February 2015 Updates

We have had quite a busy month here on the farm!

While we are still busy finishing up pruning our berries and are ready for the spring, we will start feeding our plants. Bob gave a talk to students at OSU this past month. We hope to make this available on our site very soon for those of you interested. We will be posting updates to our Facebook page with any new information about developments in that regard. 

Last month you might have noticed we tried something new for our newsletter layout and had a great response. Which is great! Thank you to all new subscribers and an even bigger thank you to all of our old subscribers! Keep an eye out for more simple changes we have coming to Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter in this coming year. It’s going to be a great 2015! 

Office Hours  Our office hours are still set to Winter, we are open Monday to Friday 10 am to 4pm Pacific time.  Up Coming Events In February If your near or live in Eugene, OR we are happy to say we will be doing some demos in your neck of the woods. For full details and updates, see our Facebook page under “events.” This is a great chance to come out learn about our products and get some tasty samples of products you might have not tried yet. February 8, 2015: Sundance Natural Foods, 12pm -4pm February 13, 2015: Wynant’s Family Health Foods, 12pm-3pm February 13, 2015: Friendly Street Market, 4pm-6pm

Better Shipping Rates are Still Available!  Have a hankering for some delicious frozen berries, but don't want to pay an arm and a leg in shipping? We have great news! We are still able to ship by ground for our frozen berries! If your interested please give us a call at 541-752-0460 to place your order. We are unable to offer better shipping rates through our website, so you need to call us. This offer also excludes Alaska and Hawaii, sorry guys.

“A Very Lovely February”  Check out this months Pinterest board which features fun valentines day ideas for treats, decor, and healthy alternatives! Click here to go to Pinterest. While your there follow our boards and our page, we love sharing all our great finds with all of you!  Strawberry Cream Cake from Pretty, Simple. Sweet. Ingredients Cake: 1 1/4 cups (170g/6oz) all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup (1/2 stick/56g) butter 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk 3 large eggs, at room temperature 1 cup (200g/7 oz) granulated sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Whipped Cream: 1 1/2 cups (360ml) heavy cream 1/2 cup cream cheese or mascarpone cheese 1/4 cup granulated or powdered sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract About 1 pound/450g fresh strawberries, cut into halves or quarters Instructions Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Grease 2 8-inch pans (read note if you have only one pan) and line the bottoms with parchment paper for easy release later on. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a small saucepan, combine butter and milk over medium heat just until butter is melted. Do not let it boil. In a mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk eggs on high speed until combined and starting to foam, about 1 minute. Gradually add sugar and keep whisking until tripled in volume, about 6 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to medium-low and add warm milk mixture into the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream. Add flour mixture in 3 additions and fold by hand using a rubber spatula just until combined. Pour batter into prepared cake pans and smooth the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cake springs back when slightly touched and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and invert the pan onto the rack. Let cool completely. Without filling, cakes can be wrapped airtight and refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for 2 months. For the whipped cream: In a mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk heavy cream with sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Avoid overbeating. Assembling the cake: Set one cake layer on a plate. Arrange about half of the strawberries in a single layer on top. Evenly spread 1/3 – 1/2 of the whipped cream over the strawberries, leaving a small border around the edge. Top with the second cake layer, this time spreading the whipped cream first and layering the strawberries on top. Cake can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. *If you have only one cake pan, scrape all batter into it. It will need more baking time. Once completely cooled, cut in half. If you refrigerate it first, the cake will be firmer and easier to cut. *You can also make a 2-layer 6-inch cake with the same amount of cake batter. Bake in 2 6-inch pans for 30-35 minutes. You’ll need less whipped cream and strawberries. Raspberry Lemonade Slice from Lick The Spoon Ingredients Crust: 9 tbsp butter 1/4 cup sugar 1 cup flour  1 tsp vanilla essence pinch of salt Filling:  2 1/2 cups frozen raspberries, thawed 1 cup sugar 2/3 cup lemon juice (about 3-4 medium lemons) zest of 3 lemons 3 egg whites 1 egg 2/3 cup flour pinch of salt, extra Directions Preheat the oven to 180C. Line and grease a 8x8 inch square baking dish. To make the crust, cream together butter and sugar until light. Add the flour, vanilla and salt and mix until combined well. Do not over mix as this can make the base tough. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. To make the filling, place all thawed raspberries in a fine sieve and press them into a large bowl with the back of a spoon. Discard the caught seeds and skin. Add the sugar, juice, zest, whites, egg, flour and salt and combine, until well incorporated. Pour the raspberry mixture onto the base and place in the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool on the bench before placing in the refrigerator to set completely (about 3-4 hours) Cut and decorate as desired. NOTES: This slice freezes well and makes a great dessert or afternoon tea to have handy for unexpected guests or dinner parties.