Fall Creek Blog /blog/ en KaitlinA@fallcreeknursery.com Copyright 2012 2012-05-09T21:21:05+00:00 McDonald’s To Serve Blueberry Oatmeal For Breakfast /blog/single/mcdonalds_to_serve_blueberry_oatmeal_for_breakfast /blog/single/mcdonalds_to_serve_blueberry_oatmeal_for_breakfast Mornings at McDonald's have long been associated with its iconic breakfast sandwich, the Egg McMuffin.  This summer, however, McDonald's will be introducing blueberry banana nut oatmeal on their breakfast menu featuring fresh seasonal blueberries. We first heard the news via The Packer online. Naturally, exposure of this scale is appreciated by the berry industry as it keeps blueberries on the forefront of consumers’ minds.  While it may be too optimistic to hope that McDonalds’ blueberry banana nut oatmeal could usurp the Egg McMuffin’s morning reign in a total breakfast takeover, it’s great to see there’s a healthier option featuring fresh blueberries available as well.

Read more about the story at The Packer online.

]]> Home Gardeners, 2012-05-09T21:21:05+00:00 New Study Finds Positive Effects of Blueberries on Cognitive Degeneration in Elderly /blog/single/new_study_finds_positive_effects_of_blueberries /blog/single/new_study_finds_positive_effects_of_blueberries The benefits gained by integrating blueberries into your diet continue to grow. Results from a new study published this week in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, found that cognitive degeneration related to aging can be delayed several years by eating blueberries and strawberries. 

The study notes that experts believe stress and inflammation also contribute to cognitive decline, and that powerful flavonoids found in blueberries mitigate these harmful effects. This study is the first of its scope and size – previous studies on the positive effects of flavonoids were either very small or limited to animal control models.

You can find more information on the study here.

]]> Home Gardeners, 2012-05-02T22:00:29+00:00 Update on Katie’s Krops Blueberries! /blog/single/update_on_katies_krops_blueberries /blog/single/update_on_katies_krops_blueberries Katie Stagliano of Katie’s Krops sent us an update on the blueberry plants donated to her organization by Fall Creek.  Let’s just say that Katie is quite the prolific gardener! All but 15 of the 700 plants are in the ground! Most of the berries were split between three schools while a few plants were planted in the garden of a specific family in need. Katie blogged about the family here. Way to go girl!

Katie’s also in the midst of filming for a documentary that explores the ways a selection of individuals have taken the war on hunger into their own hands. Katie’s work is featured in the film, which includes the Fall Creek blueberries! Information on the project can be found at www.GiveMeYourHungry.com. Keep up the good work Katie! Fall Creek is proud to support the Katie’s Krops cause. Stay tuned for more updates on Katie’s blueberries.  

 

 

Katie's Krops Website

 

]]> Home Gardeners, 2012-04-19T19:39:16+00:00 Identifying A Healthy Blueberry Plant /blog/single/identifying_a_healthy_blueberry_plant /blog/single/identifying_a_healthy_blueberry_plant When you buy a blueberry plant at a nursery, how do you know you’re purchasing a quality plant? And if you own or work in a nursery, how do you know your supplier is sending you healthy, vigorous plants? Edibles have been trending in the nursery market over the past few years, and some suppliers may lack the knowledge or care needed to grow quality plants, or cut corners in order to quickly cash in on this trend. There are ways to determine the health of your blueberry plant; the following are a few components to look for.

Branching

blueberry cane fieldA quality plant will be well-branched, which results in a higher volume of fruit and a balanced shape. Shearing a young blueberry plant several times allows the plant to create a fuller branch structure. Plants that are rushed to market too soon may not have been sheared at all, resulting in a plant with only a single cane and no branching. Fewer branches means less fruit, as fruit buds grow only on the tips of new branches. Ideally, the plant’s canes will be sturdy and volume will be consistent with its height.

 

 

Roots

blueberry roots The quality of the root structure is indicative of how well your plant was cared for before it reached the nursery. A quality finished plant will have an even root system, as shown in the photo to the left. The roots will emit a slightly sweet smell and there will be no rotted or dead roots. How do you know if the roots are rotting? Go ahead, give your plant a good whiff – does it smell sour? Hopefully, the only detectable odor is the sweet, subtle aroma of spring. If you do smell something funky, the plants may have been grown in areas with poor drainage or stagnant water, which causes not only rot and kills roots but also spreads disease.

 

]]> Home Gardeners, 2012-04-10T15:38:28+00:00 Fall Creek Searching For Director Of Sales and business development /blog/single/fall_creek_searching_for_director_of_sales_and_business_development /blog/single/fall_creek_searching_for_director_of_sales_and_business_development At Fall Creek, we are proud of our 30+ year history of bringing the best blueberry varieties and solutions to our commercial fruit grower and nursery customers around the globe. Currently, we are seeking an experienced professional to serve as our new Director Of Sales & Business Development. This position will report directly to our CEO, will supervise our sales and grower support team and will be responsible for strategic planning, organizing, forecasting, and directing the company’s sales efforts. Domestic and international travel is required.

For a full job description and details on how to apply, visit our website.

]]> Nurseries, 2012-04-03T22:35:51+00:00 March brings snow to Fall Creek /blog/single/march_brings_snow_to_fall_creek /blog/single/march_brings_snow_to_fall_creek What a surprise for all of us at Fall Creek to wake up to snow today. It wasn't in the forecast and we rarely get snow so it was a bit unusual and unexpected. The nursery always looks really beautiful with a dusting of snow. It was a welcome change and a good reminder that it's nearly impossible to predict the weather in Oregon in March.

]]> Home Gardeners, 2012-03-13T18:21:10+00:00 The Holistic Orchard Receives Book Award /blog/single/holistic_orchard_receives_book_award /blog/single/holistic_orchard_receives_book_award  

Michael Phillips’ guide to growing fruit trees and berries is honored with 2012 American Horticultural Society’s Book Award

We at Fall Creek love seeing fellow plant people succeed, especially when they’re growing and promoting blueberries! This week Michael Phillips’ amazing book on growing fruit trees and berries in an orchard ecosystem was honored with one of five American Horticultural Society 2012 Book Awards. Congratulations Michael!  Check out Michael’s book and be sure to read the blueberry section - a few of the photos came from Fall Creek!

The Holistic Orchard will be featured in the March/April issue of The American Gardener magazine. You can order Michael’s book from Chelsea Green Publishing at www.chelseagreen.com. 

]]> Home Gardeners, 2012-03-08T21:56:51+00:00 Amelie Aust Publishes Chapter in Fruit Breeding Textbook /blog/single/amelie_aust_publishes_chapter /blog/single/amelie_aust_publishes_chapter Fall Creek’s own Amelie Aust wears many hats in her position as the New Business Development Manager here at the nursery, to which she now adds published academic! Amelie, with co-authors John R. Clark of the University of Arkansas and IP attorney Robert Jondle of Jondle & Associates, co-wrote a chapter for the Fruit Breeding volume of the Handbook of Plant Breeding that covers intellectual property protection and marketing strategy for new fruit cultivars.

Amelie co-wrote the chapter to serve as a basic guide for plant breeders from both the public and private sectors, covering items such as IP protection mechanisms, unique commercialization models, and how to assess the value of a new variety. The chapter also discusses trademark use strategies and legal guidelines.

Amelie hopes this work serves as a kind of roadmap for breeders, helping them to understand the implications of their licensing decisions in an industry that has been so impacted by globalization.

The chapter was written while Amelie was finishing her Masters of Law degree in Intellectual Property, where she was studying in Munich on a Fulbright scholarship. She is currently designing the international launch of Fall Creek’s own varieties for commercial fruit growers coming in 2013.

Book Information

Fruit Breeding; Series: Handbook of Plant Breeding, Vol. 8

Badenes, Maria Luisa; Bryne, David H. (Eds.)

ISBN 978-1-4419-0762-2

For sale at www.springer.com

You can purchase the individual chapter co-written by Amelie here.

]]> Nurseries, 2012-03-07T21:05:55+00:00 World Agriculture Expo Report /blog/single/world_ag_expo_report /blog/single/world_ag_expo_report Trade shows are an important way for Fall Creek to spend time with our customers and interact with friends in the industry. Our Commercial Sales Manager Dick Mombell attended this year’s World Agriculture Expo in Tulare, CA and reports on his experience.

According to Dick, there was lots of interest at the booth about the Fall Creek Genetics™ breeding program and the new blueberry varieties Fall Creek plans to release in the near future.  Dick had this to say about his experience at this year’s World Ag Expo - “Many of our customers come by the booth to investigate what we’ve got coming up in the near future, and this is reflective of Fall Creek’s history of bringing so many new varieties to the market. The growers also like to discuss how well they did this season, and there are always a lot of questions about how other regions around the country fared with their crop this year as well as Fall Creek’s perspectives.”

He said he was pleasantly surprised to see many Northwest growers in Tulare for the show. “While there was some diversity of visitors, most are from the West Coast with some people from Mexico, Japan and British Columbia mixed in. It is always great to see our Northwest customers who stop by the Fall Creek booth to say hello even if they were at the show for other purposes,” Dick recounts.

There’s always a lot of networking that takes place at these shows, and the opportunity to meet and share information occurs often. We appreciated all those who came by our booth this year. If you missed the World Ag Expo or if you’ve never been, you might consider attending next year. And while you’re there, come by to meet our staff and get all the latest Fall Creek news.

]]> Commercial, 2012-03-06T17:35:46+00:00 Fall Creek Nursery and Katie’s Krops Help Feed the Hungry /blog/single/fall_creek_donates_to_katies_krops /blog/single/fall_creek_donates_to_katies_krops  

Katie StaglianoFall Creek is proud announce our support of Katie’s Krops, a non-profit gardening organization started by 13-year old Katie Stagliano that donates the harvest from nearly 20 gardens to homeless shelters and families in need. With the cost of freight donated by one of our shipping partners, Fall Creek provided Katie’s Krops with 700 blueberry plants for a garden designated to help feed the South Carolina Lowcountry. The harvest from those plants should reach nearly two tons of berries!

Katie started her non-profit after winning a gardening contest at her local elementary school – unsure of what to do with her 40-pound prize-winning cabbage, she donated it to a local soup kitchen where it helped feed over 275 hungry people. Katie now helps manage many satellite gardens and hosts monthly dinners at her local church made from the food she and others grow.

Katie’s work is significant not only in that the hungry are fed, the non-profit also teaches young people and volunteers gardening skills to last a lifetime.  Want to help out? Katie’s Krops has a long wish list of items large and small needed to accomplish their work. Want to help plant some blueberries? On March 3rd Katie will be hosting a planting party to get those 700 blueberry plants in the ground. The information is below.

Katie's Krops Website

Planting Party Details

Katie's Krops Wish List

 

]]> Home Gardeners, 2012-03-01T20:37:00+00:00