Harvest Update: U-Pick Blueberries, End of Raspberries + More!

Well its finally here, the most exciting time of the year! We are happy to announce our U-Pick Blueberry field is now open! 

Yes we are opening a touch earlier than expected, but it's great for you guys! That much sooner you can get your hands on delicious Blueberries! We are open everyday from 9 am to 6 pm. 

Our first U-Picker of the season!

Our U-Pick is only for Blueberries.

The variety is Blue Crop, they are huge, sweet berries. 

Our U-Pick price is $2.75 per pound.

Please bring your own containers to take the berries home in. 

Dogs aren't allowed in the field so please them at home.

(left) Red Raspberries (Right) Black Raspberries

 Please Note: On Thursday, July 2, 2015 + Friday, July 3, 2015 we will be closing our 
U-Pick at noon for watering due to heat (there is a possibility for this to happen on Wednesday, July 1, 2015 as well). The field will remain closed for the rest of the day. We will be cooling the field through the use of water so ensure the berries do not get sunburned due to expected temperatures of 90+. Thank you for your understanding and sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. 

We still have red raspberries, today, Monday June 29, 2015 and tomorrow June 30, 2015 will probably be the last days we have them. So please come and get them while we have them fresh. We will have frozen but those be ready until the end of August/early September.

We also still have some Black Raspberries (aka black caps) for sale. If you have never tied them come and get a sample, they are super yummy and really high in antioxidants. Click here to read more about Black Raspberries. 

Blueberries, Red Raspberries, and Black Raspberries

We also of course have blueberries pre picked and ready for pick up at our farm stand. The great thing about having three different types of berries right now is we have cute little flats you can get all three or two types of berries in!

I would also like to take a moment and remind those of you who have not signed up for our monthly newsletter to do so. Our newsletters contain news like what your currently reading, coupons, what we are up to around the farm, events you can find us at, and more!
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Harvest Update: Raspberries, Blueberries + More!

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for coming to check in! We are happy to report the red raspberries are in full swing and are selling like hot cakes. We are having a hard time picking enough to keep them at the stand. So if your wanting to get your hands on some of these awesome berries, in a big way, please call a head and place your order. This way we can guarantee  you will have all the raspberries your heart can desire.

For our fresh picked blueberries we are still picking duke. We think that next week we change our variety to Blue Crop. These are our big, sweet berries that are the same variety for our U-Pick Field.

Speaking of U-Pick, we are still expecting to open our field around the 4th of July which is coming up! Our price per pound will be $2.75.

For those of you who are curious we have been tireless working on black raspberries, making sure they will be nice and healthy for next year. We have been going out and picking some that are just for us. But they are making us really excited, and we are so proud to be adding this to our collection of berries we offer.

The blackberries have finished blooming and we are now seeing a fantastic berry set.

Health Awareness Chewy Raspberry Apple Granola Bars

Raspberries are amazing little things....

When our berries start coming on you can always find us sneaking off to the field to graze for a bit. You can tell we are working REALLY hard around here! All joking aside raspberries are a power house of benefits for our bodies. Generally speaking raspberries are a great brain food, support hearth health, can provide cancer prevention, diabetes management, are a detox and help with disease prevention, and they help your eyes. 

For more information about raspberries check out these links:

What are the health benefits of raspberries?
What's New and Beneficial About Raspberries
Benefits of Raspberries

We found this recipe and gave it a our own twist, we hope you all enjoy! 

Chewy Raspberry Apple Granola Bars 

Inspired from Amy's Healthy Baking

Ingredients:

1 tsp coconut oil, melted

½ c unsweetened applesauce, room temperature

1/3 c skim milk

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 ½ c old-fashioned oats

1 c fresh or frozen SVO raspberries, diced

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the oil and applesauce until smooth. Mix in the milk, honey and cinnamon until thoroughly combined. Stir in the oats until evenly coated with the applesauce mixture. Gently fold in the raspberries.
3. Press the oat mixture into the prepared pan, and bake at 350°F for 16-19 minutes. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan before slicing into 10 bars.

Notes: 

*For a vegan version, substitute your favorite non-dairy milk and agave in place of the honey. 

*It’s important for the applesauce to be at room temperature to prevent the melted coconut oil from re-solidifying. 

*For best storage results, tightly wrap each individual bar in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

*For the sweet tooth's out there, we also tried melting our favorite organic chocolate and drizzling on top, think like a chewy bar, and the results were YUM! (1 cup worked best for us!)

May 2015 News from Around The Farm

We finally got some much needed sunshine and we started putting in trellising into our planting of Black Raspberries. We have also been busy feeding all of our crops and helping them along their way to summer harvest. It’s really important to make sure our crops are being fed now and during harvest so that not only does the plant produce fruit but also that the plant can take care of itself. Whether that means putting energy towards growing, fending off diseases or however else that plant needs to do.   In April we also participated in a couple of community events. If you're interested in seeing photos from our adventures click here for Earth Day event and click here for Tyee’s Open House. Office Hours This is probably the last month we will be in our Winter hours (yay!) But until we say otherwise we will continue with our Winter Hours: Monday to Friday 10 am to 4 pm PST.

Frozen Raspberries Are Sold Out This is the first year since having raspberries that we have sold out of them. So we will not have that as an option on our website until we have this coming harvests berries are packed and ready. The good news is that we are currently guess-timating that our Raspberries will be coming on some time in June, so hopefully no one has to wait too long. Better Shipping Rates are Over Until Winter Thank you to everyone who has ordered over the last few months to cash in on those awesome shipping rates! The weather is getting warmer and that means we have to insist on shipping 2 day air again. When the weather starts getting cold again we will once again offer these better rates. Just because the better rates are gone does not mean we are out of frozen! We will continue to offer frozen berries as normal. Social Media Shenanigans We had such a great month interacting with you guys! If you missed it we have reactivated our Twitter account, and been posting far more to facebook,Pinterest, and our blog. This month on our blog we are focusing on Health Awareness. Today you will be able to find our post of what this means to us and some tips about what you can do to live healthier. Then every Saturday this month, you will be able to find delicious recipes that go along with this theme. Other posts we have coming up this month will be concerning summer activities for the farm and what you all can expect. Plus we will have a huge announcement about our strawberries! Our Pinterest board for May will be all about Mother’s Day, May Day, and Brunch! We are posting great recipes, beautiful images of wonderful bouquets, and fantastic ideas for gifts for Mother’s Day. Facebook & Twitter are great places to find out if we are attending any events, for example we didn’t know we would be attending the events we did in when we sent out April’s newsletter so we put it all over Facebook & Twitter. We also have been posting a ton of photos of this spring's bloom. As well as articles we run into and want to share with everyone! Post Card Reminders: Every year we send out postcards for reminders about our fresh season coming up. This year there will be a coupon attached to it so don’t loose it, and remember to bring it with you when you visit us! Usually when we send these out we are getting really close to our first berry being ready. Right now we anticipate sending them out at the end of May. Keep an eye on our social media for when we actually do. This year we will also be letting everyone know when we have U-Picks open as well as when each berry and variety we have is ready, via our social media, so it’s super important if you're not following us to do so. We don’t want you to miss anything! Coupons & Specials For Mother’s Day we do have a special going. For $17.99 (includes shipping) you can send your loved one a special gift that includes a Chocolate Blueberry Cluster and a 4 oz Dried Blueberry. We ship nation wide so its a great healthy gift! We also are extending our special in Willamette Living Magazine to the end of June. Raspberry & Lemon Curd Tarts Inspired From Cooks With Cocktails Ingredients: FOR THE LEMON CURD ½ cup lemon juice 1 tbsp lemon rind 4 egg yolk 1 whole egg 1 cup sugar ½ cup plus 2 tbsp butter FOR THE RASPBERRY CURD ½ cup raspberry juice 4 egg yolk 1 whole egg ¾ cup sugar ½ cup plus 2 tbsp butter FOR THE SHORTBREAD 1½ cup flour ½ cup cold butter ¾ cup sugar Icing sugar for dusting (optional) Directions: FOR THE LEMON CURD Put lemon juice, lemon rind, butter on a double boiler and heat till butter melts. Then take it off the heat. Beat eggs in a bowl till foamy with a whisk or on high speed in a mixer. Gradually add the sugar till eggs are pale and very thick. This should take about 4 - 5 mins. Put lemon mixture still in the double boiler back on the heat, add the egg mixture and whisk. Cook till it thickens. It should coat a wooden spoon well. Set aside. FOR THE RASPBERRY CURD Take a bag of frozen raspberry's and thaw. When completely thawed, blend up the raspberries, put in a strainer and strain till you get ½ a cup of juice. Put the raspberry juice, butter on double boiler and heat till butter melts then take off the heat. Beat eggs in a bowl till foamy with a whisk or on high speed in a mixer. Gradually add the sugar till eggs are pale and very thick. This should take about 4 - 5 mins. Put raspberry mixture still in the double boiler back on the heat, add the egg mixture and whisk. Cook till it thickens. It should coat a wooden spoon well. Set aside. FOR THE SHORTBREAD Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place all the ingredient in a food processor or mixer and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about ½ hour. Take it out of the fridge, divide into 12 equal size balls. Roll the dough ball between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Place in the pan mould or tart shell. Place a piece of parchment over each shell and fill with pie weights. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins. Remove from the oven. Most likely the shell will have fallen a little it down the sides of the mould. You will have to use a deep spoon top push down the crust and move it up the side of the pan. A round table spoon works really well. Cool completely. TO ASSEMBLE Take a tart shell and fill it with lemon curd almost all the way to the top. Next place a layer of raspberry curd on top. Continue with the rest of the shells. Sprinkle with icing sugar if desired. Indulge...

June Updates- It's Berry Season!

We have finished up our fresh strawberry season and are leaping feet first into  fresh raspberry and blueberry season (our blueberry season is two weeks early this year!). Our fresh raspberry flats are $30 there are five pounds per flat. Our fresh blueberries are $38 per flat with ten pounds per flat (the current variety is duke). Our farm stand is open right now where you can purchase fresh raspberries and blueberries as well as any of our other products. Blackberries will be ready sometime in late August or early September.

U-Pick Field

Right now we are predicting we will be opening the U-Pick blueberry field around the first of July, that may change depending on what kind of weather we have. Price for U-Pick is $2.75 per pound.

Frozen & Ready to be Frozen Berries

We are anticipating that we will have frozen strawberries in July. It won't be until August sometime that we will have raspberries and blueberries ready for purchase. If you are interested in any of these berries you can pre-order now by sending us a message on Facebook or calling us at (541)752-0460 or emailing us at sunsetvalleyorganics@gmail.com.  

Around the Farm

Not only are we busy with harvest but we are also planting black raspberries that we will start taking fruit from in two years. Black Raspberries, affectionately known as “Blackcaps” by growers, are native to North America. These uniquely flavored berries are popular in specialty foods, especially jams and ice cream. The fruit is blue-black, round and small, and there’s a whitish bloom on the exterior of the berry. Black raspberries have a distinct and moderately tart flavor, small seed and like the red raspberry, contain a hollow core.

Health Benefits of Black Raspberries:

• Contain high levels of anthocyanins, which give black raspberries their rich, dark color. Anthocyanins work as antioxidants to help fight free radical damage in the body
• Antioxidant levels of foods are sometimes measured as ORAC (oxygen radical absorption capacity). The ORAC level of black raspberries is 77 μmoles/TE/g, about three times higher than blueberries, a very powerful antioxidant.
• Rich in ellagic acid. Ellagic acid is a phenolic compound known to help fight cancer, viruses and bacteria.
• University studies are underway to determine black raspberries’ ability to slow the growth of certain cancers. In vitro studies have shown that extracts of raspberries and blackberries may slow the growth of breast, cervical, colon and esophageal cancers.
• Studies at Ohio State University showed a 60–80 % reduction in colon tumors in rats fed a diet with black raspberries added.
• Studies at Ohio State University showed an 80% reduction in esophageal cancers in mice fed a 5-10% diet of black raspberries.

We are excited and please that this addition to our collection of berries will be able to offer yet another delicious way to enjoy healthy living. 

Have you ever wondered about how we keep birds out of our fields? Well here is our secrete: we use falcons & falconers to come and watch over our fields for about a month and a half during harvest. This is when our berries have turned blue right up to just before we have finished. We mostly use the in our blueberry fields since that is our largest berry crop. 

Bird damage across the US costs growers in the hundreds of millions in annual profit, there are multiple practices of bird prevention from noise-makers, to scarecrows in the end though bird prevention is often a losing battle. That is until the falcon arrives, this natural pretor, hunting other birds as their food source, provides the prefect solution. With falcons patrolling fields we have seen an astounding decrease in the amount of flocks we have stalking our fields. 

The falcons are trained to frighten, not eat, sparrows and starling, however there can be some over lap. Normally though the trainer will feed them every day.  The most common crops falcons are used to protect are blueberries, cherries, and grapes. They are flown for 5-6 month covering multiple crops as they ripen and migrate with the crops. 

Later this month we will have an interview with our falconer up here on our blog so keep an eye out for when it gets posted. In the mean time here is an article that talks about falcon crop protection.  

Willamette Living Magazine, August Issue

Check out this months issue of Willamette Living Magazine! Our fresh blueberries and raspberries made the cover, and the look simply delicious! We also had the amazing opportunity to hand pick some recipes for the magazine. These can be found on page 94 of the online edition, and page 63 of the printed edition. Check it out here.

Machine Picking Raspberries

We recently started picking our raspberries. The berries that we sell fresh are all hand picked because raspberries are extremely fragile. We have chosen to machine pick our raspberries for our frozen market because it save us money, and is far more efficient than hand picking. We have four acres of raspberries this year with new plantings that will increase the size to 10 acres.

In order to be the most efficient we have taken our blueberry picker and altered it a bit. We use Littau Harvesters and are lucky enough to have two of them when harvesting our 70+ acres of blueberries. To alter our machines to pick raspberries we exchanged the shaker heads and put in ones that would be more gentle when shaking the raspberry vines.

The picker process goes something like this: The machine straddles the row and then gently shakes the vines causing the the raspberries to fall and be caught in cups that line the sides, and are carried to the top of the machine where they are dumped onto another conveyer belt, where they make their way into a bin that is divided into 12 slots like placing 12 pints together. Those flats are then stacked in the waiting area on the machine and transferred to a truck where they are then taken to our holding room to be processed.

Another aspect of the picking process is that we choose to pick during the night. Nights are far cooler than the day, this helps maintain the continuity of the berry,  and preserves it. Whereas if we were picking during the heat of the day the raspberries would become very mushy and would not a be a good quality product.

One of our machine pickers

Blueberry shaker heads

Top conveyer belt

Top conveyer belt from the side, you can see the cup on the right side.

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.