Other Items

Other Products Available: Vegetables | Fruits

................................................

Fiscalini Cheese Company,
Modesto, California

We are excited to offer you this incredible opportunity to purchase award-winning cheeses at really great prices. The Fiscalini’s are third generation dairy farmers and more recently cheese makers. Their state of the art dairy and cheese making facility are located in Modesto.  They have won numerous awards for their cheeses nationally and internationally since their inception in 2000. They describe their practices as “beyond organic” and use manures as the only fertilizers on their fields.

All cheeses are made with only natural products, using raw unpasturized milk. No colors, preservatives, or other artificial ingredients are added. The cheeses are made in an open vat, in small quantities, handcrafted the old-fashioned way. The cheddars are made the way cheddar was originally made, cutting and stacking the matted cheese in the vat, and using a mill for secondary cutting.  A time consuming, expensive and labor-intensive process, but it enhances the taste and texture of the cheese to extraordinary heights.

TR HART HONEY, AVERY

This honey is produced in the Sierra Foothills, about 1 mile from our house between Murphys and Avery.  Bruce Hart began producing honey in 1997 with 50 pounds, he peaked at over 2000 lbs.  The honey is sold locally at the Arnold Farmers Market in the summer months and the Murphys Grape Stomp Faire in October.

Bruce's bees forage for anything that blooms. Bruce distinguishes the different varieties of honey according to when and what is blooming at the time.  He has up to five different varieties that can be distinguished by the palette.  Varieties include early flowering native tree, Manzanita, that makes an incredibly fragrant light honey. Shrubby native to 2,000 foot elevation, Toyon, that flowers late in the season producing a strong, aromatic, medium rich honey.  Rabbitbrush, a native Sierra Nevada shrub that grows in arid soils and colonizes disturbed and burnt areas.  It has a brushy appearance with tuffs of yellow flowers and blooms in the late spring. The honey from this flower is a dark molasses-like color with a very rich and tangy flavor.

Honey is the nectar of the flower…so in eating the honey we are eating the nectar of the spring.  Many people attest to the virtues of eating local honey for its ability to alleviate pollen allergies.

DRAGON GOURMET MUSHROOMS, SACRAMENTO

We had the good fortune to meet Roxana Walker a couple of years ago and overheard her telling another about her mushroom business … our ears pricked up and we began to work out how we could get her product and distribute it through our CSA.  Later we were fortunate to visit her operation down in Sacramento and see first hand how amazing oyster and shitake mushroom cultivation is. 

Roxana is a chemist by trade and discovered a passion for growing mushrooms.  She has been avidly creating this very successful small-scale business single handedly. She is currently selling at numerous Farmers Markets and has a cluster of upscale restaurants that buy directly from her. This small operation takes place in her garage and backyard of a suburban home. Firstly the organic rice straw (a byproduct of rice growing comes conveniently chopped into small pieces) is sterilized by steam and then inoculated with oyster mushroom spore, of which she has several varieties.  The inoculated straw is packed into 2-gallon plastic bags and then hung in a darkened enclosure with high levels of CO2. The CO2 stimulates the fungus to grow. Ten days or so consuming CO2, the growing bags are ready to be transported to a new environment. In the backyard she has modified a greenhouse, which is fully insulated against temperature swings, ventilated and equipped with blue lights. The heat and moisture is controlled to allow maximum opportunity for fruiting. The fungus begins to identify the light and fruit through slits in the bag. The fruit is harvested, boxed, refrigerated and sold with the spent bags allowed to fruit another time.

We are very excited to offer her product and know that you will enjoy the gourmet quality of these mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms are high in protein. They lend themselves to any mushroom dish.  Sautéed in butter and scrambled with eggs for breakfast.  Breaded and fried individually. Combined with other vegetables in a stir-fry. Shitake mushrooms are highly medicinal. Our favorite to add to soups and stir-fry. They keep exceptionally well, longer than most mushrooms in the refrigerator.

PACKMAN FISHERIES SOCKEYE SALMON,
BRISTOL BAY, ALASKA & SONORA

We are very fortunate to have developed a connection with Denny Thompson who owns Packman Fisheries and has been a fisherman for 27 years. Mr Thompson, in his eighties continues to fish for Wild Sockeye Salmon every year. The fish is taken to Bristol Bay fisheries where it is machined fillet, vacuum packed and flash frozen. Denny tells me that they are permitted to label the fish "organic" according to Alaskan state law.  They sell their fish through the Sonora Farmers Market during the summer months.

MONTEZUMA ANGUS

Historically the Motherlode is cattle ranching country and the Gardella family is third generation ranchers. As a family business they raise Hereford and Black Angus/Hereford crosses both for sale at the wholesale market and as grass fed. A few years back I interviewed Jack’s son and was impressed with his understanding and commitment to quality. Steers from a young age are selected, based on their ability to thrive on green grass, and kept to mature into "grass fed" animals. The animals that thrive on grass tend to be the healthiest animals in the herd. Their knowledge of grass farming and health benefits from eating "grass-fed" meat is a driving force behind their commitment to bring this highly valued and nutritionally superior product to our region.

LAGIER RANCHES, Escalon

John Lagier's maternal great grandfather migrated to Escalon from Missouri in 1874 and purchased the ranch that is Lagier Ranch today. John's farming career started in 1979 when he purchased a vineyard three miles from the current ranch center. During this period John leased additional land to farm from other family members. In 1990 John became interested in diversification and planted 18 acres of cherries. Subsequently he and his partner/sister, Lois Lagier, created a mission statement which, "recognizes [their] responsibility as a steward of the Earth." In light of this value John has planted new crops of berries, citrus, and cherries that are certified organic by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) and the remainder of his crops are transitioning to that end. Visit their website at www.lagierranches.com

Lagier Ranches sells at Farmers Markets in the Bay Area, at the Ferry Plaza in San Francisco as well as the Marin Farmers Market.

They grow and produce almonds, almond butters, jams and spreads, as well as pawpaws, citrus and fresh berries.

DIESTEL TURKEY RANCH, SONORA

We are so fortunate to have a great local source of poultry right on our doorstep so to speak. The Diestel Family is a multi-generation family business producing organic and natural turkeys and turkey products to stores around the country. What I really love about the Diestel family is their strive to do the very best, where quality is not just a word, but integral to their whole operation. And the other really great thing we love about Diestel is that they produce the highest quality compost for us local farmers. Since 2009 we exclusively use compost and cover crops to manage our fertility as do hundreds of local gardens in the area.  We offer a wide variety of their products at our store and also can be ordered through our distribution network.

WHY SHOULD YOU SUPPORT OUTER AISLE AND SIGN UP NOW?

Enjoy local and seasonal fruits and veggies all year round.

Fresh, high quality, home-grown flavor.

Weekly summer deliveries or bi-weekly fall, winter and spring deliveries to convenient drop off locations near you.

Your choice of the size bag for your needs.

Cancel when you are out of town.

Additional items available including meat, fish, cheese, nuts, sauces, mushrooms and more.

Supplement your own garden.

Lower your carbon footprint.

Support local growers and producers.