by development | Jul 3, 2020 | Harvest Home
Tomorrow is 4th of July and I love this weekend celebration because there is typically no shortage of food and drinks no matter where you are! While this year’s landscape may look a little different with bars, restaurants, and beaches shut down (as well as a fireworks ban – at least where I live) I know that may seem like fun has left the building… but let me tell you – it is all what you make it!
4th of July is typically our first ‘real’ holiday of the summer season, and in years past, we’d head to a friends house for a BBQ, the lake, or even out on a camping trip! This year, I am simply heading over to my parents house for a (social-distance-style) backyard gathering. This is how we mingle these days, but it’s still just as enjoyable and I love catching up with them even if it’s from a few feet a part!
That said, I really liked the idea of bringing or making something for the festivities that was a little non-traditional. Sure, I totally could have baked a classic cherry pie, perhaps made some fruit skewers, or something fun and patriotic (which, I know my mom will make up for!) but I loved the idea of pulling together a vibrant, colorful cocktail that screamed summer!
This Spicy Cherry Watermelon Margarita is summer in a glass. Seriously – this is what I think of when I think of summertime! Cool, colorful, exciting. Just because we’re spending time at home doesn’t mean we can’t paint our canvas any color we want! Which is why I thought this recipe would be so fun to debut at this back yard outing – not to mention – who doesn’t love a good marg?
If you’d like to omit any spice, feel free to hold off on the chili lime salted rim and jalapeño’s. A fun rim flavor would be a ginger-sugar rim if you’d like to stay the sweet route (totally giving this a try next time!)
If you’re heading to the house next door tomorrow, but still want to make a fun cocktail, just pack up a small cooler with some limes, chili lime powder, salt, 1 small watermelon, 1 lb of fresh Starr Ranch cherries, sparkling water and your favorite tequila! It’s a simple recipe with just a handful of ingredients that I know you and your party guests will love. To view the full recipe, follow the link here.
That said, cheers to summertime, family, and good health! I hope everyone has a safe holiday weekend and if you try out this marg recipe, be sure to let us know what you thought in the comments below!
by development | Jun 19, 2020 | Harvest Home
Father’s Day is just days away and there’s no better way to make someone’s day than with yummy food – am I right?! Starting off the Sunday morning fatherly festivities with a delicious breakfast is the key to my own dad’s heart, and while he’s a simple man with simple taste, Father’s Day is certainly an occasion to splurge! I decided this year that I wanted to make something I had never made for him before – a Cinnamon Apple Dutch Baby! My dad loves all things apples, and actually grew up on a small apple orchard his own dad operated when he was younger, so he grew up on fresh, fragrant, crunchy apples. He’ll take an apple pie over a cake every birthday and he quite literally eats ‘an apple a day’ – he is in every sense a true apple fan so I knew I’d make his day with this fluffy, sweet Cinnamon Apple Dutch Baby.
Cinnamon Apple Dutch Baby
The good news is, this Dutch Baby takes essentially no time at all to prep! So I can sleep in, head over to my parent’s house Sunday and whip this together in a heartbeat (not to mention.. make the home smell heavenly as soon as my dad wakes up!) To make this Cinnamon Apple Dutch Baby you first need to pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and add your round pie pan to the oven to heat up while you prepare the batter and apple slices. Add eggs, flour, milk, granulated sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt to a blender and blend well until combined. Next, remove the pie pan from the oven and butter or oil the pan well and pour the mixture into the middle. Place your apple slices on the batter so they are not completely submerged and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. Place back into oven for 20 minutes or until golden and the sides of the Dutch Baby have begun to curl upward on the pan. Next, remove and serve warm with syrup, more sliced apples, powdered sugar and even ice cream if you are really looking for a sweet surprise!
How are you treating Dad this Father’s Day? Perhaps a yummy breakfast in bed and then a fun outdoor activity with the family? I want to know in the comments below! This year, ditch the basic pancakes and make a huge, fluffy Cinnamon Apple Dutch baby and wow Dad like he deserves – enjoy!
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by development | Jun 18, 2020 | Harvest Home
It’s week 3 of our Chilled & Cherry Social Sweepstakes and this week we are highlighting these delicious Gluten Free Mini No Bake Cherry Tarts! I love these for a few reasons – one being that they require NO baking! Don’t get me wrong, baking is fun, but the wait time to dive into these adorable mini tarts is almost non-existent. I also love that these are completely gluten free – that’s right – this recipe requires no flour for the crust (if we didn’t have your attention yet, now we do ;))
Gluten Free No Bake Mini Cherry Tarts
In all seriousness, I was so excited to pull these together because I love that they incorporate fresh Starr Ranch Growers Rainier cherries. Admittedly, I used to typically reach for the plump, dark red cherries at my local grocery store because that is what I had always envisioned a perfect cherry looking like growing up in California. However, now that I am becoming more experienced in all things cherries I have learned and found that the Rainier cherry variety is just as delicious (if not better!) They are so full of flavor, crunchy, juicy and the perfect blend of sweet and tart – and they truly ‘pop’ in recipes because of their vibrant and unique color. I AM SOLD! These have now become a weekly staple in my household and used in a variety of summer recipes and undoubtedly snacked on fresh throughout the day from my WFH office. That just goes to show that it pays off to step out of your convert zone in the produce aisle and try new things – you may just surprise yourself!
That said, these take almost no time at all to make and are fabulous for both dessert AND breakfast (a third reason why I love these so much). If you are anything like me, you sometimes crave something sweet for breakfast but don’t necessarily want to go for the sugar-filled cereals or French toast. These have essentially no sugar and are only sweetened naturally with dates, vanilla extract, honey, fruit and plain Greek Yogurt – no refined sugars, grains, etc. so you can wake up with a mini, guilt-free/gluten-free tart with an array of nutrient-packed ingredients and fresh seasonal fruits to get you started off on the right foot for the day!
To learn how to make these adorable Gluten Free No Bake Mini Cherry Tarts in your own kitchen, view the full recipe here. If you have not yet entered to win our Week 3 Chilled & Cherry Social Sweepstakes prize, head on over to our Instagram and find this recipe and like the post, tag a friend in the comments and make sure to follow @starr_ranch_growers and you may just win your own Mini Tart Prize Package! Our Week 3 Social Sweepstakes Giveaway ends 6/26 12PM PST. Winner will be announced on our Instagram stories that day.
Good luck!
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by development | Apr 12, 2019 | Announcements
As part of its move to a year-round organic pear program, Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers (OSRG) of Wenatchee, WA, has added certified organic Williams Bartletts, Autumn Bartletts and Green Anjous from Argentina to the category in 2018.
According to OSRG Imports Manager Bruce Turner, the South American organics dovetail perfectly between the end of their Pacific Northwest organic pear season and the onset of the California season.
“It’s an exciting new part of our Starr Ranch Organics program,” Organic Category Manager Dan Davis said recently. “This is the first year we’ve had these pears from Argentina, and they are the perfect fit in our plan to be year-round shipper of Organic pears.” Davis added that the Organic pear program loads side by side with their year-round domestic and import Organic apple program. “We’re now a full service, one-stop program.”
Turner noted the 2018 Argentine pear season has a somewhat smaller size profile, but the “Starr Ranch Organic program is focusing primarily on 100s and larger as preferred by our retail customers.” He said the pears are available to load in Yakima, along with Starr Ranch Organic apples and Diamond Starr Northwest pears.”
The pears are available tissue-wrapped in 40-pound cartons and also in the popular two-pound consumer pouch bags.
by development | Apr 12, 2019 | Announcements
New apple varieties are continually being discovered all over the world, some of which Starr Ranch Growers has in the works. We have new variety plantings in our orchards in the Quincy and Yakima areas and also New Zealand. The consumer is always looking for that extraordinary piece of fruit with great color, quality and flavor. We have three new varieties we are introducing over the next five years that fit that category.
KORU
- Parents: FUJI + BRAEBURN
- Flavor: sweet, complex, aromatic, crisp
- Limited Availability thru 2018: May-Aug
- Usage: exceptional eating experience
NZ HONEYCRISP
- Parents: HONEYGOLD + MACOUN
- Flavor: sweet + tart, juicy, crisp
- Availability from New Zealand : May-Aug
- Usage: excellent eating experience
JUICI™: EXCLUSIVE
- Parents: HONEYCRISP + BRAEBURN
- Flavor: sweet/tart, juicy with incredible crunch
- Limited Availability thru 2018: Oct-Dec
- Usage: incredible eating experience
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