them a pathway to self-determination as a source of pride, achievement, social connection, and income through the creation and sale of their work.

Here is the moment every year where we remind you about the option to give JBG vegetables as a holiday gift. To clarify, we don’t suggest you wrap up some bags of lettuce. Instead, we suggest you take a gander at our Farm Shop  and select a gift certificate that suits your needs. When you give local and organic veggies to the home chef or foodie friend on your list, you will not only have a very happy friend, but you may even get a dinner invitation. But in all seriousness, in a season often swallowed by mindless consumerism, sustainably grown vegetables are a meaningful gift that will not only help nourish the lucky recipient, but will also help support a local business and perpetuate responsible farming practices in Central Texas.

Our Top Pick: CSA Gift Certificates

Our CSA or Community Supported Agriculture program is, in a nutshell, a vegetable delivery service. Boxes brimming with seasonal vegetables picked from our east Austin farm can be delivered to doorsteps (Austin-area only, sorry!) or sent to one of our Community Pickup Locations. When you purchase a CSA gift certificate, you can choose what size box you would like to gift, as well as the number of boxes - ranging from just one to 100. If you purchase a CSA subscription to give, we will mail you (or your recipient) a physical gift certificate that they’ll just need to call-in or email Faith to redeem. Recipients can choose the date/s they’d like to get their veggies, as well as the pickup or delivery location.

Farmers Market Bucks

JBG Market Bucks come in $5 increments, and can be redeemed at any of the 14 farmers markets we attend.  They can be used just like cash to buy a bunch of fresh carrots or a bushel of brussels. They never expire, and are perfect for the picky home-chef on your list.

Farm Merch

Do you have a friend on your list who likes to cook ...in theory? We’ve got some oh-so-soft farm tees and some timeless trucker hats that should fit the bill. And did we mention our tote bags? They might just be the best, most utilitarian tote bag you'll ever own.

More Farm Gifts:

Pickup a 10 lb. bag of organic Texas oranges or grapefruit to bring to a friend. Or if there is someone on your list who has it all, consider sponsoring a share on their behalf. More on that here. 

Picks from the Pros

If all of your friends are already CSA Members, or you’re looking for something to go along with your veggie gift, we’ve got some more recommendations, straight from our beloved recipe developers. No one knows their way around the kitchen like these women - Megan, Mackenzie, Summer, and Heydon. And for this reason, the rest of our gift guide will feature their picks for this holiday season.. For years now, these women have opened up a CSA box and worked their magic - cooking, writing, photographing, and sharing recipes that highlight our seasonal produce. The recipes these women create make delicious use of all our vegetables from the common carrot to the curious kohlrabi. They do not discriminate, and their creativity in the kitchen never ceases to amaze us. Case in point: Summer’s recipe this week for miso soba noodles with bok choy. We trust ‘em, and so should you.

Summer’s Pick:

Summer and her husband Marcelo are long time JBG CSA Members and the visionaries behind their personal blog - The Migoni Kitchen. You know how they say not to go to the grocery store hungry? Maybe wait to visit their blog until you’re fully fed… else you’ll be too tantalized. Summer’s recipes always have a confident point of view, and if you’re interested in making dinner that you know will be drop-dead-delicious, look no further.

Beautiful and accessible ceramics by Felt and Fat, shown in their "canopy" glaze. Photo courtesy of feltandfat.com.

Summer’s holiday pick’s are Felt and Fat mugs and plateware, and with one look at their website you’ll see why. “We discovered this gorgeous range of plateware at one of our favorite home and kitchen shops in Dallas, Set and Co.,  located in the Bishop Arts area. We absolutely love the matte look and the gorgeous colors of this brand! If you’ve ever seen some of our more colorful plates in our Instagram feed, they are probably Felt and Fat.” With colors like honeydew, periwinkle, and pigeon, you really can’t go wrong.

Megan’s Pick:

On the weekends, you may find Megan searching for inventory for her online vintage shop - Loyal Vintage, and when she’s not doing that, you might find her in the kitchen. She loves a good weekend kitchen project (she’s our resident canner and pickler) but she’s also a pro at quick dinners that satisfy a family. Megan has been transforming our CSA boxes into easily accessible recipes for over 5 years now, meaning she’s been with us for over 20 distinct seasons! Somehow her creative juices keep simmering and she’s yet to repeat a recipe.

A one-of-a-kind gift that will last someone a lifetime. Photo courtesy of Straight Leg Ranch.

Megan’s pick for this holiday season are these beautiful and one of a kind butcher block cutting boards made by a local rancher based out of Gillespie county - Straightleg Ranch. Long leaf pine salvaged from old barns dotting the Hill Country are given new life with these heirloom pieces. For those on your list who have been extremely nice, these would make a treasured gift. Prices range $75-$250 (depending on the size and design), and each board is hand made. These boards function beautifully as cutting boards or can be used to plate cheese, charcuterie… or veggies, of course.

Heydon’s Pick:

Heydon has been a part of the JBG family in some capacity for many years, but she is the newest member of our recipe round-up, specifically. She and her partner, Isaac, waste no time whipping up no-frills dishes which truly highlight our vegetables and make them the star. Her most recent salad, in particular, is perfect for the days when you have “minimal effort” to expend on cooking and need a CSA meal that almost makes itself.



Heydon, or Heydo Potato as she’s oft referred to, has Shun knives on her holiday list. “Shun makes chopping tasks immensely easy, efficient, and honestly more fun. There is nothing in the kitchen like a good knife... I've heard that from countless folks.” If there is someone on your list who deserves an extra sharp gift, a Shun knife will surely please. They are worth the investment. While perusing the (web) pages of Bon Appetit, Heydon came across this amazing dish tote made by Aplat. “Transport your dishes, keep them warm, and skip the spills. Your life will never be the same”. Two picks, one gal.

Why didn't we think of this? The perfect way to transport your party food. Photo from aplat.com .

Mackenzie’s Pick:

Mackenzie is an Austin-based food and lifestyle photographer and has been transforming our veggies into bright, beautiful, and herby dishes for quite some time. We’ve seen her beautiful kitchen backdrops change from red to baby blue, and even seen the addition of recipes like “Zucchini Mint Basil Cinnamon Coconut Puree for a Baby” to Mackenzie’s archive.

A sustainable way to leftover. Photo courtesy of Bee's Wrap's website.

Mackenize’s holiday pick are Bee’s Wrap, which are sustainable alternatives to plastic wrap made by infusing organic cotton with beeswax, jojoba oil, and tree resin. With a little practice, Bee’s Wrap can change the way you store leftovers, half-used blocks of cheese, and those rogue carrot slices.“The initial investment feels like a lot more than saran wrap, but it has helped me cut down on plastic quite a bit.” Do your loved one a favor and make the investment for them. It’s a gift that’s not only practical, but also beautiful! Look at all these pattern options!

Thanks in advance to all of you who have chosen to gift from the farm this year. If you have any questions about gift certificates, shoot Faith an e-mail - farm@jbgorganic.com . Happy, December, ya’ll! Here is what our staff is up to!

Maybe it was the hazy, misty morning, or maybe mother nature, but this week our vegetables look particularly vibrant through Scott's lens. Bouquets of lettuces and chards will make their way into CSA boxes and market stalls. Also, if you're a farmer in Central Texas, you likely already know this - but if not, we'll tell you: it's time to get in the ground. After plastic mulch has been laid over prepared beds, each of our onion transplants is placed in a hole, one by one. It's a tedious task, to say the least.

Neon greens and dark burgundy make the most beautiful contrast, don't you think? Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Rainbow chard: dice up the colorful stems and use like onions or celery, and chop up the greens for use like spinach. It's all edible! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Who needs a florist when you've got a farmer? Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Chard loaded on our harvest box truck, on it's way to the cooler. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

It's a sea of green. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Bed prepping on a misty morning. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Sort of looks like the produce section at a grocery store, except these plants are still alive. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

 

Thousands and thousands of onion transplants in the greenhouse waiting for their forever home in the fields. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Onion transplant plugs. These baby onions are popped out of their greenhouse containers, loaded in an harvest bin, and then sent to the fields for planting. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

We can fit 4 rows of onions on one bed. In they go, one by one. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Nappa cabbage, up close. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Dusty-looking dew. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

On the hunt for broccoli heads. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Bingo - broccoli. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Checkout these big, beautiful stems. We hope you're slicing those up and eating the along with the crowns, else you're not enjoying this brassica to it's full extent. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Miso Tofu Soba Noodle Bowls with Bok Choy and Mushrooms

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 35-45 minutes

Author: The Migoni Kitchen

Ingredients

• • Miso Tofu
  • 14 Ounces Firm Tofu Patted dry and cubed
  • 1 Tablespoon Miso Paste
  • 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
  • 1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
  • 1 Clove Garlic Minced
  • 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
  • Noodle Bowl
  • 1 Head Bok Choy Roughly Chopped
  • 1 Pound Baby Bella Mushrooms Sliced
  • 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce Plus more for topping
  • 1 Tablespoon Sambal Oelek Plus more for topping
  • 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
  • ½ Teaspoon Ginger Grated
  • 1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
  • 6 Ounces Soba Noodles

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients for the tofu marinade – the miso paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and garlic – in a shallow bowl and whisk to combine. Add in cubed tofu and toss to coat. Allow to marinate about 20 minutes while you prep the bowls. Heat up the canola oil in a large saucepan. Add in the chopped bok choy and mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes until softened. Combine the soy sauce, Sambal, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Pour the sauce over the sauteing bok choy and mushrooms and cook another 3-5 minutes. Cover and remove from heat. While the veggies finish cooking, prepare the soba noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. Heat up another two tablespoons of canola oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Remove the tofu from the marinade and pat dry. Fry in hot oil for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Arrange your bowl with the soba noodles, cooked bok choy and mushrooms and fried tofu. Finish off with a little extra soy sauce and Sambal on top.

CSA Box Contents Week of Dec 2nd

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!

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.