June 2017 News & Updates

June Is Here!

Finally the rain is letting up and the beautiful sun is shining through! We had a pretty wet spring and because of that we are currently about 2 weeks behind with the growing season. If we get some really hot weather that can change really quick. It just depends on Mother Nature now.  

WE HAVE NEW PRODUCTS!

What a great reception we have received from our powders! We are so happy to hear that so many of you enjoy them! For those who missed last months newsletter, we have new berry powders up in the shop.  You can now purchase:

• Red Raspberry Powder
• Blackberry Powder
• Aronia Berry Powder
• Black Raspberry Powder
• Blueberry Powder

Our berry powders are a supercharged way of getting your daily fruits into your diet. You can mix our powders into baking, oatmeal, smoothies, milk, ice cream, and more! Just like our dried berries, there are no additives or preservatives, so we're keeping the product as natural and nutritious as possible! 

*Note: Our powders are not soluble*

We've also added a new size to our powders. Now you can purchase all of our powder varieties in 2 lbs. quantities for $110.00.  

We would also like to mention that our free shipping amount has increased to $235.00 after coupons are applied. Our spreads and frozen do not qualify for free shipping. 

Changes Are Coming:

Most of you are aware that last summer we were crazy busy during harvest. In the summer of 2016 we harvested about 2 million pounds of fruit, this year we are projecting at least 3 million. With that much fruit to be harvested we have had to make some hard choices in where to cut back so a balance can be achieved. This has resulted in our decision to not have a U-Pick this summer. We are sad that we can not continue, but our harvest is our first priority. 

We will still be offering already picked & washed blueberries in 30 pound boxes and 5 pound bags. For these you pull around to our office and we help you there. The price for those this year will be the same as in the past at $100 (30 pound box). 

We would like to thank everyone who has come out and supported us over the years. We hope you will continue to enjoy our berries. 

We will have a blog post late May about all the changes we are making why we are making them. 

This Month On The Blog:

Our blog is becoming more active! We will be having a variety of topics, you can expect these posts over the next month:

• Blackberry Crostini
• Spring Superfood Bowl with Blueberry Ginger Dressing
• Blueberry Broccoli Spinach Salad
• Raspberry Chia Seed Jam
• Super Berry Bars
• U-Pick Update

And did you see our delicious post this month? Oatmeal Aronia Berry Cookies. A surprisingly soft, delicious treat!

Have you seen this awesome spotlight video on our farm? It's just a little over 2 minutes so take a look!

Our Normal Office Hours: Monday - Friday 10 am to 4 pm PST  These will also be the hours during harvest this summer. Please note: Do not respond to this email, it does not reach us.  Cold Weather Shipping  Cold Weather shipping is now over until fall. Thanks to everyone who called an placed an order, we are so glad we can provide a cheaper method of shipping so more people have the chance to enjoy our nutrient dense berries. When we get to September we will start looking at temperatures again to see if we can offer this method again sooner rather than later. Typically it won’t be available until mid-October though. If you have questions about frozen and shipping please call us at 541-752-0460 Monday through Friday 10 am to 4 pm PST. We will be having a First Day of Summer flash sale. Details will be posted on our Facebook page on June 20, the sale will take place on June 21st. No-Bake Nutrient Dense Raspberry Energy Bites Original Recipe from sunsetvalleyorganics.com Ingredients: 1 TBSP Coconut Oil 1/3 C Almond Butter (or nut butter of your choice) 1/4 C Honey* (or maple syrup) 1/2 C Old Fashioned Oats 2 TBSP Chia Seeds 2 TBSP Raspberry Powder Directions: Prepare baking sheet lined with parchment, set aside. Melt coconut oil in a large bowl. Stir in the nut butter*, honey (or maple syrup) until smooth. Add the oats, chia seeds, and mix ins of your choice. Roll into 1 tablespoon balls and place on prepared baking sheet, and place in freezer for up to an hour. Remove from freezer and transfer balls into plastic bag. Store in the fridge for up to one week or the freezer for up to 3 months. *If your nut butter is really hard you can try warming it up in the microwave, it makes it a lot easier to stir in!

Blueberry Broccoli Spinach Salad

Blueberry Broccoli Spinach Salad 

This spring has been such a treat for fresh veggies at our local farmers market. One of the tasty treats we've been enjoying this spring is a Blueberry Broccoli Spinach Salad. It's super simple and easy to through together with just a few ingredients. It's delicious with your favorite dressing or a poppyseed ranch.

Salad Ingredients:

• 4 oz fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup chopped broccoli
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 1/4 cup blueberries (fresh, frozen, or dried)
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2-4 TBSP dried cranberries
• 2-4 TBSP roasted pumpkin seeds (also try sunflower seeds)
• black pepper, to taste

Poppy Seed Ranch Dressing

• 1/2 Cup plain yogurt or sour cream
• 1/2 Cup chopped broccoli
• 1/2 rip avocado
• 1/4 Cup blueberries
• 1/4 Cup mayo
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp poppy seeds
• 1/2 tsp dill
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• pinch of salt
• pinch of black pepper

Instructions:

1. Make the dressing (skip if you are using store bought dressing)- mix all the dressing ingredients together. Ranch dressing always tastes better if it's chilled, so if you are making this dressing, it's best made ahead of time. Whisk and chill for a few house before serving, or you can even make the salad and dressing the night before. 
1. Peel the garlic clove, and mash and mince into a paste.
2. Add a pinch of salt to the paste.
3. Take salted garlic paste and add to the rest of the dressing ingredients and whisk well.
4. Place in fridge to chill for a few hours.
2. Make the Salad: 
1. Wash + Dry spinach
2. Combine with broccoli, blueberries, dried cranberries, avocado, feta cheese, and pumpkin seeds.
3. Toss with dressing & serve.
4. Season with pepper to taste.

U-Pick Updates For the Summer of 2017

What is happening this Summer?

As most of you are aware, last summer we were crazy busy during harvest. In the summer of 2016 we harvested about 2 million pounds of fruit, this year we are projecting at least 3 million. With that much fruit to be harvested we have had to make some hard choices. The biggest change is that we will no longer have a farm stand in the summer, nor will we have the U-Pick for blueberries.This also includes any pre-orders for Raspberries, blackberries, and black raspberries. We hope our loyal customers can understand our decision. 

Please know this was not an easy decision for us to make. We spent the better part of the winter and spring trying to work out how we could make a it work. And finally, we just had to face the truth, that we've reached a point that we have to make some cuts. Last year we had to cut back our U-Pick and farm stand to being open only for 2 weeks, and during that time we felt strained in making sure everything was getting the attention it needed. We take customer service very seriously, and we just felt like we were not meeting our expectations during those two weeks. Additionally, finding workers is becoming harder and harder, and this too has played a part in our choice of closing the farm stand and u-pick. 

We will still be offering already picked & washed blueberries in 30 pound boxes and 5 pound bags. Like in past years, for these you will pull around to our office and our office staff can help you there. The price for those this year will be the same as in the past at $100 (30-pound box) and 5 pound bags for $24.00. We will post here, on facebook, instagram, and twitter when these are ready to be picked up. You can also call us and place a pre-order if you are wanting to pick up two or more boxes at a time. Our office phone number is 541-752-0460. The hours for pick up will be Monday to Friday 10 am to 4 pm, our normal office hours. 

We would like to thank everyone who has come out and supported us over the years. We hope you will continue to enjoy our berries. 

Spring Superfood Bowl ft. Blueberry Ginger Dressing

Spring Superfood Bowl
Featuring Blueberry Ginger Dressing

Spring offers so many yummy greens while we wait for fresh berries to come back into season in Summer. Lately we've been obsessed with spinach and have been enjoying our superfood bowls a little too much! So much so in fact that we just had to share!

Ingredients:

• 4 oz spinach
• 1/2 cup cook quinoa
• 1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts
• 1/2 cup chickpeas, rinsed
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 6 oz fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 avocado, peeled, cored, and diced into small pieces

For the dressing:

• 1/3 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• salt & peper to taste

Instructions:

• Add all of the ingredients for the dressing to a food processor. Pulse until well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• For the salad divide the spinach into two bowls. Top spinach with quinoa, sprouts, chickpeas, almonds, and blueberries, and avocado, dividing evenly between bowls. Top with blueberry-ginger dressing and serve.