Forces of Nature
Hello Chimacum Corner Community!
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!
Native Plant Pups
In a biome known for geological and oceanic wonders, it’s easy to forget the lush diversity of plant life that surrounds us. Not so at the Chimacum Corner Nursery. Half of our nursery is dedicated to retailing native plants in various forms; bare root, potted, and in seed. We have an extensive selection from a small armada of nurseries. If you are seeking value we have bare root trees and shrubs from WACD and 4th Corner nurseries for between $6.99 and $7.99. We are particularly excited about our potted Red Flowering Currants as well as the Wild Ginger. If you are in need of a large wildlife hedge, we have Pacific Wax Myrtles as well as Serviceberries that also create amazing habitat for birds and pollinators. You could start a whole forest from bare root Western Red Cedars, Hemlocks, and even Oregon White Oak. Don’t forget the ground covers too, like Kinnickinnick and Yellow Monkey Flower. For bare root plants, we only get one shipment from the growers, so when they’re out, they’re out til next season. And since the best time to plant is now (rainy season), come on down to the Nursery and take stock of all the beautiful plant life! As our native/edible Plant Buyer Jude says, “When you choose native plants, you become a force of nature.”
Last Call on the 2025 Tonnemaker WA Grown ORGANIC Apple Crop
While not exactly native to Washington, the apple is definitely synonymous with large scale Washington agriculture. Tonnemaker Hill Farm has had an excellent run on apple crops this year, and still have deep stores in reserve of the longest keeping varieties. Give the Evercrisp a try, it is a Honeycrisp-Fuji cross known for its storage potential!
CASE DEALS TOO!
We still have an abundance of 20lb cases of Tonnemaker Fuji Apples. By far our most purchased case. Inquire in store for availability of cases in other varieties of apples as well!
Fish From Here
Living within our biome means keeping your protein fishy. Fortunately we have impeccable locally-based fishing businesses operating at the highest ethical level. We have beautiful sides of sockeye salmon from Katfish Salmon Co., as well as some cuts of Black Cod and Halibut from them. We have selections of tinned fish from both Katfish and local legends Cape Cleare. And if you haven’t discovered the delectable seafood based broths by Yodelin Broths yet, then you’re in for a treat. Simply use for sipping or to deepen the base of a soup or sauce. Deep gratitude for the notoriously hard work done on boats to put up a local supply of high quality ocean proteins.
Wild Oats
Did you hear there’s a new bar in town? Yeah, it’s the Corner Kitchen Date & Oat Bar! This gluten-free and vegan sweet treat is packed with rolled oats, sliced almonds, dried apricots, and tahini. It is all bound together with delicious Date Paste, no cane sugar added. With so many hallowed favorites in our Baked Treats set, it really takes a solid recipe to break through to the shelf, and we feel like we’ve got one here. One can only eat so many chocolate zucchini muffins, after all. Branch out and take a chance on this new contender.
Kelp is an amazing plant and a big part of our native sea ecosystem. It also has the potential to be an important part of regenerative ocean-based farming economies. As a salute to the power of kelp, it is apropos that the Gimme seaweed snacks are on the deals sheet at the moment. Cut them into fine ribbons to use as confetti for a rice bowl meal, or eat like chips with a steaming bowl of kimchi jiggae. Did you know that ‘Gim’ means seaweed in Korean, and is why the Gimme brand is so named?
In honor of the fallen “Quad God,” Ilia Malinin, of Olympic figure skating notoriety, our founder Katy placed Turnip into an old landscape from Pieter Brueghel the Elder whose subject is Icarus. Turnip looks on aghast as Ilia/Icarus sinks into the mighty river. However, we know that Ilia’s wings will mend and he will challenge the sun once more, in good time. Hope y’all had as much fun watching the Olympics this year as we did!
