Citrus Season: We've Got the Perfect Citrus for You!

By: Heather Collier; Produce

It's Citrus Season!!!

Citrus is in season and it is that time of year to boost your Vitamin C intake.

Come in and try our nine varieties of organic citrus, ranging from big, juicy oranges to tiny snack size tangerines.  Looking for an easy-to-eat seedless variety? Look no further because most of our citrus is currently seedless (naturally). 

 We currently have two large orange varieties: Navel and Cara Cara.

Navels are very juicy and seedless with a classic orange flavor, while Cara Caras are pink inside with a very sweet flavor. The Cara Cara orange exists because of a natural mutation of a Navel orange tree. It tastes sweeter than any other orange, has a color similar to ruby grapefruit, and is extremely juicy and seedless. The flesh is pink because it contains lycopene.

Blood oranges are the smaller of our orange varieties. They are mostly seedless with a dark ruby to pomegranate color. They are mildly juicy with a sweet tart flavor. The color of blood oranges is due to anthocyanin, a pigment not found in other citrus varieties.

Among all of our tangerine varieties, the Shasta Tangerine stands out as our staff favorite year after year. It's our largest tangerine, it is very juicy and easy to peel, seedless, and has dark orange flesh. The flavor ranges from sweet and tart to very sweet. Our particular variety is also called "TDE," a cross between Temple, Daisy, and Encore mandarins from Deer Creek Heights Ranch in San Joaquin Valley, CA, which is much warmer than the surrounding citrus land. 

Murcott tangerines are bright orange, with sweet flesh and some seeds. 

Fairchild tangerines are juicy, sweet and tart, with a dark orange color of flesh and some seeds.

If you are looking for a tangerine that does have seeds, the Honey tangerine is your best bet. They are quite seedy with pale, juicy flesh and a mild flavor, not too sweet or tart.

Another one of our staff favorites is the Satsuma mandarin, which gets its name from Japan where it is originates. They are small, easy to peel, with extremely juicy, dark orange flesh and a flavor ranging from very sweet to very tart. 

With all of these very different varieties there is sure to be something for everyone!

New Product in Chill: Amazing Locally Crafted Heirloom Corn Tortillas!

By: Taylor Silva, Chill Buyer

Hi All!

Taylor the chill buyer here, it’s been a while since my last post, the holidays can get extremely busy around here and we tend to need all hands on deck during the festive times. I am almost done playing catch-up now and thought it was the perfect time to introduce a New Local Product! I have been the chill buyer here at BV for a year & a half, and since the beginning my favorite part of the job has been supporting local vendors and the heart they put into their products. When Jennifer Greene, the owner of Windborne Farms contacted me about her sprouted corn tortillas I knew they were going to be a hit. 

I had heard about their success through the farmer’s market and knew they would be just as successful here. Besides, put the words “local” and “sprouted corn tortilla” in the same sentence and I’m totally game. After some back & forth of boring business talk, (and some amazing samples) we finally have them on the shelf ready for sale, and let me tell you, they do not disappoint! The tortillas have exceeded my expectations and I am so stoked to have such a great local product!

I’ll tell you a little bit about Jennifer’s process:

Windborne Farm is a 30 acre organic family farm based in Scott Valley, CA. While they are not certified, Jennifer assures me that her product is organic and NON-GMO. They plant the corn in late spring and to preserve the authenticity of the corn, Jennifer or her son will run a small cultivator tractor or their team of draft horses pulling a horse drawn cultivator! Their goal is to keep the weeds back from the rows and to gently hill the corn. When the corn fills out and dries in early fall, the ears are pulled from the plant and husked right there in the field where they are then placed on a cloth sheet to help the drying process. The last step for harvest is to push the ears through a manually operated contraption the pulls the seed from the dry cob.  You can read more about Windborne Farm’s tortilla making process in an article written by Jennifer: "Heirloom Corn Tortillas".

Learning about Jennifer’s family farm and their practices was a huge selling point for me, and the horse drawn cultivator was just cherry on top of the cake. I hope my readers find it as exciting and authentic as I do!

Jennfier will be making tortillas as long as they have a stock of dried corn and Berryvale will be happy to keep them in stock as long as they are available. You can find them in the refrigerated section next to the Ezekiel bread. 

Winter Beer Picks!

By: Katie Grandy; Beverage Buyer

There are summer beers and there are winter beers. Just like we enjoy lemonade in the summer and hot chocolate in the winter, we tend to enjoy lighter beers in the summer and heavier beers in the winter. Summer beers are typically light golden with a lower alcohol percent, to ensure a more refreshing brew. When the snow hits and the temperature drops we are looking for something to warm our bellies and fight that winter chill.

Darker complexions and higher alcohol percent separate the winter beers from the summer beers. Flavor profiles are more malty than hoppy. Seasonal touches such as chocolate, coffee, nuts, and dark fruit are often present. Some beers will add spices like ginger and nutmeg, making them a great seasonal pairing for seasonal pies.

If you have not checked out our beer selection lately, you should come in and see what you have been missing. We have a great winter selection. From 10 Barrel Brewery we have ‘Pray For Snow’. This is a traditional winter beer. It pours deep chestnut brown in color, slightly muddy, with a giant beige-yellow head. Lots of webby lacing left behind as the head recedes and smells sweet with notes of Molasses, cola, and a hint of raisons. The taste is less sweet than the smell led on. The flavor replaces sweet notes with spicy ones for an overall great tasting winter beer. It’s sure to warm you up after a day on the mountain!! Next from 10 Barrel Brewery is their ‘Apocalypse’ IPA. A Northwest American-Style IPA. The color comes through a deep gold with orange hues. The medium-white head persists, and some sticky lacing. The aroma has a citrusy hop with hints of pine resin. The taste is fruity, but maintains hop bitterness. This is a great example of a west coast IPA, and a favorite among our IPA drinking staff.

From Lost Coast Brewery, we have a new Double IPA called Fogcutter. This beer pours regular, but leaves a nice sticky webbing all the way down the glass. Smells very citrusy, and when you taste it the bitterness is in perfect balance with the malt flavors and aroma. Not a big “in your face” IPA but at 8.7% ABV it gets the job done, and all for just $9.99 a six pack.

The last new items that we have in are from Oskar Blues Brewery. We have the last case available of ‘Death By Coconut’. This Irish Porter pours a thick black, with a tan head. It recedes quickly, with not much webbing. It has rich aromas of coconut and chocolate, with an almost liqueur smell. The taste is very smooth and creamy, well jammed, with coconut and a slightly roasted bitter finish. This beer promises and delivers; you will not be disappointed! Also by Oskar Blues, we have ‘Hotbox Coffee Porter; this beer is a collaboration between Hotbox Coffee Roasters and Oskar Blues. It is cola brown in color, with a soft dense tan froth that shows moderate, soft retention and abundant dense sheet lace. It has an aroma of smooth roasted coffee with chocolate, toasted malt, and vanilla. Its big and rich coffee flavor finishes on the dry side and is overall highly drinkable.  This is one of my personal favorite beers (right now as I am forever changing!).

Come on in and try some of these new beers. Feel free to let me know what you think of them. What’s your favorite style of winter beer?

Cheers, Katie

Local Goodies Prize Giveaway Winner

By: Allison Carpenter; Community Outreach

Hello everyone,

We are so happy to announce the winner of our Local Goodies Gift Basket Giveaway!

And the winner is: Namakota Das! A Facebook entrant.

Thank you to everyone for participating in our Giveaway and stay tuned for more opportunities to win!

January Sales Flyers

Here are the sales flyers for January. *Please note that not every item on sale is listed in the flyers, and we may not carry certain items listed in the flyer.

INFRA Flyer. Click on the image to view the entire flyer.

Natural Connections Flyer. Click on the image to view the entire flyer: