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.

Nutrient Analysis Report of SVO Berries from 2015's Harvest

Everyone here at Sunset Valley Organic's works very hard to ensure our berries are the highest quality. Part of that is the Nutrient Density, and how we compare to the USDA standards when it comes to minerals and nutrient density. We sent out a whole bunch of samples from our 2015 crop, including blueberries, blackberries, and aronia berries. This is a form of a report card for us, and we are very excited about the results, so much so that we wanted to share with you all.

Summary;

Samples of Blueberry, Black berry and Aronia Berry powder were sent to a third party for nutrient analysis. The berries in these powders were grown by Sunset Valley Organics/Wilt Farms Inc. The purpose of the analysis is to compare the nutrient density of Sunset Valley Organic’s berries to the USDA Standards.

In all but the protein and blackberry vitamin C comparison, Sunset Valley Organics berry powders exceeded the USDA standards, and many times by several hundred percent.

The second comparison was USDA Blueberry Standard vs. SVO Blueberry, Blackberry, and Aronia Berry. The reason for this comparison is that many people think that blueberries are the standard for nutrition of berries. That being said this comparison shows how SVO’s berries compare to that standard.

Again, with only a couple of exceptions SVO berries show consistently more nutrient density than the USDA Blueberry Standard.

Biological Farming: Why farm Biologically? + What is Biological farming?

Welcome to our first post in our series of Biological Farming 101, in which we will be looking at lots of areas of our farming practices and how we tackle tasks around the farm. Such as pruning, pest control, science of remineralizing our soils, and many more. We will be posting a new entry every month (near the end), so be sure to keep coming back!

In this first post we are going to cover why we have chosen to farm biological, what it means to us, and what it means to you, our customers. If you have any questions at the end, please leave us a comment, we would love to answer your questions!

Why We Farm Biological

In 2003 we decided to go certified organic. After three years of transition, in 2006, we became Certified Organic. But that wasn’t enough for us. We wanted to do more, to do better, for our customers, and for our soils. Today, we are Biological Farmers using certified organic inputs. Just because a farm is certified organic, that doesn’t mean the farmer is embracing the soil biology or minerals. What certified organic does is guarantee that your food will be free of GMO’s and pesticides. We wanted more, we wanted Nutrient Density.

What is Biological Farming?

Biological farming is like going back to old school, to a time before NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) fertilizers were common place instead are used more judicially. Biological farming looks at the whole picture in a holistic way. Examining exactly what is in the soil; considering all 79 minerals, and the delicate balance of them in the soil food web. An end result that can be directly seen by the farmer and consumer is the final products improved Nutrient Density.

What we found when we first started farming biologically was that our soils were deficient of all 79 minerals including soil carbon, which is the food and shelter for microbes. It’s necessary to have minerals to feed microbes, the microbes in turn solubilize the minerals. Making them available to the plant. It is these 79 minerals in a balanced for in the plant that make Nutrient Dense food.

A Note About Nutrient Density

I’m sure we’ve all seen things in the super market with the labeling of “Nutrient Dense” but what does that actually mean? In Biological Farming it means more minerals per ounce of food and that requires active biology in the soil. Those “Nutrient Dense” labels you see in the supermarkets are often labeled that way because of the absence of problematic ingredients- fat, sugar, and sodium- not for the inclusion of of beneficial nutrients they might contain. This is because there is no regulated way for food labeling of Nutrient Density, even though there are regulated ways for testing for it.

The difference between Biological Farming and Certified Organic Farming?

The simplest way to think about the differences in the two farming practices is that Certified Organic Farming doesn’t use salt based fertilizers, or pesticides. Biological farming is taking it to the next level in looking at the whole picture and how to improve, and restore the soil biology and mineralization.

Benefits of Biological Farming the farmer sees

Biological farming is not the short term solution most farmers are use to. These farmers are use to going out applying a fertilizer or pesticide and seeing results in a few days, this can make them impatient with how Biological farmers handle the same problems. Biological farmers see long term solutions to their problems, which is also tied into their holistic approach. Another benefit we’ve already touched on is Nutrient Density, having a higher nutrient density can be seen through BRIX- sugar content and soluble solids- which also means higher yields. Most crops are sold based on a measurement of weight, and the heavier crop, the more yield the farmer sees. In biological farming quality drives yield where as in conventional farming (or even certified organic farming) yield drives dilution of nutrition.

What this means for consumers?

The biggest way that consumers are going to see a benefit is the nutrient density of biologically grown foods. We hope that this also results in, instead of taking vitamins and supplements everyday, you get to eat a delicious bowl of berries, or other produce that your body can get all the minerals and vitamins from, to keep you healthy in a natural way; in other words, food will replace supplements.

Health Awareness Month

May is National Health Month. We all try to do our best to be healthy, and be good to our bodies. But some times thats hard, but little changes are what can make the biggest differences. Plus if you make a bunch of small changes eventually they all add up into something much bigger. So this month we are post recipes that are delicious but have that healthy idea behind them. Be sure to check out our blog every Saturday for new recipes!

Here are some small ideas to help kick start your super healthy month!

Wear a pedometer. Wearable technology is becoming all the thing, but you don't have to be fancy. New research suggests that routinely wearing a pedometer encourages people to walk about an extra mile each day, lose weight, and lower their blood pressure. Aim for at least 30 minutes of brisk walking and a total of 10,000 steps per day.

Don't pop too many vitamins. Enthusiasm for vitamin pills is high, but evidence for their benefits is low. Try to get vitamins from foods and consider a multivitamin for insurance. Women should get at least 1,000 mgs of calcium per day (1,200 mgs/day if you're past menopause) from food and/or supplements. Everyone should also get 800 international units of Vitamin D per day -- more than the federal "Recommended Daily Allowance." A great way to get some of those vitamins is from our berries and berry products. Our mission is to give you guys, our customers, the most nutrient dense fruit possible. 

Eat at least two fish meals per week. The evidence is strong that the oils in darker types of fish, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel and herring, are beneficial for the heart and brain and may even lower risk of cancer.

Drink water. No matter where you are, water should always be the first thing you reach for when you're thirsty. Water truly is essential.

Sleep 8 hours a night. A number of recent studies have confirmed that you really do need at least 8 hours a night. Among the many benefits: Adequate sleep makes you feel better, decreases risk for cardiovascular disease, boosts memory and reduces the likelihood of being in a car accident.

Don't focus on dieting. Focus on eating. If you're hungry, you're more likely to overeat, especially in the evening. Instead, of sacrificing all day and gorging later, it's better to eat enough during the day to avoid hunger pangs and uncontrolled eating at night. Eat every four hours or so, and make sure to eat a "second lunch" -- think of it as another meal rather than a snack -- in the mid-afternoon to keep your energy up and make you less hungry in the evening.

See our recipes that go with this months theme!

Coconut Bliss
Grilled Salmon With Avocado Salsa
Chewy Raspberry Apple Granola Bars
Berry Good Smoothie

March Favorites

Here is a collection of recipes, articles, and other things we have found during the month of March that we wanted to share with everyone! 

GMO's: How To Avoid Them

Some French Toast Inspiration

Best Foods to Feed Muscles

Link To Recipe

Learn How This Family Grows 6,000 Lbs Of Food on Just 1/10th Acre

Beautiful Eggs for Easter