Cascadian Farm Organic Goodness

Hello, friends! We want to thank all of you for your overwhelming support for our Change Flows initiative to help keep our waters clean. Over the last few months we have accumulated over 9,745 votes, with the most votes coming from the Great Lakes region! Congratulations, Great Lakes region, we’ll clean a river in your area soon!

We will let you know when we have decided which Great Lakes region river it will be, and we’ll make sure to post lots of pictures from the day of the cleanup. We have also contributed $50,000 to help support American Rivers. We couldn’t have done all this without your tremendous support. We want to thank you again. You have truly helped make a difference in keeping our waters clean.

Great Lakes region, we’ll be seeing you soon! More to come…

As many of you know, last Friday was Earth Day. We hope that you were able to get out and do things to help better the earth and keep our planet green.

Throughout April we have mentioned our “Change Flows” initiative, and we’ve received a lot of great responses. We are thrilled to see how much people care about protecting our water sources.

For those of you who are unaware of our “Change Flows” initiative, we’ve teamed up with American Rivers in an effort to keep our country’s water sources clean. To show our support, we’re contributing $50,000 toward river cleanups, protection, and restoration across the country.

The best part about it is that the region with the most “likes” on our Change Flows page will receive a river cleanup* sponsored by Cascadian Farm. We will announce the winner on or about May 2.

In the meantime, we’d love to know why you think your region deserves a river cleanup. Leave your comments in the box below or on our Facebook wall. Have a great day!

Photo Source: “canyon_5087” by doviende

* A river clean up includes collecting debris along a river or stream.  Your vote will help determine which region receives a river cleanup. There is not a limit to the number of regions to "like". Voting ends April 30, 2011 at 11:59pm.

Happy Earth Day, friends! Although we look forward to this day all year, we don’t just practice living sustainably for a mere 24 hours, we think every day should be Earth Day. To celebrate Earth Day, we’re supporting American Rivers in an effort to keep our waters clean. We know that water is truly our most important resource and we should do whatever we can to protect it. We wholeheartedly believe in American River's mission and we’re contributing $50,000 to help support river cleanup, protection, and restoration initiatives across the country.

You can help support your river region by “liking” it on Facebook. Check it out at cascadianfarm.com/sustainability. The region with the most “likes” could receive a river clean up, which includes collecting debris along a river or stream. There is not a limit to the number of regions to "like". Voting ends April 30, 2011 at 11:59pm. The region with the most votes will be announced on or about May 2, 2011.

What other things are you doing to live sustainably this Earth Day? We’d love to hear about them. Leave your comments in the box below or on our Facebook wall.

If you’re looking for a little Earth Day inspiration, consider preparing for your summer garden by organically “feeding” your soil, start implementing some of our water conservation tips, or check out these 10 eco-friendly spring activities that the whole family will enjoy!

Have a green day!

Photo source: “Skagit River Valley” by vincelaconte

During April, we're focusing on our Change Flows initiative in partnership with American Rivers. We know that millions of people will be thinking about the environment on Earth Day (April 22), but we hope you'll join us in making every day Earth Day—support our river-cleanup initiative by "liking" your region on our interactive map. The region with the most “likes” will receive a river cleanup sponsored by Cascadian Farm.

Soil conservation is at the heart of organic farming. Organic farmers strive to keep rich, organic nutrients in the soil so they don’t have to rely on synthetic chemical substitutes. This is the way natural ecosystems work, and we believe this is the best way to grow our food.

Along with healthy soil, crops also need water to grow—water is the lifeblood of our farms. But water does not stay put; it flows from our fields into small streams, which flow into rivers and affect more than just farmland. Synthetic chemical runoff from some conventional farming is known to create algae blooms, which can ruin areas for swimming and boating, affect the taste of drinking water, and kill fish by removing oxygen from the water.⁽¹⁾ Those are just a few reasons why Cascadian Farm has been committed to organic farming for almost 40 years. No synthetic chemicals in the soil and air means no synthetic chemical runoff into nearby streams and rivers. Keeping our waters clean will protect the entire ecosystem for plants, animals, and humans alike.

Like water, Change Flows. Clean water starts with all of us, and we hope you'll join our effort to keep our waters clean. For tips on how you can conserve and protect water, check out last week's blog post, and don't forget to vote for your region on our interactive map for a chance to receive a river cleanup!

Source: (1) EPA http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/nps/upload/2005_4_29_nps_Ag_Runoff_Fact_Sheet.pdf

Hi friends! Whether you’re truly Irish or not, it’s always fun to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. And since it’s right around the corner, we thought we’d share some recipes with you that would be perfect to whip up on Thursday to add a little green to the table.

We’d love to hear what you think of them. Leave your comments in the box below. Enjoy!

Creamy Corn and Broccoli Chowder

Green Beans with Almonds

Asparagus Risotto

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Soba Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce

In 1972, Gene Kahn planted a few acres of farmland next to the Skagit River in Northern Washington, where hundreds of Bald Eagles nest every year. These birds roost in the trees high up in the mountains, and soar down to feast on salmon in the Skagit River below. Gene recognized the delicate balance between nature and humans. He wanted to farm, but in a way that would not harm the natural beauty of the land or her inhabitants.

We happen to be in love with our little Skagit River, but we also know that rivers are a lifeblood all over the world. Not just for crops and farms but for communities and families, too. That’s why we’ve created our Change Flows initiative as a part of making every day Earth Day. This year, we are supporting American Rivers, a nonprofit organization committed to restoring and preserving our country’s rivers and streams.

American Rivers was born just a year after Cascadian Farm. They’ve been working to protect and restore America’s rivers since 1973. Cascadian Farm wholeheartedly believes in American Rivers’ mission and is contributing $50,000 to help support river cleanup, protection, and restoration across the country. But we don’t want our support to stop there; we’re asking you to join us in an effort to help keep our waters clean!

What you can do:

1)      Visit our page: www.cascadianfarm.com/sustainability and “Like” your region. Cascadian Farm will sponsor a special river cleanup for the region with the most likes.

2)      Finally, please help us make change flow from your home by following the tips (below the map on the page) to make a difference in the rivers and streams in your area. 

We are so grateful to have each of you as a part of our community, and we’re excited to partner with you in keeping our waters clean.

Hello friends! We’re extremely exited to announce the launch of our new product, Chocolate O’s Cereal! It’s made with whole grain, contains no artificial flavors and best of all, it’s organic. Oh yeah, not to mention, it’s chocolaty delicious! You’re going to love it. We’re so excited for you to try it that we’re giving away some coupons for a free box!

What to do:

1. Go to your local grocery store and take a photo of yourself with the box.

2. Post the photo on-line, via Facebook, Twitter, Flickr or any other photo hosting site.

3. Send us a link to where you posted the photo in the comment box.

We only have 10 coupons to give away, so post your photo and you may be chosen to receive a coupon for a free box of Chocolate O’s Cereal.

If you’ve already tried it, we’d love to know what you think. Now get out there and capture a photo! Good luck!

Hi friends! Have any of you ever visited our home farm in Washington state? If so, we would love it if you would share some of your photos, stories, or any memories of the farm from your trip.

Our 28-acre farm is nestled in the foothills of the breathtaking North Cascades mountain range in western Washington's Upper Skagit Valley. This is where our array of delicious organic products was born, and where we are currently pruning and planning for this year's crops to be sold at the home farm store.

If you haven't visited our farm yet, we would love to have you visit us this summer! Our Roadside Stand opens in May, so you can stop in to pick up a pound of our fresh, seasonal berries or a pint of our homemade organic ice cream. We also have luscious shortcakes, preserves and delicious organic snacks for you to try. If you have a little more time, spend an hour or so in our U-Pick berry fields (Raspberries & Strawberries earlier in the year, our famous organic blueberries late July - August). Trust us, the scenery is beautiful, and the food can't be beat! You'll be glad you made the trip.

Do you have any photos or stories of your Cascadian Farm trip to share? Post them on our Facebook wall!

Hello Friends! As the days get longer and the weather gets warmer, we're surely seeing signs that spring is on its way. Before we know it we will be back outside getting our hands dirty again. Can't wait! Until then, we've been doing anything we can to get ourselves in the spring state of mind. What better to get you thinking warm weather than popsicles? Recently we made some homemade popsicles using our grape juice concentrate and they couldn't have been sweeter. We thought we would share the recipe to get you thinking spring. They're extremely easy to make and are a surefire way to get your family out of the winter blues. Enjoy!

Things You'll Need:

• 1 can Cascadian Farm grape juice concentrate

• Plastic wrap

• Toothpicks

• Two ice cube trays

Instuctions:

1. Make the grape juice from concentrate.

2. Fill each tray with grape juice. Leave about 1/8-inch from the top of each cube.

3. Cover the trays tightly with plastic wrap. The top of the wrap should be taut.

4. Insert toothpicks through the plastic wrap into each cube. Make sure the sticks are standing as straight as possible.

5. Freeze the ice cube trays for at least three hours.

6. Remove the plastic wrap and gently pull the frozen grape juice cubes out of the tray.

7. Place on a plate and enjoy!

Recipe from: www.ehow.com

Photo by Daehyun Park

If you haven’t noticed, we sure do love granola. Which is why we offer four unique varieties, including Dark Chocolate Almond, Cinnamon Raisin, Maple Brown Sugar, and Oats & Honey. When you think about it, it’s hard not to love granola. No matter what time of day, it’s the perfect snack to keep you going. We like to mix it with yogurt and add some fresh organic blueberries for a great start to our day. We also enjoy mixing granola into cookie recipes to give it a little kick. The possibilities are endless when it comes to cooking with granola.

Now, this is where you come in. Because we love granola so much, we’re looking for new recipe ideas. And we’re hoping you can help. Submit your granola recipe ideas by leaving them in the comments box below, and we just might feature them on our blog and Facebook page. We get so excited when we hear from our fans and we’re looking forward to seeing all your fantastic recipes!

Photo By: Vlad Tsirushkin