• On top of (or stirred into) plain yogurt, especially a rich one like Greek yogurt
• Homemade crepes with a jam filling
• Whisked with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar to make a fruit vinaigrette (for use on salads or as a marinade)
• Stirred into icing for both natural color and flavor
• On top of pancakes or waffles
• Used like cranberry sauce in turkey sandwiches
• In classic thumbprint cookies
• Pear Butter or Apple Butter mixed with brown sugar and used as a glaze on ribs, roasted pork or ham
• Served with cheese and a sliced baguette as a simple hors d’oeuvres
• Added to fruit smoothies
• In baked brie (cover a wheel of brie with jam, then with puff pastry and bake)
• On top of cheesecake
• Mixed in with your favorite barbeque sauce

What are your favorite ways to use jams, jellies, preserves or marmalade?

The show was a pleasant little break from the usual office work and I walked away from the show with a hefty increase in product knowledge. Trend I noticed: lots of gluten-free and low sugar products, which is great since the vast majority of our products are gluten-free and low in sugar. My overall experience: the show was lots of fun and very informative.

This Valentines Day make this sophisticated dessert recipe that is sure to impress your sweetheart! Light sponge cake with hints of vanilla filled with creamy mascarpone filling and our delightful Oregon Strawberry Jam. Enjoy with a glass of champagne and your Valentine, a perfect way to spend February 14th!

Sponge Cake with Strawberry Mascarpone Filling

Sponge Cake

1/2 Cup Milk
4 Eggs
4 Tablespoons Butter
3/4 Cups of Sugar
1 1/5 Cups Flour
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Cup Mascarpone Cheese
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 Powdered Sugar, sifted
1-2 Tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Oregon Growers Oregon Strawberry Jam
Powdered Sugar for Dusting

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees, butter a 12 x 17 inch baking sheet or jelly roll pan and set aside. For the cake, sift dry ingredients together and set aside. In a stand up mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat eggs until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for another 4 minutes, add in the vanilla. Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan until butter is melted. Slowly add milk to the batter, immediately add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Pour batter into your prepared baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, cake should spring back when lightly touched.

For the filling mix mascarpone, vanilla, powdered sugar and milk with a stand up mixer or hand mixer until all is smooth.

To assemble, cut squares out of cooled sponge cake and a hearty spoonful of Strawberry Jam followed by a spread of the mascarpone filling. Finish with a dusting of powdered sugar!

Mini Pear Hazelnut Pies

2 Fresh local pears, peeled and diced small
Oregon Growers Pear Hazelnut Jam
Oregon Growers Diced Hazelnuts
Prepared pie crust
Powdered Sugar for dusting

Directions
In a mixing bowl, combine the fresh diced pears and 1/4 cup of Pear Hazelnut Jam and toss to incorporate. Set aside.

Roll out your prepared pie crust on a lightly floured surface. Using a 2 inch round cookie cutter, stamp out as many rounds as desired. Place each round in a mini muffin pan that has been lightly coated with a non stick spray. Press in dough to the bottom and sides of pan. Add a spoonful of pear filling into each pie, top with the Diced Roasted Hazelnuts. Using a fork you can press along outer edges of the dough for decorative look. Bake in a preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until the crust is golden. Remove and immediately pop out each pie from the the pan and let cool on a cooling rack. When completely cooled lightly dust each with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Chocolate Hazelnut Citrus Bark

1 bag, (12 ounces) of Bittersweet Chocolate
1 Cup of Oregon Growers Hazelnuts
1 Orange, zest about half

Directions
Put chocolate in a heat proof bowl and place on top a large pot with boiling water (referred to as a double boiler) and stir every few minutes until completely melted. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile zest about half your orange, only removing the orange rind not the white flesh beneath it. Set aside. Roughly chop the hazelnuts, we used Roasted with Sea Salt for the little extra bit of savory flavor. Set aside.

Pour melted chocolate onto a jelly roll pan or small baking sheet lined with foil and spread evenly. Top with hazelnuts and orange zest. Put in freezer for up to an hour. Break into pieces. For a great holiday gift bag up and tie with festive ribbon! And as always, enjoy!

Season’s Greetings from Oregon Growers!

Day After Turkey Sandwich

English Muffin or bread of choosing
Sliced Turkey
Cranberry Apple Relish
Goat Cheese
Mixed Greens

Build your perfect day after Thanksgiving sandwich using all the yummy ingredients above. Or improvise with whatever delicious leftovers on hand, if you have any at all! Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

I can’t think of any flavor more fall-like than pumpkin! Now that’s it’s October, we are focusing on our Pumpkin Butter for this delicious sandwich cookie recipe! Buttery pecan shortbread cookies with our wonderfully spiced Pumpkin Butter in center, a perfect way to indulge yourself with our favorite fall flavor!

Pecan Pumpkin Butter Sandwich Cookies

1/2 Cups Toasted Pecans

1/4 Cups Sugar

1 Cup Flour, sifted

1/8 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Stick of Butter, Chilled and cut into small pieces

1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Teaspoon Nutmeg

Pinch of Salt

Oregon Growers Pumpkin Butter

In a food processor, blend the pecans and sugar until nuts are finely ground. Add in the flour, baking soda, nutmeg and salt and blend until combined. Add in the chilled butter and pulse until dough resembles a coarse meal. Adding the cream and vanilla, pulse again until the dough forms. Gather the dough and roll into a flat disk on a floured work surface. Roll out dough to 1/4- 3/8 inch thickness. Cut out cookies using a round 2 inch cookie cutter, transfer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for an hour.

Bake cookies for 16-18 minutes in a preheated oven at 325 degrees. Let cool completely. Spread a spoonful of Oregon Growers Pumpkin Butter on one half and top with the another cookie, repeat with the rest of the batch. Enjoy!

A dutch baby is a cross between a pancake and a pop over, and it happens to be a super easy and quick breakfast treat! They are made with ingredients that are common in just about everyone’s home,  but for our version we added our delicious Vanilla Pear Butter as well as fresh local pears! The Vanilla Pear Butter adds a wonderful rich pear flavor, a perfect decadent breakfast on a fall morning!

Vanilla Pear Dutch Baby Pancake

2 Eggs

1/2 Milk

1/2 Sifted Flour

3 Tablespoons Butter

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1/2 Cup Oregon Growers Vanilla Pear Butter

1 Fresh Local Pear, like Bartlett peeled and sliced thin

Pinch of Salt

Place a 10 inch cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat at 450 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, Vanilla Pear Butter and vanilla until blended. Gradually add in the flour and salt. Remove cast iron skillet and reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Add the butter to the skillet, completely coating with butter. Add batter and top with sliced pears, and return to oven for 13-15 minutes, should be puffy and lightly golden. Serve immediately with a coat of powdered sugar, more Vanilla Pear Butter or whatever accompaniment of your choosing! Enjoy!

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Behind the numbers are companies that strictly source locally grown products, enabling family-owned farms to grow indigenously — effecting the environment and our local economies. Barbara Baumnan, of Gervais-based Baumnan Farms, relies heavily on companies like these that support the local farms. Such patronage enables her family-owned farm to grow fruit and move beyond products such as grain or grass that have longer shelf-lives — thus turning her passion for creating and selling pies that highlight the fruit she grows into a successful business.

“Commitments from companies that embrace the farm-direct mentality not only make an impact on my business, but they affect our entire community as a whole,” said Baumnan.  “We take a hands-on approach to growing our fruit, shying away from the use of machines, which keeps more laborers employed.”

Being able to grow and sell produce that is indigenous to the land is more sustainable and makes sense economically. Craig McCurdy of McCurdy Farms has been growing pears out of Hood River’s pear-loving landscape since 1992, after taking the helm from his parents who originally bought the farm in 1969.

Growing indigenously allows McCurdy to use fewer pesticides, which in turn creates better-tasting, quality fruit. Moreover, time spent monitoring the crops can be kept at a minimum, thus decreasing costs.

“My farm could use a lot more companies like Oregon Growers,” said McCurdy. “When companies source products locally, efficiency is at its best. Farm-direct business greatly lowers shipping costs, fuel and time — increasing both sustainability and affordability.”

* Provided by US Department of Agriculture’s census released in 2009 (the census is conducted every five years).