Berries Travels: Living Earth Bakery

Living Earth Bakery is a gluten-free bakery, located on SW Jefferson Ave.
in Corvallis, Oregon. Jenney and Eric (the owners) found that they were gluten-intolerant, and didn't want to settle for eating "treats" that were better for being rocks than sweet deserts. They opened their doors in 2006, and now offer a wide verity of treats and breads.

Living Earth Bakery uses our organic blueberries in their blueberry muffins. And are now offering their treats through online ordering.

Follow this link to visit Living Earth Bakery online: http://www.livingearthbakery.com

All Year Yummy Blueberries!

Frozen Market started today, this means that we machine pick the blueberries at night (firmest in the cool of the night), they then go into our holding rooms that are kept cool. They then make their way across an assortment of machinery including a fan, soft fruit detector, two color sorters, an inspection belt and a metal detector. To sum it up the blueberries are washed, sorted, and ready to be frozen.

We pack our berries into 30 pound boxes which are available year round to the public for $90.00, that is $3.00 per pound. We also offer gallon bags, that have five pounds of blueberries in them for $19.00, that is $3.80. Finally we have one pound bags, for 5.25 each. All the sizes are available year round, so you never run out of nutrient dense blueberries that taste great!

Our frozen market last usually three weeks once we get started, and this year we are keeping the front farm stand open an extra two weeks to keep up with demand of the U-Pick ($2.50 per pound) and our fresh market berries.

We are open seven days a week from 8am-6pm. However you are more than welcome to call, or e-mail with questions. (Check our website for details http://www.buyorganicberries.com/)

Bluerry Smoothies for Hot Weather

When its this hot, I premake my smoothies by blending blueberries, banana and peaches with a little juice. I prefer apple, my daughter orange. We keep the blend mix in the fridge (for 2-3 days max), and when we want a little cool pick me up, we just add ice to the mix and blend it up...and its a perfect ....Breakfast, Lunch or Snack...and sooooo easy... almost as easy as pulling a popsicle out the freezer, and oh so much better for you.

Stay Cool

Blueberries for Health- Website

Blueberries for Health

I just found this great compilation of all of the research on the health effects of Blueberries, compiled by the blueberry council. http://www.blueberry.org/health.htm. I'll be excerpting more of their findings.

Among the studies:
Blueberries and Antioxidant Activity

Blueberries and Aging

Blueberries and Health

So if you're into reading the literature, and getting into the messy details, enjoy.

Me, I'm just going to relax right now with a fresh blueberry smoothie.

Berries are Ripe, Come U-Pick this weekend

We're open this weekend for U-pick! or buy a flat of fresh berries at our farm stand. We've been picking by hand all week, and will start machine picking soon. Everything is ripe to perfection.

Can Foods Forestall Aging? USDA Says YES!

And Blueberries rank at the top of the list!

Studies at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston suggest that consuming fruits and vegetables with a high-ORAC value may help slow the aging process in both body and brain. ORAC--short for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity--measures the ability of foods, blood plasma, and just about any substance to subdue oxygen free radicals in the test tube.

Early evidence indicates that this antioxidant activity translates to animals, protecting cells and their components from oxidative damage. Getting plenty of the foods with a high-ORAC activity, such as spinach, strawberries, and blueberries, has so far:

• raised the antioxidant power of human blood,

• prevented some loss of long-term memory and learning ability in middle-aged rats,

• maintained the ability of brain cells in middle-aged rats to respond to a chemical stimulus, and

• protected rats' tiny blood vessels—capillaries—against oxygen damage.

These results have prompted Ronald L. Prior to suggest that "the ORAC measure may help define the dietary conditions needed to prevent tissue damage.

To read the whole story:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/feb99/aging0299.htm

Blueberry Ice Cream- the old fashioned kind.

Awesome Blueberry Ice Cream

4 cups Fresh or Frozen Blueberries
1 quart whole cream (whipping cream or 1/2 and 1/2 depending on how decadent you want to be)
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 lemon, juice and zest
pinch of salt.

Puree berries, set aside. Melt sugar into water with lemon juice and zest on low to about 125 degrees.. In separate pan, heat cream to approx 100 degrees. Mix berry puree into sugar (simple syrup) solution keeping at 125 degrees until bright blue, but not cooked.

In large mixing bowl, combine beaten yolks and salt, slowly mix cream in, wisking constantly. Add blueberry mixture, place in refrigerator to chill for about 45 minutes.

Put cooled mixture into 5 qt ice cream maker and follow instructions. Makes about 1.5 quarts.

Hand Picked vs. Machine Picked

The age old battle continues. Whats the difference between hand picked blueberries and machine picked blueberries. The hand picked blueberries are firmer, because they are typically not as sweet/ripe, as they are the first of the crop. We can't machine pick these earliest berries, as it would damage the rest of the berries on the bush which are still ripening. The riper/sweeter the berry the softer it becomes. For Machine picked berries, the majority of the berries have to be ripe, because the majority will fall off as the picker goes through. With hand picking you can select the berries that are the biggest and the bluest and the ripest. We, the farmer, expect a highest quality from the hand pickers.

Can't have Amazing Organic Berries Without Compost!

Every year we make our own compost right here on the farm. We couldn't find a reliable source of consistent compost, so we make our own, with our own special recipe. We gather compost feed stocks from our local area, and layer them carefully. We turn it, and let it cook for 12 to 14 weeks, then it goes into a curing pile for 1 year. We then spread it on our blueberry plants, as a food source, and sell it to other local blueberry growers. This special formula results in berries that are amazing nutritious, delicious, and have a wonderful texture too.

In small quantities our compost is available to the public for purchase, $50 dollars a yard by appointment.

Prizewinning Orange Scones with Berries and Cream

Ingredients:
• 2 c sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 1t salt
• 2T granulated sugar
• 5 ½ T unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
• 1 extra large egg, beaten
• ½ cup heavy (whipping) cream
• 2T unsalted butter, melted
• ½ c granulated sugar
• 1T orange zest
• 6 to 8 c fresh berries washed and dried (such as blueberries, strawberries,
raspberries, blackberries)
• ¾ to 1 c granulated sugar, depending on how sweet the berries are
• 1 to 1 ½ c heavy (whipping) cream, whipped and lightly sweetened
with 2t of granulated sugar
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425º F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Using a pastry blender, 2 knives, or your fingertips, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse cornmeal. In a small bowl, combine the egg and cream and add to the flour mixture, mix until just blended together.
Turn out the batter onto a lightly floured board and knead for 1 minute. Roll dough into a rectangle approximately 4 inches by 8 inches. Brush the dough with the melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar and orange zest. Roll up, jelly-roll fashion, and seal the long seam by pinching it together lightly with your fingers.
Cut the roll into eight 1 inch thick slices. Lay slices down sideways on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until scones are golden.
Slice the strawberries and place in a large pretty bowl with other whole berries if available. Sprinkle with sugar and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. To serve, heap spoonfuls of berries over each scone and top with freshly whipped cream.
Makes 8 scones

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Ingredients
• ½ c (1 stick) margarine
• ¾ c granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 c mashed bananas (2 to 3 ripe bananas)
• ½ c milk
• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 2 t baking powder
• ½ t ground cinnamon
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375º F. Grease one standard-size 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.
In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, cream the margarine and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the bananas and milk.
In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Add the margarine mixture to the dry ingredients and mix only until the batter is moist. Do not over mix.
Carefully stir in the whole blueberries. If you are using frozen blueberries, add them to your recipe while they are still frozen or they will turn your batter purple. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling the cups to the top. Bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown.
Let cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin, then transfer to a cooling rack. The muffins can be stored in a tightly sealed plastic container or in plastic bags.
Makes 12 muffins

Diane's Throw Together Salad

Ingredients
• romaine lettuce
• carrots
• celery
• mushrooms
• sunflower seeds
• 2 apples
• 2 pears
• pineapple
• Sunset Valley Organics' dried blueberries
• Dressing: Raspberry Vinaigrette
Directions
Chop and mix together as much or as little as you like of above ingredients. (Add apples and pears right before serving so they won't turn color)
Enjoy!

Frozen Fruit Cupcakes

Ingredients
• 1 small lemon
• 2 cups buttermilk
• ½ cup sugar
• ⅛ t salt
• 2 cups assorted fresh fruit (halved strawberries, chopped peaches, chopped nectarines, blueberries, or raspberries)
• garnish: lemon leaves, halved strawberries. blueberries, raspberries, and nectarine wedges
Directions:
About 3 ½ hours before serving or early in day:
1. Line twelve 2 1/2" by 1 1/4" muffin pan cups with fluted paper baking cups.
2. Into large bowl, grate peel from lemon. Add buttermilk, sugar, and salt; mix until blended. Gently stir in 1 1/4 cups fruit. Spoon mixture into muffin pan cups. Top with remaining 3/4 cup fruit (some fruit will stay above mixture for pretty color). Cover and freeze until firm, about 3 hours.
3. To serve, peel off paper baking liners from dessert. Let stand at room temperature 10 to 15 minutes to soften slightly for easier eating. Garnish each serving with lemon leaves, strawberry halves, blueberries, raspberries, and nectarine wedges.
Makes 12 servings. About 70 calories per serving.

Family-Style Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients
• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 T sugar
• ½ t baking soda
• ½ t baking powder
• ½ t salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3 T melted butter or margarine
• ½ cup dried, or 1 cup fresh or frozen, Sunset Valley Organics blueberries
Directions
1. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Whisk in buttermilk, melted butter or margarine, and the egg just until dry ingredients are moistened (batter will be lumpy).
2. Add Sunset Valley Organics blueberries.
3. Heat electric griddle to 375º F or heat skillet over medium high heat: grease lightly with vegetable shortening.
4. Spoon batter onto hot griddle. Spread to 3 inch circles. Cook until edges are dry and bubbles appear over surface of pancakes, 2 minutes. Turn pancakes; cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes more.
You can also use our blueberry spread to top off the pancakes.
Makes 13 3-inch pancakes

Best Blueberry Muffins.....YUM!

INGREDIENTS
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl, mix milk and lemon juice; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. Add egg and oil to milk mixture; mix well. Gently stir into flour mixture just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.
3. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees F at 22-24 minutes or until center of muffin springs back when lightly touched.

**If you are making BLUEBERRY MUFFINS and you don’t have fresh blueberries, try using our dried or frozen berries instead**

Note Upon U-Pick

Our U-Pick field is going to open on the 15th of July. The Verity is Blue Crop, and the price is $2.50 per pound. We recommend that you bring your own containers, and leave your dogs in the car, or at home. We also ask that you don’t smoke while in the field. This year the berries are bigger than ever, and as sweet as can be. Our hours are 8am to 6pm Monday through Sunday. We will have our U-Picks open for at least three weeks.

We are all really excited to finally get the U-Picks started, we know how long everyone has been waiting and wondering when we are going to open the U-picks up. We have had to wait because of the weather, we haven't had much sun and so the berries are big and blue but they were sour, however they have been getting sweeter with everyday that passes.

Hope to see you all out at our farm picking berries!

Prizewinning Orange Scones with Berries and Cream

Prizewinning Orange Scones with Berries and Cream

• 2 c sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 1t salt
• 2T granulated sugar
• 5 ½ T unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
• 1 extra large egg, beaten
• ½ cup heavy (whipping) cream
• 2T unsalted butter, melted
• ½ c granulated sugar
• 1T orange zest
• 6 to 8 c fresh berries washed and dried (such as blueberries, strawberries,
  raspberries, blackberries)
• ¾ to 1 c granulated sugar, depending on how sweet the berries are
• 1 to 1 ½ c heavy (whipping) cream, whipped and lightly sweetened
  with 2t of granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 425º F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Using a pastry blender, 2 knives, or your fingertips, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse cornmeal. In a small bowl, combine the egg and cream and add to the flour mixture, mix until just blended together.

Turn out the batter onto a lightly floured board and knead for 1 minute. Roll dough into a rectangle approximately 4 inches by 8 inches. Brush the dough with the melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar and orange zest. Roll up, jelly-roll fashion, and seal the long seam by pinching it together lightly with your fingers.

Cut the roll into eight 1 inch thick slices. Lay slices down sideways on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until scones are golden.

Slice the strawberries and place in a large pretty bowl with other whole berries if available. Sprinkle with sugar and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. To serve, heap spoonfuls of berries over each scone and top with freshly whipped cream.

Makes 8 scones

Frozen Blueberries as Teething Snack

For teething toddlers, there's nothing more soothing than something ice cold on their gums.

For older toddlers, where they don't pose a choking hazard, we found that frozen Blueberries were the perfect solution. A small bowlful of frozen blueberries for a fussy toddler satisfied both the sweet tooth and the need for something cool on the gums. And mom could feel good about a healthy snack. (always supervise small children eating something small and round).