Harvest Report: Close of U-Pick, Fresh Picked Berries, and Farm Stand

We are officially done with the fresh season, our Farm Stand is now closed, and that means our U-Pick is now closed as well.  We had a great season and are already looking forward to next years harvest! We are switching back to our "Fall/Winter" Hours which are Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm Pacific Standard time. 

We are still processing blueberries and blackberries. So if your on our list to call we have some updated information for you: If you ordered Jersey (the small berries) you should have received a phone call from us by now. If you ordered Blue Crop (the bigger berries) we are still processing them and will be calling you soon. If you haven't gotten a call and think you should have you can call us at 541-752-0460.

For those of you who missed our fresh season, we currently have ready to be frozen berries available for purchase in 5 pound quantities or in 30 pound boxes. The variety on these will be Blue Crop. 

We are also excited to be harvesting a baby crop of Aronia berries. We are hopefully to start experiments for products this fall (including freeze dried powder!). 

We expect to be done processing all of this years fruit some time in mid August. 

We will of course continue to offer frozen berries all year round. We expect to have raspberries back in stock sometime in late September. We have frozen blueberries available, and strawberries. For blackberries we currently have 5 pound cases, and later on after harvest we will have the 25 pound cases back in stock. 

Once we have a product back in stock we will announce it on our Twitter and Facebook so be sure to be following us! 

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!

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.

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. 

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. 

June 2015 Favorites

It seems like June just flew by, but I guess thats what happens when crops start being ripe and things started getting really busy around the farm. In case you missed anything here a little recap from this month in all the things we liked and had happen. 

I think the biggest news that came from us this month was opening the our farm stand for the summer. Since that post we have had a harvest update and will probably have them weekly until the end of our harvest season. 

It's finally happening! Our farm stand is opening this week with pre picked berries! Here are all the details you'll need!

Officially Opening: Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 9 am
Farm Stand Hours: Monday - Sunday 9 am to 6 pm
What We Have: Pre Picked blueberries, and raspberries. 
U-Pick Blueberries are now open! Our U-Pick price is $2.75 per pound. 

Click here to see more...

This month we focused on National Men's Health Awareness and a couple of really delicious posts we really enjoyed were: Healthy Greek Yogurt + Honey Blueberry Muffins and Marinated Tomato + Mozzarella Pasta 

In news from around the world we found this article sadly amusing, and a reinforcement that GMO is not the answer to problems in agriculture. 

For those techies out there we discovered Garden Plan Pro, an app in which you are able to plan your garden!

U-Pick is Closed, Thanks for A Great Season!

On Saturday, August 12, 2013 we closed our U-Pick field until next season. We had a really great season with more turn out than in years past. It's great to see how many people in our community care about the food they are putting into their bodies. This year we had people not only from Corvallis, Eugene, and Albany but also from Salem, Portland, Newport, Sea Side, Yahats, Florance. It even went as far as California and Washington, it was just simply amazing the stretches people are willing to travel to come see us and pick our berries.

We opened our U-Pick in 1998, that year we were lucky if we had even one U-Picker a day. In 2006 we became certified organic and our new company name was born (Sunset Valley Organics). By then we were having more U-Pickers but it still wasn't really all that impressive. This year we were really busy everyday, and sometimes couldn't keep us with all the people that wanted to pick. We are so grateful and thankful that the community realizes how wonderful our berries are, and we are working hard to make not only the berries more nutient dense but also to give back to the earth and take care of our soil.

So thanks for supporting our business, we really appreciate it!

Blueberry Blackberry Shortcakes

Blueberry Blackberry Shortcakes!

Ingredients:

• Shortcakes:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup fat-free buttermilk
• Cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• Filling:
• 3 cups fresh wild blueberries, divided
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 cups fresh blackberries
• 1 cup frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed 

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2.To prepare shortcakes, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in chilled butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk; stir just until moist.

3.Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times. Pat dough to a 1/2-inch thickness; cut with a 3-inch biscuit cutter to form 8 dough rounds. Place dough rounds 2 inches apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Combine water and egg white, stirring with a whisk; brush over dough rounds. Sprinkle evenly with 2 teaspoons sugar. Bake at 400° for 13 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven, and cool on a wire rack.

4.To prepare filling, combine 1 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup sugar, juice, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thick. Place in a large bowl; add remaining 2 cups blueberries and blackberries, stirring to coat. Cover and chill.

5.Using a serrated knife, cut each shortcake in half horizontally; spoon 1/2 cup blueberry mixture over bottom half of each shortcake. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons whipped topping and top half of shortcake.

Source

 

 

Summer's Finally Heating Up!

Saturdays are always a busy day for us here on the farm. Today is no different. The U-Pick field is busy with people coming out of the field with huge gorgeous berries. We are still on the first pick of the field, and plan on doing a second, however those berries look to be just as large as the first pick, and it’s pretty amazing! Our U-Pick price is $2.65 per pound, and we are open from 8am to 6pm daily.

We have another berry that is just coming into season, blackberries that are plump and as large as my thumb! We have two sizes available at the farm stand and at the Corvallis Saturday Farmers Market which is one pound for $5.00 and five pounds for $18.00. This is the first weekend we are having them and we expect the season to go for at least three weeks. If you are wanting to get a lot we in courage you to place an order, or wait until we are mid season and have a lot more of a supply.

This weekend’s heat is sure to help ripen every crop, and we are anticipating the start of our frozen picking season to start this coming week. Which also means we are going to start packing this year’s crop in our frozen boxes, please call ahead to find out if we are indeed packing or if your wanting to pick up more than 2 boxes (30 pounds per box) at a time.

Have a great weekend everyone! Keep cool!

U-Pick Is Open, Let The Season Begin!

Yesterday was the first day of our U-Pick Field being open and we had a great day! So many people came out, especially for being a Wednesday. Our field is full of huge, gorgeous blueberries, that are getting sweeter with every passing day.

Our U-Pick Price is $2.65 per pound, we recommend bringing your own containers to take your berries home in. We are kid friendly, but ask you leave your pets at home. On sunny days there is little shade to park under and animals are not allowed in our fields. We are open from 8am to 6pm daily, now until around the 17th of August. 

If you dont have time to come visit us at the farm, stop on by the Corvallis Farmers Market on Saturdays. The market is on 1st. Street, along the river front in downtown Corvallis. Our booth is across from Denison Farms at the end nearest Great Harvest Bakery. We have all of our products available for purchase as well as fresh fruit.

Also look for our fresh raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries at Albertsons (Corvallis,OR), Market of Choice (Corvallis, OR), Trillium, and  Ocenana (Newport, OR). If they are out request us by name for more! 

For our out of state costumers, don't fret we haven't left you out! Soon you will be able to indulge in our raspberries and blackberries by buying them frozen and buying our other products that will become available sometime this fall! Keep checking back for details!

Raspberries and Blueberries Are Here!

This is the first year we are having raspberries, and they are in full swing at the farm. During the week please call a head to place an order and will have freshly picked raspberries waiting for you. On the weekends you can find our booth at the Corvallis Farmer's Market (located on the Riverfront in Downtown Corvallis), we are right across from Denison  Farms at the end nearest Great Harvest Bakery.

Blueberries are also starting to come on, our first variety is Duke, we will have them at the farm stand as well as at the Corvallis Farmer's Market. If your looking for more than 10 pounds at a time please call a head so we can make sure you get as much as you desire.


U-Pick Blueberries: We will have them, however the field is not ripe yet because they are Blue Crop and are considered to be a mid season berry. We are optimistic that the field will be ready to be open around the 14th of July. Please call a head to see what is happening during the time you are wanting to come out.

Our farm stand is open from 9am to 5pm daily right now, and as soon as U-Picks start we will be open from 8am to 6pm daily.

Summer's Going to be Late--and Blueberries too!

As we launch into Memorial Day weekend we've gotten a couple of calls about when fresh blueberries will be ready for picking. 

Good Question.   Late-- which right now means sometime in July for the first blueberries.

Cold, Wet Spring
As anyone who is in Oregon may have noticed, its been a very cold and wet spring.  That means that we've had fewer warm sunny hours to encourage the blueberries to grow.   Our blueberry plants are still in flower this week, with the bees doing their work. The bad news is that that's really late, but the good news is, there are lots of flowers. 

We think its going to be a good, but late crop this year.  Here's wishing for a warmer, but not hot, June, so we can make up a little growing time.

Keep checking in here, or our facebook page   (http://www.facebook.com/SunsetValleyOrganics)  to get the status of u-pick and fresh organic blueberries for the farmer's market. In the meantime, we've got great dried organic blueberries, and frozen organic blueberries to satisfy that great blueberry craving.  I'm finding that a blueberry smoothie made very simply with a banana, some juice, some ice and a cup of our frozen blueberries really hits the spot this time of year!  Its a little taste of the summer to come.   Enjoy your memorial day weekend!  Stay dry and warm.

Fresh Blueberries Have Finally Arrived!

We have been so busy getting ready for the fresh season! Finally our first variety is ripe enough to start picking. Duke, is a firm, medium size berry and for now is the first to ripen on our farm. We will have FRESH PICKED at the Corvallis Saturday Farmers Market (open from 9am to 1pm), and at our farm stand, which will be opening on July 3rd, this Saturday. For a 10 pound flat we will be selling it for $35.00, we also have smaller amounts for sale. We will only have fresh picked, our u-pick field will be opening around mid-July, and as always that variety is Blue Crop, which is a large, sweet berry perfect for eating plain or tossing into a fruit salad. Our U-Pick price will be the same as last year at $2.50 per pound.

We will also be offering our ready to be frozen 30 pound boxes. We wont be starting these until late July or early August. Our 30 pound boxes are washed, destemed, sorted (no yucky ones), and placed in a box weighed out to be 30 pounds. All you have to do is stick it in your freezer and enjoy! They will be selling for $90.00 per box.

Along with fresh blueberries we will also be offering our blueberry products which includes our organic blueberry spread (original, and no sugar added), organic dried, and organic blueberry powder.

~CHANGE OF LOCATION FOR SATURDAY CORVALLIS FARMERS MARKET FOR JULY 3RD
This Saturday the Corvallis Farmers Market will be on first street next to the skate park because of the July 4th celebrations. We will still have our booth there.

Berries are Ripe, Come U-Pick this weekend

We're open this weekend for U-pick! or buy a flat of fresh berries at our farm stand. We've been picking by hand all week, and will start machine picking soon. Everything is ripe to perfection.

Note Upon U-Pick

Our U-Pick field is going to open on the 15th of July. The Verity is Blue Crop, and the price is $2.50 per pound. We recommend that you bring your own containers, and leave your dogs in the car, or at home. We also ask that you don’t smoke while in the field. This year the berries are bigger than ever, and as sweet as can be. Our hours are 8am to 6pm Monday through Sunday. We will have our U-Picks open for at least three weeks.

We are all really excited to finally get the U-Picks started, we know how long everyone has been waiting and wondering when we are going to open the U-picks up. We have had to wait because of the weather, we haven't had much sun and so the berries are big and blue but they were sour, however they have been getting sweeter with everyday that passes.

Hope to see you all out at our farm picking berries!