FRUIT TREES SEEK HOMES
Hello Chimacum Corner Community!
The trees we plant are sundials that record “long-form” time. We revisit them year after year, pruning to help with their sculpture, feeding to help with their growth. It is a long game that rewards patience, diligence, and creating the appropriate container for life in the soil. Spring is happening in fits and starts as it tends to in April. One day, a still, evening golden hour, the next, a half inch of hail. Things are slowly waking up in the Nursery, and as such we are launching an end of season Sale on all Bare Root Fruit Trees, 25% off. Cherries and Hazelnuts are the current stars of the show, with some assortment of Pears, Quince, Apples, and more. We have some excellent Produce and Grocery items to complement your quest for future fruits. Stay well and much love from the Corner!
Bare Root Fruit Tree Sale
Things are waking up quickly this spring. The Bigleaf Maple Catkins burst onto the scene within one day last week. That being said, there is still time to plant some edible perennials. In order to encourage you to re-home these beautiful plants from our place to yours, we have put all remaining Bare Root Fruit Tree stock on sale, for 25% off! We have a great selection of Bare Root Cherries, featuring classic cultivars like Bing, Lapin, and Stella, the latter two having been developed in British Columbia. We also have a good gaggle of bioregionally appropriate Pear selections, from Rescue to Ubileen to Conference. If you’re looking for something a little further afield, try planting a few “Pollly-O” Hazelnut Trees, which are purported to be the preferred cultivar of the chocolate industry. Don’t forget to cross-pollinate by planting another cultivar like Macdonald nearby. In addition to all of these sumptuous specimens, we were surprised that we hadn’t sold out of Bare Root Cosmic Crisp apple trees yet. Our overstock is your backyard buffet! Also keep a weather eye out for the discounted Northwest Native Bare Root Plants that are in our midst. As with everything, your new plant-friends could be aided and abetted by showing them love with some Mycorhizzal inoculants as well as some fresh high quality compost!
Berries Jubilee
Since we are keeping it fruity in this edition, we would be remiss not to mention all the tasty berries that have been coming through the Produce Porch in recent days. We have been most delighted by the Family Tree label of blueberries, which have a precisely consistent, complex sweetness (We have yet to find an underripe or tart berry in a Family Tree pint). Keep your eyes peeled for low prices on Driscoll half-pint raspberries, which continue to eat well. We have also gotten our hands on the first runs of California open-pint strawberries which has been a real treat. These major label berries are the perfect appetite-whetter for the eventual local fruit explosion!
Sloop John Bee
The food forest could never exist without the pollinator. A great way to support your local pollinators is to buy local honey! Fortunately we have an excellent, steady supplier of honey in Sailing S Orchard & Apiary. Mark’s care and dedication to his hives is evident in the quality of the honey he brings in. We also carry Sailing S cut-comb honey and bee pollen, perfect for a cheese board or to adorn a morning yogurt bowl. Come on in and check out the bounty of local beekeeping!
Why not put some perennials in your soda? For a unique beverage experience, get your hands on one of the sparkling botanical teas we carry from Rishi Tea & Botanicals. Now on deal through the end of April, they are available in three forms: Dandelion Ginger, Grapefruit Quince, and Schisandra Berry. Schisandra Berry is commonly known as “five-flavor fruit” due to its complex flavor, and it definitely takes your tongue to the rodeo! It grows on perennial woody vines and is native to Northern China, and is the base ingredient for omija-cha, a traditional Korean tea that purports to improve blood circulation and kidney function. A Rishi sparkling botanical tea is a delightful addition to any sunny Chimacum day.
Choco-cherry Buckwheat Cake
Sakura-Con has come and gone, but we’ve still got cherries on the brain around here. Reward yourself for investing in a Bare Root Cherry Tree with a slice of Chocolate Cherry Buckwheat Cake from the Corner Kitchen! Described by our Assistant Grocery Manager Harvey as “the Kitchen’s love letter to Chimacum,” this gluten-free cake features Buckwheat Flour from Chimacum Valley Grainery, cherry chunks from Tonnemaker Hill Farm, and a Fromage Blanc Icing that calls for Mystery Bay Farm cheese. The result is a generously chocolatey bite with notes of cherry and a country twang from the buckwheat and icing. Delish!
Farmers Market Coming Soon
Derek Franson and company have been hard at work doing a final push to prepare our back lot for the Chimacum Farmers Market season! They touched up the parking lot and created a nice ring of alder chips to house all of the fabulous vendor booths. Even the picnic tables got a fresh layer of chip! We can’t wait to see you all out at the Corner on Sundays again. And we’ve got another surprise up out sleeves… Hint: We’re the GOAT of grocery.
