CoGo Farm Blog

I love snapping photos of people enjoying our yummy organic juices. Here's one showing my granddaughter kicking back with an entire half gallon of appe juice, and a happy customer slurping a VitaSea down to the last drop. Whether you are young or old, CoGo juices are heaven in a bottle!

Most of our orchards are now in full bloom. The valley is bursting with peach and plum blooms. Soon the pears will flower out, then cherries and lastly apples.

This area is so incredibly beautiful in April. Weather does everything in a 24 hour period, from hail to windy bluster, puffy clouds to full sunshine…and that keeps things interesting.
 
Our business trip to the East Coast was wonderful. We met a lot of great people and visited some fantastic stores in NYC and Boston. It was very exciting to see our juice and bars in those world-famous cities. Lil' o'l CoGo in the Big Apple? Wow!
 
Look for new juices all the time…you never know what’s coming next.
 
Thanks.
Cheryl

We're in a holding pattern awaiting the activities of spring. Meanwhile, a friend from Eugene, Oregon shared this with us.

"Since Dave Hurson turned us onto your juices, we’ve yet to find one we aren’t in love with. Thank you for continuing to produce products with integrity (instead of added sugar!) and for employing fine people like David Hurson. [I’m] going to The Kiva tomorrow with a CoGo list…"

Mike McCool – Eugene, OR

Many thanks to CoGo employee, Dave Hurson, for growing the CoGo world!

We featured our newest drinks - Mango Coconut Water and Celery Kale Coconut Water - at the Natural Foods Expo last weekend, and people loved them. The drinks are going out to all markets this week. We are so excited to be offering something a little different. You've got to try them... they're so refreshing and delicious. And as always with us, certified organic!
 
I know I mention the gluten-free CoGoBars a lot, but I have to say again...people are constantly writing and telling us how glad they are to have them. Great tasting, organic, gluten-free goodies are hard to come by. We're proud of our delicious recipe made with CoGoMix - our own gluten-free bake mix that has our farm pears in it.
 
The Hood River Valley is on the verge of bursting forth in bloom. We are so excited!
 
Pruning is almost finished for the year, and we continue to fight the mice that love to gnaw on the base of our baby trees.  As Organic Farmers, we have to hand hoe around all the young trees to prevent the mice damage. Luckily, we have plenty of owls and hawks to help with pest management!
 
Cheryl

Well, all the packing is finished until the cherries ripen. It will be exciting to now wait for the trees to bloom, and watch our valley become a heavenly blizzard of blossoms.

We continue to demo our products everywhere we can. The photo this week shows our demo gal, Paula, with her new handtruck on her way to Oregon State University.

The Natural Foods Expo West Show is this coming weekend, and we'll be there with juice and bars in booths 4831 and 4832. If you're going, stop by and say hi, and get some yummy samples. In addition to showing off our fantastic products, we will tour the floor, hear presentations, meet with associates and friends, and set up potential sales meetings. It's always a great time, and leaves us feeling encouraged that the natural and organic food industries are growing so rapidly.

Our juice is doing fantastically back East... We are so excited to be "bi-coastal!" Thanks to all of you who support Cogo Juice and CoGoBars.

By the way...Look for new juices coming soon!!!

Today is our last day of packing fruit until July, when we will start with Organic Sweet Cherries. Seems like only yesterday the kids were choosing their annual favorite cherry trees to harvest.

Our juice is doing fantastically! We try so very hard to bring people what they want, and we have a lot of wonderful loyal customers. We are really grateful for your support, especially when you don't see us at your favorite store and then tell them you want us. Sometimes the store's bottom line gets in the way of customer happiness, but they don't realize it until you speak up!

CoGoBars seem to do great once they get sampled. People definitely have their particular favorites (and non-favorites!), but it really varies. The little guy pictured here absolutely DEVOURED the chocolate CoGoBar. Please try them and let us know what you think. If you can't find them, email me and I will help.

I am really looking forward to all the blossoms, starting the middle of April. I'm sure our honey bees can't wait to get all that lovely pollen. The valley is so beautiful when it's all in bloom… glowing with color and bursting with the intoxicating scents of spring.

We are packing Enterprise Apples today. They're a late season apple with full flavor and a thick, dark red skin. To me, their flavor is spicy - the combination of strong tart and sweet reminds me of cinnamon. Enterprise is a great for baking or cooking, and wonderful with a good strong cheese.

If you are wanting some winter comfort food, I recommend Apple Cobbler made with a really great apple like the Enterprise.

APPLE COBBLER FOR THE WINTER WEARY

Apple Filling:

2 1/2 pounds Enterprise apples, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
2 to 3 Tablespoons organic flour
1 Tablespoon organic lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon organic cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons organic butter

Peel and core your apples.  I use my old-fashioned apple peeler. The kids love doing this job.

In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugar, flour, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cobbler:

1 cup organic whole wheat flour
1/4 cup organic sugar
1/4 cup organic brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
6 Tablespoons cold organic butter
1/4 cup boiling water

In another bowl, combine the flour, sugars, salt, and baking powder.

Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or a fork.  When it resembles peas or coarse sand, pour in 1/4 cup boiling water.

Spread the apples in a 10" baking dish and dot with butter.

Cover with the cobbler batter.  Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the apples are bubbly.

Serve with organic whipped cream, ice cream, or creme fraiche. Also yummy with cheddar cheese melted on top.

Emeril has a great recipe for apple compote that I like to use with pork. Enterprise Apples are perfect for it.

We knew the answer before we ran the tests but we thought we’d run them anyway just to reassure our customers: No arsenic in our apple juice. Not a trace.

Here at CoGo, we've been 100% organic for nearly 30 years. We grow most of our own apples, and what we purchase comes from organic orchards nearby, in Oregon and Washington.

The most recent apple juice scare began in the fall of 2011 when TV personality Dr. Oz announced that, through his own testing, he found dangerous levels of arsenic in some of the most popular brands of Apple Juice concentrate. Consumer Reports confirmed his findings with their own study in late 2011. It turns out these products are made with apples from as many as seven different countries where chemicals that are banned in America are being used freely.

We’re concerned that U.S. Inspectors are not spotting this type of contamination – after all, apple and grape juice concentrates are family favorites, and are also used instead of sugar to sweeten a lot of other foods. But we are encouraged that consumers are becoming more vigilant about where their food comes from. And we’re grateful to Dr. Oz and Consumer Reports for exposing the problem.

What advice does Dr. Oz give for people who might be concerned about their juice? Buy organic and make sure the fruit is grown in the U.S.

...That would be CoGo.

And here’s an added bonus we’re sure Dr. Oz would like: our apple juice is never cooked, concentrated, or reconstituted. It’s fresh-pressed, flash pasteurized, bottled, and in your fridge within a couple of days.

Columbia Gorge Organic: Small Farm, Big Flavor, Always Organic.

We've been packing D'Anjou pears, and will start on Boscs this week. Pruning is still going strong at the ranch, and the trees are looking great with their new haircuts...!

We have Canadian Geese wintering on our pond. They are so beautiful, and the family loves watching them. Speaking of critters, Ronny spotted a barn owl, so he had an owl house made for him. We hope he moves in and sticks around to provide eco-friendly rodent control!

We are delighted to now be offering our products throughout Utah! We are so excited to be hearing from new customers who love our juice and CoGoBars. Here's one from Ryan M.

Hello, I am a HUGE fan of your drinks!

"I really wish my nearby Whole Foods Market had ALL of your juices from your website, so that I could try them all. They all look so good! My favorite so far would have to be the Mango CoGo Smoothie Drink. It's packed with fresh fruit flavor, and I love the taste. Thank you for making such great products, and keep up the great work!"

Customer Nancy Craig sent us this ecstatic testimonial celebrating her New Plan for the New Year, fueled by CoGo Carrot Leafy Greens veggie juice. We could not resist posting her blog entry and photo (see permalink page)!

A liquid garden for your inner garden!!

"This is my New Years Resolution......A New Plan Resolution!! I wanted to incorporate more veggies into my life for my health....as well as get back to walking more.... I even want to do another half Marathon this Summer....so this is my plan.

I am actually on my sixth day of my new plan and I am loving it!!

I researched the area where I live to find some place that makes fresh juice drinks. Then I figured out the miles around the location. I walk half way, which is about two miles, to get my veggie juice and drink it on my last two miles home.

I buy bottled organic juice because there are not any fresh juice locations near where I live. That's where Columbia Gorge Organic comes in!

I usually get their Carrot and Leafy Greens drink. It has a load of veggies in it. This is what is in one 16 oz. bottle...you won't believe how many veggies are in it: 4 large carrots, 1 bunch spinach, 1/2 bunch romaine, 3 leaves kale, 3 leaves collards!

It says right on the bottle that it is a liquid garden for your inner garden! I love that!!

Everyone is different and everyone has different tastes and desires. Figure out what you like and what exercise works for you and make a New Plan Resolution and then just do it!!! The key is getting started and finding something you love. I LOVE WALKING!!! I LOVE the way I feel after I drink my liquid garden, and the way I LOVE the way I feel for completing the four miles!!

Here's to your health and new plan,

Peace and love,

Nancy"