Well, it's mid-August, which means the farm store starts to boast multiple varieties of apples AND it's time for me to head back to the Mankato Farmers' Market!!
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| Look for the LIME green tents at Market! |
The Farm Store will always showcase what is available during the season, currently that looks like some fresh garden produce, seasonal apples, canned goods, eggs and herbal wellness items.
The Market table will hold seasonal apple varieties (12+ during peak in September!), applesauce, apple butter and seasonal jams, as well as some herbal wellness items.
Organic Garden Produce
Fresh items from the garden in season: cucumbers (green & white), kale, celery. The first tomato ripened this week; this year I should have tomatoes and maybe peppers for sale. No bulk produce quantities.
Organic Apple Varieties
Now Picking: Zestar!, Centennial and Chestnut Crabapples.
In the Farm Store: Centennial Crab (great lunch box littles!), Pristine, Zestar!
Market Apples this Saturday: Pristine, Paula Red, Centennial Crabapples, State Fair. Always our best guess leading up to market, subject to the whims of the orchard and orchardist. ;)
3lb bags of Organic Apples are $8 and quarts of Crabs are $4. More Farm Store deets.
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| Centennial Crabapples |
Centennial Crabapples - Great apple flavor in a
small package! Sprightly and juicy. Fresh eating and cooking. Stores 2-3 weeks.
Released by the UMN in 1957.
Herbal Wellness Items
A couple items that are popular for back to school time are our Elderberry Syrup Kits and our herbal Sore Throat Spray.
Elderberry Syrup Kits - immune boosting tonic you can make at home.
Herbal Tinctures - half a dozen home remedies to work with in your holistic medicine cabinet, from pain to seasonal allergy relief and more.
Sore Throat Spray - spray back of throat 2-3x several times a day for a sore throat, or when you get that little tickle in the back of your throat, like you are going to get something.
For the Bugs -> Herbal Bug Spray, Tick Away EO Spray, Bug Bite Salve.
Bruise Salve - stop a bruise in it's tracks and bring relief to existing bruises, hemerroids.
Knitbone Salve - muskuloskeletal remedy for sprains, strains, broken bones, sore muscles, etc.
Cottonwood Wound Relief Salve - essential for all those minor wounds, burns, think of it like a natural neosporin, without the junk.
Calendula Lotion Bar - solid lotion bar, rub on for soothing moisture that isn't greasy, travel everywhere tin.
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| Making salves is probably my fav. |
To Market, To Market!
Our market season is a little different than other folks! We start main season Mankato Farmers Market mid-August, with apples! We'll be at the summer market location through mid-October, then every Winter Market November - March. Apples are available until we run out for the season, which can look like October, November or January! Depending on the year. Season looks pretty good this year.
I take the last two weekends of October off for personal time after a busy apple season and before a busy winter greenhouse season!! Winter greens run about September to March!!
