Here we are at the end of our favorite year to date! 2020 was AMAZING!!

JUST KIDDING...

HOWEVER, the continual bright spot for us has been the continued response of our YB members. You all are making this bearable as you continue to seek change in your own lives, the people and companies that make up our FOODSHED*, and the life of our planet.

REMEMBER**No deliveries next week. Christmas Break!!

BUT ALSO REMEMBER**We will be back the following week (New Years’ week), with our normally scheduled programming.

Folks, you have been with us through thick and thin this year. It’s unprecedented what we have endured as a society. Through it all, I never lost hope and it’s literally due to the response that our community has shown to:

The biggest question we got the last 2 weeks was, “Who is growing grapefruits in Ohio?”

Answer: “No one”.

Last winter, we met an awesome family from Florida. The Thorpes are a 3 generation organic family farm and they are the ones that we are buying the citrus and fun fruit from. (say that 5 times fast) They work with us the same way our Ohio growers do, but they have things that we can’t get up here, so we have loved their stuff, especially through the dark months.

If you take nothing else away from this newsletter, let it be this.

WE ONLY HAVE 2 WEEKS (including this one) to order food before Christmas.

WE WILL NOT BE DELIVERING FOOD CHRISTMAS WEEK.

This week’s deliveries will make 47 straight weeks for the YB team! We have been blessed enough to stay healthy and open through all the craziness of 2020. That being said, we will be taking the week of Thanksgiving COMPLETELY OFF!

First thing I want to mention this week is HOME DELIVERIES. With Covid numbers being so high, I wanted to let everyone know that you are more than welcome to switch to home deliveries if you are not already doing that. In the Spring, we grew so fast that we asked people to pick up off the truck if possible, but we have since added vehicles and drivers to our fleet so we are more than ready to bring your food straight to your door...in a mask. Email erin@yellowbirdfs.com to have her get you set up.

We have been wanting to team up with Chef Meagan all year and we finally were able to make it happen. These salsa's and soups are going to be made fresh to order each week and we are going to start rotating the menu through the holidays. This is the type of thing I will be ordering a lot of and then freezing it for later in the winter. Ingredients are almost entirely YB sourced.

The following items have been added to the list of things that you can put on “recurring” for that “set it and forget it” option. This means that it will automatically be added to your order each week. You can also do this as usual with eggs and all the milk products as well.

1) Sweet Grass Chicken Breast Boneless and Skinless

2) Grass-Fed Ground Beef

3) Thorpe's Organic Orange Juice Fresh Frozen

- 11.2 fl oz.

- 60 fl oz.

4) RC Pork Sausage

5) Sweet Grass Sliced Bacon

6) Sweet Grass Pork Loin Chops (Boneless)

If the temperature is droppin', don’t come a knockin'…

(That doesn’t even make sense but I couldn’t think of anything to relate to the cold, gray, wet weather moving in.)

EXCEPT maybe comfort food!

Think squash, sweet potatoes, beets, and apples...slow cook, oven roast, add some spices like cinnamon and cardamom and nutmeg and you will start to smell and taste the flavors of the season.

Let’s highlight 3 really cool food items this week.

1. The poblano pepper is a popular Mexican chili pepper, very dark green in color, ripening to dark red or brown. They are mild, large, and heart-shaped.

Honey Crisp Apples...the stuff of legend. Traditionally the most expensive apple on the market...opinions differ widely as to whether they are the absolute best apple out there or just an overpriced, overhyped, overmarketed flash in the pan?

Give us your thoughts as you try them this week.

First, thanks for letting us join you each week in your homes.

We realize that you are entrusting us with your hard-earned money each week and asking that we bring you the cleanest, closest, tastiest, healthiest food we can find.

We never want to waste your time with meaningless chatter, (except on Instagram stories when we put up meaningless chatter)(oh, and the Friday 5 which is really just my diary of meaningless chatter) but other than that (oops, just remembered the podcast), but really folks we try and limit the amount of SPAM we put out.

Caprese Box...we are a little late to the party, but let’s call it a “Saying Goodbye To Summer” party.

Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella...it’s like a holy trinity. This also gives you the opportunity to drizzle some of that new balsamic oil we picked up from The Olive Scene.

The First Fall Squash of the year is here to say "HI". Spaghetti squash is so versatile that you can literally use it as a spaghetti noodle substitute. It's a squash that dreams it's a pasta...(or maybe spaghetti pasta is dreaming it could be a squash??)

I usually cook all my fall/winter squash the same. Cut them in half and turn them upside down on an oiled pan and back until fork tender. From there you can season and use however you desire.

Welcome to week 37 of the year 2020...it’s been a good one huh? (snicker snicker)

What can we do but laugh? Answer: Cry...probably should be doing both at times.

Each week I write this newsletter, I try to check back into my optimistic self to talk about the good things we are seeing in terms of food security, personal health, and changing the world one bite at a time.

This week I want to highlight the “Italian Frying Peppers”.

We’ve finally got some 2020 apples in from Quarry Hill Orchard. The story about the “zestar” is as follows...

Finally, an early season apple with a crisp, juicy texture, and an exciting zesty flavor with a hint of brown sugar!

For generations, the University of Minnesota has taken great pride in developing high quality apples. Since 1878 when our breeding efforts began, we've brought you 24 new apple varieties including Haralson, Fireside, Honeygold, Regent, Sweet 16, Honeycrisp, and SnowSweet®. Zestar!® was introduced in 1999 from a hybridization of State Fair x MN 1691. We're confident that you will be pleased with this flavorful, crisp apple.

Folks, can you feel the shift in the seasons? I feel it most in the height of the sun...it must have something to do with the way the shadows change. What that means as always, is that our food is shifting again.

Out ahead of us we have hot peppers, sweet peppers, melons, peaches, plums, apples, grapes, beans, and brussels!!!

Corn and Blackberries again…#sorrynotsorry

These blackberries are the example of how each year is different. The strawberries were a bust this year for a few different reasons but these blackberries just keep on giving so we are just going to let them...keep on giving.

Last Monday I went to Groveport, OH to meet with Kendyl and Andy who we also know as Three Creeks Organic Produce. They live on 7 acres right in the middle of a bunch of warehouses and have carved out a serene food growing space. We had a discussion that we will release next Monday as a podcast episode.

Friends….Lend me your ears!...(so corny)
Cobbs in every box this week but you can also add more for next week right here.