by Elemental Design | May 25, 2020 | Harvest Home
Cool Down this Summer with These Cherry Berry Cheesecake Popsicles
The Northwest cherry season is here at last! Where are my fellow cherry-lovers at? I don’t know about you, but summer is my favorite season for a variety of reasons – warm weather, longer days to be active and head outside after work and for fresh, vibrant and in-season fruits like cherries that are SUCH a treat. The Northwest cherry season is short – only roughly 2-months, which makes this tiny, tasty powerhouse fruit such a special delicacy during the warm summer season.
Summer in Wenatchee, Washington gets HOT so we are always trying to find creative ways to cool down. Of course, there are things like rivers and lakes in our beautiful backyard, but sometimes you just need a chilled treat to indulge in at home (and especially these days!) So, to make summertime at home just a little sweeter, we pulled together these Cherry Berry Cheesecake Popsicles. What I love about these is for one – they are super easy, and two – they are creamy and decadent without the sometimes ‘heavy’ feeling after heading for a tub of Ben & Jerry’s (although sometimes that’s necessary, too!)
Cherry Berry Cheesecake Popsicles Recipe
To start off this fun summertime recipe you’ll first have to make sure you have popsicle molds, I found mine at Crate & Barrel but there are lots of great affordable options online.
And, if you’re participating in our Chilled & Cherry Summer Sweepstakes you may be able to win some of your very own! Give us a follow on our social channels to learn more!
First, either manually slice your cherries to remove the pit OR if you’re handy and prepared, grab your cherry pitter! You’ll want to pit 1 cup of cherries and dice up about 1 cup of strawberries. Next, add the cherries, berries and 2 tablespoons of honey into a saucepan as the fruits begin to release their yummy juices in a quick simmer. Once bubbling, reduce heat completely and let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes before adding it to a Tupperware safe container that you can easily place into your freezer. Leave in the freezer for about 20 minutes to allow the cherry berry mixture to completely cool.
Next, add your cream cheese, Greek yogurt (or regular yogurt – either works!), honey, lemon juice and vanilla extract to your mixing bowl and mix with an electric mixer.
While I let the base mixture sit as I also waited for my cherry berry mixture to cool down, I skipped to crushing up my graham crackers in my blender(or a food processor works of course) into teeny tiny pieces, and added some butter to help make it stick. You can also use a little coconut oil for this as well for a dairy free alternative – your preference!
Lastly, just fill your molds with a spoonful of both the cherry mixture and creamy base one after another – mixing it around in the mold with a spoon so you can achieve a desired ‘swirl’ or ‘marble’ effect with the mixture. Top the rim with the graham cracker crumbs – I used enough to fill about a half inch of space in the mold. Be sure not to over-fill your popsicle molds with the popsicle mixture or you won’t have enough room to close it before it freezes.
You’re done! Just place your popsicle molds in the freezer – I recommend letting them chill for a full day, as the creamy base (rather than a standard ice-based popsicle) needs a bit more time to completely chill so it can easily be removed from the molds.
When you finally take the popsicles out to enjoy, be sure to run the molds under warm water for about 5 seconds on each side so the popsicles easily come out of the mold.
That’s it! This recipe is super easy and fun to do with the kids this summer and it’s SO good. If your family is anything like mine – they’ll be gone in one sitting! If you’d like to make these at home with your own kiddos, enter to win in our Chilled & Cherry Summer Sweepstakes where we will be giving a lucky winner a new prize EACH week! All you have to do is head to our social channels, follow us and tag a friend that loves cherries just as much as you do – and you (or your friend) could win a weekly prize – this week it happens to be popsicle molds!
Good luck & enjoy!
Cherry Berry Cheesecake Popsicles Recipe
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by starr ranch | Jan 9, 2020 | Announcements
WENATCHEE, WASH (Jan. 3, 2020) – Starr Ranch Growers is extending its sustainability program with new packaging for organic apples.
The new, sustainable packaging is part of a controlled trial for Starr Ranch-sold organic Fuji apples. The next phase of the rollout will be creating packaging for all organic varieties.
The previous packaging was a plastic clam shell; the use of a corrugated box eliminates plastic. The box was designed to maximize product visibility yet still protect the fruit.
In the United States, plastic is recycled at a rate of 9 percent, so every bit of plastic reduced makes an impact on the amount going into landfills.
“Corrugated cardboard boxes are easy to recycle, and the boxes can be folded and stored for later use,” said Krista Beckstead, marketing and brand specialist. “We want to provide the best quality product in a sustainable manner. This package is a good solution for the supply chain.”
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
by development | Mar 20, 2019 | Announcements
Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers will be ramping up organic apple and pear production to meet continued demand.
The Wenatchee, Wash.-based company plans to transition more acreage in the next three years, including Honeycrisp and Pink Lady as well as gala, Fuji and granny smith, according to a news release.
National marketing representative Brent Shammo credited the mainstreaming of organics as the reason for growing demand.
“Organic growth has moved away from only specialty stores to large retailers like Wal-Mart and Kroger,” Shammo said in the release. “It has shown the consumer demand for organics is not only for shoppers at specialty stores but for everyday customers.
“With the increased retail availability and the national attention organics receive, both suppliers and retailers can continue to grow their organic footprints,” Shammo said.
He described the current crop as “outstanding” and noted that the organic two-pound pouch bags have been popular this season.
by development | Mar 4, 2019 | Announcements
Dalton Thomas has been named 2019 Apple Citizen of the Year. Festival Administrator Darci Christoferson and Former Wenatchee Valley College Athletic Director, Sandy Cooprider surprised Dalton with the award at the Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers Christmas Party at the Wenatchee Golf and Country Club, Friday evening. The Apple Citizen of the Year award began in 1981 to honor the roots of the fruit industry and the leaders that make this the Wenatchee Valley the Apple Capital of the World.
Dalton Thomas is the youngest son of Paul “Tommy” & Marguerite Thomas. Dalton and his two brothers Paul & Herb were raised in East Wenatchee. Dalton was a graduate of Wenatchee High School in 1960 and went on to graduate from the University of Washington and continues to be a loyal Husky! Dalton married his lovely wife Pam in 1964 and they have four children Heidi, Shelly, Jim and Brad, and nine grandchildren.
Paul “Tommy” Thomas and his family founded Oneonta Trading Corporation in 1934 and became the first exporter of Washington apples. In the early fifties, Oneonta became an award-winning leader in Washington in growing, packing and shipping. In 1965 Dalton and his brother Herb started working for Oneonta, and in 1971 they acquired the business from their father. In 1972 Oneonta won the first bid from the Central Trust of China to provide apples to Taiwan. Some 100,000 cartons per year for six years were shipped by Oneonta to Taiwan, representing not only the first Washington apples to go to that destination but also the creation of the “Asian pipeline” as it is known now.
In 2002 Dalton acquired sole interest in Oneonta, now Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers. Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers received the Washington State Governor Trader of the Year Award in 2006 and in 2008 created Diamond Starr Growers, one of the largest pear marketers in the Northwest. Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers currently grows, packs and ships 15.5 million cartons of apples, 2.5 million pears, 2 million cherries as well as stone fruit from Washington and Oregon. They are also vertically integrated with a California operation exporting almost 2 million cartons of grapes and citrus around the world and is also the biggest growers of Honeycrisp in New Zealand.
In September Dalton was the recipient of Asiafruit Congress’ first-ever Impact Award for his contribution to developing Washington/US fresh fruit exports to Asia. His pioneering contribution as well as sharing his marketing insights with the industry displayed a career-long commitment to industry export programs, seeing the value of increasing promotional activities for the benefit of the entire industry.
With more than 50 years in the fruit industry Dalton has retired and his long and illustrious career, is a significant chapter of the Thomas family’s contribution to the industry. Reggie Collins, Vice President and Director of Chelan Fresh Marketing says “I’ve known Dalton for more than 40 years. You can use all kinds of words – generous, loyal, trustworthy, wise and insightful – to describe him. But one thing’s certain: He’s the one you’d like to be in the trenches with. I mean that both personally and from a business side. I could always go to Dalton and get the true story about what was going on in the industry. He’s benefited this industry with his wisdom and strength.”
Dalton’s Dad, Tommy had a passion for baseball as he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 1928. After Tommy’s passing in 1997, Dalton and his brother Herb donated over $750,000 to help construct and maintain the Wenatchee Valley College Baseball Field (Paul Thomas Senior Field) Former WVC Athletic Director, Sandy Cooprider says, “Dalton Thomas is one off the most loyal and generous men when it comes to supporting the youth of our valley. He has made a difference in the lives of this community that will live forever”.
This field is also home to the Wenatchee AppleSox. Jim Corcoran founder of the Wenatchee AppleSox says, “Without this generous contribution to the baseball stadium, the AppleSox would not exist. Their support of the Wenatchee Valley College project brought the stadium up to the standards necessary to host a summer collegiate baseball team like the AppleSox. That field was our only option when the team was founded, and it still serves today as one of the best collegiate baseball parks in the NWAC and West Coast League”.
Dalton also donated over 1 million dollars to turf the infield and build a hitting facility for Recreation Park. This facility not only benefits Wenatchee High School athletes but will benefit youth of all ages that love baseball.
Dalton, his family and Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers have contributed financially to Central Washington Hospital, Apple Education Foundation, Washington State Apple Blossom Festival, Wenatchee Valley College, Mission Ridge Ski Team, Complete the Loop Coalition and numerous youth activities and organizations throughout Central Washington. He was also one of the donors to ensure that the Scout A Vista Boy Scout Camp will continue to operate.
Dalton has served on the Board of Directors for US Bank Washington, Washington Apple Commission and is a Past President of the Wenatchee Golf and Country Club. He is a lifelong hunter and fisherman and is also an avid golfer. “Big D”, as he is known by his grandkids, loves spending time with his family at his home at Lake Chelan where he flies the grandkid’s college flags proudly.
Dalton will be honored at 100th Apple Blossom Festival at the All Service Club Luncheon on Wednesday, May 1, and will also ride in the Stemilt Growers Grand Parade on May 4, 2019.
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