Nectarine & Aronia Berry Tart

Original posting is over on The Unicorn's Delight, be sure the site for even more delicious healthy recipes!

"There are tons of unlikely duos out there when it comes to food. Such as cheese & jelly, chocolate & salt, broccoli & Cheetos, Mango & chili, goat milk & caramel, sriracha & peanut butter. A personal favorite of mine is peanut butter and pickle sandwiches-it’s an acquired taste, I’ll admit, but so good! Well, I seem to have stumbled upon another unlikely duo; Nectarines and Aronia berries! They are delicious together.

Aronia berries are being harvested all over the united states right now. If your unfamiliar with this super fruit, it’s not surprising. While they are king of the super berries, they also pack quite a punch with an earthy, astringent flavor that typically drys out the mouth, think like a dry wine. They are also known as chokeberries, native to mid-west America, for years they have been seen as a weed, and removed from farm lands. However now, with the discovery of their nutritional value, farmers are planting them like crazy. If you live outside of the mid-west you might find them in your yard, because they have been commonly used in landscaping.

Some of the health benefits Aronia berries can offer are:

• Urinary Track Health
• Improve Blood Circulation & Strengthen Blood Vessels
• Balance of Blood Pressure Levels
• Prevention and help in treatment of diabetes
• Gastro Protective Effect
• Anti-Carcinogenic Effect
• Anti-Inflammatory Properties, Suppress Viruses
• Eyes Protection
• Weight Control

Sunset Valley Organics is doing something unique with their plantings of aronia berries. They are applying what they call biological farming practices, which basically means they are putting minerals back into their soil, remineralizing it, which they have seen healthier plants, more nutritional fruit, the plants are able to defend themselves from insects and disease, and most recently they are finding their aronia berry plantings have less of that earthy, astringent flavor, even though the tannins in the skin that cause the astringent flavor are still there.

How can that be? Well it’s from the minerals doing their job, and interacting in such a way that the plant is producing fruit that has a higher sugar content, or Brix. (Brix is the standard unit of measure for sugar content.)  That natural sugar is over riding the tannins and making them have a mild flavor. This year Sunset Valley Organics is seeing their aronia berries having an average of 26 brix, compared to last year they had 22, and the average, conventional aronia growers hit somewhere between 15-19.

The first time I ever tried an aronia berry I had to spit it out. It was so gross tasting to me, and it was around 19 Brix, the tannins were over powering, and it felt like I was eating literal dirt. Not a good experience. But when I tried last years crop from Sunset Valley Organics, I could actually eat them. It was so surprising! I started using them in baking and smoothies. My favorite recipe I’ve found is Oatmeal Aronia berry cookies, so good, and can be a healthy snack! 

So now with berries that are around 26 brix I’ve started incorporating them into other forms of baking, like today’s recipe! Because Aronia berries aren’t common at all, it’s important to experiment and play with them.

SO LET’S GET TO THE GOOD STUFF, THE RECIPE!

What You’ll Need:

• 5-6 medium sized nectarines, sliced
• Pie Crust- You can use store bought or my recipe (below) for a healthier version.
• 1 Cup fresh/frozen Sunset Valley Organic’s Aronia Berries
• 1/4 cup Thick apricot jam
• 3/4 cup water

Pie Crust Ingredients:

Coconut Pie Crust- Makes 1 full pie crust (top & bottom)

• 1 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2/3 cup (160 g) coconut oil, scoopable (not liquid)*
• 3-6 Tbsp (45-90 ml) ice cold water

What You’ll Do:

Pie Crust:

1. Add flour and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Next add coconut oil in spoonfuls (see photo) and use a pastry cutter (or fork) to cut the two together, until it resembles wet sand – about 30-45 seconds.
3. Add ice cold water 1 Tbsp at a time and use a wooden spoon to gently mix. Add only as much water as needed to help it come together and form a dough – about 3-4 Tbsp.
4. Use your hands to gently knead/form the dough in the bowl and gather any loose scraps. Then transfer directly to a well-floured surface and form into a disc with your hands.
5. Lightly flour the top of the dough, as well as a rolling pin, and gently roll into a circle the shape of your pie pan, about 1/8-inch thick. Add more flour as needed to prevent sticking. It’s fairly forgiving, so if it cracks, just patch it up with slightly wet fingers and reform.
6. If using a standard 9-inch (or similar size) pie crust, simply use the rolling pin to roll up crust and drape it over the pan. Form the edges simply (avoiding too tall of edges or fancy designs as the coconut oil doesn’t hold it as well as butter) and add filling of choice. Roll out remaining crust, drape over the top of pie, and seal (optional).

Note: To save uncooked dough for future use, wrap in plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator for 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Thaw before using.

 Tart filling: 

1. Pre heat oven to 375 F. Start with pie dough rolled out on to a baking sheet. We did a nine inch pie crust.
2. Lay sliced nectarines one inch from the edge of the pie dough in a circular pattern, layering until all pie dough is covered.
3. Fold 1 inch edge of dough on top nectarines, and pinch to stay in place.
4. Evenly distribute the aronia berries on top of the nectarines.
5. In a small pot bring apricot jam and water to a slow boil, until well combined and is a thin mixture.
6. Brush evenly on top of nectarines and aronia berries.
7. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown appears on pie crust.
8. Let cool 5 minutes, serve warm & enjoy!"

New Products & Energy Bites!

March was crazy busy and stressful for us. But it all paid off, we are so proud to announce we now have new berry powders available in our shop! We now offer a full line of berry powders; Blueberry, Blackberry, Black Raspberry, Red Raspberry, & Aronia Berry!

Be sure to be following us on Instagram for random sales, and fun photos of what we're up to around the farm!

During the month of April when you purchase any of our powders (4oz or more) you will receive a 2oz sample of another flavor. No coupon needed, this is just something we are doing so our customers can try more of our new products!

We've gotten one common question about our powders which is "How do you use it?" So we thought we would share some of the ways we use our powders. If you receive our newsletter then you saw this months featured recipe of 'No Bake Blueberry Energy Bites' well that was just a jumping point for us. We dived in head first into Energy bites, and the results are really delicious!

Our Base Recipe:

• 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

The Add Ins We Love:

• Raspberry Powder
• Blueberry Powder
• Blackberry Powder
• Aronia Berry Powder
• Black Raspberry Powder
• Coconut Flakes-Unsweetened
• Chopped Almonds

Instructions:
1. Prepare baking sheet with lined parchment, set aside.
2. Melt coconut oil in a large bowl.
3. Stir in the nut butter, honey (or maple syrup) until smooth. Add the oats, chia seeds, and mix ins.
4. Roll into 1 tablespoon balls and place on prepared baking sheet, and place in freezer for up to an hour.
5. Remove from freezer and transfer balls into plastic bag.
6. Store in the fridge for up to one week or the freezer for up to 3 months.

Aronia Berry Coconut Crunch Nutrient Dense Energy Bites: 2 tsp aronia berry powder, 1/4 cup roughly chopped unsalted almonds, 1/4 cup coconut flakes.

Black Raspberry Coconut Nutrient Dense Energy Bites: base recipe + 2 tsp black raspberry powder, 1/4 cup coconut flakes.

Blueberry Crunch Nutrient Dense Energy Bites: base recipe + 2 tsp Blueberry powder, 1/4 cup roughly chopped unsalted almonds. (You can also add in 1/4 cup dried blueberries for even more flavor!)

Raspberry Coconut Nutrient Dense Energy Bites: base recipe + 2 tsp raspberry powder, 1/4 cup coconut flakes.

Fun fact about working with the powders, they don't come off on your hands when forming the balls, so you don't have to worry about your hands getting covered in it! :) 

If you try any other combinations or with other add ins we would love to hear about! Leave us a comment here, on Instagram or on our Facebook page!

Black Raspberries & Their Benefits

So earlier in the year we said big things were coming, and we meant it! We have planted a crop of black-raspberries that we will be adding to our line of fresh (available only at the farm during harvest), frozen (offered year round while in stock), freeze dried powders, spreads, and even dried lines of products. We will not have any product available until sometime in 2016. In the mean time we want to start spreading the word, and share why we thought this would be an excellent berry to add to our farm. 

Black Raspberries basically are not grown organically in the United States. We will potentially have the largest Certified Organic planting once production starts. They are not grown in the United States, not because they are difficult but because no one really relizes their untapped potential. Like their counter part the Red Raspberry, they are extremely high in vitamins and minerals. Black Raspberries are thought to help in these specific health problems: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic syndrome, alleviate pain, preserve eyesight, and protect against the development of cancer. 

A study published in Nutrition and Cancer in 2013 found through tests on human cells demonstrated that anthocyanins extracted from black raspberry may help to suppress the growth of colon cancer. In another study published in Gynecologic Oncology in 2011found that black raspberry extract may help prevent cervical cancer, though the use of black raspberry extract inducing apoptosis (a type of programmed cell death essential for stopping the proliferation of cancer cells).  Additionally there is evidence that black raspberry extract can help prevent skin cancer when applied directly to the skin, however there is more research being conducted about this theory and evidence. 

The Black Raspberry has show promise in the treatment of metabolic syndrome (this is a group of risk factors that occur together and increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes). A study published in 2014 in Phytotherapy Research found that people with metabolic syndrome were given black raspberry extract for about three month and showed a decrease in total cholesterol. Black Raspberry has also appeared to reduce inflammation and improve function in the layer of cells lining the inside of blood vessels (a factor that may promote better blood pressure control). 

Black Raspberries are one of many plants that contain anthocyanins, this is a class of compounds thought to play a major role in potential of health benefits in a plant, other top sources of these compounds can also be found in blueberries. 

We at Sunset Valley Organics are always looking out for our customers health, and want to provide choices that are healthy, but we are also wanting to supply ourselves with more healthy choices. We are excited as our venture begins with Black Raspberries. 

For all news about our Black Raspberries be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter, Blog, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook Page. So you never miss a thing!