Sunday, 7/27 - OPEN :)

I’ll make it short,

I’ll make it sweet,

Yes there will be berries

For you to eat

Open at 12:15 as usual. Come early to ensure you take some homeJ

Cheers!

Sally Strawberry
Carstensen Farms

OPEN @ 12:15, limited qty of blueberries, possibly plums SCHEDULE CHANGES - SAVE THIS MEMO

Hi gang!

Back again with berries at 12:15. I’ll open the gate at 11:30 and swing back in with berries at 12:15. I’ll have the last of the blueberries with me today. That’s all folks, the season is over for blueberries. I intend to harvest plums before we open for berries today. I should have some with me if they’ve ripened well in the last week. These are the fresh prune type, Italian plums.

Heads up ------ Our schedule will change as we move into August.
Please save this memo for reference.

Next week - Wed, Fri OPEN Closed Sunday

Wednesday 7/30 – OPEN

Friday 8/1 – OPEN

Sunday 8/3 – CLOSED This is the only changed day for this week

Following Week Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun OPEN ---- 4 days open this week

Monday 8/4 – OPEN 1st Monday we will be open in over a month

Wednesday 8/6 – OPEN

Friday 8/8 – OPEN

Sunday 8/10 - OPEN

Please note: The schedule could change back to 3 days open or increase to 5 days open depending on the berries we find. We harvest from 6AM till noon daily.

I’ll keep you posted as always!!!

Cheers!

Sally Strawberry

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Open @ 12:15, Blueberries

Hi all,

We’ll be there with strawberries again on Wednesday. 12:15 is your best bet if you absolutely need some. If you miss that time you may get lucky since we were open till about 2:00 on Sunday. I wouldn’t give up hope if you miss the 12:15 window.

We’re bringing in the last of the blueberries this week. Get ‘em while you can. This is the end of the season. We may have enough for Friday, it just depends on how many get snatched up on Wednesday.

I may have the first of the Italian plums (fresh prune type) on Friday. It depends on how many are ready.

Cheers!

Sally Strawberry
Carstensen Farms

To be removed from the email list send an email with the title "unsubscribe" to sally@sallystrawberry.net.

OPEN at 12:15, Blueberries, recipes-Open again on Wed - same schedule

Hi gang,

Kadi and Annie will be running the show today! I’m off with the kids and their 4-H projects. Fair time is fun time!!

The gate will be open at 11:30. The berries will come in at 12:15. We should have a respectable amount because of the cool weather and fog. Let’s hope so J I’ve gotta say, you folks have all been so wonderful – you form a line, chat with your neighbor, and are always glad to see me when I finally arrive. I’m happy to report that we have been able to get berries to every person waiting in line each day. I always fret about the day someone will wait in line and we run out just before they get to the counter. All of you are very generous and always seem to look out for each other by sharing. It sincerely warms my heart.

***Update on the Blueberry Cornbread recipe – I actually tried it!!! For all the time it took, I would simply add blueberries to the Marie Calendar’s cornbread mix and call it good. They were good but if you’re used to the softer textured cornbread they’ll seem a little grainy. I also would use more sugar. I must say….they really perked up with a drizzling of honey (the O’Honey gang honey of course).

Blueberry Danish
3/4 c Cottage cheese
1/3 c Sugar
1/3 c Low-fat milk
1/4 c Canola oil
1 ts Vanilla
2 c Flour
2 ts Baking powder
4 oz Low-fat cream cheese
1/4 c Sugar
1 Egg yolk
2 ts Lemon zest
1 ts Vanilla
1 c Blueberries

To make the dough, puree the cottage cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add the sugar, milk, canola oil, and vanilla. Blend well. Add the flour and baking powder and pulse until a ball of dough forms. Refrigerate dough in plastic until chilled. To make the filling, blend the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the egg yolk, lemon zest and vanilla. Stir well to combine. Roll the dough into a long rectangle. Spread the cream cheese mixture down the center. Sprinkle the blueberries over the cream cheese. Make 3 inch cuts along each side of the dough, about 1 inch apart. Cross the strips to create a braiding effect across the center. Transfer the danish to a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Blueberry French Toast
12 sl Day old white bread, crusts removed
2 pk 8 oz. each - cream cheese
1 c Fresh or frozen blueberries
12 ea Eggs
2 c Milk
1/3 c Maple syrup

Sauce:
1 c Sugar
2 tb Cornstarch
1 c Water
1 c Fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tb Butter or margarine

Cut bread into 1 inch cubes; place half in a greased 13" x 9" x 2" baking dish. Cut cream cheese into 1 inch cubes; place over bread. Top with blueberries and remaining bread, in a large bowl, beat eggs. Add milk and syrup, mix well. Pour over bread mixture. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 25-30 minutes more or until golden brown and the center is set.

In a saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch, add water. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in blueberries; reduce heat. Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until berries have burst. Stir in butter until melted. Serve over french toast.

Cheers!

Sally Strawberry

Berry Update housekeeping message

Hi all,

An aol.com subscriber has reported the “Berry Update” as spam. My provider, sonic.net sent me the following message:

We are still receiving notifications from AOL that someone there is reporting your messages as spam. In order to comply with antispam laws, we do need to request that you at least add a line stating how to opt out of the list in case people do not want to receive the emails any more. This could be as simple as "to opt out from future mailings simply reply to this message with the word unsubscribe" as long as you respect those requests.

I added instructions on how to be removed under my signature line. If you are the AOL user that has reported my message as spam, please contact me so I can remove you. Thanks!!!

Cheers!

Sally Strawberry

To be removed from this list send an email with the title "unsubscribe" to sally@sallystrawberry.net.

OPEN at 12:15, BLUEBERRIES

Hi all,

Open again at 12:15 with as much as we can find! The gate will be open at 11:30. Berries arrive at 12:15. There WILL be blueberries today! I may have a few baskets of plums if the tree yields a few more baskets. I’ll bring in the blueberries and plums before noon and then head out to the field for the berries. If you see me around I’m just setting up. The white van is what you’re looking for LOLOLOL We have been selling out in ½ hour to 45 minutes.

Cheers!

Sally Strawberry
Carstensen Farms

Wed, 7/16 - OPEN - gate opens @ 11:30, berries arrive at 12:15, BLUEBERRIES!!

Hi gang!

We’ll be open with berries at 12:15. The gate will be open for your parking convenience at 11:30. I’ll pop in and out getting set up but all the berries won’t be available until 12:15. I’ll have the last of the juicy, sweet plums too since the Santa Rosa variety is just about done. We might squeak out some for Friday…. but then I think it’s curtains for them.

I’m so very excited to report that I have BLUEBERRIES!!! We had a nice harvest and I’ll have a respectable qty available to keep everyone happy tomorrow and (fingers really crossed) Friday and Sunday. That’s the great news. Come and get ‘em!! The other news is….. the season just started and we’ve probably got one more harvest left on these bushes. If you want to enjoy the freshest blueberries possible and get a crack at my secret yummy tasting variety, you’ll have this week and possibly next to snatch them up. Boo Hoo…. blueberry season was VERY short this year.

As always I’m hungry when I search for recipes. These sound REALLY good. I’m actually going to run in the house and make the Corn Bread right now!!

Blueberry Corn Bread
1 c Flour, sifted
3/4 c Cornmeal
3 tb Sugar
1 ts Baking powder
3/4 ts Salt
1 c Blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 Egg
2/3 c Milk, lowfat
1/3 c Salad oil

Grease or spray 8 x 8-in. baking pan. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In bowl mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in blueberries. In small bowl beat egg; add milk and oil, mix. Pour all at once into flour mixture. Stir just until dry ingredients are evently moistened. Pour batter into baking pan. Bake 25 minutes or until golden.

Blueberry Brunch Cake

Cake:
1/2 c Butter
1/2 c Sugar
2 ts Grated lemon peel
1 Egg
1 1/2 c Flour
2 tb Poppy seed
1 ts Baking powder
1/4 ts Salt
1/2 c Sour cream

Filling:
2 c Blueberries
1/3 c Sugar`
2 ts Flour
1/4 ts Cinnamon,ground
Glaze:
1/3 c Powdered sugar,sifted
1 ts Milk

Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and lemon peel. Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture with sour cream. Spread batter in a greased 9 inch springform pan, spreading batter one inch up sides of pan to hold filling. Combine filling ingredients and spread over batter. Bake at 350 degrees, 40 - 50 minutes. Combine glaze ingredients and drizzle over cake.

Berry Bread
3 c All-purpose flour
1 tb Cinnamon
1 tb Baking soda
1 ts Salt
1 1/4 c Vegetable oil
3 x Eggs
1 c Sugar
2 c Fresh strawberries/blueberrie
1 c Chopped nuts

Makes 2 loaves Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In large bowl of electric mixer, combine oil, eggs, and sugar, mixing well. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, stirring until just moistened. Stir in berries and nuts. Spoon mixture into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 1 hour at 350 deg F or until tested done. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. These freeze well; make multiple loaves with extra berries.

Cheers!

Sally Strawberry
Carstensen Farms

1:15 Sunday - Open with 5 flats left if you're close by, plums available

Hi gang,

Sorry I didn’t send a reminder note out this morning. We have a few flats on the stand AND we’ve been open for 1 hour (if you can believe it!) We got a few more in today and are able to be open longer.

Blueberries will be available on Wed. I’ll send a reminder note on Wed. and type anything else my foggy brain dumps out! Maybe another blueberry recipe J

Cheers!

Sally Strawberry
Carstensen Farms

Friday - Open at 12:15, limited qty of blueberries and plums, no veggies

Hi all,

Same drill as always - gate open at 11:30, berries arrive at 12:15. Again, I don’t know how many I’ll have or what variety I can pick.

We’ll have blueberries and plums. We only have 27 blueberries and I won’t know how many plums until I pack them tomorrow. They may go fast. We may get 1 more harvest, maybe 2 from the plum tree. The Italian plums are just starting to turn color. Those might take a week or so before I can harvest.

I’ll pick blueberries again on Monday and have them for sale on Wednesday 7/16.

Sorry about my veggie brain burp. Darn, darn, darn I totally forgot to include the farmer’s market info. for Petaluma Bounty in my last email. Amy was at the evening farmer’s market yesterday and won’t be with us tomorrow. I wanted to send all you folks her way if you needed veggies. She’s finding it hard to be at our location in July when we sell out so quickly. Hopefully she’ll be able to be with us next week. I’ve encouraged her to set up early and entertain all you folks as you wait for the berry van to arrive! We’ve got to have her with us in August for sure when the tomatoes come in.

Cheers!

Sally Strawberry
Carstensen Farms

Open @ 12:15, BLUEBERRIES, plums

Hi gang!

I’m sure this heat is doing a number on my berries!! I’ll be open today AND the schedule for the rest of the week is up in the air. Look on the bright side….. 100 degree temps for days should cook out my bad bugs.

I don’t know how many strawberries I’ll have today. Heat is definitely not good for them. I’ll open the gate at 11:30 and come in at 12:15 with berries. We’ll stay till we’re sold out.

I DO have BLUEBERRIES today! If you want them, please plan on being there at 12:15 to get them before we run out. We got this batch picked and in the fridge on Monday. Blueberries are not as perishable as strawberries. You can keep them a few weeks (if you don’t devour them first). I’ve packed our in a larger clamshell than those you see in the store. Ours hold a lot more and are full to the top. They may seem more expensive but…. you’re getting more delicious berries! We had blueberry pancakes for dinner last night ---- awesome and delicious .

Plums will be available today. I picked them yesterday and put them in the fridge for you. Get ‘em while I have ‘em. The tree has about 2 more harvests on it before we’re thru. The good news……. we’ll have the oblong shaped Italian plums this year. They’re really sweet and firm from what I’ve been told. Mom’s tree has NEVER produced. The cold weather must be just what this tree needed.

Bewitching Blueberry Pancakes
1 1/4 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 tbsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 c. milk
3 tbsp. oil
1/2 c. washed & drained blueberries

Sift together dry ingredients. Beat egg and milk together and add to dry ingredients with oil. DO NOT OVER MIX. Stir only until dry ingredients are moist. As you stir in blueberries (this is the magic part) say three times: "Gobble dee gook With a wooden spoon, The laugh of a toad At the height of the moon!" Pour on a hot griddle and watch.

Cheers!

Sally Strawberry
Carstensen Farms

Monday, 7/7 - closed, picking blueberries

Hi all,

Will be closed tomorrow, Monday – 7/7. We will be picking blueberries and plums for Wed.

Cheers!

Sally Strawberry
Carstensen Farms

Open at 12:15 w/ 1 load, possibly plums, blueberries this week

Hi gang,

I come in with berries at 12:15 today. The gate will be open at 11:30. We’ll have one load only again today. If the field looks good we will be open again tomorrow, Monday, with the same hours.

I hope to have a few plums ready for you today. They’re from grandma’s tree and a business venture for my son Lee. There should be plums available every day we’re open for at least a week or 2 (while they last).

The blueberries that made it thru the frost, gophers and birds are finally ready to harvest. I should have those starting on Wed. There will be a very limited supply so get ‘em while you can. The harvest for these will last about 2 weeks.

Cheers!

Sally Strawberry
Carstensen Farms

OPEN at 12:15 w/ 1 load only

Hi all,

Quick reminder…… I’ll have 1 load at 12:15 today. My gate will be open at 11:30. We hope to bring in all we have, send them home with you quickly and enjoy the holiday with friends. We don’t expect to be there very long today. Our next berry day will be Sunday and possibly Monday if the crop holds.

Happy 4th!!

Cheers!

Sally Strawberry
Carstensen Farms

OPEN at 12:15, veggies available, new batch of honey arrived

Hi gang,

OPEN, OPEN, OPEN tomorrow at 12:15. Monday was good…. we were open till around 3:00. Who knows what tomorrow will have in store for us. It’s been nice and foggy in the AM and PM soooo ???? I’ll be open again on Friday 7/4 with one load at 12:15. I hope to bring those berries in and send ‘em home with you so we all can enjoy the 4th with family and friends. Be safe!!

The O’Honey gang just restocked the stand with more local honey.

Cheers!

Sally Strawberry
Carstensen Farms

Petaluma Bounty Farmers Corner

The farm is looking gorgeous these days and it looks even better since I had a work day on Saturday and we put down wood chips in pathways and did some serious weeding. If any of you are ever interested in coming to help work at the Bounty Farm I have work days every second Saturday of the month. The next work day will be on July 12th from 9-3 pm. If you would like to come, please email me and I can give you directions to the farm (amy@petalumabounty.org).

The plants are really enjoying warmer temperatures and some exciting crops to look forward to in the near future are cucumbers, squash, peppers and tomatoes a littler farther off. I have fun varieties of all of these crops that I look forward to sharing with you all. Especially the lemon cucumbers which are delicious.

This week I will be at the farm stand on Wednesday. I am trying to figure out which of the three days Sally is open with berries is the best for me to sell veggies and flowers. Next week I will be there on Friday (July 11th). I hope to have this figured out soon so you know when to come to get produce and flowers. Thank you all for your support thus far in this summer.

This week's vegetables and herbs are:

Majestic Red Romaine Lettuce
Olga Romaine Lettuce
Winter Density Bibb/butterhead Lettuce
Red Oakleaf Lettuce
Nelson Carrots
Bull's Blood Beets
Bouquet Dill
Santo Cilantro
Foremost Green Beans
Expression Spring Onions

Mixed Flower Bouquets - I will make some of the bouquets with festive red, white and blue flowers for the Fourth of July.

Recipe for the Week - Lettuce And Beet Salad With Sour Cream Dressing

4 medium bull's blood beets

2/3 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons grated Expression onion
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
5 cups (packed) mixed torn lettuces (Red Oak Leaf, Majestic Red, Olga or Winter Density)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap beets tightly in foil. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. Cool; peel beets. Coarsely shred beets.

Whisk sour cream, onion, vinegar, sugar and mustard in small bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Place lettuces in large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Divide salad among 4 plates. Top each with beets, dividing equally.