Newsletter for November 2015

Happy November! 

Happy November everyone! Wow fall is moving so fast this year! In Oregon where we are, we actually just started to have rain and to feel like it is truly an Oregon Fall. Our blueberries bushes are mostly red now, there is still a bit of green on some of the plants. Did you know different varieties of blueberries turn colors at different times? For us our Duke Blueberry plants turn first, and our Jersey Blueberry plants are the last to fully be red. They also vary in tone of red, Blue Crop Blueberries like to be more of this deep red, and Jersey Blueberries are more orange red.

News From Around the Farm

We have finished putting our blueberry plantings to bed for the fall and winter, and have been working really hard in the raspberries and blackberries tying up the canes and getting the plants ready for next year.

So I know we have been talking about our freeze dried powder, and our freeze drier. Well I sort of have good news. (Just bear with me here guys…) We still have a broken freeze drier, and we are still at that 90% mark. The good news is we have found a company that we can work with to make some blueberry powder for us. We will only have blueberry powder for a while. So it’s better than nothing.  When we have blueberry freeze dried powder available we will be posting on our blog, Facebook, and Twitter. As well as of course having it available in our online store. 

Cold Weather Shipping is Back!

We know a lot of you guys have been waiting for our cold weather shipping to come back. For those of you who are new to our site, every winter we are able to offer better shipping prices on our frozen berries. We are able to do this by shipping by ground rather than by 2-day air, which is standard in our store online. To take advantage of our ground shipping this winter, give us a call at 541-752-0460 (10 am to 4 pm, PST). 

Winter + Holiday Office Hours

Our office hours right now are Monday to Friday 10 am to 4 pm PST.

Our office will be closed for Thanksgiving: November 26, 2015 and November 27, 2015.

Our office will also be closed from December 21, 2015 to January 4, 2016. 

Website Changes on The Horizon

We are going to be making changes to our website, so if you see something wonky, or weird. Please have patience as we will be improving and changing it over the next few months. Our goal is that in 2016 we will have a brand new site, that is educational, and user friendly.

Savings for this month:

We don’t have any coupons this month but there are a couple of different ways for you to save.

1.     We still have an ad in the Pet Press magazine, to use it just bring it in when you visit us at our farm. (There is no code, not valid for online & phone purchases)

2.     We are starting to send out Holiday flyers in orders, so if you buy from us you can receive a coupon that way.

3.     We have gift boxes that make great gifts for this time of year. They also make for a great sampler if you want to try any of our products. Click here to see our gift box section in our online store.

Social Butterflies!

We now have an active Instagram account. You can follow us@SVOrganics . On our Instagram you can see more details about anything that is happening around the farm. Check out our Pinterest board this month! We are adding to our Healthy Thanksgiving board and we are also always adding to our Blueberry, Raspberry, and Blackberry Inspired boards, as well as Harmonious Berry Blends. 

Our Blog theme is follows along the lines of healthy thanksgiving but focused on being  diabetic friendly, every weekend you can find healthy alternative for goodies and treats for this Thanksgiving.

Healthy Thanksgiving: Carrot-Mushroom Stuffing, Diabetic Friendly!

It can be hard during the holidays to cook for everyone, especially those with diatry restrictions, however keeping healthy during the holidays is important, and if you can make it through the holidays healthy then that is an achievement within itself!

Carrot-Mushroom Stuffing
Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 6 Cups freshly sliced shilltake & button mushrooms
• 1/4 Cup sliced green onions
• 1 TBSP reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 TSP snipped fresh oregano, crushed
• 1 1/2 rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 TSP pepper
• 6 Cups dry whole grain bread cubes*
• 3 Cups coarsely shredded carrots (6 medium)
• 1 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes or just until tender, stirring occasionally. Add green onions for the last 1 minute of cooking. Remove from heat. Stir in soy sauce, oregano, rosemary, and pepper.
2.  In a very large bowl, combine mushroom mixture, bread cubes, and carrots. Drizzle with enough of the broth to moisten.
3.  Place stuffing in an ungreased 2- to 2 1/2-quart au gratin or baking dish. Bake, covered, for 45 to 55 minutes or until heated through. (Or to use to stuff a 10- to 12-pound turkey, prepare as above, except use 3/4 to 1 cup broth instead of 1 to 1 1/4 cups broth. Spoon lightly into turkey neck and body cavities; do not pack. Internal temperature of stuffing should register 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.) Makes 12 (3/4-cup) servings.

Additional Notes:

• Make-ahead directions: Prepare as directed through step 2. Place in a 2- to 2 1/2-quart au gratin or baking dish. Cover and chill up to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake casserole, covered, for 60 to 70 minutes or until heated through. (For safety reasons, do not make stuffing ahead if planning to use for stuffing a turkey.)
• 
  

• *To dry whole grain bread: Cut enough slices of whole grain bread into 1/2-inch cubes to equal 8 cups (10 to 12 slices). Spread out in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, in 300 degrees oven about 15 minutes or until dry and crisp, stirring twice. Cool. You should have about 6 cups dried bread cubes.

Healthy Thanksgiving: Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad

Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad + A Special Twist

Cranberries are a hallmark for thanksgiving, and this salad is a great healthy choice not just for Thanksgiving but anytime in the fall. The first version is the original then the second is our spin to make this awesome salad great for in the spring and summer as well. 

Ingredients:

6 Cups salad - any mix you like, we found that a mix of arugula and baby spinach is delicious!

1 Medium Red Apple*

1 Medium Green Apple*

1 Cup Walnuts, roughly chopped

1/3 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese 

1/3 Cup Dried Cranberries

Dressing

1 Cup Apple Juice

4 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar, white vinegar also works

2 TBSP Honey

1/4 TSP Black Pepper

1/4 Cup Oil

A Pinch of Salt

Instructions:

1. Core and chop apples into think slices. Toss lettuce, apples, walnuts, feta, and cranberries in a large bowl. 
2. In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients.
3. Toss with salad.
4. Serve & Enjoy!

*Apples maybe of any variety you like.

Now for a Twist!

Ingredients:

6 Cups salad - any mix you like

1 Medium Red Apple*

1 Medium Green Apple*

1 Cup Almonds, roughly chopped

1/3 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese 

1/3 Cup Dried Blueberries

Dressing

1 Cup Apple Juice

4 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar, white vinegar also works

2 TBSP Honey

1/4 TSP Black Pepper

1/4 Cup Oil

A Pinch of Pink Himalayan Salt

Instructions:

1. Core and chop apples into think slices. Toss lettuce, apples, almonds, feta, and dried blueberries in a large bowl. 
2. In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients.
3. Toss with salad.
4. Serve & Enjoy!

*Apples maybe of any variety you like.

Happy Veterans Day!

Happy Veterans Day! We would like to thank all who are currently serving or have served, and to thank those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We would like to offer a coupon for in our online store, use code VETERANS11 and save 11% on your total order (excludes frozen). This offer is good for today only (November 11, 2015 12 am to 11:59 pm).

We hope everyone enjoys today!

Happy Healthy Thanksgiving: Home Made Bagles

Who can say no to a bagel? I know no one around here can! So we were super excited when we found a recipe that was gluten free + vegan friendly! We have also given it our own twist! 

Homemade 

Blueberry Bagels 

(Gluten Free + Vegan Friendly) 

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose white blend
1 3/4 cups milk of choice or water
2 1/2 tsp yeast or 1 packet 
1/2 cup dried blueberries
3 tsp guar gum
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt (+ extra for top)
1 tbsp sugar

Instructions:
1. Heat liquid to 100 degrees F. Add yeast and sugar, then mix and allow to sit for 5 minutes. 
2. In a separate bowl mix flour, gum, dried blueberries, and salt.

3. In large bowl combine liquid and oil. Gradually mix in all the flour mixture by hand to avoid big lumps. Mix until all incorporated and smooth.

4. Use a large cookie scoop or spray a ½ cup to scoop the dough. With wet hands form dough into a ball and use a finger to poke a hole in the center. Gently shape into bagel form by expanding the hole. Place on a individual piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

5. Spray tops with oil, cover with plastic and allow to rise in a warm place for about 20 minutes. (Don't allow to double in size or else it will lose its shape and fall apart in the bath.)

6. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Gently drop a max of 2 bagels in the water and boiled each side for only 30 seconds each side. Remove individual parchment paper pieces and place back on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt.

7. Bake at 450 degrees F for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown.

Useful Info:

Be careful moving bagels to and from the water. The extra sheet of parchment paper makes it easier to move and comes off easily after boiling. The water should be a rapid boil and only let them sit for a short while on each side or else they will absorb too much water and become soggy. If you can, allow your oven to preheat at least 20 minutes prior to baking. These freeze extremely well and can be used for sandwich bread.

Original Recipe from Petite Allergy Treats

November Themes

It hardly seems like Christmas is next month! But first we have the great month of November, we love November around here. This month we will be posting about two very important topics, Alzheimer's Awareness, as well as Diabetes Awareness. Each Saturday we will have either a stimulating recipe for Alzheimer's Awareness or a healthy alternative for Thanksgiving for Diabetes Awareness.

Alzheimer's is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. It's the most common cause of dementia, a group of brain disorders that results in the loss of intellectual and social skills. Sadly scientist don't fully understand what the actual cause of Alzheimer's disease. But as research continues, it is becoming apparent that a series of complex events take place in the brain over a long period of time, it is thought that it also involves a mix of genetics, environmental and lifestyle factors. In America 5.2 million people of all ages (2013) have Alzheimer's. 5 Million of that are 65 years of age or older.

While there is no known cure for Alzheimer's there are ways of slowing the progression. Specifically we will be focusing on blueberries and their link to slowing Alzheimer's. Scientist and researchers are not 100% on what exactly the link, or magic is between the two but the theory is that because Blueberries are so high in Antioxidants.

Why are Antioxidants important? Because they help repair tissue, cells, and DNA that have been damaged specifically by free radicals. Free radicals are all around us, from being exposed to the sun, the foods we eat, even our bodies create free radicals from the process of digestion. However as long as diets are high in antioxidants then the thought is that the free radical production can be kept in check.

Another thing that is magical about Blueberries is that they have high amounts of anthocyanin, this is what gives the berries that blue & purple color. Anthocyanin can also be found in other berries such as raspberries, blackberries, strawberries,  and aronia berries.