Hello Chimacum Corner Community!

Dairy farming has always been held up as sort of the most “hardcore” of the farming disciplines. I think most people chalk it up to the razor thin margins and the relentless necessity of it’s schedule. Plus livestock farming of any kind is always a little more chaotic than say, salad mix. Whatever the reason, the farming community tends to hold a special reverence for the dairyfolk. It is in this reverence that we salute the beginning of a cheese sabbatical for Mystery Bay Farm, of Marrowstone Island. These indie cheese darlings have been a WSDA Certified Grade A Dairy since 2009. Helmed by Rachel Van Laanen, this micro-dairy has been a perennial fixture on the plates and in the hearts of Jefferson County for nearly two decades. Chimacum Corner has been extremely proud to be a purveyor of their fine fleet of cheeses all these years. Every year there is much anticipation around when the spring Ricotta will be ready, and it is always a kind of back alley deal to get your hands on it. Rachel and family, thank you so much for feeding our community such impeccable and high quality cheese, yogurt, cajeta, and more over all of these years. We sincerely hope you get to enjoy and recharge in the time away from operating the business. And for all the rabid Mystery Bay cheeseheads, time to stock up on chevre and fromage blanc to sustain you into the winter!

Photo compliments of our GM, Nicole- former milker, cheesemaker, and farmers market maiden of Mystery Bay Farm. This sunrise shot is from circa September 2014 post early AM milking.

Mystery Bay Mania

As we have claimed, Mystery Bay Farm is the local G.O.A.T. of local goat dairy. Now is the time to stock up on chevre and fromage blanc, while supplies last! Their chevre goes good on pretty much everything and is even available as a larger format “Chef’s Log” for particularly intrepid cheese buccaneers. We also have ample stock of their Cow’s milk based Fromage Blanc cheese, which is great for many culinary applications. Whether for the cake or the board, there is always a reason to celebrate and consume Mystery Bay Farm cheeses. Thanks again for 17 years Rachel and Co.! Your dedication to your craft and your land are evident in all that you do. As Gary Snyder once decreed in his poem “For the Children”: “Stay together / learn the flowers / go light”.

Salad Toppers

All this talk of Mystery Bay Chevre got us thinking about how to incorporate it into a beautiful fall salad. Fortunately, the Produce team has just the seasonal options perfect for topping or dipping. Local tender salad greens are still rolling in and of course apples and pears go swimmingly with Mystery Bay Chevre! Add in some finely ribboned radicchio from Red Dog Farm too! Perhaps you toss with a little zippy citrusy vinaigrette and top with your favorite nut to seal the deal! Get creative and have fun with your fall salad.

Get Saucy!

To the folks that can never get enough sauce on their entree: the Corner Kitchen has your back. They have rolled out a little sauce cup program in tandem with their Grab and Go Salads and Sandwiches. Right now they are focused on three favorites: Tamari Ginger, Green Goddess, and Cilantro Ranch, all of which are featured in various offerings they already make. For just a buck fifty, you can be your own sauce boss and doctor things up just how you like them, with all the same Corner Kitchen flavors you love. Pick up a cup on your next stop in, buttercup!

Soil Science

Fall gardening is all about feeding the soil, covering it, and putting things to rest. Organic matter is the best thing to add to any soil (unless you are already deep and loamy, in which case, great job!). To help aid in your applications, the Corner Nursery has a sale going on, 25% off Black Gold Compost. Finished compost both feeds the soil and makes for an amazing overwinter mulch. It is also the last call to get your cover crops in the ground, so that they can get up to an appropriate size to survive the winter cold. Legumes like field pea and fava beans build some amazing nitrogen nodules. Crops like Bunker Triticale and Merced Rye are sturdy grasses that help fix nitrogen in the soil and when terminated and incorporated into soil add a strong boost of organic matter. Finally, for those planting fall bulbs like garlic and tulips, soil amendments like blood meal and feather meal incorporated in fall provide reserves for hungry bulbs in spring. Your soil will be singing when you give it all these wonderful goodies!

We know that you’ve got Mystery Bay chevre on your charcuterie plate, but are you looking for other fun things to fill it out? Lucky for you, we’ve got great deals on the Coro brand charcuterie trays as well as the line of Organic Valley cheeses. The Chipotle & Cocoa (inspired by molé) Salami is a staff pick for sure, and a grassmilk Raw Sharp Cheddar from Organic Valley is a main player on any cheeseboard. Don’t forget the Tonnemaker Hill grapes, they are insanely on point right now!