What’s in Season?
Spring
Shop our 99%+ Certified Organic Produce Department.
At BriarPatch Food Co-op, supporting organic local and regional farms is at the heart of what we do. We are a community-owned cooperative and understand the importance of direct farmer relationships to build a resilient food system. At the Patch, you’ll find a colorful array and diverse selection of beautiful, fresh and delicious fruits and veggies all year long. We take great pride in knowing our farmers by name. How do we define what is local?
Beets
Root veggies can easily sprout more greens out of the top portion. Just place the top, cut side down, in a shallow bowl of water. In a couple weeks, new greens will begin to grow. Harvest them as they are and allow more to regrow again and again.
Bok Choy
Bulb veggies can easily regrow edible shoots. Save 2-3″ of the base and submerge the bottom half in a shallow bowl or small cup of warm water. Within a day you should start to see new leaf growth in the center of the plant!
Celery
Cut the base part of the celery bunch off, leaving about 1-2″. Place celery scraps
cut-side-up in a bowl to cover the base.
Replenish water daily and in 3-4 days
you’ll see new shoots. Harvest the sprouts indefinitely and add to salads for a touch of savory celery-ness, or transplant outdoors once roots start to form.
Garlic
You’ve probably seen those green shoots coming out of a head of garlic that’s been sitting for too long. Place the sprouting cloves outdoors in the fall for mid-summer harvest next year. Put pointy-side up in the ground about 4-6inches apart, 2 inches deep. Or, plant cloves in a pot and harvest the shoots for your garlicky gratification as they grow.
Ginger
The word “ginger” is derived from the Sanskrit word “singabera,” which translates into “shaped like a horn.”Leave on the counter or in the fridge toolong and you’ll notice sprouts/rhizomes sticking out like little horns. They’ll sprout further when covered with a few inches of potting soil kept moist and warm in the sun, eventually getting up to 3’ tall!
Green Onions
Cut off the green parts and save the white ends with the tiny roots. Pop in a glass of water and watch the greens regrow…even after just a few hours you’ll see a difference! Keep on snipping off the greens and those little white ends will keep producing for a long, long time!
Romaine Lettuce
Cut off the root base of the lettuce head, with the bottom 1” of leaves, and place in ½” water on a windowsill. Refresh the water every other day and watch the leaves grow back. You won’t have a Caesar Salad for a long time, but fresh little leaves to pinch off and add to
salads will sprout in a few weeks.
Mint
Cut off a piece of the herb plant or bunch, slicing it 1” inch below the junction of a leaf and the stem. Remove any leaves along the base and place in a vase with a little water in indirect sunlight. Once roots start to form, transplant the herb outdoors.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potato ends can regrow sprouts, or slips as they’re called. Fill a pint jar with water and put several toothpicks into the sweet spud end so they’ll keep it from falling all the way in. Several weeks later you’ll have vines and leaves. Put the slips in the ground to keep growing, or harvest the leaves for a simple stir fry with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Local = Watershed
Our definition of local Flows as we grow
We’ve recently redefined what local means to us. For many years, we’ve defined local relative to our flagship store in Grass Valley. As we grow, our definition expands, too.
Grown with love.
Wingfield Honey
Keeping the bees alive and healthy without the use of synthetic chemicals is one management practice that sets them apart.
FogDog Farm
Kristen and William have been independently farming conserved land in the rolling foothills of El Dorado County since 2019
Starbright Acres Family Farm
Starbright Acres Family Farm delivers a diverse array of veggies to BriarPatch.
Mountain Bounty Farm
Founded in 1997 by John Tecklin, Mountain Bounty Farm is a 50-acre organic family farm located high on the forested contours of the San Juan Ridge near Nevada City, California.
Stone’s Throw Farm
Meet Steven and Bryanna Eisenhut of Stone’s Throw Farm, nestled in the outskirts of Colfax.
Super Tuber Farm
BriarPatch Food Co-op is proud to carry delicious potatoes, carrots, cabbage and beets from Super Tuber Farm.
Photo by Akim Aginsky