BASKETS AND BERRIES
Hello Chimacum Corner Community!
May 31st will feature a Blue Moon, and May’s moon is traditionally referred to as the Flower Moon (they made a movie about a book about it). June’s full moon is referred to as the Strawberry Moon by many indigenous communities. How fitting, then, to feature flowers and strawberries in the transitional week between May and June. We have a great variety of blooms in the Nursery, but the focus of the day is the Hanging Fuchsia Baskets from Egg & I Gardens. The fuchsia flowers are like little lanterns, lighting the way to beauty. Likewise, we have had a great run on several kinds of berries of late, but the girl of the hour is the strawberry. Being a notorious prize of all kinds of pests, to find a pure, undamaged, totally ripened strawberry in your patch is to graze the ceiling of divinity. Open pint strawberries from the Northwest are here and eating well, so now is the time to enjoy them! Read on for all the “berry” special things going down at the Corner.
Fuchsia on Fleek
You may have seen a proliferation of immaculate hanging blooms floating about the Corner Nursery of late. Those are fuchsias, and they are the meticulous handiwork of Doyle Yancey, our very own Westen Johnson, and the whole family crew over at Egg & I Fuchsias. The fuchsia basket operation is a multigenerational labor of love, begun by Doyle’s mother Linda, with fuchsia genetics that Doyle and co. have been cultivating for many years. When asked what his favorite cultivar was, Westen said “Blueberry Fizz,” which has flowers with white/pink sepals and purple/pink swirled/speckled petals. Far out man! Also according to Westen, the first fuchsias were discovered in Haiti/Dominican Republic, and there is a cultivar in New Zealand that grows into a tree that can reach 50 feet tall! Furthermore, did you know that the berries of fuchsias are safe to eat? In addition to fuchsias, we also have limited quantities of their sun tolerant baskets that feature the bright yellow flower Bidens. An Egg & I basket is a marquee addition to any porch or patio!
Sensational Strawberries
It is officially Northwest-grown strawberry season, and we couldn’t be more elated. Shout out to all who came out and supported Tonnemaker Strawberry Miracle Weekend! The open pint strawberries from Oregon just get better and better with the summer-like temps and pre-solstice day lengths. Rumors of the first local strawberries from Red Dog and Spring Rain have been spreading too! You know how it is, the early birds at Farmers Market get the worms! The abundance of Northwest strawberries aptly coincides with local Rhubarb season. The rhubarb crop at Chimacum Corner is a true bullpen-by-committee, featuring rhubarb from many small local farms, including Water Moon Farm, Edgerton Family Farm, and Shooting Star Farm. Time to make hay (or crisp, or crumble) while the sun is shinin’!
Welcome to Jam Rock
Any discussion of Northwest berries would be remiss not to mention the true cornucopia of local jams we have on the shelf at the Corner. We feature jars from Spring Rain Farm, Grey Fox Farm, and Mary’s. Some favorites are the Strawberry Jalapeno from Spring Rain, as well as the Blueberry Citrus from Grey Fox. Snag a local jam, some Chimacum Valley Grainery, White Lotus, or Pane D’Amore bread, and some CB’s peanut butter for your next picnic or hiking snack!
Corner Kitchen
Strawberry Spinach Salad R&D
Just in time for strawberry season, the Corner Kitchen in working on the latest research and development of some exquisite recipes both sweet and savory. For sweet, we are anticipating the return of the Strawberry Shortcake Mascarpone, which is sure to be a knockout. And for savory, Mike has a strawberry spinach salad featuring Mystery Bay fromage blanc and candied almonds. We love a tender strawberry spinach moment! Keep your eyes peeled for the landing of both of these bad boys in our Deli / Grab’N’Go Cooler.
There are some screamin’ DEALS on “dairy-free frozen desserts,” aka ice cream! Both the Cado and Cosmic Bliss lines are around three dollars off per tub. Who does mint chocolate chip better? We can finally put the debate to rest. The Cosmic Bliss Vegan Vanilla could serve as a delectable base to a whole assemblage of your favorite berries too! This deal just started, so take advantage for the next several weeks. And we always post our latest Deals sheet on the front doors of the store and at the registers, so feel free to check it out next time you are in.
Return to Earth Launch
We at the Corner believe in the magic of compost. Hence why we are particularly stoked to shine a light on a burgeoning Food Waste Composting program in Jefferson County, called Return To Earth. Founded by Keith Dixon, formerly of Holy Shiitake Fungi, it is a project of the StrongerTowns 501(c)3. Keith has brought together a composting facility on the margins of the JeffCo Transfer Station, and is launching an affordable food scrap composting program with many convenient drop-sites in Port Townsend. Subscribers even receive a bag of finished compost from their submissions twice a year. Check out the website and the FAQ page to see if you might be a good fit for participating in the program. The food scrap drop-off service is launching June 1st, so you can start reducing your landfill usage right away! Go Keith!
