River Bend Farm

It’s a new year at River Bend Farm!!

annettep — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:11:43 +0000

Happy New Year to you from…
River Bend Farm!
Hello to you all! I can finally say I’m rested and ready for a positive, hopeful, 2012. I wake up refreshed and those roosters of mine are still alive. No more wakey, wakey at 4:30 am…I’m sleeping right through their racket! I thought I’d fill you in on plans for the new year for our farm and how it relates to you, our customers.
First, though, I’d like to let you know what’s happening out in the orchard and our plans for our veggies & berries. I’ve decided to give our peach trees a reprieve and will give them another year to produce some peaches. After 2 years of losses (all related to weather, of course), we’ll see what happens this spring and hopefully it will not be a repeat of the same. If you have a peach, plum or nectarine tree in your yard, it’s time to get a good dormant spray on them for disease. OSU Extension has a lot of information available online and it’s free. Click on Publications and then pick out the right category (ie: tree fruit, then on peaches, etc.).
We are getting pruning started on all of our trees such as apples, pears, hazelnuts, etc.. So, time for you to get started on your own! Caneberries such as Marions, Boysen, Raspberries need old canes cut out and new canes strung up on wires for next seasons crop. Our strawberry patch is in a new field and the old one is plowed under and planted to clover. Lets hope this spring won’t be a repeat of last year as we didn’t start picking till the 3rd week of June.
This year we hope to expand the items available at our farm store when we reopen in June. We are going to carry new items from Camas Country Mill (locally produced grains and flours from the Willamette Valley), Ocean Harvest albacore tuna, cheeses from LaMariposa & Ferns Edge Goat Cheese, beef and pork, fruit logs & dried fruits & nuts, Bandon Dried Cranberries, and a full complement of Friday’s at the Farm soaps & lotions. We’re also open to your suggestions, too! So, don’t be shy in letting me know if you want something brought in!
We are again going to be opening up our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture fruit and vegetable box) for the upcoming season. We will have 40 full and 1/2 shares available starting in February. Our season will start approximately mid June and members will pick up a box of seasonal fruits and veggies once a week. So, if you are interested or have questions, email me. The application will be posted on my website in February, you’ll print it, fill it out and send it to me along with your deposit. Prices will be the same as last year, $425/full share; $275 half share. Members from last year wishing to join us again will be given first priority.
On a final note, I will once again be going to the Hideaway Bakery Farmers’ Market starting this Saturday. This is held from 9-2 every Saturday behind Mazzi’s Restaurant off of East Amazon in South Eugene. This is a great farmers’ market and you can find meats (Pork & Beef), eggs, veggies from vendors such as Grateful Harvest & Groundworks Organics, and more! And, of course, you can get eggs, apples, Bear Mtn. Honey, our own jams/jellies, canned Albacore tuna and APPLE CIDER! We’ll see you there!!!!!
Well, my friends….have a great upcoming weekend. Looks like the weather is going to be quite nice!

Sincerely,
Farmer Annette
River Bend Farm
www.river-bend-farm.com
Facebook: River Bend Farm/Orchard
Gmail: riverbndfarm@gmail.com
541-520-2561

Brrrr…it’s cold outside at River Bend Farm!

annettep — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:33:14 +0000

Good morning from…
River Bend Farm!
There’s something about living in a log house with a fire going in the wood stove on a frosty morning. Everything was white outside as I looked out over our peach orchard yesterday. It almost looked like a snowy day due to the heavy frost. Our duckies got a surprise that morning as they stepped onto their icy pond, and proceeded to break through. I set up my hummingbird feeder and it didn’t take long for a little hummer to come along for a sip of sugar water to help keep it’s energy going. I’ll have an extra cup of coffee for those of you sitting at an office desk this morning and just wishing you could really just be home relaxing. I’ll do it for you!!!!
As many of you know, I’ve been selling apples, Asian pears, cider and more at the Holiday Farmers’ Market at the Lane County Fairgrounds on Saturdays (10-5) and Sundays (11-5). Since our farm store closed at the end of October, it’s been farmers’ markets for me. So, if you want some great deals on apples (box prices!), come on over. The Holiday Farmers’ Market will be open for two more weekends. Then you can find me at Hideaway Bakery’s Farmers’ Market on Saturdays from 9-2. Because of our large apple crop, these two markets are an excellent venue for us.
It’s that time of year when we start to prune and spray dormant sprays on our fruit and nut trees. It’s a tad bit chilly out there, so I prune a bit, go in for coffee, and then head out again….all bundled up, trying to stay warm. My first project is getting my caneberries (Marions, Boysens, etc.) all pruned. Old canes are cut out and the new ones strung onto wires. Yep, there’s plenty to do, so when someone says things must be slowing down, I just laugh. I do things at a slower pace, but for farmers there really isn’t any “off” season.
I know many of you have questions so I’ll address a few of them. First,our CSA program will open up again in February. I’ll have 40 shares open, and first priority will be for those that were members last year that want to sign up again. The price will remain the same. Full shares are $425 and 1/2 shares are $275. You’ll get an email from me when this comes open. Second, due to a little glitch on my part, I did not ask for several bins back from the dehydrator on my hazelnut crop. So, I will not have nuts for sale this next season. I am sorry about this, but actually it is a blessing due to the amount of work it takes to prep them for selling. My parent’s need my help more as they are getting older and this is where my energy needs to be. I’m sure you will understand. Lastly, I will not have a jam making class before Christmas. I’m enjoying taking a little time off from my hectic schedule of the last 7+ months, so I’m going to enjoy doing some baking, meeting with friends and being there with my family. Hmmm, I know many of you are nodding your head thinking “It’s about time you think of yourself, Annette!”. So, I am!!!
Well, I am counting my blessings and I hope you are too at this time of year. Yes, it was a tough year for farmers and with another LaNina year ahead of us (ie more rain and probably a repeat of weather like last year), I am glad we are diversified in the many things we grow. I have found that my simple life is most pleasurable. I cherish my family, my friends and thank YOU, my customers, for your support of our farm. For those of you that celebrate Christmas, may you have a blessed one with your family. Lastly, I am thankful for the veterans that so helped our country. My father was one of the veterans featured in Tuesday’s Register Guard “Called To Duty”, a salute to local WWII veterans. His name is Donald Miller and he served in the Navy. I am proud to call him my father and know that my time with him is precious. Yes, I am blessed!

Well friends, have a great December and take a deep breath now and then to slow down a bit! I know I am!

Sincerely,
Annette Pershern
River Bend Farm
www.river-bend-farm.com

APPLE SPECIALS, CIDER & MORE!!

annettep — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 01:44:01 +0000

Good Evening friends!
Would you believe we are still picking lots of apples? This year we’ve got a large crop of apples and with the beautiful weather this week, it’s all the more pleasant to pick them. We picked Jonagold and Ida Red apples on Tuesday. Over a 1,000 lbs of Jonagolds and 700+ lbs. of Ida Reds were picked during the day. I’m laughing to myself when I think of how many of you have mentioned to me that now that our farm store is closed, I can relax! “Hmmm, me thinks you may have been a little too hasty on that comment!” I’d much rather be outside picking fruit when it’s so nice outside. And this year the Fall colors are really striking!
Our hazelnut harvest went very well and it was a relief to get the bins of nuts to the dehydrators before more rains hit. We had a good harvest on our Ennis variety. Now I am just waiting to get some of the nuts back after the drying process is finished.
This weekend will be the last OUTDOOR farmers’ market held in Eugene for this year. Hours for this market are 9-4:00. I will have APPLE CIDER, apples such as Jonagold, Empire, Melrose, Ida Red, Fuji, Cameo, Braeburn, Shinko Asian pears, Comice pears and more. The cider will be a blend and should be especially good this week as we put in a lot of our Jonagold apples this time. And, for many of you wanting storage apples or are wanting to make applesauce, this will be an excellent opportunity to pick up boxes of them. We’ll have BOX SPECIALS on all of our apples!!! Buy any variety (over 20 lbs. minimum) and get them for 90 cents/lb. You can mix or match varieties, too!!
Can’t make it to the farmers’ market this weekend? Don’t worry! We’ll be heading indoors the following weekend to the Holiday Farmers’ Market at the Lane County fairgrounds. This will begin on the 19th of November and will be held every Sat. & Sunday. We’ll also be at most of the Hideaway Bakery Farmers’ Markets throughout the winter, though we won’t be there this upcoming Saturday.
I want to acknowledge my wonderful staff that worked at our farm this year!!! We couldn’t have done it all without their hard work and great attitude. I feel very blessed to have had such a great team throughout the season. I especially want to thank Hillary. Hillary will be leaving Oregon for a new adventure in her life and she will be missed by us all. She was instrumental in growing all the tasty vegetables for you! So, best wishes and good luck to you in Illinois, Hillary!!!!
Well, I hope to see many of you at the farmers’ markets in town. I have lots of apples….You said you wanted how many boxes???
Cheers,
Annette Pershern
River Bend Farm
www.river-bend-farm.com
Facebook: River Bend Farm/Orchard
541-520-2561
Email: riverbndfarm@gmail.com

Closing for the season on October 29th!

annettep — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 03:51:45 +0000

It’s the last week we’ll be open at….
River Bend Farm!!
Good morning everyone!! We had a very busy Saturday between selling at the farm, Eugene Farmers’ Market and at the Hideaway Bakery Farmers’ Market. It was absolutely beautiful that day and I really enjoyed seeing so many of my customers’ again. I haven’t sold at the Eugene market in two years, so this was a real treat! It was truly a family affair, as my daughter, Meghan, was at our farm store, my nephew Zac, was at Hideaway and I was in Eugene. So, even though our farm store will close for the year at the end of this upcoming Saturday, you will still have plenty of opportunity to get many items that we grow and produce at these two markets on Saturdays. We will also be attending the Holiday Farmers Market at the fairgrounds when it opens up indoors in a few weeks.
This week we will again have plenty of fresh pressed APPLE CIDER for you to enjoy. This last week we had a really tasty cider made with Honeycrisp apples. This is pure cider, no sugar added. Talk about a treat!!! As we have a large apple crop this year, there should be plenty of cider for the next couple of months that you can get at the farmers’ markets.
After this October, you will be receiving an email only once a month from yours truly, until we reopen in June with strawberry season. I like to keep everyone informed on what’s happening at the farm. During the winter months there is a lot of pruning on all of our fruit and nut trees, dormant sprays to apply, seeds to order, and lots of paperwork (ugh). This is also a good time to assess the season, discuss changes, and get input from customers and farmers on all aspects of our farm. I welcome any of your feedback as it helps me to improve on all levels here at our farm.
This week our bakery will be very busy!! Our soup will be Broccoli/Cheddar Cheese…hearty, and perfect for those cooler days that are arriving. Pies will include apple (using our Honeycrisp & Jonagold apples), Pumpkin, & Boysenberry. I will also have a gluten free item available too. We’ll have lots of cookies to choose from, and we’ll be making Caramel Apples for you to enjoy! Need a larger amount for a party? Just contact us with your order.
Well, I better get ready for the day. Hopefully, my 9 acres hazelnuts will get harvested today. We’ve had equipment breakdowns this week. Luckily we’ve had no rains recently, so that has been a plus! I’m going to think positive.
Have a great day everyone and enjoy the sunshine!!! We’ll see you later this week!! And a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to all of you that have supported and continue to support our farm!!!
Sincerely,
Annette Pershern
River Bend Farm/Orchard
35027 Fremont Ave. Eugene OR 97405
541-520-2561
www.river-bend-farm.com
Gmail: riverbndfarm@gmail.com
Facebook: River Bend Farm/Orchard
Hours: Thur 9-6; Friday & Saturday 9-5:30; Closing for the season at the end of the day on Saturday.
Directions from Eugene: Take I-5 South to exit 188 (Hwy 58); head East 2 miles; turn left on Dilley Ln; left on Fremont Ave to our farm store.

Harvesting nuts at River Bend!!!

annettep — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 04:43:56 +0000

Pumpkins, Fall colors & sunshine at…
River Bend Farm!

I know, it may not seem like a big deal having sunshine at this time of year, but having some dry days makes our job a lot easier. We are trying to get our hazelnuts harvested off the ground and everyone is busy here prepping fields for cover crops, picking apples & pears and harvesting hazelnuts. So, if you come by over this next week, you’ll probably see nuts being harvested and hauled off to the dryers and apples getting picked and washed! Yep, it’s harvest time at the farm!!!
This last weekend we had many families come by and they enjoyed a nice walk out in the orchards. There is something very relaxing when you can get away from the hustle and bustle of life and enjoy a quiet walk in an orchard! Many just wanted to share the joy of picking a pumpkin with their kids, others learned a little bit about our farm from yours truly…all while they munched on a crunchy, juicy Asian pear. Our chickens were quite entertaining to the young ones. Well, you get the picture…a quiet, relaxing afternoon at the farm.
This week we have more apple varieties ready! Apples available are Liberty, Empire, Cameo, Jonagold, and Mutsu. We are about out of our favorite, Honeycrisp! And we also have #2 quality (okay, I call them Cosmetically Challenged) apples for you to either make into crisps, pies or for applesauce. They may not be perfect, but they are tasty…just cheaper! Just ask & we’ll bring them out. Looking for apple cider???? We’ll have it available starting Thursday morning in either 1/2 or full gallons.
We have Asian pears available, too. They include 20th Century and Hosui. We haven’t started picking the Shinko yet as they still need a bit of ripening. If you want a real taste treat, try drying some Asian pears for your family. It’s like eating candy as they are so sweet and the flavor is concentrated.
Coming out of our kitchen/bakery this week: Cinnamon rolls on Thurs/Fri morning, Hearty Potato Leek soup, Shepherd’s Pie (serves 4 & made w/ local pasture fed beef), pies, cookies, muffins, Biscotti, Gluten Free Apple pie and more. This is the time we love to bake & cook for those cool fall days and you’ll find a great selection starting Thursday morning!!
For those of you that can’t make it out to our farm, we’ll have a booth at the Hideaway Bakery Farmers’ Market on Saturday from 9-2 (behind Mazzi’s off East Amazon), AND, surprise…we’ll have a booth at the Lane County Farmers’ Market from 9-4. As I haven’t been to this market in about 2 years, it will be a nice surprise to many that I’ll be bringing a lot of apples and of course, APPLE CIDER! For many of the vendors there, getting a cup of hot apple cider helps get them through a cold day. Anyway, that’s the plan with the help of my family and employees. When you have a bumper crop of apples, you do what you have to do! And hopefully, have fun doing it!!
Time for me to get some rest this evening. Have a good week and we’ll see you during our October hours. Open Thur. 9-6; Fri. & Sat. 9-5:30 or at the farmers’ market.

Annette Pershern
River Bend Farm
35027 Fremont Ave.
Eugene OR 97405
541-520-2561
www.river-bend-farm.com
Email: riverbndfarm@gmail.com
Facebook: River Bend Farm/Orchard
Directions to farm from Eugene: Take I-5 South to exit 188 (Hwy 58); head East 2 miles; turn left onto Dilley Ln; follow road & turn left onto Fremont Ave to our farm store.

New Fall Hours!

annettep — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 19:27:27 +0000

We’ve been busy at…
River Bend Farm!
We had a very busy Friday morning this last week with 41 kids and lots of parents in for a field trip. This fun group was aged from 3 years old to 6th graders to adults from Fall Creek Community preschool & grade school. They got to pick pumpkins, Asian pears, and apples. They learned about chickens, ducks, and Mason bees. Yep, a bit of a challenge for me due to the age differences, but I think we all had a good time and they all learned something.
I’ve always felt my job is more than just farming. I want to share my knowledge and hopefully inspire some young person to think about growing food for people. I also had 2 interns visit from Hey Bayles Farm to learn more about farming. It is exciting to share my world, the lessons I’ve learned, and listen to their hopes and dreams. I would have never thought I’d be doing this with my life, but I love it (okay, lets be honest..most days anyway). When I look at my farm through someone else’s eyes, I am in wonder! How the %$@#* do I do it???
We are now on FALL HOURS. We are open THUR. 9-6, FRI & SAT 9-5:30; CLOSED SUNDAY-WED. Please note this and fit us in your shopping trip. We have a lot of fruit, and starting Thursday, you’ll find apple cider!!!!
As many of you may know, this spring/summer created a huge challenge to farmers. Cool nights and a very wet spring presented the biggest ripening and disease problem. Everything has been 2-3 weeks late!! We only really started picking large amounts of tomatoes 2 weeks ago. Apples have been slow to ripen and I’ve never experienced this late picking. We have been picking Mutsu, and Jonagold apples, and the Honeycrisp have been trickling in. So, I’ll have apples for quite some time and you’ll be able to get them at farmers’ markets that I’ll be attending over the fall/winter. We are also picking Asian pears and are offering 20th Century & Hosui at this time. Want canning pears? I’ve got Bartletts!
Veggies this week include a colorful offering of Winter Squash such as Acorn, Delicata, Carnival, Cabazon, & Sweet Dumpling. We’ve got a LOT of Roma & San Marzano paste tomatoes for making sauce, corn, organic spinach & salad mix from Hey Bayles Farm, super sweet carrots, peppers, and more. And, we have our own PUMPKIN PATCH! Bring the kids…and better bring the mud boots. These are not huge pumpkins, just right for little ones to pick up themselves and great for making pumpkin pie.
Again, you can find me at the Hideaway Bakery Farmers’ Market on Saturdays. Hours are 9-2 and it is located off of East Amazon in South Eugene. And, of course, I’ll have apple cider, too!! Better come early as I’m sure I’ll sell out quickly!
Well, time to get moving. I’m doing pretty well considering I forgot to lock up the duckies from the raccoons last night, so I got up at 3:30 am to check up on them. Then, up at 5:30 am to help my husband hook up a trailer to take to work…in the rain….ugh. Please deliver a 16 ounce hot coffee, heavily polluted with milk and I’ll be happy! Just kidding!!!!! Have a great week & I’ll see you on Thursday when we open with lots of baked goodies, apple cider and more!!!

Warm regards,
Annette Pershern
35027 Fremont Ave. Eugene, OR 97405
541-520-2561
www.river-bend-farm.com
Gmail: riverbndfarm@gmail.com
Facebook: River Bend Farm/Orchard
Hours: Open Thur. 9-6, Fri. & Sat. 9-5:30; Closed Sun-Wed.
Directions: From Eugene take exit 188 (Hwy 58); head East 2 miles, turn left before green bridge onto Dilley Ln.; follow road 1/4 mile and turn left onto Fremont Ave. to farm store.

Apples, Pears and New Hours!

annettep — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:02:18 +0000

Coming next week to….
River Bend Farm!!!
Have I got some news for you!!! Starting next Thursday, October 6th, we will begin to have APPLE CIDER!!! This corresponds too, with our new hours for the fall season. I know you have been waiting patiently, but we just had to wait till we had more apple varieties ready to blend that cider for you!
Starting next week, we will be open only Thur.- Sat.!! Due to the weather changing and slower days, we go into our fall schedule. Our hours through October will be: Thur 9-6; Fri. and Sat. 9-5:30. We will be CLOSED Sunday-Wednesdays. Then, at the end of October, we will close up for the year.
I’m sitting here looking out our front yard at our two ducks, Puddles and Squirt. They are doing a great job of eating dandelions and I haven’t got a single slug or snail anywhere. We are even getting one duck egg a day, so maybe in the spring, we might have some ducklings around! Duck eggs are delicious and bigger, I just couldn’t wrap my head around eating scrambled eggs from them the other day. My daughter, Lauren, made breakfast and did a marvelous job of drying them out. I don’t do dry scrambled eggs. I took one bite, and this mental image of them slurping down big slugs with relish was enough for me to pass. Some farm girl I am! Ughh….
Well, we now have an abundance of fruit for you. We have been picking 20th Century & Hosui Asian pears, all the Yellow Bartletts are in the cooler, and we have been picking Honeycrisp apples. We’ll start picking Jonagold apples soon. Don’t expect much of a blush on the Jonagolds though this year. I suspect the weather and an abundance of foliage as the culprit.
This week we’ve got some wonderful things coming out of our bakery. We will be making some tasty apple pies using our Honeycrisp apples. Also, we decided to make some pumpkin pies…it feels like fall, so we’re making ‘em!! Look for Pumpkin bread, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, Old Fashioned Gingerbread and more! And, it’s officially time to be making some of those wonderful soups & stews. This week we will be making White Chicken Chili. Pasties this week will be our Meat & ‘Tater and Mexican. Everything is always from scratch, and we use quality ingredients….and a lot of the produce used in our baking is grown right here on our farm!!
Also, I want to mention that by early Friday afternoon, I will be getting some of the last of Summer Chanterelles. This end of the summer season mushroom is drier and the flavor is more concentrated so you don’t need a lot to flavor your meals. Then, we wait for the fall variety to come. It won’t be long as we’ve received some much needed rains this week. So, I’ll keep you posted when these come in. My supplier, Rob Miller, does a fantastic job of making sure these are very clean mushrooms, and the quality is superb. I’m sure you’ll agree!
Veggies this week include a bounty of Winter Squash, tomatoes (Roma’s, too), Walla Walla onions, Serendipity corn, peppers, fresh herbs, and more.
Lastly, now that the summer heat is over, you will see us on most Saturday’s at the Hideaway Bakery Farmers’ Market. This is located behind Mazzi’s Restaurant on East Amazon in South Eugene. The hours are 9-2. So, you’ll find me there this Saturday with apples, Asian pears, pears, jams/jellies, our eggs, and more! Can’t make it out to the farm? Come out to this great little farmers’ market and get Northern Lights beef, Biancalana’s Pork, vegetables, and fruit! Not only that, Hideaway Bakery has some wonderful baked goods and the best coffee to enjoy on a quiet Saturday morning. See you there!
Have a great week and please continue to bring back those fruit boxes! It helps us so much to keep our costs down! With some boxes costing $1.50 each, it is most appreciated that we can reuse them again!!

Warm regards,
Annette Pershern
River Bend Farm
35027 Fremont Ave. Eugene, OR 97405
541-520-2561
www.river-bend-farm.com
Email: riverbndfarm@gmail.com
Facebook: River Bend Farm/Orchard
Directions from Eugene: Take I-5 South to exit 188 (Hwy 58); head East 2 miles; turn left onto Dilley Ln; follow road; turn left onto Fremont Ave. to our farm store.
Hours for this last week of September: Open Wed, Fri, Sat. 9-5:30; Thur 9-6; Closed Sunday; New fall hours will start in October. See above newsletter!

Fall Harvest at River Bend Farm

annettep — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:34:35 +0000

APPLES, PEARS & MORE AT…
RIVER BEND FARM!
Good morning to you on this lovely Fall day! Much is happening here at the farm with our Fall harvest kicking into high gear. I spent a large part of Tuesday on the tractor getting our hazelnut orchard ground fully prepped for our nut harvest in a few weeks. It was dusty, warm and at day’s end, I probably had a pound of dirt covering me when I was finished. But, I had time to myself and got to enjoy seeing 8 quail running along every few rows. They were obviously parents and their 6 youngsters. Yep, the joy of simple things!
This is the time when we are exceptionally busy with harvest. I laugh when customers say “aren’t you glad things are slowing down?”. Fall brings on many fruits and vegetables. We have apples to harvest and the crop is very good this year, just late. We started picking one of our favorites, Honeycrisp, and were able to get several boxes that were ripe. Right now, you can find Bartlett pears, Akane (Prime Red) apples, 20th Century & Hosui Asian pears and more. It’s going to be a very busy few weeks ahead of us!
The veggie garden is finally producing tomatoes. We’ll be picking as many as possible over the next several days before there is any possibility of showers. I’ve also made a note to myself…never, ever plant as many cherry tomato plants again. We’ve got enough to feed an army, and we’re still picking! Looking for winter squash? Then try out some of the tasty ones we’ve got such as: Delicata, Sweet Dumpling, Carnival, and Acorn. It’s harvest time, and I love it!!!
Our bakery has been busy each week and we are getting many positive comments on the goodies. You’ll find apple pies, blackberry pies, bars, cookies, muffins and more. Thursday morning finds us making pasties, and usually at least two different kinds. This week we’ll be making the Beef & Tater and a Mexican type with chicken. They are so nice for busy families on the go…just heat and serve. Lastly, we have been making several different gluten-free items each week.
***Starting the first week of October, we will be going to Fall Hours…we will be open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays only!!
Well, time for me to get ready and start my day. This past week I’ve had an employee get married, had a grass fire at the edge of our property, experienced the rainiest weekend along the Northern Oregon Coast, walked on the beach with my husband and am now asking my girls if my head is on in the right direction at the beginning of each day as I’m so busy. Hope you have a good week and hope to see you soon!

Warm regards,
Annette Pershern
541-520-2561
www.river-bend-farm.com
Gmail: riverbndfarm@gmail.com
Directions: From Eugene, take I-5 south to exit 188 (Hwy 58); head East 2 miles, turn left onto Dilley Ln.; follow road 1/4 mile; turn left onto Fremont Ave. to our farm store.

There’s a hint of Fall in the air!!!

annettep — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 03:09:22 +0000

Ahhh, it’s cooling down here at…
River Bend Farm!
Good morning to you all! The weather sure changed quickly, didn’t it? True Oregonian that I am, I love this cooler weather. It was nice to have the heat as many of our veggies and fruit ripened, but I wilt and it zaps my energy. This time of the year finds all of us here at the farm looking forward to the Fall harvest. Apples are starting to burst with flavor, to color up, and invite us to take that first bite. Pears such as Bartlett’s are being picked and put into the cooler to ripen further. And, one of our favorites, Hosui Asian Pears, is just days away from being harvested. Our pumpkins are out in the field, just waiting for young hands to pick “just the right one”!
This week you’ll find a nice selection of fruits and veggies. We have Gravenstein and Akane apples. If you’re making applesauce, don’t wait too much longer as we are nearing the end of our supply of Gravensteins. We just picked the Akane, a great eating apple. Nothing beats a fresh picked apple…crunchy, juicy and oh, so flavorful! We are near the end of peaches. Late Elberta’s are the last of the season and it was a small crop throughout Lane County. If you are thinking of canning them, better get them soon. We are now picking our Bartlett pears and they are in the cooler, slowly ripening. We are continuing to have a large supply of veggies and the Serendipity Corn has been a big hit. We are starting to get some really nice tomatoes out of the garden and production should continue to climb as they ripen.
Our bakery has been very, very busy over the last month and everyone has been enjoying all the goodies coming out of it. Wednesday’s and Thursday’s are our big baking days. We’re busy making different pies and this week you’ll find apple, peach and blueberry by early afternoon. And, we are now making a few gluten-free pies, too! Pasties this week include our Meat & Tater and a Chicken Pot Pie type and these are made Thursday morning. These are a big hit and go quickly! We’ve been making Pico de Gallo with farm fresh tomatoes, Hazelnut Basil Pesto, pasta salad, and starting this week…soup!
Lastly, I want to congratulate our own Hillary Pierceall on her marriage to Eric Needham on Saturday. Hillary has been a key person in our CSA program and has worked hard on growing all those lovely veggies for you all. She is a real joy to have here and a great team player. So, CONGRATULATIONS to Hillary and Eric!!!!

Have a great week!
Annette Pershern
35027 Fremont Ave.
Eugene, OR 97405
541-520-2561
www.river-bend-farm.com
Email: riverbndfarm@gmail.com
Facebook: River Bend Farm/Orchard
Hours: M,Tu,W,F,Sat 9:00-5:30; Thur 9:00-6:00; Sunday Closed
Directions: From Eugene take I-5 S to exit 188 (Hwy 58); head E 2 miles; turn left onto Dilley Ln; left onto Fremont Ave to the farm store.

Peaches and Corn

annettep — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 05:12:25 +0000

It’s heating up at….

River Bend Farm!

Good morning to you on what’s shaping up to be a hot day! Our tomato plants will surely love this week and maybe, just maybe, it will speed up the ripening!! It’s hard to believe that as we near the end of August, we are finally getting some much needed hotter weather! I’ve got a cousin in Indiana who grew corn on his farm. Unfortunately, due to the extreme heat, it is a pretty sad crop this year. So, we have to count our blessings that we did not experience what happened in the Midwest this summer.
I can finally say we have peaches this week!! The peach variety is called Suncrest and they are a very juicy, sweet variety. Suncrest are great for freezing, baking, and jamming. They are freestone (come free of the pit). There will be Late Elberta’s later this season that are better for canning, but if you like the Suncrest, you might want to rethink this as they are very large in size, due to the small crop. I myself lost my whole peach crop this year due to the wet, cold spring weather. I have been able to get some now that they have finally started to ripen. If you are looking at getting any large quantity, please contact me about prices and amounts. Supply and demand has bumped up the price. I’m telling everyone to savor every bite and enjoy, as the crop is small this year!
The corn that we have available this week is Honey Select and Serendipity. It is sweet and tender and our family really enjoyed eating them for dinner last night. It is still a little early to get any sort of large quantity as the corn is just now starting to become ripe. Hopefully by next week, this will change due to the heat. Other varieties of veggies available include slicing cukes, summer squash, eggplant, Kale, Swiss Chard, cabbage,salad mix and bulk carrots (Hey Bayles Farm) and Blue Lake green beans (I have a nice quantity for canning and they are $1.50/lb. U-pick are 80 cents/lb.)
We are just a few days away from picking our Gravenstein apples. Did you know we grow about 15 varieties of apples? The varieties include Honeycrisp (our favorite), Liberty, Prime Red, Empire, Jonagold, Melrose, Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Mutsu and more. We’ll be having apple cider probably in early October so that is something to look forward to. And, of course, I’ll keep you all posted on what is ripe each week.
This week (Wednesday and Thursday) Mary and I will be baking up some peach, strawberry rhubarb & Marionberry pies!! I’ve been waiting for the peaches to come ripe and they are finally there. We’ll also be baking Meat and Tater pasties, Mexican pasties, cookies, bars, cobblers, and some gluten-free items. As I am running the farm and sometimes things do come up, it’s better to call me if you are looking for something special or want me to save something we’ve made. We aim to please, but sometimes I get pulled away.
Well, time to get ready and beat the heat! Have a great week and stay cool!

Warm regards,
Annette Pershern
River Bend Farm
541-520-2561
www.river-bend-farm.com
email: riverbndfarm@gmail.com
Facebook: River Bend Farm/Orchard
Hours: Open Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat. 9-5:30; Thu 9-6; Sunday Closed
Directions from Eugene: Take I-5 South to Hwy 58 (exit 188); head East 2 miles; turn left onto Dilley Ln just before green bridge; follow road 1/4 mile; turn left onto Fremont Ave to the farm store.