August 13th Farm Store + Market Update!

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!!

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.

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.

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!!

Several Fall Apple Shares yet available! Sign up closes soon.

                                        Join our Mailing List to keep up with happenings!

2025 Organic Apple Shares Sign Up!!

Sign up is open for 2025!

We are looking forward to a great season!! We have even picked a couple apples from our odd early birds for our family and made an apple crisp. :)

Fall Apple Share Offerings for 2025

Each week enjoy a 4 lb bag of fresh & local apples.

Each bag sports 1-2 varieties of our organic apples. A mix of standard, lesser known and old heritage types. We'll send out a short weekly newsletter, with apple facts, orchard notes and a recipe. Begins the first week of September.

Three weekly pick up locations:

A.R.F. farm store (Th., Fri., or Sat.) - 6 or 8 weeks

New Ulm Pick Up, Turner Halle Lot (Th. at 5:00pm) - 6 or 8 weeks

Saturdays at the Mankato Farmers Market (8am-12pm) - 6 weeks

$60 :: 6 week Fall Apple Share

$78 :: 8 week Fall Apple Share *best price

*4 lbs not enough? The option to sign up for 2 shares is available.

SIGN ME UP! 

Add to your Fall Apple Share Experience

Add on apple products and Winter Apple Shares.

Applesauce Share  ::  $88

A dozen jars of our clean-eating applesauce. Made with our delicious organic apples, a touch of local honey and organic lemon juice. Choose preferred month of pick up.

November Apple Share  ::  $25  

A 10 lb bag of table apples for fresh eating, baking or preserving. Primarily late-season storage varieties. This share will land 2-3 weeks following the 8 week Fall Apple Shares and 1-2 weeks before Thanksgiving.

Storage Bushel  ::  $94

Stock the larder for winter! Receive a waxed box containing 40 lbs of table apples to store for fresh winter eating, at wholesale price. Select interest in sign up form. Final reservations made in October, for pick up by arrangement in early-mid winter.

SIGN ME UP! 

Please contact us at info@alternativerootsfarm.com or via Facebook with any questions.

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3rd Annual Sowing Seeds: Celebrating Local Foods & Lost Skills

There is much for the kiddos to engage in during Sowing Seeds!!

>Kids craft

>Bubbles

>Facepainting & glitter tattoos with Making Faces Mankato

>Llama Storytime!

>Giant Connect 4 Game

>Swing set

>Observing farm chickens

>Yummie Brick House Meats

REGISTER

VOLUNTEER

Check out the SKILLS DEMOS and MORE!

July 1 Farm Store Update

Watch for 2025 Apple Shares CSA updates! Sign up starting for returning members and wait list folks ASAP!

Grab tickets for the 2025 3rd Annual Sowing Seeds: Celebrating Local Foods & Lost Skills event happening July 13th! Located right here at our farm.

What's In Store

Organic Seasonal Produce is keeping it fresh!
Tart Cherries
Kale

Garlic Scapes *Limited!

Rhubarb *Last call!

Raspberries *Starting this week!

Coming soon: zucchini, celery, cucumbers.

Eggs

Herbal wellness:

Knitbone Salve (muskuloskeletal/pain) 

Bruise Salve

Cottonwood Wound Salve (think natural Neosporin)

Herbal Bug Spray

Bug Bite Salve

Tick Away (essential oil spray)

Cool It Spray  (essential oil spray)

Calendula Lotion Bars

Herbal Tinctures

Applesauce

Apple Butter

Seasonal Jams

Tuesday-Friday 9-7pm & Saturday 9-2pm, or by Appt.

Cash (exact change), check or Venmo *please make sure your venmo goes through!

Bring a shopping bag, or box, bags also provided.

Parking in the parking area at the end of the tree rows. Thank you!

June 7 Last day for plants at the Farm!!

This is your last week to grab Certified Organic garden plants at the farm store!

Organic garden plants are still available at:

Total Landscape & Supply, Madelia

Bluestem Garden Works, Comfrey

Head in soon so your favs don't disappear!

Still at the farm store.......(greenhouse availability will be different!)

-Cabbage

-Kohlrabi, Terek
-Cauliflower, Snow Crown (1)
-Broccoli, DeCicco

-Celery, Ventura (veeery popular, you may become addicted to "real" MN grown celery)

-Jalapeno, Early 

A number of delicious heirloom tomatoes great for fresh eating and processing...
-Amish Paste
-German Johnson (dusky pink, my favorite for BLTs) 
-Sun Gold, cherry type (very prolific)
-Valencia (yellow, low-acid)
-Weavers Black Brandywine (the BEST black tomato I've grown, 2nd fav for BLTs)
-Brandywine
-San Marzano, paste type

Cooling cucumbers!
-M-76 (classic green slicer)
-Cool Customer, Pickler
-Silver Slicer (white, my favorite for flavor)

NEW

-Cocozelle, Zucchini (3)

-Block Party, Butternut Squash *farm only (2)

-Thelma Sanders, Acorn Squash *farm only (2)

-Bush Delicata Squash *farm only

Follow along on social media as summer comes in! 

Things will pop with this rain! Little fruitlets are growing! 

Early June :: What's in Store!

 

June 2 Farm Store Update!

The whole role of the farm store is to showcase what is in season, support a seasonal and local lifestyle and support our small farm and farm family. Fruits change throughout the seasons, canned items are always in stock (jams vary) and herbal wellness supports you throughout the seasons as well!! Farm dogs and chickens may say hello when you stop. :)

Tuesday - Friday 9-7 & Saturday 9-2  *  Exact change cash, check or venmo please!

Stinging Nettles for seasonal allergies.

In Season:

Organic Garden Plants - last day June 7th!!

Organic Asparagus (thru mid-June)

Organic Rhubarb (roughly through the end of June)

What comes next: seasonal garden produce - kale, celery, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini. *No large canning amounts on tomatoes. July brings the next wave of fruits with raspberries, plums, blackberries and apricots!

In Store:

Eggs - Limited, free-range, organic fed.

Applesauce

Apple Butter

Jams - as I make them!

Herbal Tinctures

Salves - Bruise, Knitbone (muskuloskeletal), Cottonwood Wound, Bug Bite

Herbal Bug Spray

Tick Away Essential Oil Spray

Calendula Lotion Bar

Elderberry Syrup Kit

Watch the socials for the latest updates!

Bloom Sale!

The apples trees are just starting to bloom! It's a beautiful time to visit the farm store! Garden plants are starting to show up and Mother's Day is just around the corner.

Swing by and enjoy the beauty and take advantage of a few Farm Store Deals!! **Sales prices are available in the farm store only.**

What's in Store:

Eggs $6

Rhubarb, Organic $4/bunch *just starting!

Asparagus, Organic $7/bunch *just starting!
Elderberry syrup kit $25 SALE $23
Sore Throat Spray $10 SALE $8
Tincture 1oz/$15 - stinging nettles, Ashwaganda, willow bark, astragalus, elderberry, motherwort
Tincture 2oz/$25 - stinging nettles, willow bark, Ashwaganda
Applesauce $8
Apple butter $6 SALE $5
Elderberry jelly $8
Calendula Lotion Bar $10 SALE Two for $16
Herbal Bug Spray $7 SALE $6
Tick away EO Spray $7

Organic Garden Plants $5 - cool season currently: broccoli, kohlrabi, cabbage, cauliflower

Herbal Salves
—Bruise salve - $10 - prevent/treat bruises, fresh/deep wounds, burns, hemorrhoids
—Knitbone salve - $10 - sprains, strains, broken bones, arthritis/tendonitis, musculoskeletal remedy
—Bug Bite Salve $10 SALE $9 - apple to bug bites, bee stings, splinters, for relief
—Cottonwood Wound Relief $12 SALE $10 - (formerly Healing Salve) apply directly to wounds, rashes, burns to support relief

2025 Garden Plants!

Happy garden harvest!

Here is our list of bedding plants we'll be growing this year, so you can plan them into your gardens!! Select items will be available at the farm store come early spring, the majority will be available at the Greenhouse at Total Landscape Supply, in Madelia and a NEW site at Bluestem Gardenworks, Comfrey!!

All of our garden plants are Certified Organic!

Brooke with tomato

Some cool season crops you can plant early...

-Cabbage, Copenhagen
-Kohlrabi, Terek
-Cauliflower, Snow Crown
-Broccoli, DeCicco (side-shooting type for continual harvest)

Ever Popular...

-Celery, Ventura (veeery popular, you may become addicted to "real" MN grown celery)

-Jalapeno, Early 

Amish Paste

A number of delicious heirloom tomatoes great for fresh eating and processing...
-Amish Paste
-German Johnson (dusky pink, my favorite for BLTs) 
-Sun Gold, cherry type (very prolific)
-Valencia (yellow, low-acid)
-Weavers Black Brandywine (the BEST black tomato I've grown, 2nd fav for BLTs)
-Brandywine
-San Marzano, paste type

Cooling cucumbers!
-M-76 (classic green slicer)
-Cool Customer, Pickler
-Silver Slicer (white, my favorite for flavor)

NEW

-Cocozelle, Zucchini

-Block Party, Butternut Squash *farm only

-Thelma Sanders, Acorn Squash *farm only

Follow along on social media as spring approaches! Things will pop with this rain! Apricots are blooming! 

There will likely be other plants available at the farm not listed here, depending on what strikes me, but usually some basil, kale, sweet peppers and other "extras" from my home garden!

Ready to process tomatoes!

Pop Up Market April 19!

 

Popping up in New Ulm this Saturday at The 507 Outskirt, 2232 S Broadway St, New Ulm.

Find out about our Organic garden transplants, applesauce and jams made with Organic ingredients, herbal wellness and how we can keep you in Certified Organic fruit throughout the year!!

See you 9-Noon along with all these vendors

Schaefer Sweets & Treats
Mrs. B's Bakery
Cravings Corner
Ribizli Seed Co.
Alternative Roots Farm
Gertzski Bees
Flour Cottage
E5 Livestock

Let's Talk Celery!

If you have tried Minnesota grown celery you know that the store bought stuff just does not compare. Homegrown/Minnesota grown celery is REAL celery. Full flavored!!

Grown in the garden it’s pretty darn easy to grow, takes up little space and is a great selection, because of its flexibility to cut and come and again.

BONUS it’s super easy to preserve!!

In the garden it needs 12” spacing, a good layer of compost and heavy mulch. It’s a heavy feeder and drinker, so don’t forget to water it well! It can take a small amount of shade.

Harvest by pulling off the largest outside stems as needed, or cut all at once ABOVE the growing point, and it will keep giving.

Don’t forget to use the leaves!!!

Plant as apple blossoms begin falling. It can take a light frost in the fall, but it doesn’t like the chill upon planting. I plant 10-12, to preserve a lot for processing and for a few sales; 2-4 plants should suffice for most.

Preserve stalks and leaves by dehydrating or - my favorite way - by making ice cubes. Chop the stems and leaves, place in ice cube trays and top with water. Freeze. Place in freezer bags or vacuum seal. I like to put 2-3 gallon baggies away for the winter! I dry extra leaves for back up and seasoning.

P.S. The plant can also be dug in the fall and brought into a cold space for growing all winter!! Place in a pot, keep it from freezing and it may continue to give!!

Are you adding celery to your garden?!

Find our Organic celery plants at the farm Total Landscape Supply (Madelia) and Bluestem Garden Works (Comfrey)!

March 22 Fruit Tree Grafting Class

This class fills up fast every year and space is limited!

March 22 Fruit Tree Grafting Class

$70 Registration includes three grafted apple trees!

Saturday, March 22
Minnesota New Country School
210 Main Street, Henderson MN 56044
Time:   9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Cost:    $70 / participant

 

In this class we will teach you how to propagate your own apple trees. We will discuss the time-tested techniques of fruit tree grafting including grafting tools, timing, proper scions and rootstocks. Attendees will practice what they learn by “Whip & Tongue” grafting different varieties of apple trees using modern day rootstocks.

Each participant will take home 3 newly grafted apple trees to be planted on your own property.  Additional rootstocks available for purchase at class. All materials and tools will be provided for the workshop. You can bring your own grafting knife if you prefer. We will bring a variety of apple tree scions to the workshop for grafting. We will graft to semi-dwarfing rootstock.

Optional: Bring scions of your favorite old apple tree if you would like to graft these at the class. We will send out tips for this as we get closer to class, as you don't want to do this too much ahead of time.

 

Register Here

 

You Bring:

• Large trash bag, & pot/bucket to take your grafts home in.
• Lunch or snack for yourself. (Coffee and a scone are provided in the morning.)
• Cash/check for additional rootstock purchase ($3 ea) or grafting knife purchase.

 

Registration & Payment:    

• Registration must be paid in advance.
• Register Here

Learn from John Knisley, of Alternative Roots Farm, a Certified Organic orchardist with 14 years of experience in the orchard. John is passionate about farming and the great outdoors.  At the farm he is most often found working at the orchard or with the herd of pigs.  In his spare time he is a forager, who enjoys fishing, hunting, canoeing and pretty much anything out of doors and hands-on. As a Master Naturalist he is enthusiastic and knowledgeable about environmental education, preserving and promoting our natural environment, and environmental stewardship.

March 1 Pruning Class

Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop

• Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop

• March 1, 2025

• 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
• More information on the Drummers website!
• 
  

Join Drummers Garden Center with John Knisley from Alternative Roots Farm of Madelia as we dive into fruit tree pruning, care, and maintenance for maximum production and tree health.

Alternative Roots Farm is a certified organic family farm and orchard offering organic apples, apple products, perennial produce, and winter greens. They also grow pears, plums, apricots, and tart cherries.

Registration is through Drummers Garden Center.

Vendor Day at Graze Coop Feb. 22

 

If you've been meaning to get out to the farm, but haven't this is a great time to meet me in town!! I'll be in New Ulm this Saturday, February 22 from 9-12 for one of their vendor days!

You can find our Organic microgreens and pea shoots regularly on the shelf over winter, apples in the fall. Occasionally other fruits in season! I'll have some of our canned goods, as well as our herbal wellness items with to check out!

Thanks for shopping local!

2025 Grafting Class

 

This class fills up fast every year and space is limited!

March 22 Fruit Tree Grafting Class

$70 Registration includes three grafted apple trees!

Saturday, March 22
Minnesota New Country School
210 Main Street, Henderson MN 56044
Time:   9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Cost:    $70 / participant

 

In this class we will teach you how to propagate your own apple trees. We will discuss the time-tested techniques of fruit tree grafting including grafting tools, timing, proper scions and rootstocks. Attendees will practice what they learn by “Whip & Tongue” grafting different varieties of apple trees using modern day rootstocks.

Each participant will take home 3 newly grafted apple trees to be planted on your own property.  Additional rootstocks available for purchase at class. All materials and tools will be provided for the workshop. You can bring your own grafting knife if you prefer. We will bring a variety of apple tree scions to the workshop for grafting. We will graft to semi-dwarfing rootstock.

Optional: Bring scions of your favorite old apple tree if you would like to graft these at the class. We will send out tips for this as we get closer to class, as you don't want to do this too much ahead of time.

Register Here

 

You Bring:

• Large trash bag, & pot/bucket to take your grafts home in.
• Lunch or snack for yourself. (Coffee and a scone are provided in the morning.)
• Cash/check for additional rootstock purchase ($3 ea) or grafting knife purchase.

Registration & Payment:    

• Registration must be paid in advance.
• Register Here

Learn from John Knisley, of Alternative Roots Farm, a Certified Organic orchardist with 14 years of experience in the orchard. John is passionate about farming and the great outdoors.  At the farm he is most often found working at the orchard or with the herd of pigs.  In his spare time he is a forager, who enjoys fishing, hunting, canoeing and pretty much anything out of doors and hands-on. As a Master Naturalist he is enthusiastic and knowledgeable about environmental education, preserving and promoting our natural environment, and environmental stewardship.

Yes, I am terrible at blog posts lately

We are still here! I just have been terrible at blog posts, but I'm all over the socials. :)

Find our certified organic microgreens, pea shoots and salad mix through March

-->Zesty & Arugula Micros, as well as Pea Shoots, are available regularly at the Graze Food Coop in New Ulm

-->Winter Farmers Markets in Mankato fall on the 1st & 3rd Saturdays at Bomgaars, from 9-12. These run through March!

-->Our on-farm store is open Tu-Fri 9-7 and Sat 9-2, or by appt. Where you can find our organic greens, canned applesauce, apple butter, seasonal jams and herbal wellness products!

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