Blackberry & Pear Tart

Sometimes all you want to do is throw together a quick, delicious dessert, and that is exactly what our Blackberry & Pear Tart is. We made this three-ingredient tart the week of Thanksgiving and it was perfect to get into the holiday mood.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 box of Pillsbury puff pastry sheets (or other puff pastry, this is just what we used)
• 10 oz jar of Sunset Valley Organic Blackberry Spread
• 4 pears, thinly sliced (we used a mix of red and green pears)

*Optional: 1 egg for washing the sides of the puff pastry

Directions:

1. On a parchment-lined baking sheet unfold puff pastry sheets. Set aside. 

2. In a bowl place sliced pears and carefully fold in blackberry spread, until pears are coated evenly.

3. Carefully pour pear and blackberry mixture onto the puff pastry sheets, and arrange to your liking. 

4. Optional: Wash sides of pastry sheets with egg for a golden brown effect. 

5. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.

6. Let cool 10 minutes & serve. 

Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. 

Newsletter for November 2015

Happy November! 

Happy November everyone! Wow fall is moving so fast this year! In Oregon where we are, we actually just started to have rain and to feel like it is truly an Oregon Fall. Our blueberries bushes are mostly red now, there is still a bit of green on some of the plants. Did you know different varieties of blueberries turn colors at different times? For us our Duke Blueberry plants turn first, and our Jersey Blueberry plants are the last to fully be red. They also vary in tone of red, Blue Crop Blueberries like to be more of this deep red, and Jersey Blueberries are more orange red.

News From Around the Farm

We have finished putting our blueberry plantings to bed for the fall and winter, and have been working really hard in the raspberries and blackberries tying up the canes and getting the plants ready for next year.

So I know we have been talking about our freeze dried powder, and our freeze drier. Well I sort of have good news. (Just bear with me here guys…) We still have a broken freeze drier, and we are still at that 90% mark. The good news is we have found a company that we can work with to make some blueberry powder for us. We will only have blueberry powder for a while. So it’s better than nothing.  When we have blueberry freeze dried powder available we will be posting on our blog, Facebook, and Twitter. As well as of course having it available in our online store. 

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 office hours right now are Monday to Friday 10 am to 4 pm PST.

Our office will be closed for Thanksgiving: November 26, 2015 and November 27, 2015.

Our office will also be closed from December 21, 2015 to January 4, 2016. 

Website Changes on The Horizon

We are going to be making changes to our website, so if you see something wonky, or weird. Please have patience as we will be improving and changing it over the next few months. Our goal is that in 2016 we will have a brand new site, that is educational, and user friendly.

Savings for this month:

We don’t have any coupons this month but there are a couple of different ways for you to save.

1.     We still have an ad in the Pet Press magazine, to use it just bring it in when you visit us at our farm. (There is no code, not valid for online & phone purchases)

2.     We are starting to send out Holiday flyers in orders, so if you buy from us you can receive a coupon that way.

3.     We have gift boxes that make great gifts for this time of year. They also make for a great sampler if you want to try any of our products. Click here to see our gift box section in our online store.

Social Butterflies!

We now have an active Instagram account. You can follow us@SVOrganics . On our Instagram you can see more details about anything that is happening around the farm. Check out our Pinterest board this month! We are adding to our Healthy Thanksgiving board and we are also always adding to our Blueberry, Raspberry, and Blackberry Inspired boards, as well as Harmonious Berry Blends. 

Our Blog theme is follows along the lines of healthy thanksgiving but focused on being  diabetic friendly, every weekend you can find healthy alternative for goodies and treats for this Thanksgiving.

Healthy Thanksgiving: Carrot-Mushroom Stuffing, Diabetic Friendly!

It can be hard during the holidays to cook for everyone, especially those with diatry restrictions, however keeping healthy during the holidays is important, and if you can make it through the holidays healthy then that is an achievement within itself!

Carrot-Mushroom Stuffing
Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 6 Cups freshly sliced shilltake & button mushrooms
• 1/4 Cup sliced green onions
• 1 TBSP reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 TSP snipped fresh oregano, crushed
• 1 1/2 rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 TSP pepper
• 6 Cups dry whole grain bread cubes*
• 3 Cups coarsely shredded carrots (6 medium)
• 1 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes or just until tender, stirring occasionally. Add green onions for the last 1 minute of cooking. Remove from heat. Stir in soy sauce, oregano, rosemary, and pepper.
2.  In a very large bowl, combine mushroom mixture, bread cubes, and carrots. Drizzle with enough of the broth to moisten.
3.  Place stuffing in an ungreased 2- to 2 1/2-quart au gratin or baking dish. Bake, covered, for 45 to 55 minutes or until heated through. (Or to use to stuff a 10- to 12-pound turkey, prepare as above, except use 3/4 to 1 cup broth instead of 1 to 1 1/4 cups broth. Spoon lightly into turkey neck and body cavities; do not pack. Internal temperature of stuffing should register 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.) Makes 12 (3/4-cup) servings.

Additional Notes:

• Make-ahead directions: Prepare as directed through step 2. Place in a 2- to 2 1/2-quart au gratin or baking dish. Cover and chill up to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake casserole, covered, for 60 to 70 minutes or until heated through. (For safety reasons, do not make stuffing ahead if planning to use for stuffing a turkey.)
• 
  

• *To dry whole grain bread: Cut enough slices of whole grain bread into 1/2-inch cubes to equal 8 cups (10 to 12 slices). Spread out in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, in 300 degrees oven about 15 minutes or until dry and crisp, stirring twice. Cool. You should have about 6 cups dried bread cubes.

Healthy Thanksgiving: Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad

Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad + A Special Twist

Cranberries are a hallmark for thanksgiving, and this salad is a great healthy choice not just for Thanksgiving but anytime in the fall. The first version is the original then the second is our spin to make this awesome salad great for in the spring and summer as well. 

Ingredients:

6 Cups salad - any mix you like, we found that a mix of arugula and baby spinach is delicious!

1 Medium Red Apple*

1 Medium Green Apple*

1 Cup Walnuts, roughly chopped

1/3 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese 

1/3 Cup Dried Cranberries

Dressing

1 Cup Apple Juice

4 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar, white vinegar also works

2 TBSP Honey

1/4 TSP Black Pepper

1/4 Cup Oil

A Pinch of Salt

Instructions:

1. Core and chop apples into think slices. Toss lettuce, apples, walnuts, feta, and cranberries in a large bowl. 
2. In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients.
3. Toss with salad.
4. Serve & Enjoy!

*Apples maybe of any variety you like.

Now for a Twist!

Ingredients:

6 Cups salad - any mix you like

1 Medium Red Apple*

1 Medium Green Apple*

1 Cup Almonds, roughly chopped

1/3 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese 

1/3 Cup Dried Blueberries

Dressing

1 Cup Apple Juice

4 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar, white vinegar also works

2 TBSP Honey

1/4 TSP Black Pepper

1/4 Cup Oil

A Pinch of Pink Himalayan Salt

Instructions:

1. Core and chop apples into think slices. Toss lettuce, apples, almonds, feta, and dried blueberries in a large bowl. 
2. In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients.
3. Toss with salad.
4. Serve & Enjoy!

*Apples maybe of any variety you like.