BLUEBERRIES

PICKING UP FROM THE GROWER IN THE MORNING!

BLUEBERRIES!! 

BIG, SWEET, BEAUTIFUL DUKES!!!

COME TO THE FARM!!!

We have lots of new items coming into the farm store these days!

• PACKER ORCHARD/BAKERY JAMS AND GIANT COOKIES
• PURITY ORGANIC JUICES, BLENDS AND COCONUT WATERS
• MARLEY COFFEE DROP BEVERAGES
• GOLDENBREW TEAS AND TONICS
• BLUE RAEVEN PIES
• PUMPKIN STREET COOKIE GRANOLA
• PORTLANDIA PRODUCTS
• DON FELIPE CHORIZOS
• GRASS FED GROUND BEEF
• CHEESE FROM ANCIENT HERITAGE, LA MARIPOSA, ROGUE CREAMERY AND MORE
• FARM FRESH CAGE FREE EGGS
• CERTIFIED ORGANIC EGGS
• ROSE CITY PEPPERHEADS PEPPER JELLIES AND SAUCES
• SOUPER NATURALS SOUPS AND SAUCES
• KOMBUCHA GAIA TEAZ
• SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY

WE ALSO HAVE LOTS OF PRODUCE GROWN HERE ON OUR FARM.  BLUEBERRIES WILL BE MAKING A COMEBACK THIS WEDNESDAY!  HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET IN SOME OTHER BERRIES, TOO, FOR THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND

THE FARM STORE IS OPEN EVERY DAY 10-6 IF YOU NEED HOLIDAY GOODIES!

We are happy to support local food!

HOT! HOT! HOT!

This has been one more crazy season for strawberries and now it is looking like this weekend is going to affect other berry growers, too.  It is not "normal" for it to be 100 degrees three straight days in a row and it has a lot of growers scratching their heads as to what that is going to mean for them.  Blueberries, blackberries and other cane fruit are not generally affected by the heat so much, but if the variety planted is not one adapted for those kinds of sustained high temps, the outcome is unpredictable.  I really don't forsee that the same thing will happen that happened to strawberries, but it bears some consideration.

Our summer crops are starting to come in now and most of those things thrive in the heat. That is good for all of us!

Stop by the farm store and say hi!

~Suzanne and the Crew

WE ARE BACK IN THE BERRY BUSINESS!!!  As predicted, the blueberries, blackberries, boysenberries and raspberries are coming in this week.  Today I have Black, Blue and Rasps in the store.  Local.  Also have organic Bing Cherries.
Later this week and into the weekend, we will have more of the same plus boysenberries and new varieties of cherries (some organic, some not).  Also, more varieties of veggies are starting to appear in the store from our gardens.  Here every day 10-6.

PS All the strawberry growers are telling me that their ever bearing varieties (includine the Albions and Seascapes) will be back around in a few weeks, so fingers crossed we can get hold of some of those. Will touch base here ever so often as we get closer to July.

Factoid of the Day: Why Holey Kale is Better For You

Sharing from a friend's blog post. Factoids courtesy of Fry Farm back in my neck of the woods (Southern US)

"Fun fact: those insect-eaten holey kale leaves (or any other leafy green) are actually better for you then their unassaulted counterparts!!

Okay, so we all know that I'm a plant phytochemical nerd. I believe that one of the keys to health is consuming lots of them (which means eating lots of veggies, but also seeking out those veggies that have a higher density of phytochemicals, like wild plants and like local organic produce grown in high quality soil). So, when one of my local farmers mentioned this fun fact to me today, I just had to look it up!

And it's true! Plants are smarter than we think!   (Because of their compacted life cycles, plants are able to evolve special traits to protect themselves,increase potential pollination,  discourage competition from other plants, etc. very quickly. Plants are incredible.) 

Leaves normally release small quantities of a class of phytochemical called "plant volatiles". While the name sounds a little intimidating, plant volatiles are known to have very strong anti-cancer and antioxidant properties--meaning, it's improves health to eat them (this is one of the classes of compounds in plants credited with the ubiquitous health benefits of high-veggie diets).

When a leaf is damaged by herbivorous insects (yes, insects can be herbivores, carnivores or omnivores too!), many more plant volatiles are released. Exactly which plant volatiles are produced varies both by the plant species and by the species of that's eating it.

Why does the plant do this? These volatiles attract both parasitic and predatory insects that are natural enemies of the herbivore insects eating the plant--meaning, it's the plant's way of recruiting help defending itself. The plant attracts other insects that like to eat the insects that are eating it. Isn't that amazing?! These plant volatiles can even signal to neighboring plants to increase their defense responses too!

So, woo hoo to plants for having such a sophisticated defense strategy. But, even better for us? This means that we're getting more antioxidant goodness when we eat those organically-grown leafy greens that have some insect holes in them--you know, the same ones no one else wants to buy so your farmer sells them to you on the cheap?!?! It also means we don't need to get quite so worked up about aphids eating up our vegetable gardens--they're doing us a favor! This is also why strategies like crushing garlic 10 minutes before you add it to whatever you're cooking increases the antioxidant properties."

Yet another check in the plus column as to why organic veggies are better for you....

Like the author of this post, I am also a plant nerd, so I will explain that last comment about garlic in another post later this week.  Have a good day!  ~Suzanne

GLOBAL WARMING IS REAL! Berries have left the building.

What a week last week was!  I contacted every strawberry grower I knew of (and that list is long) to no avail, trying to find berries for our farm store. Unfortunately, some really hot weather the previous week and earlier last week has growers scrambling.  Several of our favorite suppliers have had nothing available at all and some of them are opting to sell direct instead of to us. One grower I talked to said he is "done for the season" meaning his crop has come and gone in a fraction of the usual time. That is a big loss for a small farm and I feel for him. I have had several growers tell me that they had never experienced a year like this one, trying to second guess weather this year.  It was warm too early, wet and cool for a while and then blistering hot and dry. As a farmer, you do what you can to try do make things work but you are always at the mercy of Mother Nature.  The good news is that this may only apply to the early season berry varieties like the Hoods and when the Albions, Tillamooks and some of the other later season varieties ripen, we could have them again. Plus, blueberry season is coming soon, followed by the bramble fruits, which will not be so affected by high temps.  

Also, this is a transitional time of year…moving from late spring (cool weather) veggies into early summer (warmer weather) veggies.  We are committed to bringing you the best of truly local and seasonal goods.  Here, there are small squash on the plants about 2 inches long, cucumbers, too. Green beans will be coming on soon and there are many green tomatoes that should be turning soon.  The beautiful greens, beets, carrots and kale we have had are on their way out and soon as summer season veggies come in. We will be planting a third succession of snap peas soon which should bring them back early August and into the fall. Growing seasonally means you don't force anything before its time and that is a strong principle here at our farm.  It comes when it comes and your patience will reward you eventually.

I would also like reiterate that we are a local, seasonal organic farm. Our farm store, likewise is local and seasonal, stocking our own organic produce as well as from other farms in the region. It is proving to be a challenging year on all counts. As many of you have likely read, the bees are threatened and honey prices are rising quickly. Avian flu, while not in Oregon (yet and hopefully never), is creating a shortage of eggs across the country and local prices are rising in response to national price increases.  You are likely seeing that this kind of thing affects the price of everything in the supermarket and it affects us in an even greater way.  

Ours is a whole economy based on supply and demand and local food is no exception. In fact, in many ways, it is much more vulnerable than just about any other sector. Our county, Washington, is not presently affected with drought conditions but much of the rest of the state is (Current Drought Conditions Map).  That is affecting availability of many crops across the region.  Supporting your local food growers is more important now that it has been in a long time. 

COME TO THE FARM!!!

FARM STORE OPENS FOR THE SEASON ON FRIDAY JUNE 5TH. HOURS 10-6 7 DAYS A WEEK  We will have strawberries, veggies, pies, meats, honey, jellies, sauces, more berries, cherries and more. Come to the farm!!!
~Suzanne