Harvest Report: U-Pick Going Strong, End of Fresh Raspberries

We were so busy over the weekend! Thanks to everyone who came out and shared their 4th of July with us! We loved seeing everyone! This week so far it looks like temperatures will be cooler than the last (yay for people and for our berries!). We didn't have any heat damage because of how we grow our berries as well as the cooling we did in the afternoon. We want to say thank you for your understanding and patients during those hot days. 

As long as the weather stays below 95 we will have our U-Pick open during our business hours this week. If the weather decides to jump back up then we will be cooling again in the afternoons. We will announce that here on our blog as well as on Twitter and Facebook. 

Our U-Pick is still looking great and super loaded! We haven't even picked out the first 5 rows yet, and it's not from a lack of people coming to see us! Our bushes are just that loaded!

Our Hours are from 9 am to 6 pm everyday. 
The variety is Blue Crop, and our price is $2.75 per pound. Please bring your own containers to take your berries home in.  

In our tent we only have fresh picked blueberries. Our raspberries are officially done, if you missed the fresh ones no worries, we will have frozen available starting sometime in late August or early September. 

The next berry we will have are fresh blackberries which won't be available for a few weeks still. 

It's going to be a great week! If you have any questions you can call us at 
541-752-0460 during business hours. 

News from around the farm for July

July is Here! 

We have been so busy on the farm and we have so many things happening. The biggest is we have started our harvest for the summer. We started June 17, and June 29 we opened for U-Pick Blueberries. We are also getting ready to harvest on a larger scale for our frozen processing. 

Details of our Harvest

If you have been following us on any of our social media we have been sending out weekly updates called “Harvest Reports” in which we summarize what is going on for the week, what we have available for purchase at our farm stand and how we think our berries are ripening. This is the best way other than giving us a call, to find out how things are going. 

We had a fantastic response to our raspberries this year, we have barely been able to keep up with demands for them this year! However all good things must come to an end. This week is the end of our red raspberries, and we will just have blueberries and maybe some black raspberries. (If your interested in black raspberries please keep in mind they are baby plants and there isn't a whole lot out there. There will be tons next year, so thank you for your patients.) 

We have frozen in raspberries if you missed out and we sell them not just online, but at our farm stand as well, so you can still get your fill! We will have frozen raspberries starting in august some time. 

We have fresh picked blueberries, since opening our variety has been Duke, an early variety, but this week we are changing to Blue Crop (this is the same variety that is our U-Pick field). If your interested in buying more than a flat or two at a time please call us to place an order. 

U-Pick is officially open! We are open 9 am to 6 pm daily (includes weekend). Please bring containers to take home the berries in. Our U-Pick variety is Blue Crop and our price is $2.75 per pound. We only offer U-Pick for blueberries. 

Please Note: July 1-3 due to high temps we will be closing our U-Pick field each day at noon to cool the field with water. If we continue to have high temperature we will continue to close the field to protect the crop. For updates please follow our social media or give us a call. Thank you for understanding and your patients. 

Blackberries are coming up pretty soon as well. Right now we are estimating they will be ready some time in late July or early August. If you want to be notified about when we have fresh blackberries please call to have your name put on a list or to reserve fresh blackberries. 

Our 30 cases will be ready around the 13 of July. If you have placed an order with us to reserve berries you can expect a call from us the week of July 6 letting you know all the details. We will also post about our 30 pound cases on all social media.  If you would like to reserve a 30 pound case (or more) please call us and we can add you to our list. 

Plus....

We have also been voted the best U-Pick Berry Farm of 2015 by the readers of Willamette Living Magazine. We would like to thank everyone who voted, and even if you didn’t, you are the whole reason we do this, with out you guys we wouldn’t be in business. So THANK YOU! 

Social Butterflies!

We have had a very busy month on Facebook, Twitter, and our Blog. It’s the best way to keep up to date with our harvest this year. Each week we post about our harvest, recipes, and more! On Facebook this summer we have a goal of getting to 1,000 likes, we are currently at 838, at 1000 likes we will be having a give a away of a gift basket full of our products. So if you haven't liked us please do so, and share our page with all your friends & family! We will announce details for the give away on our Facebook once we have hit 1,000 likes. 

We would also like to announce that we now have an active Instagram account. You can follow us @SVOrganics . On our Instagram you can see more details about our harvest and yummy recipes we love to make! 

This month Pinterest we will be doing a few different things. First we have a brand new board celebrating all the great things about America, especially the delicious food! We are also adding to our Blueberry, Raspberry, and Blackberry Inspired boards, as well as Harmonious Berry Blends. 

Coupons and Specials:

For those of you who received postcards you can still redeem the coupon on them when you come see us at the farm. Just remember to bring it with you when you come see us. If you don’t get those post cards all you have to do is find our ad in Oregon Family Magazine and tell us about it and get a great saving! Each of these is a one time only, and will be valid during our 2015 Fresh harvest, only valid at our farm stand. 

If you come out to our farm stand and show us you have liked us on Facebook, or Follow us on Twitter then you can save 10% off your total order! This offer will be available as long as our farm stand is open. 

Blueberry, Strawberry, Jicama Salsa

Makes about 3 cups of salsa

Ingredients:

1. 1 Cup fresh blueberries
2. 1 Cup diced strawberries
3. 1 Cup diced jicama
4. 1/3 Cup chopped cilantro
5. 1/4 Cup finely chopped red onion
6. 2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno pepper, stemmed + seeded.
7. Juice of 1 large lime
8. Salt, to taste
9. Tortilla chips, for serving

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine blueberries, strawberries,  jicama, cilantro, red onion, jalapeño, 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. 

Blueberry Breakfast Parfait Pops

Inspired from Mom On Time Out   Makes 4

Ingredients:

1. 4 Yoplait Greek Yogurts (2 Blueberry, 2 Vanilla)
2. 4 Blueberry Nature Valley Breakfast Biscuits, crushed
3. 1/2 Cup Fresh or Frozen Blueberries

Directions:

Fold blueberries into vanilla yogurt. 

First two popsicles:

Layer 2 tablespoons blueberry yogurt, 1 teaspoon breakfast biscuits, 2 tablespoons vanilla yogurt, 1 teaspoon breakfast biscuits, and 2 tablespoons blueberry yogurt in popsicle mold. (Adjust according to the size of your mold.) Sprinkle additional crushed biscuits on top and press in slightly to adhere.

Second Two Popsicles:

 Layer 2 tablespoons vanilla yogurt, 1 teaspoon breakfast biscuits, 2 tablespoons blueberry yogurt, 1 teaspoon breakfast biscuits, and 2 tablespoons vanilla yogurt in popsicle mold. (Adjust according to the size of your mold.) Sprinkle additional crushed biscuits on top and press in slightly to adhere.

Freeze for at least four hours before removing and enjoying.

June 2015 Favorites

It seems like June just flew by, but I guess thats what happens when crops start being ripe and things started getting really busy around the farm. In case you missed anything here a little recap from this month in all the things we liked and had happen. 

I think the biggest news that came from us this month was opening the our farm stand for the summer. Since that post we have had a harvest update and will probably have them weekly until the end of our harvest season. 

It's finally happening! Our farm stand is opening this week with pre picked berries! Here are all the details you'll need!

Officially Opening: Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 9 am
Farm Stand Hours: Monday - Sunday 9 am to 6 pm
What We Have: Pre Picked blueberries, and raspberries. 
U-Pick Blueberries are now open! Our U-Pick price is $2.75 per pound. 

Click here to see more...

This month we focused on National Men's Health Awareness and a couple of really delicious posts we really enjoyed were: Healthy Greek Yogurt + Honey Blueberry Muffins and Marinated Tomato + Mozzarella Pasta 

In news from around the world we found this article sadly amusing, and a reinforcement that GMO is not the answer to problems in agriculture. 

For those techies out there we discovered Garden Plan Pro, an app in which you are able to plan your garden!

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!
Signing up is easy, just click here.

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.

Harvest Update: Open Season

It's finally happening! Our farm stand is opening this week with pre picked berries! Here are all the details you'll need!

Officially Opening: Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 9 am
Farm Stand Hours: Monday - Sunday 9 am to 6 pm
What We Have: Pre Picked blueberries, and raspberries. 

We expect our farm stand to be open from June 17, 2015 until August 1, 2015. We estimate our U-Pick blueberries will open around the 4th of July. The price of our U-Pick blueberries will be $2.75 per pound. Keeping an eye on our social media, and here on our blog is the best way to stay informed about our harvest. 

If your wanting more than a flat of raspberries we kindly ask you call a head and place an order with us. You can reach us at 541-752-0460, please call during business hours. 

We are so excited to finally start the season, and we can't wait to see you all out at our farm stand and in the field this summer! 

It's Finally Summer! Fresh Berries + News from Sunset Valley Organics

Happy Start of Summer!

We are so happy it’s finally SUMMER! Anybody else feeling the heat we have gotten over the last few days? All this heat really helps our berries ripen, and it helps make them sweeter! Yum! As we have announced we do not have fresh strawberries (frozen is still available) this year. However we will have raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. 

News From Around The Farm

We have finished trellising the black raspberries, and what a boat load of work that was! After we got it all trellised we put in drip irrigation to the field so we could easily make sure everything was getting the water it needed and that took a good part of our May. 

Every week now we are feeding our plants and soils so they stay nice and healthy during the harvest. Just as we work hard and need food to continue so do our plants. 

In May we also got to try Bearded Brother’s Blueberry Vanilla Energy Bars they were so good you guys! The reason we wanted to try them is because these specific bars are made with our dried blueberries. 

We have also been voted the best U-Pick Berry Farm of 2015 by the readers of Willamette Living Magazine. We would like to thank everyone who voted, and even if you didn’t, you are the whole reason we do this, with out you guys we wouldn’t be in business. So THANK YOU! 

Social Media Updates This month on our blog we are posting about National Men’s Health Month, and some delicious recipes to go along with it. We will also have a Father’s Day inspiration gift guide. This is also going to be a great place to check for updates about our harvest this summer.  We are also going to be starting an Instagram account so if you wanna see some awesome shots of our farm and what harvest looks like for us then be sure to watch Facebook for that announcement!  Our Pinterest board theme is Schools Out! It’s time to be outside and relax! This board celebrates the start of summer with delicious recipes and great ideas for spending some quality time with your kids!  Specials + Coupons So we have a couple of ways to help you save this month: First of all, if you come out to our farm stand and show us you have liked us on Facebook, or Follow us on Twitter then you can save 10% off your total order! This offer will be available as long as our farm stand is open.  Finally We are sending out post cards with a special offer, but if you don’t get those post cards all you have to do is find our ad in Oregon Family Magazine and tell us about it and get a great saving! Each of these is a one time only, and will be valid during our 2015 Fresh harvest, only valid at our farm stand.

Recipes This month we are trying to beat the heat with some delicious, healthy smoothies. We hope you enjoy the selections we have chosen.  Raspberry Coconut Smoothie Dairy-Free, Vegan Friendly Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 0 mins Ready in: 5 mins Yield: 1 smoothie Ingredients: 1/2 cup coconut milk  1 cup frozen or fresh raspberries 1 tablespoon coconut butter 1 banana peeled, chopped into pieces optional: sweetener of choice, if needed.  Directions: Blend all of the ingredients into blender, food processor, or with an immersion blender. Optional: Add sweetener to taste. If the smoothie is too thick for you, add milk until it’s your desired consistency. Raspberry Mango Tango Smoothie Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 0 mins Ready in: 5 mins Yield: 1 large smoothie, or 2 small smoothies Ingredients:  1/2 of a large banana, peeled, sliced and frozen.  1/2 cup favorite brand of Mango yogurt 1 cup fresh or frozen mango 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries optional: milk for desired thickness. Directions: Add all of the ingredients into the blender Blend on high for about 3 minutes, or until smooth. Serve + enjoy!

April 2015 Event Photos

We went to First Alternatives Earth Day Vendor Fair on April 22, 2015. Here are some photos from that:

First Alternative South Store Location

For more Photos from this event please check out our Facebook album!

We Also Attended Tyee's Open House on 

April 25, 2015

Tyee's Open House, Step into My Parlor

Our little set up with our products and Jenna! 

To See more from this event check out our Facebook album!

Our New Products!!!

Finally we have new spreads and freeze dried powders. We are proud to announce the additions to our spread line with Blackberry, Raspberry, and Strawberry in regular and no sugar added options. Check out our main SVO site to order. They are on special this month so take advantage of the savings.

 We also have new ordering options, such as the great deal of getting a mixed case of either the regular or no sugar added spread. You get 3 jars of each variety, yum yum!

We also are proud of the additions to our freeze dried powder line with the addition of blackberry and strawberry powders. We will have raspberry after this year's (2013's) harvest. This is a fantastic option to add to your smoothies, oatmeal, or baking, it does turn everything fun colors so your kids will be entertained.

Wrapping Up November

November has been a really busy month for us here on the farm...

In the blackberries and raspberries we have been training the canes, meaning that we have been tieing the canes up and making them behave. It looks like the Blackberries are super healthy and we are already showing a good bud set for next summer's harvest.

In the blueberries we have been doing a lot! We took out about 12 acres of blueberry plants that were 42 years old in order to plant a new variety called Liberty. We are also foiler feeding, this helps to set fruit buds for the coming year.

End of U-Pick Blueberry Season

The season is finally coming to a close for our U-Pick Blueberries. This coming Saturday (August 25, 2012) will be the last day we are open with our farm stand. We will be switching to our Fall/Winter hours of Monday through Friday 10am to 4pm and by appointment. We still have fresh blackberries, and will have frozen blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries.

We had a great season and are excited for next years crop already! Keep a watch on our site this fall for new products becoming available! Or join our newsletter to stay informed.

Beat The Heat

Summer is in full swing and bringing the heat, especially if your having a good time out doors, or doing some yard work. Here a couple of refreshing recipes for fruity drinks to cool off with.

Dazzling Raspberry Drink (from Betty Crocker)

Ingredients:

·         40 oz. of frozen raspberries, thawed & drained

·         1 can (6oz) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

·         1 bottle (2Liters) ginger ale, chilled

Directions:

·         In 4-quart Dutch oven, cook raspberries over medium heat 10 minutes, stirring frequently; cool slightly. Push through strainer with large spoon to remove seeds. Refrigerate raspberry juice at least 2 hours.

·         In large pitcher, mix raspberry juice and lemonade concentrate. Stir in ginger ale. Serve immediately over ice.

Refreshing Raspberry Drink (from food.com) Yield: 4 Glasses

Ingredients:

·         1 1/3 Cups Red Raspberries

·         3 Tablespoons Sugar

·         ½ cup lime juice

·         2-3 cups sparkling water (or sprite if you want it a bit sweeter)

Directions:

•          Place raspberries in a medium bowl
•          Add sugar and lime juice and mash with back of wooden spoon.
•         Let sit for about 10 minutes
•          Strain mixture through fine sieve to remove seeds and set aside.
•          Fill four large glasses with ice and pour ¼ cup raspberry mixture in each glass
•          Add ¾ cup sparkling water (or sprite)
•          Stir to combine
•          Top with ½ cup sparkling  water (or sprite)

Yum! Don’t these sound delicious!?

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.