There is a lot going on at a Texas vegetable farm at this time of year including prepping, planting, harvesting, and seeding. Farm photographer Scott was there to capture it all. To see more farm images, be sure to checkout our main blog post this week that looks at the intersection of art and agriculture.

Krishna, our kind leader and Operations Manager, shows off a bouquet of basil to Scott (who is perched on top of a tractor). Photo by Scott David Gordon.

One must arrive at the farm before sunrise to capture sunrise. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

It takes all kinds. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Fingerling sweet potatoes - find them at markets or at your favorite restaurant, perhaps. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

The art of laying drip. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Luis surveying his work. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Giana drenching the newly seeded transplant flats under our shade structure. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Grow baby, grow! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Okra, related to cotton, will keep flowering all summer just as long as you keep picking the okra. Stop picking, and it will stop flowering. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Turnips looking great! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

The bees have been loving these basil blooms. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

A meeting of the minds: Brenton, Angel, and Krishna. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

This looks absolutely mouth watering, no? Photo by the Mignoni Kitchen.

Author: The Migoni Kitchen Servings: 2 People Total Time: 50 minutes This Texas heat is no joke, so salads for dinner are sounding more and more appealing. This recipe for seared scallops with a warm corn, tomato, and okra salad is the perfect way to highlight the best produce of the summertime and make an exciting salad for dinner!

Ingredients:

• 5 slices bacon
• 8 scallops (large, about ¾ lb)
• 3 ears of fresh corn, cut from cobs (or 1.5 cups frozen corn, thawed)
• 3-4 Medium Tomatoes, sliced into wedges
• 8 ounces (1 cup) fresh okra, halved.
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp granulated sugar
• 8 ounces/1 cup okra

Dressing:

• ¼ cup mint
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp honey
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ½ clove garlic
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper

Instructions: Lay bacon into a cold skillet, turn onto low-medium heat and render bacon until crispy, about 10-15 minutes. Set aside on paper towel to absorb excess grease. Crumble once cooled. Reserve about 1-2 tbsp bacon fat in the pan for searing scallops later.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to about 400F. Toss the halved okra with olive oil, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Lay the okra out onto baking sheet (with wire rack if you have one). Bake for 25-30 minutes until browned.

While the okra bakes, make the dressing. Add dressing ingredients into a food processor or blender and pulse until well blended. Set aside. Next, cook the scallops and corn. Heat up the reserved bacon fat over high heat. Pat scallops dry and season with salt and sugar. Sear in hot pan for about 3 minutes on each side. Take out of the pan and allow to rest on a plate for 1-2 minutes.

Next, add in the corn into your pan and saute to cook through, about 2-3 minutes. Toss the cooked corn, fresh tomatoes, bacon, and baked okra together. Divide between 2 plates and top with seared scallops and dressing.

Sauce it up. Photo and food by The Migoni Kitchen

CSA Box Contents Week of Sept 10th

This week we’re checking in with some quick announcements that we want to be sure you know about. Also! Be sure to checkout this month's installment of First Friday Staff Picks where we share the vibrant collection of events and recipes that make our staff tick.

1. JBG Juice Boxes

JBG Rainbow Carrots. Photo by Scott Gordon.

Back by popular demand, we’re now selling JBG Juice Boxes. And to be clear, we’re not talking about the kid-sized drinks with plastic straws. No! These are adult-sized produce boxes, chock-full of seasonal vegetables, especially picked for the home-juicer. Right now, the juice boxes feature carrots, beets, lemongrass, cucumbers, herbs and a couple spicy peppers to really get things going. Once fall crops start to roll in, the cucumbers will be replaced with dark-leafy greens like kale, and we’ll start to include tops to the beets (also juice-able). If you juice at home, you know that it takes a lot of vegetables to make your morning bevy, day after day. We hope this juice box is the local and seasonal answer to your needs. And if you haven’t tried juicing- here’s your chance. Here is a juicer that we’ve used in the Hergotz break room with great success, and if you’re feeling adventurous, it looks like there are lots of juicer peddlers on the Austin Craigslist. If you’re on the go and looking for a quick nutritional boost, there might not be any better way to get your daily vitamins and minerals than to drink them. Reminder that farm-fresh vegetables are usually healthier than their grocery-store counterparts… they’re closer to their harvest date, and spend less time in storage and transit, where the nutritional content of veggies can degrade. Here is a gingered-carrot and beet juice recipe that, believe it or not, doesn’t even require a juicer.

If you want a juice box, just email Faith (farm@jbgorganic.com) and let her know where you would like to pickup your juice box. There is a list of pickup options here. The cost is $15 for CSA members, and $20 for non-members. CSA Members: If you’re a home delivery customer, just let Faith know you’d like to get a JBG Juice Box delivered with CSA share. How many times do you think we said the word “juice” in this announcement? Fourteen. Now get that get that juice box!



 

2. Farmer as Artist Art Opening This Saturday!

Now in its seventh year, Farmer as Artist explores the link between creativity and farming by exhibiting the artwork of Central Texas farmers. Several JBGers will be showing off their artist talent this year, in addition to participations from other local farms like: Boggy Creek Farm, Millberg Farm, Munkebo Farm, Middle Ground Farm, Farmshare Austin, Reverse Pioneers, Emadi Acres Farm, Get Well Farms, Eden East Farm, Burro Malo Farm, Ironbridge Farm and more. If you’re looking for something to do this Saturday, checkout this exhibit - it’s free and open to all. Farmers in off-farm attire… it’s something to behold!

Exhibition Title: 7th Annual Farmer as Artist Show Where: Prizer Arts & Letters, 2023 E. Cesar Chavez, Austin, TX 78702 Opening Reception: Saturday, September 7th, 6pm to 9pm Exhibition Dates: September 7th, 2019 – September 29th, 2019

Work from the 2017 Farmer as Artist show. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

This photo by Drew Johnson, Brenton's son, will be on display at this year's exhibit.

3. Volunteers Needed

Our amazing staff need some volunteer help. These next couple of weeks are some of the busiest of the entire year for us, specifically in the greenhouse. We're seeding so many fall crops including brassicas like cauliflower and broccoli, lots of various lettuces and other greens, and so many onions. This week alone, we need to seed 3,000 flats of onions! That's over 384,000 individual onion seeds that have to be placed in a tiny cell of soil, by hand. Like we said... we could use your help!

JBG Volunteers helping sort carrots. Photo by Scott Gordon.

If you can spare the time, we invite you to join us in the greenhouse for a relaxing day of seeding!! Per usual, volunteers are thanked with a huge bounty of organic vegetables (don't forget to bring your reusable bag!).

Choose our volunteer day by filling out this quick google form. Unavailable but know someone who might be interested in this unique volunteer opportunity? Please send them our way! Questions? Shoot a separate email to volunteer@jbgorganic.com and our volunteer coordinator, Angie will get back to you. Thanks in advance for all your helping hands!

Volunteers helping Gianna, our greenhouse manager, mix soil and fill flats. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Farm photographer Scott Gordon visited us under the Mueller hanger this week at the Sunday Mueller Farmers' Market. (BTW, did you know they also have a weekday, Wednesday market at the same location?). Farmers' markets are not only an important part of our businesses financially, but they also make up a huge part of what is fun about growing food for the community. We absolutely love setting up at markets, getting to know new customers, visiting with old customers, and sharing recipes. Every week, it's like a reunion with the other vendors, and the whole experience truly heartwarming. With multiple Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday farmers market options in Austin, there is really no excuse to not go.  Each market has its own flavor, and each one is oh-so-special. Protip: Choose to pickup your CSA box at one of our farmers' markets and you can swap out any item in your box with something you'd prefer from our  market stand. To see the full list of markets we attend, checkout this page.

We usually setup under the old airport hanger at the Mueller Farmers' Market. Have you seen us there? (P.S. - Checkout our CSA table to the right. Mueller is one of our most popular CSA pickup spots!) Photo by Scott David Gordon.

The unusually delicious Korean Melon. Some say it tastes like a pear, some some say an apple. But really, you've gotta taste it to know. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

The three floofiest market customers. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Bunched scarlet turnips are starting to roll in. Root, stem, and leaf is all edible. Three vegetables, in one. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

A nutritionally dense tower. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

We spy a lot of reusable bags and a lot of healthy-meals to come. Thank you to all of our market customers! We love ya. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Alexander getting turnips ready for CSA boxes. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Fruits of our labor. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Is it just us, or does meticulously packed produce make you happy? Photo by Scott David Gordon. Fig styling by Joyce.

 

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!

Ada (Blog Writer)

I laughed out loud when I saw this picture on Instagram. The caption reads, "No one planted it. but there it is, all the same. A rogue tomato is growing on a piling in the water around Brooklyn Bridge Park...." There's an entire NY Times story about it. This mysterious tomato plant seems a little less mysterious to me, because we have rogue vegetables growing ALL OVER the place at Hergotz. One time a huge bins of melons got run over in the parking lot. Weeks later, there were hundreds of (edible) watermelon sprouts growing out of the parking lot gravel. We currently have a few rogue tomato plants (with fruit) growing on the small grassy patches next to our cooler, and we've had a comically productive butternut squash plant growing in the ditch near our compost pile. I could go on, but you get the point. Drop a tomato somewhere, water + sunlight, and you might just get a tomato plant.



My other pick is Club Home Made! I was excited to see this little bit of press that came out about our fall classes a couple weeks ago. Check us out if you haven't already!

Scott

Pink - 60" x 40" - Watercolor on paper by Jan Heaton

If you live in Austin and want to learn more about the art scene and get more involved I would recommend a few things.

• -Sign up for Art Alliance Austin’s weekly newsletter to learn about all of the upcoming art events. Do that here.
• Check out my weekly podcast Austin Art Talk, interviewing local artists and creatives. www.austinarttalk.com You can listen directly from the website or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, iHeartRADIO. Pretty much any podcast app can find it. Let me know what you think. People seem to love it. You can also follow me on Instagram @austinarttalk.

I also want to highlight a few specific events coming up soon that I think are important. There will be a group exhibition opening at Davis Gallery on September 14th from 7-9 titled the Big Pink Blanket of Love, Work by Jan Heaton & Friends. I just interviewed Jan on my podcast and the story behind the show is tragic but what has emerged is really inspiring and the exhibition supports a really important cause. Learn more.

Very shortly my interview with Chris Cowden the executive director of Women & Their Work with be released. September 12th from 7-10 they are having their Red Dot Art Spree which is a fundraising event that will feature over 150 works by some of the best contemporary artists in Texas, all priced $750 and below, and tax-free. There will also be a silent auction. Learn more

Faith (CSA Coordinator)

I've been devouring the Area X trilogy. (More on that here.)

Brenton

I've been really into these fingerling sweet potatoes that we harvested this week. I very simply roasted some this week and they were awesome. (Here is a recipe for simple roasted fingerling sweet potatoes like Brenton made.)

Fingerling Sweet Potatoes. Photo by Brenton.

Megan (Recipe Developer)

This month I'm into staying home, deep cleaning, meal planning, cooking, going to bed early and waking up early for yoga, finishing my book (Liar's Club by Mary Karr), and shooting a bunch of fall inventory for my vintage shop. After traveling every weekend in August, I am so dang excited to home-body it up and take care of business, mind, and body.

So much fun vintage! Photo taken from the Loyal Vintage Instagram.

Heydon (Recipe Developer)

I had the immense privilege of attending the Auburn opening game at the dazzling and very air-conditioned AT&T Stadium, otherwise known as Jerry World, with my boyfriend and some family over the weekend. My family is a group of unremitting and die-hard Auburn fans. WAR EAGLE. The matchup was against Oregon, and the last time we faced the Ducks was in the 2011 National Championship when Cam Newton was at the helm of our offense. Auburn won a national championship that year, so we were excited to see a re-match of this cross-country rivalry. It was an abysmal game, for the most part, Auburn looking adrift, until a sensational comeback led by true freshman, Bo Nix, in the final quarter. We lost our minds and I lost my voice. Thanks for the good times, Dallas. Can't wait to see what Bo has in store for this season... should be a stressful and very fun one. College football is back, baby!

Photos by Heydon Hatcher.

Nao (Farmers Market Crew)

I'm Nao Ward. I'm a happy market staff at Sunset Valley, and am PSYCHED about starting a position with AmeriCorps' Bicycle Outreach Program on September 3!

Andrew (CSA Packing Manager)

I've been enjoying focusing on my music lately. I'm playing tonight, Friday 9/6 at Spokesman for Imaginary Stereo and will have a couple of cassettes coming out this month. You can also give my groovy tunes a listen on my Spotify.

Checkout this colorful and seasonal meal. Photo by Heydon Hatcher Recipe by Isaac Winburne, Documented by Heydon Hatcher

‘Twas a crazy week here in our house, so when we opened up our box of veggies to discover a cornucopia of autumnal veggies that hint at impending cooler weather, we couldn’t help but salivate at the thought of sweet, creamy mashed potatoes. Since summer crops like hot peppers still abound, we obviously and probably not surprisingly spiced up these ‘taters. We paired this velvety side with some chimichurri covered pork chops, a spicy melon-y salad, and invited some pals over. It was a fun and yum time.

Ingredients

• 6 or 7 small to medium sweet potatoes
• Salt and pepper
• 1 serrano
• 1 jalapeno
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 shallots
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter
• 4-5 oz of good quality half and half

Photo by Heydon Hatcher.

Skin or peel the sweet potatoes and cut into quarters (they will boil faster this way). Put potatoes into a pot and boil for half an hour. When potatoes hit the 20-minute mark of boiling, finely chop shallots, serrano, jalapeno, and garlic. Put these ingredients (sans garlic) in a skillet on low/medium heat with a half-stick of butter. Salt and pepper this mixture. Add garlic 1 minute after shallots and peppers. Cook down for 3 to 5 minutes.

Drain potatoes and keep a little water in the pot. Add one and a half sticks of butter in inch chunks and 10-12 grinds of salt and pepper.

Mix skillet contents and all buttery juices with sweet potatoes. Stir, mix, and mash those potatoes, peppers, alliums around assiduously. Salt and pepper this liberally, about 8 to 10 full grinds.

Pour half and half (we used Mill King) in the pot whilst thoroughly stirring and mashing on very low heat. Add 6-8 salt grinds. Turn on “Stir It Up” by Bob Marley for stirring inspiration. Let the mash sit with the lid on for a minute or two after reaching the consistency you prefer, stir a little more and taste. Season as needed, and voila! Spicy taters for your enjoyment. Let dreams of fall lull you into a potato coma. **Serves about 6 folks.