Harvest Report: Last Call for U-Pick Blueberries

We had a very exciting weekend, not only was it perfect picking weather for blueberries but we also had a new "toy" at the farm stand.

We got a square, and it is so great! We are really loving it so far.

Things have been so crazy around the farm over the last week, we are machine harvesting, we are picking more fields that have baby crops of blueberries on them, and we are machine picking blackberries. So people are literally running from one point to another, there is always fruit being loaded into our cold rooms (which are full, almost over flowing) we have been able to pick (from the field) and process (for the mass frozen market) at about the same rate so any time something comes in something is finished processing. We have never had this happen before, but it is great! Our crops are producing so much!

First big announcement we have is that this is the last full week we will be open for U-Pick blueberry picking. Our last day is going to be SUNDAY AUGUST 2, 2015. We will have normal hours for that day, 9 am to 6 pm.

And everyday leading up to it we will be open at the farm stand from 9 am to 6 pm, however Wednesday through the weekend is looking to be 95+ degrees, which means we may be closing in the afternoons for U-Pick to cool the field. We will post on Facebook and Twitter about any closures. You can also call us at 541-752-0460 before heading our way to see if we have the field open or closed.

At our farm stand we still have fresh picked blueberries, their variety has changed to Liberty, its a newer variety, not as sweet as the Blue Crop but just as huge. We also have fresh picked blackberries, their variety is Chesters.

Now for those of you who are on our waiting lists of wanting to pick up 30 Pound boxes we have started that process, but we are also super busy making sure all the fruit we can pick is done so before we get into this 100 degree weather. We have finished the Jerseys and they have been processed, it will take a few days for the boxes to be frozen, when they are that is when we will start calling people. For those of you who Ordered Blue Crop, today is the first day we are processing those, so it will still be a while before we call you about them.

Thank you for your patients with us this week, we have never been so busy at one time with so many berries and fruit coming off at once!

Women's Health Recipe: Mediterranean Shrimp Tacos with Garlic Yogurt Sacuce

Mediterranean Shrimp Tacos

Prep time:  4 mins

Cook time:  10 mins

Total time:  14 mins

Serves: 8

 

Mediterranean Shrimp Tacos with Garlic Yogurt Sauce. Shrimp tacos with a Mediterranean flair; pita bread, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives and feta cheese.

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1 cup yogurt
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4-5 large fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper to taste

Tacos

• 4 whole pita breads, halved (use gluten-free for dietary restrictions)
• 8-ounces fresh or frozen (thawed) shrimp, deveined and peeled
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¾ cup cup jarred artichoke hearts (water or oil-packed), chopped
• ¾ cup kalamata olives, halved
• ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

1. Combine yogurt, garlic, basil, salt and pepper in small bowl to make sauce.
2. Preheat oven to 350º F. Place pita halves on baking sheet or directly on oven rack. Heat 7-10 minutes, until warm.
3. Meanwhile, evenly sprinkle shrimp with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Mix to coat. Heat large pan or skillet over medium heat. Heat olive oil and add shrimp. Cook 5-7 minutes, rotating half way, until shrimp is cooked and opaque white. Remove and discard tails.
4. Open warmed pita halves and evenly fill with cooked shrimp, artichoke hearts, olives, and feta. Top with garlic yogurt sauce. Makes 8 halves.

Harvest Report: Fresh Blueberries, Blackberries, U-Pick + More!

It's been another week! We had a great weekend, and we very happy that we could keep the field open during the high temperatures. Thanks to everyone who called or contacted us on social media about field closures!

This week is the official start of our processing line for the 30 pound boxes. We are expecting to start that on Wednesday, so for those of you who are on our list/ interested in the ready to freeze 30 pound boxes you will be receiving phone calls regarding your orders probably late this week or early next week (depends on what we are picking and processing it). It's also why this is being posted so late in the day, I have been busy running around making sure everything is in place and ready to go for on Wednesday.

This year our 30 pound boxes will be $100.00 each.

We have basically finished picking our baby plantings of blueberries, we have one field left to do which just isn't quite ripe yet. The baby plantings of blueberries are ones that replaced old plants and it's the first harvest we have been able to take from them, which is very exciting for us.

Our Farm Stand is still open.
Our hours are: 9 am to 6 pm everyday (including weekends).
The variety for our U-Pick field is Blue Crop.
U-Pick (blueberry) Price is $2.75 per pound.
If you need to get a hold of us to place and order or to answer questions you can reach us
at 541-752-0460.

We would like to remind you that if you received a postcard in the mail from us, it has a coupon on it so please bring it with you when you come visit us!

Blueberries: 

Fresh Picked Blueberries are still going strong. The variety is blue crop, this is the variety we will continue to have until the end of the season. If your wanting order of 1+ flats (10 pounds per flat) then please give us a call and place an order.

U-Pick is going strong, we are about half way across the field. With plenty of untouched rows still waiting to be picked. The weather is expected to be in the 80's again all week and into the weekend. If this changes and we decide to close for cooling we will let everyone know a head of time. At this time we are also able to predict a end of season, we are thinking that right now is sorta in the middle and our last day will be around the 2nd of August, we will confirm this as we get closer to the end of the season.


(Friendly reminder: please bring containers to take your berries home in, we are unable to supply containers.)

Blackberries:

We now are able to offer blackberries on a pick to order basis. We will have them for this week and next week for sure. We aren't able to offer them on hand at the farm stand because we are all tied up with blueberries, and our packing shed. The blackberry variety is called Chester, they are huge, seriously the average berry is at least 3/4 the size of my thumb.  They are super sweet and so fun to eat. My current favorite way to enjoy them is to have them in an ice cold smoothie after I get home from a day of working on the farm.

The price for blackberries are: 2 1/2 pounds for $20.00 & 5 pounds for $30.00

We do not offer U-Pick for blackberries.

Women's Health: Dark Chocolate Super Bites

Dark Chocolate Super Bites

Inspired from The view from Great Island 

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

• about 8 oz of dark chocolate, I used Trader Joe's 73% Super Dark chocolate bars (the higher the percentage of cacao the better)
• assorted dried fruits, chopped nuts, and seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Lay out a piece of parchment paper, or waxed paper, or foil.
2. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and put in a microwave safe glass measuring cup. Microwave for 60 seconds, and then stir. Microwave for another 30 seconds, and then stir again to completely melt the chocolate. If there are still lumps, microwave for another short burst and stir again.
3. Use a spoon to make small rounds of chocolate onto the parchment paper. Let the chocolate fall from the spoon and it will naturally form a more or less round shape. You can nudge it with your spoon if you like. Work with one at a time, and sprinkle each round of chocolate with an assortment of your healthy add-ins while the chocolate is still hot. Make them whatever size you like, but mine were about 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter.
4. Let the chocolate set at room temperature, or put the bites in the refrigerator to speed things up.

NOTES

If you plan to refrigerate the medallions it helps to put the parchment right on a baking sheet or tray so you can transfer it straight to the fridge.

Harvest Report: U-Pick + Fresh Picked Blueberries

Another busy week is in the books for us. We really enjoyed the weather last week and it looks like another week in the 80's for us. Which is great! Our berries are getting sweeter and sweeter. We have heard that some local U-Picks have closed in the area so that may or not mean we will have more U-Pickers when you come visit us! Not to worry though, we haven't even gotten across half the field yet. 

Our Hours are from 9 am to 6 pm everyday. 
The variety is Blue Crop, and our price is $2.75 per pound. Please bring your own containers to take your berries home in.  

It looks like the weather will be in the 80's this week so we do not expect to close the field for cooling at time this week. If temperatures exceed 95 then we will be closing for cooling in the afternoon, but we will let everyone know if that comes up.In our tent we only have fresh picked blueberries right now. The next berry we will have are fresh blackberries which won't be available for a week or so yet. Stay tuned for updates! If your wanting to order a head of time we are more than happy to take it! You can call us at 541-752-0460, or you can email us at sunsetvalleyorganics@gmail.com. 

We do not ship fresh berries, because we can not guarantee the condition they will arrive in.  

In other news we have started harvesting our youngest plantings. These are baby crops and we are very excited to be getting fruit from them. A few years ago we took out all the plantings that were too old, and replanted with new varieties, so we are now able to start seeing a harvest from them. 

Women's Health: Healthy Mediterranean 7 Layer Dip

Healthy Mediterranean 7 Layer Dip

Inspired from Cookincanuck

Prep Time: 15 Mins         Total Time: 15 Mins

Ingredients:

• 8oz hummus
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup diced cucumber
• 1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 2 canned artichoke hearts, chopped
• 2 roasted red peppers (4 halves), diced
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley
• Kalamata olives, chopped (optional) for garnish

Directions:

1. In an 8- by 8- square serving dish, spread the hummus evenly on the bottom. Layer the tomatoes and cucumber over top.
2. Dollop the yogurt over the vegetables, then gently spread with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the yogurt with salt and paprika.
3. On top of the yogurt, layer the artichoke heart, roasted red peppers and feta cheese. Sprinkle the parsley over top and garnish with olives.
4. Serve with fresh vegetables, pita chips or crackers.

Calories 49.4 / Total Fat 3.6g / Saturated Fat 0.9g / Cholesterol 2.4mg / Sodium 122.4mg / Total Carbohydrates 4.0g / FIber 1.0g / Sugars 1.2g / Protein 2.4g / WW (Old Points) 1 / WW (Points+) 2 (Calculated without olives)

Serves: Makes 4 cups

Harvest Report: U-Pick Going Strong, End of Fresh Raspberries

We were so busy over the weekend! Thanks to everyone who came out and shared their 4th of July with us! We loved seeing everyone! This week so far it looks like temperatures will be cooler than the last (yay for people and for our berries!). We didn't have any heat damage because of how we grow our berries as well as the cooling we did in the afternoon. We want to say thank you for your understanding and patients during those hot days. 

As long as the weather stays below 95 we will have our U-Pick open during our business hours this week. If the weather decides to jump back up then we will be cooling again in the afternoons. We will announce that here on our blog as well as on Twitter and Facebook. 

Our U-Pick is still looking great and super loaded! We haven't even picked out the first 5 rows yet, and it's not from a lack of people coming to see us! Our bushes are just that loaded!

Our Hours are from 9 am to 6 pm everyday. 
The variety is Blue Crop, and our price is $2.75 per pound. Please bring your own containers to take your berries home in.  

In our tent we only have fresh picked blueberries. Our raspberries are officially done, if you missed the fresh ones no worries, we will have frozen available starting sometime in late August or early September. 

The next berry we will have are fresh blackberries which won't be available for a few weeks still. 

It's going to be a great week! If you have any questions you can call us at 
541-752-0460 during business hours. 

Women's Health: Zucchini Frittata with Tomato-Onion Sauce

This recipe is perfectly light for the summer time, plus its delicious and good for your heart! A zucchini and mushroom filled frittata topped with a simple flavorful tomato sauce with onions.

Zucchini Frittata with Tomato-Onion Sauce

Prep Time: 30 mins        
Total Time: 30 mins    
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt's® Diced Tomatoes with Sweet Onion, undrained
• 1 teaspoon Gulden's® Spicy Brown Mustard 
• 1 teaspoon honey 
• PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray (or olive oil 
• 1-1/2 cups finely chopped zucchini 
• 1 cup finely chopped white button mushrooms 
• 1 carton (16 oz each) Egg Beaters® Original
• 2 green onions, chopped 

Directions

1. Combine undrained tomatoes, mustard and honey in medium saucepan. Place over medium-high heat; cook 10 minutes or until thickened and most of juice has cooked away, stirring several times.
2. Spray shallow 10-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and mushrooms; cook 5 minutes or until starting to brown on edges, stirring several times. Reduce heat to medium-low; pour Egg Beaters over vegetables. Cover skillet. After 6 minutes, lift edge of frittata with spatula and tilt skillet to allow Egg Beaters to flow underneath several times. Cover; continue cooking 4 minutes or until set.
3. Stir green onions into tomato sauce. Cut frittata into 4 wedges. Top each wedge with tomato sauce.

Cook's Tips:

By covering the skillet after adding the Egg Beaters, one can save energy and eliminate the need to finish the frittata under the broiler. Use a piece of foil as a cover if the skillet has no lid.

News from around the farm for July

July is Here! 

We have been so busy on the farm and we have so many things happening. The biggest is we have started our harvest for the summer. We started June 17, and June 29 we opened for U-Pick Blueberries. We are also getting ready to harvest on a larger scale for our frozen processing. 

Details of our Harvest

If you have been following us on any of our social media we have been sending out weekly updates called “Harvest Reports” in which we summarize what is going on for the week, what we have available for purchase at our farm stand and how we think our berries are ripening. This is the best way other than giving us a call, to find out how things are going. 

We had a fantastic response to our raspberries this year, we have barely been able to keep up with demands for them this year! However all good things must come to an end. This week is the end of our red raspberries, and we will just have blueberries and maybe some black raspberries. (If your interested in black raspberries please keep in mind they are baby plants and there isn't a whole lot out there. There will be tons next year, so thank you for your patients.) 

We have frozen in raspberries if you missed out and we sell them not just online, but at our farm stand as well, so you can still get your fill! We will have frozen raspberries starting in august some time. 

We have fresh picked blueberries, since opening our variety has been Duke, an early variety, but this week we are changing to Blue Crop (this is the same variety that is our U-Pick field). If your interested in buying more than a flat or two at a time please call us to place an order. 

U-Pick is officially open! We are open 9 am to 6 pm daily (includes weekend). Please bring containers to take home the berries in. Our U-Pick variety is Blue Crop and our price is $2.75 per pound. We only offer U-Pick for blueberries. 

Please Note: July 1-3 due to high temps we will be closing our U-Pick field each day at noon to cool the field with water. If we continue to have high temperature we will continue to close the field to protect the crop. For updates please follow our social media or give us a call. Thank you for understanding and your patients. 

Blackberries are coming up pretty soon as well. Right now we are estimating they will be ready some time in late July or early August. If you want to be notified about when we have fresh blackberries please call to have your name put on a list or to reserve fresh blackberries. 

Our 30 cases will be ready around the 13 of July. If you have placed an order with us to reserve berries you can expect a call from us the week of July 6 letting you know all the details. We will also post about our 30 pound cases on all social media.  If you would like to reserve a 30 pound case (or more) please call us and we can add you to our list. 

Plus....

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 Butterflies!

We have had a very busy month on Facebook, Twitter, and our Blog. It’s the best way to keep up to date with our harvest this year. Each week we post about our harvest, recipes, and more! On Facebook this summer we have a goal of getting to 1,000 likes, we are currently at 838, at 1000 likes we will be having a give a away of a gift basket full of our products. So if you haven't liked us please do so, and share our page with all your friends & family! We will announce details for the give away on our Facebook once we have hit 1,000 likes. 

We would also like to announce that we now have an active Instagram account. You can follow us @SVOrganics . On our Instagram you can see more details about our harvest and yummy recipes we love to make! 

This month Pinterest we will be doing a few different things. First we have a brand new board celebrating all the great things about America, especially the delicious food! We are also adding to our Blueberry, Raspberry, and Blackberry Inspired boards, as well as Harmonious Berry Blends. 

Coupons and Specials:

For those of you who received postcards you can still redeem the coupon on them when you come see us at the farm. Just remember to bring it with you when you come see us. 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. 

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. 

Blueberry, Strawberry, Jicama Salsa

Makes about 3 cups of salsa

Ingredients:

1. 1 Cup fresh blueberries
2. 1 Cup diced strawberries
3. 1 Cup diced jicama
4. 1/3 Cup chopped cilantro
5. 1/4 Cup finely chopped red onion
6. 2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno pepper, stemmed + seeded.
7. Juice of 1 large lime
8. Salt, to taste
9. Tortilla chips, for serving

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine blueberries, strawberries,  jicama, cilantro, red onion, jalapeño, and lime juice. Stir until well combined. Season with salt, to taste. Serve with tortilla chips at room temperature or chilled. 

Note: This salsa is also great with grilled fish, or chicken. It is best eaten the day it is made. 

Blueberry Breakfast Parfait Pops

Inspired from Mom On Time Out   Makes 4

Ingredients:

1. 4 Yoplait Greek Yogurts (2 Blueberry, 2 Vanilla)
2. 4 Blueberry Nature Valley Breakfast Biscuits, crushed
3. 1/2 Cup Fresh or Frozen Blueberries

Directions:

Fold blueberries into vanilla yogurt. 

First two popsicles:

Layer 2 tablespoons blueberry yogurt, 1 teaspoon breakfast biscuits, 2 tablespoons vanilla yogurt, 1 teaspoon breakfast biscuits, and 2 tablespoons blueberry yogurt in popsicle mold. (Adjust according to the size of your mold.) Sprinkle additional crushed biscuits on top and press in slightly to adhere.

Second Two Popsicles:

 Layer 2 tablespoons vanilla yogurt, 1 teaspoon breakfast biscuits, 2 tablespoons blueberry yogurt, 1 teaspoon breakfast biscuits, and 2 tablespoons vanilla yogurt in popsicle mold. (Adjust according to the size of your mold.) Sprinkle additional crushed biscuits on top and press in slightly to adhere.

Freeze for at least four hours before removing and enjoying.

Women's Health Awareness

So we have looked at Men's health and health awareness in general now its the Ladies turn. While like Men there are many different health issues we all need to be aware of but the biggest for Women in the US is Heart Disease. 

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, killing nearly 422,000 each year. Although hearth disease is sometimes thought of as a "man's disease," around the same number of women and men die each year of heart disease in the united states. Following a heart attack, approximately 1 in 4 women will die within the first year, compared to 1 in 5 men. Some conditions and lifestyle choices increase a person's chance for heart disease, including diabetes, overweight and obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol use. Among women, black women are at highest risk of dying early from heart disease and stroke followed by American Indian/Alaska Native, White, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander women. High blood pressure, and smoking are key risk factors for heart disease. Lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol and not smoking will reduce your chances for heart disease. 

What you can do for your Heart:

• Eat a healthy diet.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Be active. Exercise regularly.
• Be smokefree. 
• Limit alcohol use. 
• Talk to your health care provider and ask questions to better understand your health.
• Know your family history. There may be factors that could increase your risk for heart disease and stroke.
• Manage any medical condition you might have. Learn the ABCS of health. Keep them in mind every day and especially when you talk to your health provider:
• Appropriate aspirin therapy for those who need it
• Blood pressure control
• Cholesterol management
• Smoking cessation

When it comes to a healthy diet we have some ideas that might make things easier and tastier! So this month we are going to focus on delicious dishes that are hearth healthy! 

Check out our delicious recipes that go with this months theme! 
Zucchini Frittata with Tomato-Onion Sauce