Thanksgiving Shopping Hours

 

Grab greens, apples, applesauce, hostess gifts and more!!

Watch for updates in case fresh sweet cider lands!!

What are Microgreens?

A quick explanation is that microgreens are tiny baby plants that pack a punch with nutrition and flavor!!

They are the miniature version of their adult counterparts, packed with nutrients and enzymes from their rapid growth. Harvested around 10-14 days, just before or at the first leaf stage.

Baby vegetables! (That are often more fun. :)

That's it, really pretty simple! And they are very easy to use.

Most microgreens found on store shelves are grown on shelving under grow lights, which aids in quick and even growing in their trays. Some are grown on coir, or grow mats, some in soil.

A few things that set our microgreens apart:

1. Our microgreens (all our winter greens) are grown under natural sunlight in our passive solar Deep Winter Greenhouse (DWG).

1. Our Organic micros are grown in organic soils.

1. Did you pick up on the third difference?! Our micros are Certified Organic...as well as Real Organic Project Certified!

What do microgreens taste like and how are they used?

Microgreens are so versatile and easy to use, and they are not just for salads!

Typically used raw microgreens are a very easy way to add nutrition, flavor and fun to your meals. Flavor is going to depend on the type of green you purchase. Arugula micros are going to taste like full grown peppery arugula. Radish micros will taste like radishes. Our signature Zesty Mix! is a zippy, flavorful mustard greens blend.

My favorite way to use microgreens is with my eggs in the morning! Helps me start the day with more veggies and nutrition, adds great flavor and texture - place over-easy eggs on a bed of micros, sprinkle over scambled eggs or an omelet.

They are great in sandwiches, salads (of course), on tacos, in a Korean beef bowl and so much more! I have a customers whose kiddo likes to tuck some in a slice of salami and eat up! The world is your oyster!

Chances are they compliment a few of your favorite dishes!

Winter Wellness CSA

Winter Wellness CSA 2025

Now full for 2025, may be added to waitlist for 2026 and Sampler CSAs this winter - info@alternativerootsfarm.com or text Brooke at 507-412-7605

Greens are growing and the winter greenhouse is filling up at a good pace!

Past time to get our Winter Wellness CSA up and going! Sign up opens to members from the last year, and folks who have asked to be added to the wait list. But here are deets for everyone, in case this seems like a good future fit for you. 

 

As always, the highlight is our winter greens! Pea shoots, microgreens and salad mix will be accompanied by canned goods and herbal wellness items. This season the apple harvest was good, so apples will accompany the first 2-3 pick ups.

Winter Greens Feature – organic pea shoots, zesty microgreens, mustard greens salad mix – one per pick up, generally.

Canned Goods Feature – applesauce, apple butter, jam/jelly, pizza sauce, salsa – with 1-2 items in each share pick up.

Herbal Wellness Items Feature – 1-2 salve, lotion bar, sore throat spray and more – holistic wellness comes from more than just food.

Produce Items Feature – apples 2-3x, garlic 1x.

 

Winter Wellness CSA will have 7 pick-ups November—March. We like to start the week before Thanksgiving. Pick ups will look like à Nov(1), Dec(2), Jan(2), Feb(1), Mar(1), by my best estimate, pick ups per month. Greens are picked up at the farm store, or the Mankato Winter Farmers Market (ONLY if dates line up). Shares are roughly every several weeks, dependent on the growth of greens. I am better at anticipating this now, but every once and a while I may have to push back a week if growth is slow (clouds and cold and such). Flexibility is a must.

 

Investment is $270. $135 due up front for reservation, with remaining $135 due by first pick up, or by verbal payment plan.

 

Eggs – In the past I have reserved ahead but cannot this year.

 

Holler to reserve your share. There are only 10 available!

Send any questions our way.

Apples :: Golden Russet

 

Late Season • Sweet

Ripens

Late September - Early October

Characteristics

Crisp, highly flavored, fine-textured, yellow flesh makes very sugary juice. Golden bronze with a coppery orange cheek; heavily splotched with light brown russet. The Golden Russet apples are high in both sugar, acid and tannins, which make them a good pair with almost any apple for eating, cooking, cider or drying. The Golden Russet was prized as the "champagne" of old-time cider apples. 

History

The Golden Russet apple declined in marketability in the twentieth century when the alluring shininess and color of red apples gained popularity. 

The Golden Russet apple was known about in the 1700s and most likely sprang from New York. Some have speculated that it may descend from the English russet apple. Others allude to it having almost perfect resemblance to the roxbury russet. Whichever its lineage, little is known about its origin. 

Parentage: Unknown.

Storage: Keeps 3+ months.

Notes: We have a few customers that wait for this all season each year! Great example of a unique heirloom apple. Some years russeting is more than others.

Farm Store 10/14

Well, the weather is giving me some extra time for outside tasks and still so much to do! Need to just pull the tomatoes and close the garden down, prep space for garlic planting and get that done in the next week. I had to order some more seed, because mine just didn't look the greatest this year and asters yellows is making it's way around. The winter greenhouse is started, with micros and pea shoots and I'll be getting the first salad mix planted today - better late than never!!

Farm Store 10/14

Organic Apples in stock:

Haralson - classic baker, complex tart flavor, firm, crisp, juicy.

Cortland - rich sweet-tart flavor, aromatic, vinous, all-purpose

Spartan - kid fav, more sweet than tart, with hints of strawberry, vanilla and spice, aromatic

Fameuse - grab this if you are looking for McIntosh, tender, juicy, distinctive in flavor, aromatic

Honeygold - crisp, juicy, sweet, honeyed

Golden Russet - intense heirloom flavor, fine grained, champagne of old cider apples

Fireside - big, sweet, crisp, baker and fresh eating

Watch for: Regent, Jonathon, Heirlooms

More in the Farm Store

Canned Items in Store:

Applesauce *Back sometime this month!

Apple Butter

*Watch for jams returning! Attentions can return to this after all the apples are picked and tomatoes processed!!

Eggs are limited and hit or miss at this time, likely til Spring, when the pullets start laying.

Winter Greens - 1+ week to micros and pea shoots, 5 weeks to salad!

Herbal Wellness:

Salves:

-Bruise Salve - stop a bruise in its tracks, aid healing of existing bruises, hemorrhoids

-Knitbone Salve - musculoskeletal, sore muscles, sprains, strains, broken bones

-Cottonwood Wound Salve - think of it as a natural neosporin, plus pain relief, use on cuts, minor wounds, burns, etc.

Calendula Lotion Bar - solid lotion bar that soothes and moisturizes

Herbal Sore Throat Spray

Elderberry Syrup Kits

Herbal Tinctures - Willow Bark, Astragalus, Stinging Nettles, Elderberry, Ashwaganda, Holy Basil

Farm Store Hours - Tu-Fri 9-7 & Sat 9-2, or by appt.

Sweet cider is in stock!!

Mankato Market Schedule

This Saturday was up in the air, but John's at Ciderfest (grab tickets HERE), and Leo has a birthday party, SO, see you back in November!

Nov. 1 - Winter Markets begin! 1st & 3rd Saturdays at Bomgaars Mankato, through the first week in April!

Apples + Sweet Cider 10/7

 See the previous October 1st update for full farm store deets + add on the update below...

Apples in stock:

Haralson
Sweet Sixteen 
Cortland
Honeygold
Fameuse
Spartan
Smokehouse - 1 left!
Golden Russet
Fireside

Sweet cider is in stock!!

Oct. 1 Updates :: Farm Store & More

Apple season is keeping us busy!! Picking mid and late season varieties, bringing in the harvest, sorting and packing fresh eating apples, as well as seconds for customers processing. The temperature fluctuations have made harvest funny, and we are seeing more drops from the trees. Cool temps would be welcome!! 

The garden is wrapping up for farm store goods and the deep winter greenhouse is not started yet, so we are at a little in-between spot for Organic produce other than apples. BUT you'll see 5-10 varieties gracing farm store shelves and the market table. Read on...

Mankato Market Schedule

Find us at the Saturday Mankato Farmers' Market from 8am - 12:00pm the following Saturdays"

Oct. 4

Oct. 11

Oct. 18 likely?? (Find John at Ciderfest.)

Oct. 25 - gone.

Nov. 1 - Winter Markets begin!

What's in the Farm Store

Organic Apple Varieties:

Haralson - classic baker, complex tart flavor, firm, crisp, juicy.

Sweet Sixteen - kid fav, sweet, crisp, juicy, aromatic 

Cortland - rich sweet-tart flavor, aromatic, vinous, all-purpose

Spartan - kid fav, more sweet than tart, with hints of strawberry, vanilla and spice, aromatic

Fameuse - grab this if you are looking for McIntosh, tender, juicy, distinctive in flavor, aromatic

Smokehouse *one bag left!

Watch for: Connell Red, Fireside, Regent, Jonathon, Honeygold, heirlooms like Golden Russet

All of these are great fresh eating varieties, all with their own unique profile. Many are also good for cooking!

MAKE THIS - Apple Fritters - we are enjoying about once a week for breakfasts!

If you are interested in picking up a Bushel of baking apples (seconds) for processing, give us a holler! $35/bushel seconds organic apples.

**Sweet apple cider - watch for our next pressing date!

Canned Items in Store:

Applesauce *out of stock for now.

Apple Butter

*Watch for jams returning!

Eggs are limited and hit or miss at this time.

Herbal Wellness:

Salves:

-Bruise Salve - stop a bruise in its tracks, aid healing of existing bruises, hemherroids

-Knitbone Salve - musculoskeletal, sore muscles, sprains, strains, broken bones

-Cottonwood Wound Salve - think of it as a natural neosporin, plus pain relief, use on cuts, minor wounds, burns, etc.

Calendula Lotion Bar - solid lotion bar that soothes and moisturizes

Herbal Sore Throat Spray

Elderberry Syrup Kits

Herbal Tinctures - Willow Bark, Astragalus, Stinging Nettles, Elderberry, Ashwaganda, Holy Basil

Farm Store Hours - Tu-Fri 9-7 & Sat 9-2, or by appt.