Johnson’s Backyard Garden

We’ve had our CSA for six weeks and are still on the fence. I worked on a small farm and our CSA boxes were much more robust, dollar for dollar. JBG’s selection has been mostly delicious (yay winter season!) but the amount we’ve received has been inconsistent and sometimes sorely lacking. It is e.x.p.e.n.s.i.v.e. Last I knew, investing in CSAs was a win win where you supported your local farmer and saved on your monthly bill.
I’m drawn to their website which includes photos and recipes for what you receive. This challenges me to take control of my kitchen and is the environmentally responsible alternative to #blueapron who delivers well over a million disposable cardboard boxes, and even more small plastic containers around the globe each month.
Overall, JBG’s staff is kind, helpful and passionate about all things dirt grown. Though it’s not as affordable as we’d hoped, we’ll give it another month and report back.

bought some organic carrots at the Barton creek farmers market today. so good. wish I’d bought more than one bundle and regret not getting a Brussel sprout stalk. super nice employees, fun times

This review spans several options with JBG:
Work-​for-​food on the farm: 5 stars! Even though it was freezing!
CSA with neighborhood pickup: 4 stars! Although we got off to a rough start and never got a response to my email, I eventually figured out how to customize a box on my own. For the most part, every delivery was a pleasure, and the small box was enough for our tiny family.
Farmers market stand (HOPE and Mueller): 1 star, all because of bozo no-no’s from the staff. One time, I was handed $ 1 change on a $ 4 purchase when I paid with a $ 20 bill, as she was distracted by another staffer during the transaction. The cashier was adamant that she hadn’t made a mistake. More recently, I wasn’t surprised to be ignored by two staffers at a register while I waited in line for the cashier who was actually working at the second register. (I can hold this infant, broccoli, and cabbage a while longer, don’t mind me.) The open bottle on the scale between them was the real winner here. They could at least have offered me some of their beer while I waited. So if you hit the farmers markets, remember: small bills and BYOB.

I love getting my CSA box of farm goods every week! It has challenged me to cook healthier and helped me to switch to eating vegetables as my main meal (with some added meat on the side). The variety is always exciting since you’ll get some items that you’re already familiar with and others that are new to try.
Since I live near the farmer’s market, I’ve enjoyed picking up the box myself (saves $ 3 on delivery fee) and even switching out a vegetable if necessary. The JBG volunteers working the market are always very helpful and kind.
I encourage you to subscribe to a CSA box… especially if you have been looking for ways to cook more often and eat healthily. If you’re worried about not being able to use all the items in the box fast enough, you can always go in with a friend. Vegetable party time, woohoo!
P. S. Not only are you supporting local farmers this way, you will find that the vegetables taste a LOT better.

This review is for their Mueller farmer’s market stand. I have not used their CSA.
Pro’s:
Best and most diverse selection of produce at this market during all seasons.
Well staffed booth.
Veggies always taste fabulous.
Prices are competitive with other vendors.
They gave me a free sample of an onion I was hesitant to try.
Con’s:
Bad produce has been sold to me (particularly bug infested to the point that most has to be tossed) on too many occasions to have been an oversight. This is really starting to annoy me and I buy as much as I can at other vendors now before stopping at this booth for the rest of my produce.
Some of the workers have poor customer service. It’s hit or miss. Specifically they will stand around and not ring you up until you holler at them. Sometimes I have been forced to listen to negative personal conversations between them while they count my produce.

I really hope the owners, and you as a future purchaser, read this review. I was really excited about joining a CSA — organic, local, community coop in Austin that I could call my own. I signed up for the first four weeks, and then it renewed for another four. It’s expensive, I mean like almost more than WF expensive, but I thought — organic, local, community coop. Worth my hard-​earned money if the quality was good. And the quality was pretty good. I was happy picking up my box at the local farmer’s market, and switching veggies that we didn’t want with ones at the cute little stand JBG had there. I wasn’t even paying attention. All was well until 3 weeks ago when my husband was the one to pick up the box and, as a math guy, noticed the prices on their produce they were selling in the market, and compared this to how much produce was in our box. Now I’m paying $ 26 a week. That’s twice as much as I would buy in ORGANIC veggies at the supermarket. Again, not complaining about that, knew what I was getting into, but then we discovered, we were not getting our money’s worth in vegetables. The next week, my husband again picked up our box and weighed exactly what was in our box based on how much JBG was selling the SAME veggies at the stand. We had $ 23 worth of veggies in our box. The people there were very nice and let us take more veggies when he mentioned it. But we were concerned. Had this happened before? So this past week, he weighed the veggies again. $ 20 worth in our box. Whoa! So we’re losing $ 3-​$ 6 every week? The woman at the market explained to him that the weighing wasn’t exact, sometimes it was less, sometimes more. Well, in our experience it had always been less, so why should we believe it is ever more?
So I call JBG this morning, and explain the situation. The woman on the phone gives me the spiel about how this is a community cooperative, and we are paying to support it. Well, yes. That’s why I’m paying these exorbitant prices on produce. I agreed to that. This does not mean I’m not getting what I paid for. I did not agree to that. That’s what’s called «being ripped off». So I ask to speak to a manager. The woman says, yes, such-​and-​such manager is really good at explaining what a coop is. I’m from Madison, WI. That whole city is a coop. I understand what a Coop is. Coops are inclusive, supportive, organic, eclectic, maybe slightly overpriced, but not cheaters. So I told her, I don’t need an explanation, I need to be reimbursed in cash or in vegetables for what I have lost.
So far no call, but maybe this review will help expedite the calling back process…
A tip for current and future buyers: WEIGH YOUR VEGETABLES EVERY TIME.

There are two things to review here, the CSA and the farmers market. The farmers market is 4 stars in my opinion. The produce is great and organic, although some things are overpriced.
The CSA is a different beast entirely and I do not recommend it, although they do deliver which is convenient. However, I think the better produce often makes it to the market, and the poorer quality items get sent to the subscribers. This week there were apparently tomatoes and cucumbers at the market, but CSA subscribers didn’t see those more items. Last year while bulk tomato sales were going on very few tomatoes ended up in the CSA. Why subscribe if I have to pay extra to get what I want? I have ended up several times with greens that are already wilted, and beets that go bad too quickly to have been fresh. They are also supposed to have a customization option so that you don’t get stuck with foods you’d rather not get (for me, I don’t want herbs as I keep an herb garden). However, they often do not honor the customization.
In summary, if you have time to go the market, your money will go farther getting better quality items that you can pick yourself and will always want.

This review is way, way overdue. I’ve been a (on/​off) CSA member for over seven years now. After utilizing my JBG membership regularly for over 16 months I realize that it’s not for everyone, but if you can fit it into your lifestyle it is incredibly rewarding.
In the beginning there was no delivery, but I learned to appreciate making the farmers market a part of the experience. I love going to the market to pickup my ingredients, not only because the employees are great, but getting to checkout what else is in season and local has led me to some really interesting and repeat purchases. I often end up buying offal at the farmer’s market now, which I never would have approached elsewhere. I’ve also learned first hand how incredible JBG’s customer service is, you can trade out veggies at the stand and on the very rare occasion they’ve forgotten my box or had a mix up with a change I requested I’ve been able to pick out anything I want. They are also quick to reply in email and very accommodating. That’s as good as it gets.
It’s effortless to add eggs and coffee to your subscription online. I receive eggs ($ 6/​dz) regularly and they’re always in great shape with the deepest orange yolks, sometimes I’m even surprised by mega sized eggs! I always order a bag of Rio Red grapefruits during their winter citrus sale and the San Marzanos during their summer bolting sale for one epic bolognese pot. The spring transplant sale is great and later in the year than most, they were awesome enough to offer free transplants after The Arctic Blast last year in sympathy! The potluck Hoedown this year is April 4^th, $ 15 tickets for a plate of yummy organic food, dessert, and a real barn dance right on their River Road vegetable farm.
Speaking of the veggies, you do have to cook what is in season and grows well in Central Texas, which usually includes herbs, carrots (JBG carrots are the best, there’s a reason they’re featured all over town in dishes!), hearty greens or lettuces, radishes, cucumbers, melons, and squashes. Quick tips on dishes– herbs are great thrown into an all inclusive food-​processed creamy ranch style dressing; any combination of hearty greens (kale, collards, chard, spinach) are delicious creamed and pureed; radishes apparently go in anything! (sliced in sandwiches, amazing in a stir fry or curry (real flavor soakers), sweeter and perfect snacks cut into wedges and roasted); and squash is often complemented by the right cheese. The leftover veggie greens get fed to my dogs and the composting worms, but if I were a juicer I would welcome all the carrot and beet greens.
Don’t overlook the every other week CSA option with the potential to supplement other veggies in between, along with shares now being available in individual, small, medium, and large finding the right combination is simpler. I usually get 10 – 13 items in my medium share, with the going rate for organic produce at $ 4 – 6 an item, it’s a steal. I love the familiarity of going into restaurants that feature local produce and recognizing the baseline flavors of what’s available seasonally and taking home inspiration. I’ve been impressed with how long JBG’s produce lasts in my fridge. If you want the best out of your veggies eat your lettuces first, use the herbs next, then the heartier greens like spinach, eat the medium density veggies next like squash and brussel sprouts, and save the thickest skinned veggies and root veggies til the end like radishes, daikon and sweet potatoes. Absolute worst case scenario, amnesty stir fry is a thing and can be unpredictable, famously delicious, and singular!
I’m a total nerd and went to one of the farmshare volunteer days years ago, just to make sure all the vegetables were leading happy lives and was not let down. The JBG employees are wise on the ways of preparing anything and give sound advice for your home plants and vegetable patches. Their website is a great resource for recipes and I have found the weekly labeled photo guide massively helpful. As a method to get your veggies in, JBG is admittedly somewhat of an uphill dance, but it’s as close as it gets to the satisfaction of raising your own veggies.
TL;DR– I love JBG. The best customer service. Great prices on veggies and the occasional fruit with CSA membership. Familiarize yourself with the ingredients your favorite chefs use. You need a game plan to make it work, but don’t be afraid to pause, postpone, or redirect your service.

Just finished our 4-​week trial period with JBG’s CSA and have to say I’m glad it’s over. The website is great, I like that you can easily substitute and add what you’ll be getting in your box each week. Other than that I wasn’t impressed with the value or the quality of food we received. Maybe I’m just spoiled coming from a CSA in Philadelphia that was $ 465 for medium sized box for 6 months, compared to JBG that would be closer to $ 800.
It may be a difference of interpretation, but to me community supported agriculture is a give and take arrangement: we are supporting a small, locally sustainable business and in return we are getting a great deal on the highest quality produce. I certainly never felt that we were getting anything close to the approximate $ 21 per week evaluation of food, especially with the many options of local and organic produce here in Austin.
In our final box we received: ¾ lb carrots ($ 1.99 at Whole Foods), 1 ¼ lb Brussels sprouts ($ 3.15 at Whole Foods), 4 turnips ¾ lb ($ 1.75 at Whole Foods) and a bushel of kale ($ 1.99 at Whole Foods). Obviously the price comparison to a giant corporation like Whole Foods Market is not entirely fair, but the disparity between the box evaluation at $ 21 and the price to purchase these same organic and often locally harvested vegetables at WF for only $ 9 is difficult to ignore.
Interpretations of what it means to support community agriculture aside, the produce that we received was often not in the greatest shape and not the freshest. Twice received spinach that arrived pretty beat up and after one day in the refrigerator was rotten.
I also wonder what the thought process behind a Thursday/​Friday delivery day is, there could be something about harvesting/​delivery etc. that makes these the best days and I’m unaware of, but from our end it was not ideal. For our family in particular on the weekends we are often going away or having dinner with friends out of the house, whereas it’s during the week that we do the majority of our cooking at home and by that point much of the produce was on it’s way out.
If you’re looking for a CSA to get fresh produce more often to improve your lifestyle and expand your cooking abilities do it! They’re great! I’m just not sure this is the one for me.

I’m planning a few businesses in the Austin area, one of which is a restaurant. I contacted JBG organic to see if I could get a very simple pricing list so I could start making an accounting plan. Not only was any kind of pricing list unavailable even after going directly through the «send this contact form for a pricing list» link, the agent on the other end was smug and totally inappropriate. I’ll be taking my business elsewhere.

This is for the CSA pick up in San Antonio. The veggies were in rough shape most of the time and not what was pictured on their facebook. They post a pic of what’s in a box but we always had weird substitutions. Ended up cancelling our share because it just wasn’t worth it. I was really disappointed with our few months w jbg.

The Dallas pick-​up process doesn’t work (at least at my location), and the produce was a mixed bag of great, mediocre, and rotten. Add the fact that, like any CSA, you’re doomed to get vegetables that your family doesn’t like, and this CSA became over priced and time consuming.
Like many, I purchased a Groupon and signed up for a medium container. At the same time, I signed up for another four weeks. I recently moved here from the DC area (where I was part of a CSA), so I thought I had a reasonable idea of what to expect.
On week 1 (Groupon week), my husband went about an hour into the three-​hour pick up window. No produce. I called JB’s organics (a/​k/​a Johnson’s Backyard) and was told it was there. Um, no. My husband went back about five minutes before the end of the three-​hour pick up window, and the box was there.
Opened the box and found a petite watermelon, two jalapeños, four mild peppers (Hungarian wax?), four cucumbers, four shockingly tasteless tomatoes (argh! one of the huge benefits of a CSA should be the awesome ‘maters), two rotten patty pan squashes, two usable patty pan squashes, two long summer squashes, a rotten onion, a usable onion, a small bag of carrots, and a perfect bunch of basil.
On week 2 (after the Groupon), my husband thought he’d be crafty and show up later to avoid the it’s there/it’s not there game. It wasn’t there: (I called the office, which was closed. The good news is that they did not charge my credit card. I’m not sure whether the problem is their web site or what, but I don’t care any more. It’s more efficient in terms of time and money just to go the Farmers Market, Sprouts, or Green Grocer.

Every weekend, at the Mueller Farmer’s Market I stock up on great Veggies!
This weekend, I stocked up on peppers (hot and sweet), carrots, onions, and potatoes, all of which are super fresh and smell amazing! In addition to veggies, I purchased some fresh basil to cook on my home-​made pizza and some fresh mint to make tasty drinks for some visitors this week.
All in all, I have never been disappointed by my purchases with JBG and look forward to seeing them every weekend!
Oh, and yes the carrots really are as amazing as many of these reviews!

I don’t care about anything else – this review is for the carrots. If you love carrots, cool. If you don’t love carrots, you probably have never tasted a real carrot — a carrot that comes from from Johnson’s Backyard Garden.
I thought I was a carrot-​lover. I drank carrot juice. I bought organic carrots from HEB. I knew carrots, right? Wrong. I had never truly tasted a carrot until I had the red, spicy, delicious ones from JBG. At just $ 3 for a hearty bunch or bag of these delicious root vegetables, you owe it to yourself to at least give them a try.

Eh, what’s up Doc? I’ll tell ya! It’s these amazing carrots. We’ve been getting them at Wheatsville for some time now and it’s time to give back some of the love. These almost neon orange suckers taste like no other. Makes me want to juice ‘em. As if I had the time or the right tools to do that. They are the type of food that everyone should eat just to realize what real food tastes like.
If you or your family is addicted to any of the following: McNuggets, Flat Screen TVs, Pizza, Mac ‘N Cheese, Fruity Pebbles, pornography, baseball or Frapuccinos, chances are this review is totally lost on you. But if you’re not about to be dissed by a food elitist, I’d recommend taking your hard earned ducats to the farm. And don’t miss that left turn at Albuquerque!

Oh JBG how I wanted to give you another chance to love you!
I’ve preordered bulk tomatoes 2 times from these folks and all I have to say is fool me twice SHAME ON ME.
Who picks tomatoes early and stores them in the refrigerator? I thought PERHAPS my last order was a fluke but I just gathered another 40 pounds to can for my family and again they are MUSHY and yellow.
A tip to you JBG, tomatoes get ruined when you refrigerate them. We’d rather buy green tomatoes and let them ripen at home than this nonsense.
Live and learn.
And again, a friendly stranger saw me huffing and puffing hauling them to my car and helped me out. The hipster guy at the truck didn’t even offer to let me take the boxes one at a time. Sigh. Thumbs down. You’ve lost my business forever.

Our box of fresh, organic produced included:
Carrots
Spring Onions
Radishes
Beets
Basil
Cilantro
Kale
Chard
Red leaf lettuce
Green leaf lettuce
One beautiful orange
The lovely produce plucked from the field was left in a box on our front porch as scheduled. Easiest delivery I’ve experienced.
It was impossible for us to finish everything but we tried leaving only the chard. What do you do with chard? We made lots of fresh salads. Basil on homemade pizza. Salads. Roasted kale in olive oil with Parmagianno Reggiano. Salads. Roasted beets, spring onions and carrots with a butter and Balsamic reduction. Salads.
We used a Groupon for our lovely veggies but you can find them at the Barton Creek Farmer’s Market every Saturday.
Did I mention salads?

I’ve had a long history with JBG and this may be a longer review than my others on Unilocal.I’ve read some of the other reviews and was pleased to see high ratings for the farm. A trend I’ve noticed with establishments of high integrity and quality is many high star ratings and then a few nay sayers who have specific complaints.
So how did I find out about JBG? Brenton Johnson called me one day because I’d posted a craigslist ad looking for drip tape for garden irrigation. He had me over, explained that they wished they could recycle the material and in some places farmers due but it’s because of the quantity that that’s provided. They have to throw the plastic away but I’m free to grab however much I’d like from the last batch they picked up. He explained that the tractors lay the drip tape out from a roll they purchase and there’s no way to do it again lest there’s huge amounts of manual labor. The drip irrigation saves water and well… take what you want.
He gave me a tour personally and showed me around then said I could take what I wanted. So here’s a local farmer, doing his best to not only make a living but actually cares about a small little piece of plastic not getting reused. I was impressed and still am today.
The black plastic sheeting another reviewer mentioned? That plastic sheeting helps with weeding, helps retain moisture and along with the drip tape allows a farmer to grow organically more easily. It’s not ideal but a farmer has to work with certain biological and economic facts.
I couldn’t afford JBG when I first went to volunteer one day. I worked as a farm hand, hauled sacks of onions, stacked garlic, weeded and did anything else I was asked. As an American I got a sense of why immigrant labor is such a huge issue in this country. Americans do Not want to do this sort of work. That being said the Mexicans I met who work on the farm seem happy, are paid decent wages and are a strong work force to help keep the farm in operation. They help me with my spanish and show me how to pull weeds effectively.
The produce is organic, local, fresh and tasty. Even my raw vegan friends who came in from CA appreciated it when they went to work on the farm with me. After several weeks of volunteering I finally found the cash to subscribe. Using the produce regularly has been great fun. There’s always a mix of produce from salad greens, carrots, sweet potatos and turnips to work with. Instead of basing my meals around whatever meat I have around I now base it around JBG produce.
We have renewed our subscription and having worked with it regularly our whole family relishes our next pickup day. We have plenty of fresh salads and other veggies to make soups with now that it’s winter. Overall I’d say the produce is the best I’ve had other than what I’ve grown myself in my own yard.
Masanobu Fukuoka wouldn’t consider what Brenton does natural farming. They do use wells as they are right along the river. They do till, they do use large farm equipment in the form of tractors but the niche that JBG is filling is much needed in our area. I’ve heard people say that you cannot grow produce in our area, this is why cattle is a large industry. Partially this is true but there are spots and JBG is taking advantage of an important piece of land in a sea of factory farmed mass produced shipped in on trucks produce from Mexico.
Local people want local vegetables, in season and produced on a larger scale that’s affordable. JBG is serving those customers.
I’ll give you another story so you don’t think my reviews are just rainbows and moonbeams. One day we had to move huge sacks of onions on the farm and my low back was bothering me. I was not working to my usual physical capacity and Brenton saw me and made a somewhat disparaging comment about my speed. At first, I got a little huffy, after all I want to earn my keep so to speak but hey when my back is less than optimal, it just is what it is.
At first it agitated me. It seemed sorta down putting to make comments on my speed but I realize that he’s done much more manual labor than I have. I also realized he doesn’t know my back hurts. Then as I pondered it as I kept working, do I know what it’s like to raise a family on the wages of an organic vegetable farmer in central Tx?
Trust me folks, Brenton and his crew work hard for what they have. Farming is not the life for everyone. Brenton might have been testy but it’s because on the larger picture he’s worried about money, schedules, timing, taxes, wages, paychecks, seed starting, irrigation laying, paperwork, renewing the farms organic certification paperwork and dealing with inspectors.
Do I like JBG and Brenton? Yes, Brenton can give me all the attitude he wants when my back hurts. He’s doing what I cannot, getting the local community to support organic farms by showing them what local produce can be.
My gift to my family this Christmas? We’re subscribing to the farm for a year. Thanks to Brenton and crew.

I really enjoyed having a CSA box, it forced me to eat lots of veggies and try new things. Johnson’s was pretty easy to work with.
My only complaint is when I had an emergency and couldn’t get my box one week and asked them a day or two in advance if I could skip this week, they got back to me after I should have picked it up to tell me no, they couldn’t do that, and my box had been donated. Obviously it’s great that they donated it instead of just throwing it away, but I thought it was a bit sucky that I spent $ 35 on a box and they wouldn’t help accommodate me in a bad situation.

Will Work For Food has a whole new meaning at Johnson’s Backyard Garden. Literally you can work for food here. You sign up to volunteer and they pay you in the produce you harvest.
I recently volunteered at one of their workshare events and came home with carrots, fennel, onions, garlic, cucumbers, squash, beets and basil. Totally worth 5 hours of labor that also happened to be a great work out and fun!
It is recommended that you RSVP for these workshares 48 hours in advance but I would recommend a week cause they fill up fast. Bring water, sunscreen, work gloves and a snack and plan to sweat and get your nails dirty.