pak choi is rosy
new eats for your belly
in your box to share

My Sweet Yellowbird Family,

I have not written to you in a while as Rebekah, our trusty customer service gal has been at the helm.  

I wanted to check in and do my favorite 2 things.

1.  Thank YOU!!  You have continued to build our foodshed in a way that is meaningful and sustainable.  You made it through another winter (it seems), and we are just weeks away from fresh foods…think ramps, asparagus, spring onions and garlic…the earth is about to give back fresh life!

2. Poll The Foodshed!!  What are we getting right, wrong, and otherwise? Folks, this is YOUR COMPANY.  Guess what we aim to do?  Whatever YOU want us to do…which is why we need to know.

Send us your thoughts, questions, comments, and requests.

1.  Reply to this email

2. Email me directly at benji@yellowbirdfs.com

3. Call me 419-889-7316

4. Text me 419-889-7316

5. Write me a letter or better yet come and see us!  

Benji Ballmer

13246 Wooster Rd

Mount Vernon, OH 43050

Buying and eating food the way we do is, and always has been, an act of resistance.  You might hear me talking about the price of eggs on Instagram but ultimately, this is WAY BIGGER than an egg issue.  The mainstream food system is still dirty, corrupt, contaminated, and controlled by monopolies that want us to eat crap that is grown with chemicals, by the hands of people that are underpaid and ignored.   

In order to survive and be able to bring you the foods that you buy and eat from your local foodshed, we need you to keep resisting.  It can’t be a “once in a while”, or a “shop small business day”, or “when it’s convenient”.  Make no mistake, our food is one of THEE MOST important parts of our personal and communal health, and we need to keep it as our top priority when deciding both WHAT to eat, and WHERE we are going to get it from.

Keep doing what you are doing.  Tell people about the mission, about our foodshed, and about our continued work to bring food resilience and sustainability to our foodshed…the growers AND the eaters!!

Stay Diligent,

Benji (a fellow member of the Yellowbird Foodshed)

bekana beckons

perfect green for your belly
find some in your box

Check out this Tokyo Bekana miso slaw recipe! Add more veggies for ultimate fun--some of the produce arriving in your farm share this week are TOKYO BEKANA, hydro head lettuce, lemons, Evercrisp apples, navel oranges, garlic, and yellow storage onions.

The luck of bekana to ya!
Happy St. Paddy's Day from Yellowbird!!

Check out this BBQ Pork Glazed Pork Spare Rib Dinnerby Chef Meagan!

Go here for Chef Meagan's entrees and sides this week.

you won't forget these dates

Dates in all farm shares this week! Go to the Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs with Dates and Olives recipe here!

 See what we have in your farm share FOR YOU this week: Fruits and veggies like DATES, spinach, Granny Smith apples, endive frisee, navel oranges, orange carrots, hydro head lettuce, and All Blue potatoes! 

Look here for Chef Meagan's entrees and sides this week! 

turn up the beet greens

hydroponic leaves sizzle
disco party pan
 

We predict beet greens will be a part of the culinary adventures this week, coming to a kitchen near you. Go to the Beef and Beet Green Casserole Recipe here!

 See what we have in your farm share FOR YOU this week: Fruits and veggies like BEET GREENS, strawberry JAM, Honeycrisp apples, yellow storage onions, rainbow carrots, hydro head lettuce, and sweet potatoes! 
 

Lookie here! Chef Meagan's entrees and sides this week are off the hook! 

Check out what's ON SALE! (Black Cap fermented hot sauce, LITT drinks, Bob's Red Mill, Nooma, Divine Living Kombucha, Snowville sour cream, Randy's Pickles, chocolate chip scones...and so on)

CAN YOU KOHLRABI

To Kohlrabi, as a verb, we are defining as:
1. Being open to suggestions
2. Taking a culinary risk
3. Looking adventurous in the kitchen
4. Letting YB help you try new things

Kohlrabi is translated "su hao" or "cabbage root" in Vietnamese (although it does not grow underground), and has a crisp, sweet texture. This week's kohlrabi from Bradwood Farm is hydroponic and does have leaves, which are totally edible.

See what we have FOR YOU this week: Fruits and veggies like KOHLRABI, Evercrisp apples, red cabbage, rainbow carrots, hydro head lettuce, and purple sun potatoes! Recipe here!

Check out our featured vendor Silver Bridge Coffee Co.!

Check out what's ON SALE! (Black Cap fermented hot sauce, LITT drinks, Bob's Red Mill, Divine Living Kombucha, Painterland Sisters yogurt, Randy's Pickles, wild caught cod...and more!)

What is a parsnip?

It might be easiest to compare it to its cousin, the carrot.

Carrots:
1. orange root vegetable
2. nice in a cake
3. modest in a soup
4. wears headphones on public transport
5. plays the flute

Parsnips:
1. root vegetable of indeterminate color
2. causes cakes to explode
3. showy and gauche in a soup
4. plays music out loud on public transport
5. plays bass guitar

Parsnips can play well with others in soups, stir fries, roasted dishes--just don't put them in a carrot cake!
 

See what CHEF BRIAN AT FOOD EAZE has PREPARED FOR YOU this week. 
 

Check out our featured vendor Minerva Dairy!

Black Cap Fermented Hot Sauce ON SALE!

LEMON TO THE LEMON POWER

A note from Benji...
As we pack boxes this week I think back to when we used to have to put kale, lettuce, and swiss chard in EVERY BOX, EVERY WEEK.

It was awesome because our members (many of them are still with us), would roll their eyes and listen to me talk about local food and how we had to support our growers through the cold months (which is all true)...and then go and make and eat all those yummy greens (which we all grew tired of). 

LUCKY FOR US, our growers have been able to diversify, we have found MORE growers, and the amount and varieties of food that are available to us right here in OHIO, IN FEBRUARY...is astounding. 

If you go to our "Produce Page" right now on our store website, we have 80 different produce items to choose from.  Did I mention it's February?!? Lemons in your box this week came from Sam Putt citrus grove (these do not grow in Ohio unfortunately), and they are beauts!

So here's to:

The Growers - for providing the best gawl dang food in the world!
Our Customers - for eating the best gawl dang food in the world! (even when you've cooked it or served it every way that's ever been tried)

See what CHEF MEAGAN and CHEF BRIAN AT FOOD EAZE have PREPARED FOR YOU this week.

Black Cap Fermented Hot Sauce ON SALE!

Check out our featured items here!

navel idea
unworldly color hits me 
while I peel away

 
Navel oranges are in your farm share this week!
Dig in and enjoy the juicy goodness!

 This Simple Black Bean Soup with a Hint of Orange below will give a navel twist to bean soup! 
 

See what's on SALE in the store HERE.

Check out our featured vendor, STUTZMAN FARMS,
and their amazing grains, here!
 

Watercress
 

Mom shouts, "Look!"
And the car comes to
an abrupt, jerking stop.
Dad's eyes grow wide.
"Watercress!" they exclaim,
two voices
heavy with memories.

From Watercress by Andrea Wang

Watercress is a rich, leafy power green, with gram for gram more vitamin C than an orange, more iron than spinach, and more calcium than a glass of milk. Like Popeye's spinach, it packs a punch! Flavorful and versatile raw or cooked (even in soup!), it has a slightly peppery flavor like its cousins arugula and mustard greens. This Vietnamese Beef and Watercress meal below will express the best of watercress! 
 

See what's on SALE in the store HERE.

Check out our featured vendor, BROKEN ROCKS BAKERY,
and their amazing breads, here!

I'm strong to the finich
'cause I eats me spinach
 

Who else is watching a LOT of football? Those guys surely eat a LOT of spinach. This spinach pepperoni bread will be perfect for game day(s). Recipe below!
 

See what's NEW in the store HERE.

Check out our featured vendor, BLACK RADISH CREAMERY, and their amazing cheeses, here!


AND GO GREENS--THEY'RE ROOTING FOR YOU IN 2025

swiss chard

cousin to beet greens
(but without the beet)

Watch out, you're leaving un-charded territory. Chard is coming this week, full of lively color to brighten up your winter. It IS in the beet family, known by names silver beet and beet spinach, but does not have the BEET part. Swiss chard's vibrant leaves and stalks make up for it missing a beet.

See what's NEW in the store HERE.

Check out our featured vendor, FOOD EAZE, and Chef Brian's amazing prepared items, here!


GREENS ARE ROOTING FOR YOU IN 2025

more greens for the New Year

is just dandy

Dandelion greens from Bradwood Farm are on their way to you this week! Although they can be a little bitter, know that they serve a purpose! Bitter greens release stomach acid and aid in digestion (along with helping with detox after rich holiday fare) and also provide a flavorful edge to sometimes bland dishes like beans or pasta. Balance out any bitterness with a sweet tangy pizza sauce and goat cheese, as in the dandelion greens pizza recipe below, or reverse it naturally by soaking greens for 10 minutes in salty water, or by boiling them two minutes in salted water then removing quickly.

Happy 2025 from YB! See what's NEW in the store HERE.

Check out our featured vendor, NOOMA, and their amazing sports drinks, here!

In your farm share featuring DANDELION GREENS, your box is PACKED with local produce like rainbow carrots, granny smith apples, Ruby Red grapefruits, spinach, mandarin oranges, Kennebec white potatoes, and hydro head lettuce.

GREENS ARE ROOTING FOR YOU IN 2025

mandarins for you

a feast for your eyes

+ Vitamin C for your insides

Happy holidays from YB!
We have your Christmas ORANGE covered, in all share boxes this week.
(See holiday delivery schedule below)

In your farm share featuring MANDARIN ORANGES, Ohio produce will help your festivities be joyous AND delicious.

festive ruby red

a feast for your eyes

+ Vitamin C for your insides

Fend off scurvy this winter like the pirate y'are! We can help with grapefruit picked just for you. A gentle pink blush on the outside, then cut and see the brilliant pink inside. This means lots of vits coming your way like beta carotene and lycopene, besides 64% of your C for the day! 

Happy holidays from YB! We have your Christmas essentials HERE.
(See holiday delivery schedule below)

Shop prepared items and entrees from local chefs here.

In your farm share featuring RUBY RED grapefruit, your box is PACKED with local produce battling it out for most festive. This week we have...

On the red side: Evercrisp apples, red potatoes, and ruby red grapefruit

On the green side: hydro head lettuce
On the sidelines cheering: Rainbow carrots, mandarin oranges, Shiitake mushrooms, yellow storage onions, and BLACKBERRY PIE

Team Yellowbird for the win!!

bok bok choy?

chickens everywhere approve


shop local, eat local

Plentiful, abundant, blessed. December is time to shop local, eat local, and share the hard work of growers, producers, and foodies from all over Central Ohio with others! Refer a friend who places an order and YOU get $10, and your FRIEND gets $10 to spend on anything in the store! 

We have your Christmas essentials HERE.

Sharing the LOCAL = sharing the LOVE!! 

In your farm share featuring baby BOK CHOY, your box is PACKED with red and green local produce battling it out for most festive. This week we have...

On the red side: Gala apples, red onions, and red cabbage
On the green side: Baby bok choy, celery, Italian flat parsley, hydro head lettuce
On the sidelines cheering: Orange carrots, Kennebec potatoes, Carnival squash, Asian pears, and garlic

Team Yellowbird for the win!!

'tis the season

celebrate with green pepps and red onions

shop local, eat local

What if you shopped ONLY local this December? It might seem impossible, but at YB we have all the food groups you need: dairy/eggs, veggies, fruits, grains, and meats! (Plus fun prepared chef items, breads, canned and frozen goods, and convenience items!) Take a look around our store at yellowbirdfs.com--there may be something new that you've missed! Click "shop now" to see all our featured vendors, and check out our subscribe and save options available for store items you won't have to remember at the brick and mortar (and bag up yourself) every week. Your YB delivery might be just the thing to save your sanity this holiday season!

December is time to shop local, eat local, and share the hard work of growers, producers, and foodies from all over Central Ohio with others! Refer a friend who places an order and YOU get $10, and your FRIEND gets $10 to spend on anything in the store! 

Sharing the LOCAL = sharing the LOVE!! 

Your farm share will contain the LAST of the green peppers available from our growers for a while! Enjoy the festive green pepps with your red onions, orange carrots, hydro head lettuce, and more...a festive variety of fruit and veggie colors and flavors in your box.
 

Check out our featured vendor this week:
Minerva Dairy!

a rainbow of veggie flavors

they dig 'em
so that you can dig 'em

                   Thankful for our growers

                                               Thankful for you

Happy Thanksgiving, from all of us at YB! 
 

When you unpack your farm share box full of:

RAINBOW CARROTS, Evercrisp apples, OHIO APPLE CIDER, Purple Sun potatoes, SHALLOTS, butternut squash, and more... 

...it's a surprise gift from us to you! 
 

Try out the Honey Glazed Rainbow Carrots recipe below, just in time for Turkey Day!

Check out Local Millers, our featured producer, here.

Rainbow Honey Glazed Carrots

Adapted from Salty Side Dish
 

Need a beautiful, effortless side dish for your guests on Thursday? Search no more! This rainbow of veggie flavors will save you from turkey day exhaustion. And impress your family and friends, who already love you anyway.
 

INGREDIENTS

• 1-2 lbs rainbow carrots peeled and tops cut to 1″

• 2 tablespoons butter melted

• 2 tablespoons honey (or sub maple syrup and reduce bake time)

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

• sea salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 375. Grease a baking pan or rimmed baking sheet and place carrots in a single layer.

• In a small bowl, add melted butter and honey. Mix well.

• Drizzle honey over colorful carrots. Sprinkle with garlic powder, thyme, salt, and pepper.

• Cover green tops loosely with foil to prevent them from burning.Bake carrots for a baking time of about 25 minutes, flipping kaleidoscope carrots over (tongs work great) halfway through.

• Serve with your Thanksgiving turkey and mashed potatoes. Enjoy the rainbow bounty!

sweet potatoes in your box

they dig 'em
so that you can dig 'em

                   Thankful for our growers           

                                         
                     Thankful for you

When is Thanksgiving like Christmas?

When you unpack your farm share box full of:

Sweet potatoes, Bosc pears, PUMPKIN PIE (not sweet potato pie), carnival squash, orange carrots, broccoli, yellow onions, spinach and more... 

...it's a surprise gift from us to you! 
 

Try out the Sweet Potato Pie Recipe below, just in time for Turkey Day!

Check out Turkeyfoot Creek Creamery, our featured producer, here.

Go here for PREPARED MEALS from local CHEFS (including Thanksgiving-style dishes for delivery during Thanksgiving week)!

"All Blue" Potatoes

Purple blue, the whole way through

why blue potatoes?
when they're cut, surprise inside
you'll see, endless fun

Look for "All Blue" Potatoes from Wayward Seed Farm in your full-of-goodness farm box this week. Try out the Delicious All Blue Mashed Potatoes Recipe below!

Check out Shagbark Seed & Mill, our featured producer, here.

Go here for PREPARED MEALS from local CHEFS like Beef Bolognese from Chef Brian at Food Eaze, and Chef Meagan's Chicken or Tofu Picatta! (including Thanksgiving-style dishes for delivery during Thanksgiving week)

Yellowbird has your THANKSGIVING ESSENTIALS here!

Be sure to place your Thanksgiving orders THIS WEEK for your:
1) turkey (free half gallon cider with purchase of whole turkey!) and brine mix
2) red, gold, all blue, purple sun or sweet POTATOES
3) squash, orange or rainbow carrots, greens, fermented and other veggies
3) CHEESE, nuts and charcuterie SALAMI
4) frozen items like rolls, green beans, cranberries, pie crusts, and
5) any cooking and baking staples like butter, chicken broth, EGGS, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, spices, or cream to be sure to have them in time for Thanksgiving meal prep! (Anyone with a Thursday home delivery or truck pick up will be moved to Wednesday during Thanksgiving week, so that's just the day before!). 

perfect sweetness, supreme texture

What's cool about Bosc pears? They retain their texture when ripe, but are still super sweet even when not (completely) ripe. Great for baking, sautéing, or just monching on! Plus, they can stand up by themselves for fancy, overambitious desserts. 

Look for Bosc pears from Bauman Orchard in your box this week along with Ohio fruits and veggies of all sorts. Try out the Balsamic Braised Beef with Pears below!

Check out KREMA NUT COMPANY, our featured producer, here!

Go here for PREPARED MEALS from local CHEFS.

 BEEF IS BACK!

(Mouthwatering Bone-IN Ribeye Steak pictured above)

About Tall Grass Ranch:
Brian is dedicated to farming the right way; with sustainability as his driving force. All the cattle raised on this small farm in Amesville are 100% grass-fed and finished; never receiving any processed feed or growth hormones.