Isn't it amazing how quickly the year goes? Christmas is right around the corner and we couldn't be more excited! We love spending Christmas Day with family, friends, and of course, good food. 

The festive season is always filled with holiday parties and dinners. Here is a some delicious Raspberry Tartlets, a perfect finish to the feast.
If you find yourself running out of time, as we all do at this time of the year, buy some ready made tartlets cases instead. 

Christmas Raspberry Tartlets: Pastry: 150g Flour 100g Butter 2 Tbsp White Sugar 1 egg 20g melted Dark Chocolate Chips Raspberry Filling: 1 cup Orchard Gold Raspberries 100g melted Butter 100g Caster Sugar 3 lightly whisked Eggs

Find our Orchard Gold Berries at all leading supermarkets

Is there any better combination than berries and chocolate? We all love to have a balance of healthy foods and 'sometimes' foods in our lives, so why not try this delicious balance of Orchard Gold Raspberries and chocolate?

Raspberry Chocolate Cake 80g butter, melted 1/2 cup soft brown sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup trim milk 1/3 cup cocoa powder 3/4 cup plain flour 1/2 cup self raising flour 50g dark chocolate chips 150g Orchard Gold Raspberries   1. Preheat oven to 180°C  2. Beat together the melted butter and the brown sugar with a wooden spoon. Add in the eggs and beat until well combined. 3.Fold in the flours, cocoa and milk until just combined and then gently mix in the chocolate chips and the Raspberries. 4.Spoon the mixture into a medium sized greased tin and bake for 30 mins or until the cake is firm to the touch. 5. Serve dusted with icing sugar (or heated with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!).

We love this cake because it is not overpoweringly sweet - it's the perfect balance!

Find our Orchard Gold Berries at all leading supermarkets.

After Labour weekend, it always feels like summer is really beginning. We love summer. Swimming at the beach, BBQs on the deck, jandal tan lines... What's not to love? With summer also comes gatherings of friends and families. This is a great recipe to impress. 

1/3 cup heavy cream 1 cup semi sweet milk chocolate chips 1/4 cup raspberry jam 1/2 cup Orchard Gold Luscious Raspberries 2 tablespoons butter In a small saucepan bring the cream to a simmer and remove from heat. Add all other ingredients and stir until the chocolate chips have melted then whisk the mixture until it is smooth. Allow to cool completely and then whip with an electric mixer to the desired spreading consistency. This is a Raspberry and Chocolate Ganache layered Victorian sponge cake, topped off with some more delicious Orchard Gold Raspberries.

Find our Orchard Gold Berries at all leading supermarkets.

Spring is nearly upon us! Not only are we starting to see daffodils popping up everywhere, but the days are getting lighter and the weather a little bit warmer everyday. We are ready for summer!

But before the weather gets too warm, we thought we would sneak in one more 'wintry' recipe. This Blueberry Crumble Cake works well with the cross over of seasons and it's perfect for a morning or afternoon tea with a hot cuppa!

1 cup white sugar 3 cups plain flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional) 250g margarine/softened butter 1 egg 1/2 cup white sugar 3 teaspoons cornflour 4 cups Orchard Gold Supreme Blueberries 6. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the top is slightly brown. Allow 5. Crumble the rest of the base mixture over the berries. 4. In another bowl, mix in sugar, cornflour, and blueberries. Stir gently until the berries are lightly coated, then spread evenly over the base. 3. With a fork, blend in the margarine/butter and egg until it forms a crumbly dough like texture In a greased tray, place half of the crumble mixture and pat down to form the base. 2. In a bowl, stir together sugar, flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. 1. Preheat oven to 190 degreesto cool before cutting.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt or freshly whipped cream!

Yum! Find our Orchard Gold Berries at all leading supermarkets.

As the weather gets colder, we love to find different ways to  warm up. A great way is by adding a warm berry compote to your dessert! Compotes are super easy to make and are a great way to top off your winter dessert or pudding. Or to add some more excitement to your morning waffles...

Warm Berry Compote: 1/4 tsp Cinnamon 3 Tbsp Orange Juice (instead of sugar) 3 cups Orchard Gold frozen berries, of your choice  Add all ingredients into a small saucepan and  place over a low heat. Once bubbling, reduce the heat and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally with a spoon to break up the fruit. For this compote, I went with the Orchard Gold Premium Mixed Berries.

BE IN TO WIN!

This fantastic waffle maker is so easy to use. What a great way to start your weekend - waffles and a compote made from your favourite Orchard Gold Berries!  and be in to win a waffle maker by Cuisinart! info@orchardgold.co.nzThis month, we have a great competition for you to enter. Just email in your favourite way to use your Orchard Gold Frozen Berries during winter to  Your recipe could even be featured on our blog! Entries close 31st July 2015. See our Terms and Conditions here

It's official. Summer is over and the cooler weather is starting to take over. As sad as it is to see Winter's arrival and the departure of the outside BBQing, we can't help but get excited over winter desserts! The cold weather is always a good excuse for a warm crumble, pie or pudding. Recently, we found this great recipe for a Mixed Berry Pecan Crisp.

Its easy to make and even easier to eat!

Ingredients: 1 cup rolled oats 1 cup pecan halves (about ¾ cup chopped) ½ cup plain flour ½ cup desiccated coconut ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil ⅓ cup maple syrup or raw honey 4 cups Orchard Gold Premium Mixed Berries   Instructions:   Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Chop up the pecans and combine with the oats, flour, coconut, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and maple syrup and stir until well mixed.  Grease a medium square baking dish and arrange the berries in the bottom. Top with the oat mixture. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and has firmed up slightly. Serve while warm. You can serve it with some vanilla ice cream or cream, as desired, or lightly dust the top with icing sugar.

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram!  @OrchardGoldBerries

We love our Orchard Gold Supreme Blueberries. How could you not with these great health benefits?!

According to new research out of the U.S., Blueberries have even more great health benefits. the clinical trial showed that eating a cup of Blueberries, every day, can help to reduce your blood pressure and arterial stiffness.  Arterial stiffness, often developed from hypertension, can lead to cardiovascular problems further down the line. In addtion to their low GI index and high antioxidant benefits, did we really need another reason to dive into some Blueberries? You can use your Orchard Gold Supreme Blueberries to flavour you morning porridge, surprise your children with a homemade blueberry muffin in their lunches, or better yet, eat the Blueberries as a healthy snack, straight from the packet! Check out the research at: http://www.andjrnl.org/article/S2212-2672(14)01633-5/abstract

Here is a fun and easy ANZAC Blueberry Muffin recipe for the long weekend! This recipe makes about 18 muffins. Ingredients: 1 cup standard flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 cup dessicated coconut 1/2 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup wholemeal flour 1 cup soft brown sugar 1 cup Orchard Gold Supreme Blueberries 2 eggs 60g melted butter 1 cup milk 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 cup golden syrup Preheat your oven to 190 degrees and grease/line muffin trays. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, coconut, oats, wholemeal flour, brown sugar and stir in the blueberries. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and then stir in the butter, milk, baking soda and golden syrup. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry. Mix very gently until just combined and spoon into muffin trays. Bake for about 12-15 mins (depending on your oven), until golden and the top of the muffins spring back when gently pushed. A great morning tea dish to serve and they also freeze well, so you can pop them in the kids lunches during the week! Have a happy long weekend!

At the end of a busy week, a smoothie is a quick and easy way to re energise yourself for the weekend ahead. They are so easy to make and are filled with healthy goodness that will make you to want to seize the day!

This is a delicious smoothie, ready to drink in only 5 minutes Just add: - approx. 1/2 cup Orchard Gold Smoothie Mixed Berries - half a banana - 1/2 cup of milk/juice, whichever you prefer into a blender and process until everything is chopped up and well mixed together. You can also play around with what you add into your smoothie. Try mixing in a cut up apple, peaches, nectarines or an orange. Smoothies are one of the easiest things to make and it is hard to go wrong! I love to use sugar-free Cranberry Juice as my liquid. Berries are naturally quite sweet. I find the Cranberry Juice enhances the berry flavour of the smoothie, without over sweetening it.  Over the weekend, why don't you check out our Instagram page? Lots of great ways to use you Orchard Gold Berries and you can keep up with the lastest from Orchard Gold. Follow us on Instagram:  @OrchardGoldBerries

Here's a quick and tasty dessert for Easter.  Also great to make with the kids in the school holidays.  A clafouti is a French dessert - usually made with cherries, but we've used Orchard Gold Raspberries.  It is topped with a pancake mix and baked. Enjoy.

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter, melted ⅓ cup sugar ½ cup flour 3 large eggs 1 cup milk 2 cups Orchard Gold frozen raspberries
Method: Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease or spray a 23cm pie dish. Sprinkle the Orchard Gold raspberries on the base of the dish. In a large jug whisk the remaining ingredients together to a smooth puree. Pour this over the raspberries. Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and set in the centre. Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve dusted with icing sugar.

Orchard Gold frozen berries are available at your local supermarket ...

We're all flat out this time of year.  End of school term, preparations for Christmas, organizing summer holidays ... why we do all three things at the same time beats me!

What we need is a good pick-me-up.  Orchard Gold berries added to smoothies, fruit juices, and simple desserts are just the ticket.  Try one of these when your energy is flagging:

Orchard Gold blueberries - straight from the pack.  Try a couple of tablespoonfuls. Sweet and juicy.  An instant lift.	Orchard Gold berries with yoghurt.  Spoon a few dollops of yoghurt into a pretty glass, top with Orchard Gold berries ... any variety will be fine.  Leave for a few minutes for the berries to start to thaw, then spoon through the yoghurt.
Make up some berry ice blocks - place frozen berries into ice block trays or plastic ice blocks, top up with apple juice, put a stick in if required, and freeze.	A berry smoothie will always do the trick.  For delicious smoothie recipes using Orchard Gold berries check out these ideas ...  http://www.ffowcs.co.nz/Recipes/Recipes+ using+ORCHARD+GOLD+frozen+berries/Orchard+ Gold+Berry+Smoothie.html
Come evening, pour some sparkling wine over your Orchard Gold berries and relax.	Better yet, try one of Nigella's recipes with frozen Orchard Gold berries, limoncello and white chocolate.  The recipe is here ...  http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/ iced_berries_with_63709

We had some delicious blueberry crumpets while on holiday at a cafe recently ... Cafe Reka in the Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt ... they were fantastic. Served with grilled bacon and banana, and a little maple syrup.  
That got us thinking about crumpets and how to cook them and how best to incorporate the blueberries. Here's our first attempt ... they didn't last long.
 

milk and water and bringing it up to room temperature by heating gently. (If you heat it too much the yeast won't work.) Add the sugar and stir until it is dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast over the liquid, then mix in. Leave in a warm place for about 10 minutes, until it is frothy.the theMake the yeast starter by mixing

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the yeast starter when it is ready, and stir until the mixture forms a dough. Cover with a clean cloth and set in a warm place to rise for 45-50 minutes, until doubled in size.

Mix the baking soda into the last lot of warm water. Whisk this into the dough until it has formed a batter. Cover again and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Heat a large frying pan or hotplate on a medium-low heat and grease it with oil or butter. Also grease the crumpet rings. (We used egg rings as we didn't have anything else ... they were fine, but made smaller crumpets than bought ones). Place the rings into the pan and pour a tablespoon of batter into each ring. Sprinkle several blueberries - we used 5-6 per crumpet on the batter, then top with some more batter, so that it comes up to the top of the ring - about 1cm high. Cook for about 4-5 minutes until bubbles appear and pop, and the top is slightly dry. Remove the rings and turn the crumpets over to cook the other side for 1-2 minutes.  

Serve drizzled with maple syrup or a little icing sugar.

How do you make crumpets?  What other berries would be great in the mix?

With Spring in our step, we've been trying out some new smoothie recipes.  Here's a link to them, and what we think:

Beetroot, Apple and Berry Smoothie - Nadia Lim - featured in 

http://www.bite.co.nz/recipe/10535/Beetroot-apple-and-berry-smoothie/ 
 

   We think:  Yum - our new favourite!

Very Berry Smoothie - featured in http://www.sanitarium.co.nz/recipes/very-berry-smoothie 

Using frozen berries, cranberry juice, So Good Lite and So Good Vanilla frozen dessert.

  We think:  great for those of us with dairy allergens.

Super Berry Smoothie - featured in http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/recipes/8168171/Recipe-Super-berry-smoothie

Using frozen berries, goji berries, yoghurt, ground linseed, apple, water, and honey or stevia.

   We think:  Mmmmm. Great taste, and good for you.

And the tried and true:  Claire's Wonder Smoothie, from Claire Turnbull's book "Lose Weight for Life".  See http://www.claireturnbull.co.nz/green-smoothie-combos/#more-1381

With frozen blueberries, trim milk or water, vanilla protein powder or yoghurt, spinach, ground LSA and cinnamon. 

   We think:  Our favourite of all smoothies ... all that goodness in a glass!

Get your new Spring on, with Orchard Gold Berry Smoothies.

We’re celebrating Fallow Day today! We hope you’ll join us.  

What’s Fallow Day? There’s such a long gap between Queen’s Birthday and Labour Weekend - we reckon New Zealand needs another holiday right about now. Today its raining and the sky has that Auckland grey look. Our lands and gardens are lying barren after winter, yet we’ve got glimpses of the light of spring, and we’re starting to feel warm and spirited!  

So we take a day, when nature lies fallow and the human spirit tends to gloom, to gather the whanau together and celebrate all that we have, because we know that spring is not far away!

And to help celebrate Fallow Day, we're having berries with champagne and chocolate.  What will you be doing?

 

We've been making jams with Orchard Gold berries.  And of course we've been testing them!  

How do we like berry jam?   On crunchy toast or hot buttered crumpets; mixed into a pottle of plain yoghurt; warmed over ice cream; on pikelets or pancakes.
 

Here are some of the jams we've made ... do try them.
 

Blueberry Jam (Trisha's favourite) 500g Orchard Gold Blueberries 1 tablespoon lemon juice 500g sugar Simmer the Blueberries for about 5 minutes in a large saucepan. Add the lemon juice, then the sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Boil the jam steadily until it reaches setting point.   Sterilize jars and lids.  Pour into the jars and seal while hot.
	Raspberry Jam (Miranda's favourite) 500g Orchard Gold Raspberries 500g sugar Juice of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon butter Place raspberries and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to the boil slowly, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Add the lemon juice and butter.  Boil steadily for about 10 minutes, then test for setting.  Sterilize jars and lids.  Pour jam into jars and seal while hot.
Mixed Berry Jam (Scott's favourite) 500g Orchard Gold Mixed Berries 500g sugar Place the Orchard Gold Mixed Berries and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  If desired, mash the berries to break up the bigger berries, but they will turn pulpy while the jam is cooking. Boil steadily for 10 minutes then test for setting. Sterilize jars and lids.  Pour jam into jars and seal while hot.

To test for setting, remove the jam from the heat and place a tablespoon of jam on a saucer. Put the saucer in the fridge for a couple of minutes, then remove from the fridge.  Run your finger through the jam and if the jam leaves wrinkles on the surface on either side, then it will be ready.  If not, return to the heat and boil for another five minutes then test again.
 

We all enjoy eating berries - most of us eat them every day - breakfast, smoothies, after workouts, baking, desserts.  In mid-winter when the options for fresh fruit seem limited to apples, kiwifruit, bananas and pears (all good fruits too) frozen berries come into their own. No waste, always available, always good for you.

Our favourite way to eat Orchard Gold berries is just straight out of the pack.  Here are some of the other things we've been doing with Orchard Gold frozen berries this week:

And it's only Thursday!  All the recipes are on our website.  Look under recipes.

Isn't it amazing how quickly the year goes? Christmas is right around the corner and we couldn't be more excited! We love spending Christmas Day with family, friends, and of course, good food. 

The festive season is always filled with holiday parties and dinners. Here is a some delicious Raspberry Tartlets, a perfect finish to the feast.
If you find yourself running out of time, as we all do at this time of the year, buy some ready made tartlets cases instead. 

Christmas Raspberry Tartlets: Pastry: 150g Flour 100g Butter 2 Tbsp White Sugar 1 egg 20g melted Dark Chocolate Chips Raspberry Filling: 1 cup Orchard Gold Raspberries 100g melted Butter 100g Caster Sugar 3 lightly whisked Eggs

Find our Orchard Gold Berries at all leading supermarkets

Is there any better combination than berries and chocolate? We all love to have a balance of healthy foods and 'sometimes' foods in our lives, so why not try this delicious balance of Orchard Gold Raspberries and chocolate?

Raspberry Chocolate Cake 80g butter, melted 1/2 cup soft brown sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup trim milk 1/3 cup cocoa powder 3/4 cup plain flour 1/2 cup self raising flour 50g dark chocolate chips 150g Orchard Gold Raspberries   1. Preheat oven to 180°C  2. Beat together the melted butter and the brown sugar with a wooden spoon. Add in the eggs and beat until well combined. 3.Fold in the flours, cocoa and milk until just combined and then gently mix in the chocolate chips and the Raspberries. 4.Spoon the mixture into a medium sized greased tin and bake for 30 mins or until the cake is firm to the touch. 5. Serve dusted with icing sugar (or heated with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!).

We love this cake because it is not overpoweringly sweet - it's the perfect balance!

Find our Orchard Gold Berries at all leading supermarkets.

After Labour weekend, it always feels like summer is really beginning. We love summer. Swimming at the beach, BBQs on the deck, jandal tan lines... What's not to love? With summer also comes gatherings of friends and families. This is a great recipe to impress. 

1/3 cup heavy cream 1 cup semi sweet milk chocolate chips 1/4 cup raspberry jam 1/2 cup Orchard Gold Luscious Raspberries 2 tablespoons butter In a small saucepan bring the cream to a simmer and remove from heat. Add all other ingredients and stir until the chocolate chips have melted then whisk the mixture until it is smooth. Allow to cool completely and then whip with an electric mixer to the desired spreading consistency. This is a Raspberry and Chocolate Ganache layered Victorian sponge cake, topped off with some more delicious Orchard Gold Raspberries.

Find our Orchard Gold Berries at all leading supermarkets.

Spring is nearly upon us! Not only are we starting to see daffodils popping up everywhere, but the days are getting lighter and the weather a little bit warmer everyday. We are ready for summer!

But before the weather gets too warm, we thought we would sneak in one more 'wintry' recipe. This Blueberry Crumble Cake works well with the cross over of seasons and it's perfect for a morning or afternoon tea with a hot cuppa!

1 cup white sugar 3 cups plain flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional) 250g margarine/softened butter 1 egg 1/2 cup white sugar 3 teaspoons cornflour 4 cups Orchard Gold Supreme Blueberries 6. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the top is slightly brown. Allow 5. Crumble the rest of the base mixture over the berries. 4. In another bowl, mix in sugar, cornflour, and blueberries. Stir gently until the berries are lightly coated, then spread evenly over the base. 3. With a fork, blend in the margarine/butter and egg until it forms a crumbly dough like texture In a greased tray, place half of the crumble mixture and pat down to form the base. 2. In a bowl, stir together sugar, flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. 1. Preheat oven to 190 degreesto cool before cutting.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt or freshly whipped cream!

Yum! Find our Orchard Gold Berries at all leading supermarkets.

As the weather gets colder, we love to find different ways to  warm up. A great way is by adding a warm berry compote to your dessert! Compotes are super easy to make and are a great way to top off your winter dessert or pudding. Or to add some more excitement to your morning waffles...

Warm Berry Compote: 1/4 tsp Cinnamon 3 Tbsp Orange Juice (instead of sugar) 3 cups Orchard Gold frozen berries, of your choice  Add all ingredients into a small saucepan and  place over a low heat. Once bubbling, reduce the heat and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally with a spoon to break up the fruit. For this compote, I went with the Orchard Gold Premium Mixed Berries.

BE IN TO WIN!

This fantastic waffle maker is so easy to use. What a great way to start your weekend - waffles and a compote made from your favourite Orchard Gold Berries!  and be in to win a waffle maker by Cuisinart! info@orchardgold.co.nzThis month, we have a great competition for you to enter. Just email in your favourite way to use your Orchard Gold Frozen Berries during winter to  Your recipe could even be featured on our blog! Entries close 31st July 2015. See our Terms and Conditions here

It's official. Summer is over and the cooler weather is starting to take over. As sad as it is to see Winter's arrival and the departure of the outside BBQing, we can't help but get excited over winter desserts! The cold weather is always a good excuse for a warm crumble, pie or pudding. Recently, we found this great recipe for a Mixed Berry Pecan Crisp.

Its easy to make and even easier to eat!

Ingredients: 1 cup rolled oats 1 cup pecan halves (about ¾ cup chopped) ½ cup plain flour ½ cup desiccated coconut ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil ⅓ cup maple syrup or raw honey 4 cups Orchard Gold Premium Mixed Berries   Instructions:   Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Chop up the pecans and combine with the oats, flour, coconut, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and maple syrup and stir until well mixed.  Grease a medium square baking dish and arrange the berries in the bottom. Top with the oat mixture. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and has firmed up slightly. Serve while warm. You can serve it with some vanilla ice cream or cream, as desired, or lightly dust the top with icing sugar.

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram!  @OrchardGoldBerries

We love our Orchard Gold Supreme Blueberries. How could you not with these great health benefits?!

According to new research out of the U.S., Blueberries have even more great health benefits. the clinical trial showed that eating a cup of Blueberries, every day, can help to reduce your blood pressure and arterial stiffness.  Arterial stiffness, often developed from hypertension, can lead to cardiovascular problems further down the line. In addtion to their low GI index and high antioxidant benefits, did we really need another reason to dive into some Blueberries? You can use your Orchard Gold Supreme Blueberries to flavour you morning porridge, surprise your children with a homemade blueberry muffin in their lunches, or better yet, eat the Blueberries as a healthy snack, straight from the packet! Check out the research at: http://www.andjrnl.org/article/S2212-2672(14)01633-5/abstract

Here is a fun and easy ANZAC Blueberry Muffin recipe for the long weekend! This recipe makes about 18 muffins. Ingredients: 1 cup standard flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 cup dessicated coconut 1/2 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup wholemeal flour 1 cup soft brown sugar 1 cup Orchard Gold Supreme Blueberries 2 eggs 60g melted butter 1 cup milk 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 cup golden syrup Preheat your oven to 190 degrees and grease/line muffin trays. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, coconut, oats, wholemeal flour, brown sugar and stir in the blueberries. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and then stir in the butter, milk, baking soda and golden syrup. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry. Mix very gently until just combined and spoon into muffin trays. Bake for about 12-15 mins (depending on your oven), until golden and the top of the muffins spring back when gently pushed. A great morning tea dish to serve and they also freeze well, so you can pop them in the kids lunches during the week! Have a happy long weekend!

At the end of a busy week, a smoothie is a quick and easy way to re energise yourself for the weekend ahead. They are so easy to make and are filled with healthy goodness that will make you to want to seize the day!

This is a delicious smoothie, ready to drink in only 5 minutes Just add: - approx. 1/2 cup Orchard Gold Smoothie Mixed Berries - half a banana - 1/2 cup of milk/juice, whichever you prefer into a blender and process until everything is chopped up and well mixed together. You can also play around with what you add into your smoothie. Try mixing in a cut up apple, peaches, nectarines or an orange. Smoothies are one of the easiest things to make and it is hard to go wrong! I love to use sugar-free Cranberry Juice as my liquid. Berries are naturally quite sweet. I find the Cranberry Juice enhances the berry flavour of the smoothie, without over sweetening it.  Over the weekend, why don't you check out our Instagram page? Lots of great ways to use you Orchard Gold Berries and you can keep up with the lastest from Orchard Gold. Follow us on Instagram:  @OrchardGoldBerries

Here's a quick and tasty dessert for Easter.  Also great to make with the kids in the school holidays.  A clafouti is a French dessert - usually made with cherries, but we've used Orchard Gold Raspberries.  It is topped with a pancake mix and baked. Enjoy.

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter, melted ⅓ cup sugar ½ cup flour 3 large eggs 1 cup milk 2 cups Orchard Gold frozen raspberries
Method: Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease or spray a 23cm pie dish. Sprinkle the Orchard Gold raspberries on the base of the dish. In a large jug whisk the remaining ingredients together to a smooth puree. Pour this over the raspberries. Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and set in the centre. Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve dusted with icing sugar.

Orchard Gold frozen berries are available at your local supermarket ...

We're all flat out this time of year.  End of school term, preparations for Christmas, organizing summer holidays ... why we do all three things at the same time beats me!

What we need is a good pick-me-up.  Orchard Gold berries added to smoothies, fruit juices, and simple desserts are just the ticket.  Try one of these when your energy is flagging:

Orchard Gold blueberries - straight from the pack.  Try a couple of tablespoonfuls. Sweet and juicy.  An instant lift.	Orchard Gold berries with yoghurt.  Spoon a few dollops of yoghurt into a pretty glass, top with Orchard Gold berries ... any variety will be fine.  Leave for a few minutes for the berries to start to thaw, then spoon through the yoghurt.
Make up some berry ice blocks - place frozen berries into ice block trays or plastic ice blocks, top up with apple juice, put a stick in if required, and freeze.	A berry smoothie will always do the trick.  For delicious smoothie recipes using Orchard Gold berries check out these ideas ...  http://www.ffowcs.co.nz/Recipes/Recipes+ using+ORCHARD+GOLD+frozen+berries/Orchard+ Gold+Berry+Smoothie.html
Come evening, pour some sparkling wine over your Orchard Gold berries and relax.	Better yet, try one of Nigella's recipes with frozen Orchard Gold berries, limoncello and white chocolate.  The recipe is here ...  http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/ iced_berries_with_63709

We had some delicious blueberry crumpets while on holiday at a cafe recently ... Cafe Reka in the Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt ... they were fantastic. Served with grilled bacon and banana, and a little maple syrup.  
That got us thinking about crumpets and how to cook them and how best to incorporate the blueberries. Here's our first attempt ... they didn't last long.
 

milk and water and bringing it up to room temperature by heating gently. (If you heat it too much the yeast won't work.) Add the sugar and stir until it is dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast over the liquid, then mix in. Leave in a warm place for about 10 minutes, until it is frothy.the theMake the yeast starter by mixing

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the yeast starter when it is ready, and stir until the mixture forms a dough. Cover with a clean cloth and set in a warm place to rise for 45-50 minutes, until doubled in size.

Mix the baking soda into the last lot of warm water. Whisk this into the dough until it has formed a batter. Cover again and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Heat a large frying pan or hotplate on a medium-low heat and grease it with oil or butter. Also grease the crumpet rings. (We used egg rings as we didn't have anything else ... they were fine, but made smaller crumpets than bought ones). Place the rings into the pan and pour a tablespoon of batter into each ring. Sprinkle several blueberries - we used 5-6 per crumpet on the batter, then top with some more batter, so that it comes up to the top of the ring - about 1cm high. Cook for about 4-5 minutes until bubbles appear and pop, and the top is slightly dry. Remove the rings and turn the crumpets over to cook the other side for 1-2 minutes.  

Serve drizzled with maple syrup or a little icing sugar.

How do you make crumpets?  What other berries would be great in the mix?

With Spring in our step, we've been trying out some new smoothie recipes.  Here's a link to them, and what we think:

Beetroot, Apple and Berry Smoothie - Nadia Lim - featured in 

http://www.bite.co.nz/recipe/10535/Beetroot-apple-and-berry-smoothie/ 
 

   We think:  Yum - our new favourite!

Very Berry Smoothie - featured in http://www.sanitarium.co.nz/recipes/very-berry-smoothie 

Using frozen berries, cranberry juice, So Good Lite and So Good Vanilla frozen dessert.

  We think:  great for those of us with dairy allergens.

Super Berry Smoothie - featured in http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/recipes/8168171/Recipe-Super-berry-smoothie

Using frozen berries, goji berries, yoghurt, ground linseed, apple, water, and honey or stevia.

   We think:  Mmmmm. Great taste, and good for you.

And the tried and true:  Claire's Wonder Smoothie, from Claire Turnbull's book "Lose Weight for Life".  See http://www.claireturnbull.co.nz/green-smoothie-combos/#more-1381

With frozen blueberries, trim milk or water, vanilla protein powder or yoghurt, spinach, ground LSA and cinnamon. 

   We think:  Our favourite of all smoothies ... all that goodness in a glass!

Get your new Spring on, with Orchard Gold Berry Smoothies.

We’re celebrating Fallow Day today! We hope you’ll join us.  

What’s Fallow Day? There’s such a long gap between Queen’s Birthday and Labour Weekend - we reckon New Zealand needs another holiday right about now. Today its raining and the sky has that Auckland grey look. Our lands and gardens are lying barren after winter, yet we’ve got glimpses of the light of spring, and we’re starting to feel warm and spirited!  

So we take a day, when nature lies fallow and the human spirit tends to gloom, to gather the whanau together and celebrate all that we have, because we know that spring is not far away!

And to help celebrate Fallow Day, we're having berries with champagne and chocolate.  What will you be doing?

 

We've been making jams with Orchard Gold berries.  And of course we've been testing them!  

How do we like berry jam?   On crunchy toast or hot buttered crumpets; mixed into a pottle of plain yoghurt; warmed over ice cream; on pikelets or pancakes.
 

Here are some of the jams we've made ... do try them.
 

Blueberry Jam (Trisha's favourite) 500g Orchard Gold Blueberries 1 tablespoon lemon juice 500g sugar Simmer the Blueberries for about 5 minutes in a large saucepan. Add the lemon juice, then the sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Boil the jam steadily until it reaches setting point.   Sterilize jars and lids.  Pour into the jars and seal while hot.
	Raspberry Jam (Miranda's favourite) 500g Orchard Gold Raspberries 500g sugar Juice of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon butter Place raspberries and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to the boil slowly, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Add the lemon juice and butter.  Boil steadily for about 10 minutes, then test for setting.  Sterilize jars and lids.  Pour jam into jars and seal while hot.
Mixed Berry Jam (Scott's favourite) 500g Orchard Gold Mixed Berries 500g sugar Place the Orchard Gold Mixed Berries and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  If desired, mash the berries to break up the bigger berries, but they will turn pulpy while the jam is cooking. Boil steadily for 10 minutes then test for setting. Sterilize jars and lids.  Pour jam into jars and seal while hot.

To test for setting, remove the jam from the heat and place a tablespoon of jam on a saucer. Put the saucer in the fridge for a couple of minutes, then remove from the fridge.  Run your finger through the jam and if the jam leaves wrinkles on the surface on either side, then it will be ready.  If not, return to the heat and boil for another five minutes then test again.
 

We all enjoy eating berries - most of us eat them every day - breakfast, smoothies, after workouts, baking, desserts.  In mid-winter when the options for fresh fruit seem limited to apples, kiwifruit, bananas and pears (all good fruits too) frozen berries come into their own. No waste, always available, always good for you.

Our favourite way to eat Orchard Gold berries is just straight out of the pack.  Here are some of the other things we've been doing with Orchard Gold frozen berries this week:

And it's only Thursday!  All the recipes are on our website.  Look under recipes.