It's Finally Summer! Fresh Berries + News from Sunset Valley Organics

Happy Start of Summer!

We are so happy it’s finally SUMMER! Anybody else feeling the heat we have gotten over the last few days? All this heat really helps our berries ripen, and it helps make them sweeter! Yum! As we have announced we do not have fresh strawberries (frozen is still available) this year. However we will have raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. 

News From Around The Farm

We have finished trellising the black raspberries, and what a boat load of work that was! After we got it all trellised we put in drip irrigation to the field so we could easily make sure everything was getting the water it needed and that took a good part of our May. 

Every week now we are feeding our plants and soils so they stay nice and healthy during the harvest. Just as we work hard and need food to continue so do our plants. 

In May we also got to try Bearded Brother’s Blueberry Vanilla Energy Bars they were so good you guys! The reason we wanted to try them is because these specific bars are made with our dried blueberries. 

We have also been voted the best U-Pick Berry Farm of 2015 by the readers of Willamette Living Magazine. We would like to thank everyone who voted, and even if you didn’t, you are the whole reason we do this, with out you guys we wouldn’t be in business. So THANK YOU! 

Social Media Updates This month on our blog we are posting about National Men’s Health Month, and some delicious recipes to go along with it. We will also have a Father’s Day inspiration gift guide. This is also going to be a great place to check for updates about our harvest this summer.  We are also going to be starting an Instagram account so if you wanna see some awesome shots of our farm and what harvest looks like for us then be sure to watch Facebook for that announcement!  Our Pinterest board theme is Schools Out! It’s time to be outside and relax! This board celebrates the start of summer with delicious recipes and great ideas for spending some quality time with your kids!  Specials + Coupons So we have a couple of ways to help you save this month: First of all, if you come out to our farm stand and show us you have liked us on Facebook, or Follow us on Twitter then you can save 10% off your total order! This offer will be available as long as our farm stand is open.  Finally We are sending out post cards with a special offer, but if you don’t get those post cards all you have to do is find our ad in Oregon Family Magazine and tell us about it and get a great saving! Each of these is a one time only, and will be valid during our 2015 Fresh harvest, only valid at our farm stand.

Recipes This month we are trying to beat the heat with some delicious, healthy smoothies. We hope you enjoy the selections we have chosen.  Raspberry Coconut Smoothie Dairy-Free, Vegan Friendly Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 0 mins Ready in: 5 mins Yield: 1 smoothie Ingredients: 1/2 cup coconut milk  1 cup frozen or fresh raspberries 1 tablespoon coconut butter 1 banana peeled, chopped into pieces optional: sweetener of choice, if needed.  Directions: Blend all of the ingredients into blender, food processor, or with an immersion blender. Optional: Add sweetener to taste. If the smoothie is too thick for you, add milk until it’s your desired consistency. Raspberry Mango Tango Smoothie Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 0 mins Ready in: 5 mins Yield: 1 large smoothie, or 2 small smoothies Ingredients:  1/2 of a large banana, peeled, sliced and frozen.  1/2 cup favorite brand of Mango yogurt 1 cup fresh or frozen mango 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries optional: milk for desired thickness. Directions: Add all of the ingredients into the blender Blend on high for about 3 minutes, or until smooth. Serve + enjoy!