Health Awareness Berry Good Smoothie

Berries, It's Kinda What We Do

Berries, it's our power house. Not only do we love berries, but we are committed to growing the most nutrient dense berries we possibly can. We stand vigilant in our fields over seeing the soils, the leafs, the growth, the quality of our plants. All so we can continue to improve our already great berries. (We might be a bit of perfectionists!) 

Each of our berries have their own set of health benefits, but they all work harmoniously as well. If you want to learn more about the berries we currently sell check out our website!

Berry Good Smoothie

Ingredients: 
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup fresh or frozen SVO strawberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen SVO blackberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen SVO blueberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen SVO raspberries
2-4 cups fresh kale, stems removed
1-2 tablespoons flaxseed
1 cup ice

Directions:
1. Blend well in high-powdered blender until you see vortex in the middle
2. Serve, sip, & enjoy! 

Summer Is Coming!

You might have see us starting to post more and more about this coming summer! We are very excited for this harvest season. For a while now we have been saying "Summer is Coming"

And it's true. In a few short weeks we will start harvest on our raspberries and they sort of kick off the season for us. We will be sending out post cards for those local folks who have opted in for them. These postcards are for announcement official announcement of what is going on for this summer.

Those of you who do not get our postcards, no worries, we will be announcing all major events/happenings here on our blog, on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest and (coming soon) Instagram, for all updates from around the farm! We would love for you to follow us on all our social media, but you can just pick the one you use most too.

Our next big announcement will be May 30, 2015 right here on our blog, so be sure to come back and check out what we have in store! 

It's going to be a great summer!

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!)

Christmas Recipes We Love

While the holidays are of course a time to splurge and indulge, its also nice to have some healthy alternatives mixed in there. Here are some of what we love to eat during the holidays: 

Blueberry, Oatmeal, & Yougurt Muffins

makes 12 regular muffins (depending how full you pack your muffin tin)

What you'll need:

• no-stick cooking spray
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup oats–quick or regular oats, plain
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces honey nonfat greek yogurt or 1 1/2 cups (Chobani)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

How To Do It: 

1. Heat oven to 350°.
2. Coat muffin tin with cooking spray or liners.
3. Combine flour, sugar, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
4. Combine yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla in a second bowl.
5. Fold yogurt mixture into dry mixture; stir to combine completely.
6. Gently fold in blueberries.
7. Spoon into muffin tins.
8. Bake until top is golden and springs back when you gently touch it, 20-25 minutes.

EASY CINNAMON FRENCH TOAST STICKS

with strawberries and blueberries

yield: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

 

prep time: 20 MIN

 

cook time: 10 MIN

INGREDIENTS:

8 slices thick-cut Texas toast (See Kelly's Notes)
4 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Unsalted butter, for cooking
Maple syrup, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

Cut each slice of Texas toast into four sticks. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla. Dip each piece of bread in the egg mixture, turning to coat it on all sides so that it's well-saturated with the custard.

Shake off any excess and place the coated bread on a large plate or baking dish. Repeat the dipping process with the remaining pieces of bread.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter has melted, place several of the coated sticks in a single layer in the pan. (Do not overcrowd the pan.) Cook until golden brown on one side then flip and continue cooking until the sticks are golden brown and slightly crisped on all edges.

Serve immediately with maple syrup for dipping.

Notes:
Day-old bread that's slightly dried out works best for French toast since it will soak up the most custard.

Thick-cut bread with sturdy crusts is essential for this recipe, as the crusts help the sticks hold their shape. If you prefer regular French toast, skip slicing the Texas toast into sticks or use a crusty French baguette sliced into 1-inch-thick rounds.

(Original Source)

Raspberry-Walnut Crumble Bars

Makes 24 bars| Hands-On Time: 30m| Total Time: 2hr 35m

Ingredients

• nonstick cooking spray
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup raspberry jam
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with the cooking spray. Line the pan with a piece of parchment, leaving an over-hang on two sides; spray the parchment with the cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined (do not overmix).
4. Transfer two-thirds of the dough to the prepared pan and press in evenly; spread the jam on top. Crumble the remaining dough over the jam and sprinkle with the walnuts. Bake until golden, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool completely in the pan.
5. Holding both sides of the paper overhang, lift the cake out of the pan, transfer to a cutting board, and cut into 24 rectangles (6 rows by 4 rows). Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Need Inspiration for the 4th of July?

Then let us inspire you! Here are some of our favorite recipes that use berries and will help celebrate our independence day! All of these recipes can be found on our Pinterest board under Harmonious Berry Blends.

First up is Blueberry, Strawberry, & Jicama Salsa adapted from www.twopeasandtheirpod.com

Yeild: About 3 Cups of Salsa
Prep: 5 Minutes
Total: 5 Minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh Sunset Valley Organics blueberries
1 cup diced Sunset strawberries
1 cup diced jicama
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno pepper, stemmed and seeded
Juice of 1 large lime
Salt, to taste
Tortilla chips, for serving

 Directions:
 In a medium bowl, combine blueberries, strawberries, jicama, cilantro, red onion, jalapeno, and lime juice. Stir until well combined. Season with salt, to taste. Serve with tortilla chips at room temperature or chilled.

Note-this salsa is also great with grilled fish or chicken. It is best eaten the day it is made.

Tiramisu Mixed Berry Trifle from Driscoll's
Prep: 40 
Servings: 6
 Ingredients:

• 1 package (16 ounces) Sunset Valley Organics Strawberries
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
• 1 packages (8 ounce each) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 1 packages (3 ounces) lady finger cookies
• 2 packages (6 ounces or 1 1/3 cups each) Sunset Valley Organics Raspberries
• 1 package (6 ounces or 1 1/3 cups each) Sunset Valley Organics Blackberries
• 1 package (6 ounces or 1 1/4 cups each) Sunset Valley Organics Blueberries

 Directions: 

1. Reserve 6 small strawberries for garnish. Hull and puree remaining strawberries in a blender until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove seeds (you should have about 1 1/4 cups puree). Set aside. Whip heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Place mascarpone in a large bowl and beat with a rubber spatula until smooth. Fold in whipped cream in three additions until evenly blended.
2. To assemble trifles: Reserve about 1/2 cup each raspberries, blackberries and blueberries for trifle topping.
3. Dip one-half lady fingers in strawberry puree until lightly soaked and layer on bottom of 6 serving glasses. Top each with an even layer of remaining blackberries and blueberries. Top each with layer of about 1/4 cup whipped cream mixture, spreading evenly. Top each with second layer of remaining lady fingers dipped in strawberry puree. Top each with even layer of remaining raspberries. Top each with even layer of remaining whipped cream mixture. Top each with even layer of reserved raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. Garnish each serving with 1 reserved strawberry. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

4th of July Trifle from Fancy Frugal Life

Ingredients: 

• Pint of Sunset Valley Organics Strawberries
• Pint of Sunset Valley Organics Blueberries
• Loaf of Sara Lee Pound Cake (CUT IT LONG WAYS!)
• Star cookie cutter
• Whip Cream

Directions: 

1. Cut out stars from the pound cake with the cookie cutter.
2.  Arrange the Strawberries, Blueberries, Pound Cake, and Whip Cream to look pretty.
3. Refrigerate until serving or serve immediately.