Thursday, March 1, 2018

Revamped website launch FAQ



If you've been to our site recently you might have noticed that things look a bit different! We are so happy to launch our revamped site and to share with all our customers. So we thought we would make a quick little post with some important information for new & returning customers. Hope this information helps, if you have any additional questions please feel free to contact us!

Q: Are you guys still selling all the same products?

A: Yes, with very few exceptions. We took down some of the gift boxes because we are moving them to be more seasonal.

Q: I'm a returning customer, do I have to make a new account?

A: No. You should be able to use your old username & password to log in. (If you encounter problems, please contact us and we will help you the best we can.)

Q: Are your shipping prices remaining the same? 

A: Unforentually no, as of January 1, 2018, we adjusted our shipping prices to reflect what we are being charged from FedEx & USPS (From the old site to the new one the shipping prices would look the same, but if you haven't visited our site in awhile you might notice the difference). We do not make any money on our shipping and pass whatever savings we do get on to our customers, we feel this is the most honest and fair option.

Q: I found a bug with the site, what should I do?

A: Please contact us about it! We have been working on this for months and feel like we have still overlooked things, the more pairs of eyes the better! If you have already reported a bug to us, we would really like to say a great big THANK YOU. You've no idea how much it's been helping us!

Q: Some of the product images look a bit...well...wonky...

A: Yes, we're aware. We are in the process of creating brand new images to reflect current packaging & hope to have those images up by the second week of March 2018.

Q: Are you having any kind of launch celebration?

A: YES! Of course! Use code NEWSITE18 at check out & get 20% off Dried & Powders. The sale will run from 2/28/18 through 3/31/18. (One offer per order, to qualify for free shipping order must be over $235 AFTER coupon & only eligible product apply)



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Thursday, June 22, 2017

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:
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

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

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Thursday, May 25, 2017

May 2017 News & Updates




What a wet spring we have been having!

Oregon is home to rain but some sun every once in a while would be nice too! With a little luck the fields will start drying out and we can get on with preparing for the coming harvest. The rain has caused us some disruptions, but the berries have been doing well with all the wet weather and our blueberries are starting to bloom. 
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:
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. 
Follow us on Social Media!
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/early June about all the changes we are making why we are making them. 
And did you see our delicious post this month? No-Bake, Nutrient Dense Energy Bites! YUM! 

Our normal office hours are:
Monday - Friday 10 am to 4 pm PST  

Cold Weather Shipping 

Cold Weather Shipping is still going! Since spring is here, if the temperature gets above 75 degrees where you are please call us and we will discuss if it's safe to ground ship berries to you. May is the last month we will be able to ship, and it might not even be available the whole month. It just depends on what the temperature decides to do. 
Thank you to everyone who has taken advantage of our Cold Weather Shipping! 
For those who are new to this, every year when it’s cold (nation-wide) we are able to send our frozen berries by ground rather than 2 day air, which saves a lot of money! We can only offer this while it’s cold out, usually fall through the early part of spring.
You do need to call us if you would the ground shipping though. Our online store is not set up for it. You can call us at 541-752-0460 Monday through Friday 10 am to 4 pm Pacific Standard Time.
**PLEASE NOTE: We are not responsible for shipping delays due to weather conditions**


LEMON BLUEBERRY SWIRL CHEESECAKE

Original Recipe from quartzandleisure.com
Ingredients:
BLUEBERRY FILLING INGREDIENTS:
  • 1.5 Cups fresh blueberries
  • 1 Cup sugar
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 oz. water
CRUST INGREDIENTS:
  • 1.5 Cups Graham cracker crumbs (I used all 3 blocks from the package – we’ll reserve some of the leftover crumbs for topping)
  • 1/3 Cup melted butter
CHEESECAKE INGREDIENTS:
  • 3 Packages cream cheese (8 oz. each)
  • 1 Cup sugar
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 tsp. Pure vanilla extract
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 1 Cup heavy cream (or whipping cream)
Instructions:
BLUEBERRY FILLING DIRECTIONS:
  1. Pour blueberries & sugar into a pot over medium-high heat. Simmer for about 10 mins.
  2. Add the cornstarch to the water and mix well.  Pour this into the berries.
  3. Continue to stir until it thickens up.
  4. Remove from stove and allow to cool completely (approx 1 hour).
CRUST DIRECTIONS:
  1. Place graham crackers in a Ziploc bag and smash into crumbs.
  2. Measure 1.5 cups of crumbs and mix with the melted butter until evenly coated.
  3. Press into the bottom of a spring form pan and set aside.
CHEESECAKE DIRECTIONS:
  1. Mix cream cheese and sugar with a mixer until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
  2. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix for 30 seconds before adding the next egg.
  3. Blend in the vanilla extract and the lemon zest.
  4. Add in the heavy cream and mix until competely smooth.
  5. Scrape down the bowl and give the batter one last mix at HIGH speed for 1 minute.
  6. Pour over the graham cracker crust.
  7. Make a foil “nest” that the pan will sit in while cooking.
  8. Cook the cheesecake for 65-80 minutes at 300° or until the surface no longer looks shiny.
  9. Allow the cheesecake to cool to room temp before moving it to the fridge to cool completely.
  10. Serve with fresh whipped cream and garnish with the remaining graham cracker crumbs.

Our Featured Products in the online Shop:




We are almost to full bloom in our blueberries. The bees have been hard at work despite the rain we've been having.

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Tuesday, May 9, 2017

What Makes Our Berry Powders Different



What does it mean to be nutrient dense? 

People say things are nutrient dense all the time. 

So what makes us different? 


First of all many manufactures use the term "nutrient density" loosely, without testing, whereas we do testing, and we share the results with our customers (Check out 2016's results here). We use a third party lab for the testing to avoid bias.

Nutrient density is a direct result of how healthy the plant is, and we work hard to make sure our plants and soils are healthy, by remineralizing the soil. Generally, the agriculture industry, across the nation, does not understand the importance of remineralizing our soils. It is these lacking minerals that contribute to nutrient density, along with aerobic soil microbiology. The two working in tandem, will create nutrient dense food.

Our definition of nutrient density:A higher concentration of nutrition in a given volume of food, meaning that our products exceed the USDA standards for nutrition.



Secondly, something we do differently with all of our products is that we start with premium berries. It may surprise people, but a lot of companies do not start with a premium product. This is why sugar is added to our foods - to hide and cover the sub-par ingredients that lack, not only nutrients, but also flavor. (Minerals ALWAYS make flavor, no exceptions.) Just because something is sweet does not mean it has flavor and nutrition.

Our powders act as a super charged way of getting the vitamins and minerals your body needs every day. For example; one spoonful of blueberry powder contains approximately the same nutrition as 8-10 spoonfuls of fresh blueberries.



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Thursday, April 20, 2017

News for March & April From Sunset Valley Organics

 
 
 

 

No-Bake Blueberry Energy Bites

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup creamy almond butter (or cashew butter)
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup Crispy Brown Rice Cereal
  • 1/4 cup ground flax seed
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons hemp seeds (or chia seeds)
  • 1/3 cup dried blueberries
Instructions:
  1. In a large bowl, combine the almond butter and maple syrup then stir together. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir until evenly coated. If the mixture seems to wet, sprinkle in a few more oats. If it seems to dry, add a teaspoon of water at a time until moist it’s enough. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
  2. Using a scooper, scoop out roughly 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of the mixture at a time and roll into balls. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

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Thursday, April 6, 2017

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:

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!









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