February 2016 Newsletter

What A Lovely Time of Year!

News From Around the Farm

Happy February! We have been pruning away on our blueberries. We meant to have our pruning video put up on our blog in January, unfortunately we had some weather (a lot of rain!) that prevented us from filming a good quality video for you guys. Hopefully in February we will have some better weather and we can get that up for you guys to enjoy! 

New Products In Our Shop

We are now selling frozen Aronia berries in our shop.

On February 10th we will have our freeze dried blueberry and aronia berry powders in our store. (We are so close!!) 

Thank You for Taking Our Survey!

Thank you all for taking our survey! We received some amazing feedback! We are excited to be moving into this year and we will be announcing some improvements we will be making next month because of the feedback we received. If you did not receive an additional email after taking the survey with the coupon code please email us at sunsetvalleyorganics@gmail.com with subject Survey Coupon. I will be sure to get you your coupon! 

Freeze Dried Powder Update:

Our freeze dried powder is on it's way to us! We will start selling it in our online shop on February 10th! We will be contacting everyone on our waiting list for blueberry and aronia powders. We will not have raspberry or strawberry powders still. We whould have these flavors sometime in the fall of 2016. We would like to thank everyone for their patients while we have sorted this whole process out. When our freeze dried powders are out please use POWDER for 10% off this coupon will be good for 30 days once we make our powders active on our website. 

Food For Thought

In recent weeks we have seen a rise in nutritional information articles about Black Raspberries, and Aronia berries. Information about Aronia berries is still a bit vague but Black Raspberries have been more and more in the news, and we are delighted. The more information that is out there about their health benefits the better! 

We will be sharing all articles we find on our Facebook and Twitter accounts. But these are a couple of articles that we really like that have been posted recently. 

Say Hello to The New Superfood

Healthy Foods That Relieve Stress

We will have Black Raspberries + Aronia Berries available to purchase in the Harvest of 2016. 

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 Winter hours are Monday to Friday 10 am to 4 pm PST. 

DYI Real Fruit Gummies

These are so healthy and so easy to make, plus they are perfect for Valentines day! 

Ingredients:

• 2/3 Cup Lemon Juice
• 1 1/2 cups strawberries (about 18 medium sized berries)- you can also use Blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries! (Fresh or frozen)
• 3 TBS Gelatin
• 1-2 TBS Honey

Instructions:

• Over medium low heat combine strawberries, lemon juice and honey.
• Once mixture starts to simmer, add to a blender and blend until smooth.
• With the blender on low, slowly add gelatin, and blend until combined.
• Pour into molds or into a parchment lined baking dish.
• Chill until set, about 30 minutes to an hour.

Notes: Store in an airtight container, will stay firm at room temperature. If there's any left after a few days, refrigerate for up to two weeks. 

Recipes of the Month

Cupid's Strawberry Float for Valentines Day inspired by Frugal Coupon Living

Ingredients:

• Vanilla Ice Cream
• Strawberry Soda
• Whipped Cream
• Maraschino Cherries (optional)

Directions:

1. Place 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream in a glass.
2. Slowly add strawberry soda  – it will foam a lot!
3. Optionally you can add whipped cream and a cherry to the top.
4. Serve with long spoon and straw.

Fruit Salad Cutouts inspired by Shari's Berries

"We all know that fruit should be cut into bite-sized pieces. But who wants to spend all day slicing apples? Grab the right tools for the job and make quick work of the task: an apple corer, a strawberry huller and a melon baller. Small cookie cutters work great for melons and also add a decorative element to the salad.

Ideally, all your fruit will be perfectly ripe. After all, no one wants a mouthful of mushy melon and tart strawberries. If you do end up with a basket of less-than-ripe fruit you can fix it with sugar. Sugar breaks down unripe fruit making it softer and sweeter. Take this hack to another level by using mint- or vanilla-infused sugar.

Keep it fresher in a salad spinner. Fruit salad gets juicier the longer it sits. The basket of a salad spinner will let the extra liquid drain and help the fruit stay crisp when stored overnight. Toss some of the juice back into the salad just before serving for extra sweetness or save it and make vinaigrette the next day."- Shari's Berries

Healthy Fruit Heart for Valentines Day Treat 

inspired by Sassy Dealz

"I came across this beautiful fruit platter that looks like a heart for Valentine’s Day! If you or your spouse aren’t chocolate lovers, this is the perfect alternative! All you need are fresh pomegranate seeds, strawberries, and blackberries. Fill the middle with the pomegranate seeds then cut strawberries in half. Surround the outside with those lovely blackberries! Mmm it looks so good doesn’t it?! “Heart healthy” is what love is about " - Sassy Dealz

For more recipes and inspiration check out our Pinterest 

February 2015 Updates

We have had quite a busy month here on the farm!

While we are still busy finishing up pruning our berries and are ready for the spring, we will start feeding our plants. Bob gave a talk to students at OSU this past month. We hope to make this available on our site very soon for those of you interested. We will be posting updates to our Facebook page with any new information about developments in that regard. 

Last month you might have noticed we tried something new for our newsletter layout and had a great response. Which is great! Thank you to all new subscribers and an even bigger thank you to all of our old subscribers! Keep an eye out for more simple changes we have coming to Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter in this coming year. It’s going to be a great 2015! 

Office Hours  Our office hours are still set to Winter, we are open Monday to Friday 10 am to 4pm Pacific time.  Up Coming Events In February If your near or live in Eugene, OR we are happy to say we will be doing some demos in your neck of the woods. For full details and updates, see our Facebook page under “events.” This is a great chance to come out learn about our products and get some tasty samples of products you might have not tried yet. February 8, 2015: Sundance Natural Foods, 12pm -4pm February 13, 2015: Wynant’s Family Health Foods, 12pm-3pm February 13, 2015: Friendly Street Market, 4pm-6pm

Better Shipping Rates are Still Available!  Have a hankering for some delicious frozen berries, but don't want to pay an arm and a leg in shipping? We have great news! We are still able to ship by ground for our frozen berries! If your interested please give us a call at 541-752-0460 to place your order. We are unable to offer better shipping rates through our website, so you need to call us. This offer also excludes Alaska and Hawaii, sorry guys.

“A Very Lovely February”  Check out this months Pinterest board which features fun valentines day ideas for treats, decor, and healthy alternatives! Click here to go to Pinterest. While your there follow our boards and our page, we love sharing all our great finds with all of you!  Strawberry Cream Cake from Pretty, Simple. Sweet. Ingredients Cake: 1 1/4 cups (170g/6oz) all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup (1/2 stick/56g) butter 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk 3 large eggs, at room temperature 1 cup (200g/7 oz) granulated sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Whipped Cream: 1 1/2 cups (360ml) heavy cream 1/2 cup cream cheese or mascarpone cheese 1/4 cup granulated or powdered sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract About 1 pound/450g fresh strawberries, cut into halves or quarters Instructions Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Grease 2 8-inch pans (read note if you have only one pan) and line the bottoms with parchment paper for easy release later on. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a small saucepan, combine butter and milk over medium heat just until butter is melted. Do not let it boil. In a mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk eggs on high speed until combined and starting to foam, about 1 minute. Gradually add sugar and keep whisking until tripled in volume, about 6 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to medium-low and add warm milk mixture into the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream. Add flour mixture in 3 additions and fold by hand using a rubber spatula just until combined. Pour batter into prepared cake pans and smooth the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cake springs back when slightly touched and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and invert the pan onto the rack. Let cool completely. Without filling, cakes can be wrapped airtight and refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for 2 months. For the whipped cream: In a mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk heavy cream with sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Avoid overbeating. Assembling the cake: Set one cake layer on a plate. Arrange about half of the strawberries in a single layer on top. Evenly spread 1/3 – 1/2 of the whipped cream over the strawberries, leaving a small border around the edge. Top with the second cake layer, this time spreading the whipped cream first and layering the strawberries on top. Cake can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. *If you have only one cake pan, scrape all batter into it. It will need more baking time. Once completely cooled, cut in half. If you refrigerate it first, the cake will be firmer and easier to cut. *You can also make a 2-layer 6-inch cake with the same amount of cake batter. Bake in 2 6-inch pans for 30-35 minutes. You’ll need less whipped cream and strawberries. Raspberry Lemonade Slice from Lick The Spoon Ingredients Crust: 9 tbsp butter 1/4 cup sugar 1 cup flour  1 tsp vanilla essence pinch of salt Filling:  2 1/2 cups frozen raspberries, thawed 1 cup sugar 2/3 cup lemon juice (about 3-4 medium lemons) zest of 3 lemons 3 egg whites 1 egg 2/3 cup flour pinch of salt, extra Directions Preheat the oven to 180C. Line and grease a 8x8 inch square baking dish. To make the crust, cream together butter and sugar until light. Add the flour, vanilla and salt and mix until combined well. Do not over mix as this can make the base tough. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. To make the filling, place all thawed raspberries in a fine sieve and press them into a large bowl with the back of a spoon. Discard the caught seeds and skin. Add the sugar, juice, zest, whites, egg, flour and salt and combine, until well incorporated. Pour the raspberry mixture onto the base and place in the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool on the bench before placing in the refrigerator to set completely (about 3-4 hours) Cut and decorate as desired. NOTES: This slice freezes well and makes a great dessert or afternoon tea to have handy for unexpected guests or dinner parties.