In Season: Bamboo Shoots

At YellowTree Farm, we're big on gleaning and foraging.  Open your eyes; there's plenty of food all around us just going to waste. Bamboo shoots are in season right now, and we're selling plenty of them at the Maplewood Farmer's Market.  Fresh, springtime bamboo shoots are considered a delicacy all over Asia, and they're an excellent source of fiber, protein, vitamin C, potassium, vitamin E, and iron.  

If you're already a fan of the frozen or canned bamboo shoots available in grocery stores or in your delivery of Asian takeout, you simply must try our locally foraged fresh version.  Just peel back the outer layers until you come to the tender, bright green insides.  Slice them up, boil or sauté them with some salt and oil, and you've got a hyper-local side dish to any meal.

CSA Coming Your Way!

It's true.  We've decided to do a CSA this year, with pickups to be held at our booth at the Schlafly Farmer's Market.  We're doing things a little differently than how typical CSAs are set up:  We are offering shares in more affordable tiers of $500, $200, or $100.  This is structured so that you get to enjoy our specialty produce and still have enough money in your pockets to spend throughout the farmer's market.  It also serves as a great introductory CSA plan if you're a newbie to CSAs, if you're hesitant to sign up for one based on expense, or if you're afraid you'd waste unused produce.

There are roughly 30 market days at Schlafly from April-October.  Our $500 share provides for pickups of items at nearly every market date, with the value of each pickup being $18-$20.  The $200 share allows for half the number of pickups (to be set up, for example, every other week, or however you like), with $15-$17 as the value of each pickup.  The $100 share provides a small taste of the items we offer, with pickups valued at around $8.  It won't be enough produce to fill the fridge, but it'll provide a great opportunity to sample and try our unique items.
(keep reading...)

Fall Project: Microgreens

At YellowTree Farm, we're always thinking of ways to remain productive during the colder months.  Late last summer, we decided our cold-weather project this year should be growing microgreens.  

Microgreens are a tiny form of edible greens produced from the seeds of vegetables, herbs or other plants.  They're used in a variety of ways, including as salad components and as garnishes.  Microgreens can have surprisingly intense flavors considering their diminutive size, making them perfect as a flavor accent.

Their tiny size makes them nutrient-dense - all the energy it takes to grow from seed to full-size vegetable is packed inside these tiny greens.   Microgreens are often higher in protein, phyto-chemicals, vitamins and minerals than their full-size veggie counterparts.  

We offer them to chefs in custom blends.  The varieties we grow include:  arugula, beet, brocooli, carrot, Chinese heading mustard, chrystanthemum shungiku, collard greens, fennel, fenugreek, leeks, mizuna, onion, pac choi, purple kohlrabi, radish, red mustard, red Swiss chard, tatsoi, and Tokyo bekana.  Keep an eye out for our microgreens at your local restaurant.  

There's Someone You Should Meet...

...and we hope his singing gets stuck in your head.

For Sale: Vegetables and Herbs

This year we are teaming up with our friend Kelli Best-Oliver and are offering a variety of vegetables and herbs available for pre-order. Provided next to some of the names of items below is a link where you can search for descriptions of the particular varieties. To pre-order, please either e-mail (justin@yellowtreefarm.com) or twitter @YellowTreeFarm.

Vegetable plants
Celery
Eggplant
Leeks
Onion (Ishikura bunching) (Johnny's)
Onion (deep purple bunching) (Johnny's)
Pepper (zavory hot) (Burpee)
Potatoes (seed potatoes, variety TBD)
Tomatillos (green) (Seed Savers)
Tomatillos (purple) (Seed Savers)

Herb plants
Anise (pimpinella anisum)
Basil *Dark Purple Opal, Genovese, Italian Large Leaf, Lime, and Small Leaf
Borage (seed)
Caraway (seed)
Chervil
Cilantro
Dill
Fennel
Hyssop
Lavender
Lemongrass
Lovage
Marjoram
Moroccan Mint
Oregano
Parsley *Giant Italian and Flat Leaf
Rosemary
Sage
Shiso (purple)
Thyme
Tulsi

Seeds available
Arugula
Banana melon (Baker Creek)
Chinese yellow cucumber (Baker Creek)
Daikon radish
Dakota black popcorn (Baker Creek)
Detroit red beet
Dill (Baker Creek)
Fennell (Baker Creek)
Mongogo du guatemala squash (Baker Creek)
Parsley
Purple kohlrabi
Tatume squash (Baker Creek)
Thai golden round melon (Baker Creek)
Tulsi
Udmalbet eggplant (Baker Creek)
Yellow watermelon

For Sale

Herbs (fresh, for drying, herbal teas, and/or already dried):

black opal basil
chamomile
genovese basil
lavender thyme
majoram
nasturtium
oregano
purple basil
sage
shisho
summer savory
szechuan buttons
tarragon
thyme
tulsi tea/holy bail
winter savory

Locally foraged pears

For Sale

Available now:

carrots
celery
cucumber
herbs:

black opal basil
chamomile
genovese basil
lavender thyme
majoram
nasturtium
oregano
purple basil
sage
shisho
summer savory
szechuan buttons
tarragon
thyme
tulsi tea/holy bail
winter savory

lettuce greens
pears
peppers (mild)
peppers (stuffing)
plums
potatoes
squash
Upon request:
chanterelle mushrooms
honey
rabbit
Available soon:
melons
tomatoes

Our produce and herbs are organic, heirloom varieties and we don't use any Bt or chemical sprays.
e-mail justin@yellowtreefarm.com to place an order and arrange a pick-up.
(pictured: part of the herb garden)