Here we are at the Ides of March. It always seems to be a bit stormy and volatile in the Salish Sea at this time, befitting of the date’s historical significance. It is also the true beginning of the local farming season. So begins the seven month sprint to October! Local heroes are already emerging with fresh wares, and still putting out beautiful storage crops. After a long winter, green is top of mind though. We count ourselves lucky to have a bowl of cooked local collards or spinach this time of year. We also have a horde of little green babies in the Nursery now, to greet you with glee! Contrary to Kermit the Frog, we do think green things are “flashy sparkles in the water” and “stars in the sky”! Read on for all things local and green!

Picking berries has to rank near the top of life’s greatest activities. It’s an addicting yet grounding practice, with a healthy dose of stretching and concentrating. And don’t forget the quality control tasting! Maybe you already have your own cherished berry patch, or maybe you are dreaming of one. Now is the time to stake your claim and plant your fruit, whether it lives on a tree or in a shrub. Around here, March means moving soil and digging holes. It’s going to be a fruit-tastic spring! Follow along to see all of the edible wonders on tap at CCF these days.

The local valley bottoms finally got the faintest whisper of snow last week, though it didn’t really stick around much after all. Two dustings has been the extent of it thus far this “winter.” If 2021 was the year of the “Heat Dome,” perhaps we can name 2025 the “Snowless Winter”. Not to count our meteorological chickens before they hatch, but it would seem we are due for a rather long spring. Perfect for establishing vegetable crops, both annual and perennial! Around the crossroads, we’ve got Asparagus, Potatoes, and Onions on the brain. Ask any home grower, a fistful of backyard asparagus is no small triumph. And who can deny the unbridled joy of unearthing potatoes? Or seeing your onions hanging on the line to cure? Read on for all the ways we love these staple crops that herald the dawn of spring.  

In 1961, a construction crew extending a runway at SEA-TAC unearthed a prehistoric Giant Sloth skeleton (Megalonyx). Nicknamed “Gordy”, after one of the enamoured construction crewmembers, it is the only known fossil record of its kind in Washington state to date. It makes you wonder what “native” looked like thousands of years ago, and all the iterations of “native” our biome has undergone since. Naming something “native” is not a fixed point, but a measure of ecological historicity. Heady stuff! For a snapshot of current native flora, look no further than our very own Chimacum Corner Nursery. Each year, our offerings of native plants get more robust and varied, thanks to all of the local nurseries and propagators keeping species thriving. We are fortunate to live in a place with so many beautiful, useful, and edible native plants. Is it too early to be dreaming of Thimbleberries? Never!  

Backyard fruit is a thing of beauty. Full-fledged orchards become abundance machines, generating gifts that are easy to exchange and then awaited patiently ‘til next season. Part of the core mission of the Chimacum Corner Nursery is making edible plants available to our community to promote nature connection, food abundance, and maintaining horticultural skills. We take a big leap of faith every spring and acquire hundreds of berry, fruit, and nut-bearing plants with the hope that they are whisked off in trailers, pickups, Subarus, and even a Prius or two, and then woven into the ecological fabric of our community. Having edible plants provides a beautiful meditation on staying in touch with the seasons. Our seasoned and highly cerebral Nursery Staff is on hand to help you get to chanting with your soil.  

Local chanteuse/shredder Micaela Kingslight released a single late last year titled “Roots Down Deep.” A mesmerizing, looping chant born from forest song circles, it gently reminds us to “keep [our] focus on the center.” Roots are the one thing that lasts. Leaves, branches, and even trunks can fall, but roots persist through it all and send reinforcements. Chimacum Corner has an intricate root system, each root a connection to food and farming. We try to know our roots by maintaining these connections and strengthening them. You could say we are the “mycorrhizal fungi” of the local food system (read on for more on mycorrhizal fungi)! Read on for all the ways we can exchange nutrients with you this week. :)  

Germination. That liminal state where life goes from a stored, inert state (seed) to a rapidly proliferating organism issuing from a wee set of cotyledons (plant). Truly magical and one of the more exciting phases of plant life. Who hasn’t freaked out with delight when a whole tray of seedlings emerges from one’s soil mix? It feels like many fun and exciting things are germinating at the Corner Store this late winter / early spring. From great sales to new products, we have direct-seeded many a shopping idea throughout the rows of our “garden of groceries.” As aging indie-rockers Bright Eyes once proclaimed in one of their album titles, “The Story is in the Soil, Keep your Ear to the Ground.” And so, we shall.

With all these high-pressure, sunny days we’ve been having, you can almost squint your eyes and look southward all the way to Califor-nye-aye! This sunshine streak has its mirror on the Produce Porch here, where we have been rockin’ on the citrus scene for quite some time now. As we don’t have much abundance in the citrus department locally, it always comes as a winter treat (when local is scarce anyhow) to sample the many wares of southern climes. From the cutest Kumquat to the most bodacious Pummelo, we have a little bit of everything in Vitamin-C-land out here. There’s no healthier way to chase off the winter doldrums than nourishing fruits! We are excited to be back at the Newsletter after a small hiatus, and look forward to what bounty 2026 might bring. Thanks for tuning in!

As the sun sets on another solar cycle, it seems appropriate to pause. Some refer to the time between Christmas and New Year’s Day as “the void,” a time when it feels weird to work, or travel, or really do much of anything. A perfect time to sit with oneself and take stock. “Now our lives are changing fast / hope that something pure can last,” wrote Winn Butler and the Arcade Fire crew on their track “We Used To Wait.” Purity seems to grow ever scarcer. What of something pure remains that you will carry into 2026? For many of us here, there’s a purity to the cycle of our local food system, that we hope to carry on into the future. From Red Dog Tulips to Midori Tetsukabuto Squash, and everything in between, our local food is something to really be bold and proud about, and to participate in with fervor. So, to the barbeque of life, we shout, “put another shrimp on the barby, baby!”

“YOU’RE NOT SANTA! You smell like beef and cheese.” So decried Will Ferrell, during a shopping mall Santa session, in his turn as Buddy the Elf in the Christmas now-classic film “Elf.” However, we’d like to hope that the Chief Executive Officer of the largest gift distribution network on Earth nourishes himself with local, regeneratively-raised meat and dairy. In our world, Santa ideally does smell like beef and cheese. Turnip has been busy as an elf, decorating eggs for her fellow flocksters. And us elves at the Corner have been hard at work, procuring the best the holiday season has to offer. Whether you just need to dash in for a last minute gift, or are loading up a cart for an epic holiday spread, the Corner is awash in nourishing joy, the perfect antidote for long cold Solstice nights. As Ferrell elucidates, “We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup.”

The Chimacum Holiday Weekend is finally upon us, and we couldn’t be more excited! “Downtown Chimacum” is transformed into a local artisanal Rodeo Drive, from the Grange to the Farmstand. Think of it as our local take on “Shop Small” Saturday, all weekend long.

Many beloved vendors will be on display at both the Chimacum Arts & Crafts Fair at the high school, and the Farmer’s Craft Fair at the Grange. Be sure to get your hand stamp at the Arts & Crafts Fair, as that is your badge of honor that entitles you to discounts at places like Finnriver and the Chimacum Cafe. Participating sites all have a large “Snowbale Person” stationed at the front of their zones (an annual tradition sponsored by CCF, round bales installed by Austin Bishop of Bishop Family Farm). It seems like the Snowbale people might be the only snow we see in Chimacum for a while yet! Read on for a short description of the happenings this weekend.

While it has been an exceedingly mild fall thus far, that doesn’t mean that things aren’t feeling festive around town. Holiday lighting has unfurled from all corners of the county, including upon at least one farm’s hoophouse! Nothing says “holidays in the Evergreen State” quite like some lush arrangements of coniferous greenery. Whether you work with cedar, holly, salal, fir, or magnolia, there is an abundant supply of flora to bedeck your halls. There is also a whole host of living evergreen trees available right here at the Corner, so that you might take home a small piece of the forest with you. Now is the season of decorating, whether on your home or on the plate. Read on to see how we might kit you out at the Corner.

Well, friends, another lap has transpired around the Indy 500 of life. And boy do the laps go by! We are awfully proud to have run our 15th lap as a business. Fitting metaphor, as we were once a local car parts shop. One of the rusty signs of the former proprietor was unearthed from the soil last summer, and is planted at the foot of a lilac in the back of the property. The muck holds many mysteries… 

One thing is for certain, that we love our community - of farmers, builders, herbalists, fisherfolk, artists, bakers, musicians, the list is limitless. We love seeing all the intricate connections - the farmer whose partner is a builder who is constructing a recording studio for the musician. That connection fostered because you both happened to get coffee at the same time that one day last spring. The core, intangible function of being a community hub is the cherished, special piece of the Corner that makes it a valuable space. It is always happening in simultaneity to the obvious, mercantile function, often at the junction between spices and oils.

We are so insanely grateful for our intrepid staff, die-hard customers, gifted producers, and gracious community partners that, taken all together, make a brilliant kaleidoscope of intentional rural life. It’s enough to make any chick cluck from the top of her beak, let alone Turnip, that tireless tiny cheerleader, now 15 years of age as well! Because of her persistent requests, Katy and Phil finally caved, and got her a smartphone. Her favorite use for it is taking group photos! See below. 

Who knows what 2026 will bring. One thing that we do know is that we will be here, at the corner, cheering the farmers on as each crop makes their elegant return.

Semiahmoonally yours,

The Chimacum Corner Farmstand

Thanksgiving is the time where our humble little natural grocery store becomes a veritable supply depot, loaded down with XL quantities of produce and product. The abundance is evident everywhere, in each cranny and crevice of the shop. Our cup truly runneth over. So come fill yours up! We have stunning produce, ample grocery, local goods, and beautiful nursery stock. Whether you celebrate with friends or family, any great party has to start with quality ingredients. So make your list, check it twice, and if you need help, Turnip is ever eager to lend a wing as your Holiday List Auditer!

I can’t speak for everybody, but I can say that my head is in a hat and hood of some kind for probably 90% of winter. Keeping the chill off your neck is a blessing during “the long grey.” Second to boots, a heavy duty hoodie is an essential tool of the Washington winter. The Corner has doubled down on this fact, reloading on the favorite OG flagship “Farmer Hoodie,” that is a stellar base layer to any hard working individual of the outdoors. Find these threads in the merch cabinet, along with our rainbow array of the keepin’ it local beanies. The Produce Porch is bringing an equally beautiful palette at the present, expertly mounded, merchandised, and color coded by your favorite produce department in the county. With the barrage of the holiday season upon us, make sure y’all take care of yourselves, come grab some of this nutritious abundance provided by our farmer folks. And bundle up with some corner store swag.

Help! Turnip took a tumble into the squash bin. We seek your aid in unearthing her by lightening the load from the bounteous piles of hyperlocal winter squash on the Produce Porch. It is truly the full gamut of winter squash available at this time, as the last squash to cure, Midori’s Tetsukabuto (Japanese for “iron helmet”), has just hit the Produce Porch. Whether you love the wee but flavorful Honeyboat Delicata, all the way up to the big boy Blue Hubbards, there is much to love in squash-land these days. Soup season is in full swing, as is pie season! Get those ovens and stove tops rumblin’!

Happy Spooky Season Y’all! The mist is gathering ever thicker in the valleys, and the trees are in full fall regalia on the highways and byways. Turnip couldn’t decide which costume to wear this year, so she seized on the abundance of halloween festivities and went with both her skeleton costume and her turkey costume! Ever the planner, she wants to know what your plans are for upcoming holiday feasts. She beseeches you to take advantage of the Holiday Protein Pre-order system this year, which gains you access to discounts per pound that aren’t available off the shelf! Read on to learn more about all the options, then head to the live website to reserve your main events!

The last Sunday in October always lands a little bittersweet at the Corner. That is because it is the last Sunday of the year that the steadfast troupe of local small businesses gathers on the back lawn to sell all their fine wares.  However, it is always a joyful market, as folks dress up for Halloween and the JCFM crew goes extra-hard with programming to make the last market extra-fun! Catch Turnip there in her cat suit, hehe! We at the Corner also have a little trick up our sleeve for Sunday, with a special Apple Tasting with Tonnemaker Hill Farm, featuring Mr. Luke Tonnemaker himself! Make sure to pass through the Corner Nursery Greenhouse while you peruse the Chimacum Farmers Market. It is going to be a spooky hoot!

A wave of winter has crash landed on the shores of the Salish Sea. First frost came in with a resounding 360 windmill dunk. As farmers raced to protect crops with row cover, fishing folk returned from northerly climes with coolers full of salmon, black cod, and more. The snappy, brisk mornings have us dreaming of cauldrons full of bubbling, warming soups and stews, and nights spent amongst friends in low light. After a brilliant October Hunter’s Moon, the Beaver Moon resolves itself to quietly building its lodge in the night sky. We are quietly building out our own plans for the holiday seasons ahead. A big part of that plan is providing high quality proteins for the community. In addition to standard protein #1 (turkey), we are taking pre-orders for alternative, indie-rock proteins for the holiday season. Consider a SpringRain Duck or Katfish Sockeye Salmon this season, and keep it local this holiday stretch! Turnip is rooting for ya!  

Of all annuals, perhaps winter squash are the most imperialistic. Imagine, from one pumpkin seed, a vine that can travel ten to twelve feet in one direction! They are audacious, emboldened primadonnas. And their craft; so loud, so expressive. Reds and oranges, deep greens and “hubbard” blues. There is a point every year when you can no longer distinguish the individual beds of a squash patch, when the vines stitch together a sea of bright green.  They toil in obscurity, raising a host of gourds beneath the waves of green. Some put all of their seeds in one basket, and rear some behemoth offspring. It is an annual tradition at CCF to obtain a giant pumpkin and have a “guess-the-weight” gift card contest. This year’s pumpkin has a name, and he is “Big Pumper,” in honor of this historic Mariner’s run we are witness to. There’s “Fall Classics” happening all over the Corner at the moment, candies, pies, pumpkins, and cases of apples! Read along to see what’s hanging off the vine these days at the greatest show in rural natural merchandising.