OUR PRODUCTS

While picking fresh sun kissed berries is by far the most popular activity at Sunny Ridge, the farm is also recognised for its value added products of award winning fruit ice creams, boutique hand crafted strawberry wines and liqueurs and gourmet produce.

PRODUCTS MENU
: Fresh Fruit
: Wines & Liqueurs
: Jams & Sauces

STRAWBERRIES

VARIETIES:

Majestic - Sunny Ridge's darling and a consumer favourite, this is an exclusive strawberry variety with soft melting flesh, a fantastic aroma and a perfect heart shaped glossy appearance.

The Cal Giant - A successful strawberry variety from California known for its size and ultra sweetness. Sunny Ridge was one of the first to start growing this variety in Australia and the Mornington Peninsula's climate conditions have made the Cal Giant a huge success.

Albion - Another Californian strawberry variety with a long, flat, wedge shape. This berry radiates a classic intoxicating strawberry aroma and its flavours excite the palate.

ABOUT STRAWBERRIES:

Growing Strawberries at Sunny Ridge - Around 120 acres of Sunny Ridge's 240 acre farm are under strawberries each season. Strawberries yield their largest fruit in their first growing season so Sunny Ridge only cultivates each field of strawberries for one year.

The strawberries at Sunny Ridge are planted by hand as 'plug' plant seedlings or bare root plants. This labour intensive activity is carried out from May to November to ensure that Sunny Ridge strawberries will be in season for an average of six months of the year.

Picking usually commences in early November when teams of several hundred pickers work quickly through the strawberry fields. Only ripe strawberries are picked and they are given an initial grading in the field. It is preferable to pick berries in the cool of the morning, as they are more tolerant of handling at this time. They must be pre cooled to about four degrees within an hour of being picked, and are transported via tractor to modern high humidity cool rooms on a regular basis. Every hour outside the cooler reduces the shelf life of a strawberry by one day.

After careful selection in the field the strawberries are graded again in the packing shed. Berries are hand selected on suitability for each of the various packing styles and markets, and are sorted into size gradings of regular, large, extra large and extra-extra large. Any fruit that is not up to standard is removed.

Distribution - Strawberries are transported to distribution centers in refrigerated trucks and from here they will travel to retail outlets. The continued maintenance of produce temperature is known as the cool chain. Ideally the cool chain must be maintained right up until just before the berries are consumed so it is a good idea to refrigerate your fresh strawberries as soon as possible.

Sunny Ridge Strawberry Stockists - The Sunny Ridge Farmgate & Café in Main Ridge, Coles supermarkets under the Sunny Ridge label, Harris Farm Markets (NSW) through sales agent Mary Zulumovski & Select quality fruiterers

Direct to the public at farmers and craft markets throughout Victoria

Local community events such as. Montalto Farmers Markets Opera In The Vineyard at Moonah Links Key Sponsor Of The Dromana Strawberry Festival The Rosebud Film Festival Red Hill Show Mornington Peninsula Hinterland Harvest Festival

Selecting and Storing Strawberries - Look for plump, bright red and fully ripe strawberries (they do not ripen after picking).

The sweetness of a strawberry is determined by its variety, not its size. The calyx (or berry cap) should be attached, green and fresh looking. Avoid berries that look 'seedy' or dull and soft. There should be no visible damage to the fruit.

When buying, always check the bottom of the punnet for moisture or strawberry juice. This is a sure sign of damaged fruit. Damaged fruit will only last a matter of hours and will affect the other berries in the punnet.

Strawberries should be washed before eating to remove dirt but too much water will damage the soft fruit and encourage breakdown. Only wash berries immediately prior to use.

To maximise flavour, strawberries should be served at room temperature. Take them out of the fridge one hour before you intend to eat them to allow the full aroma and taste to be realised.

Strawberry Nutrition - Strawberries are well known for their high nutritional value and medicinal properties. Just eight strawberries daily provides more than 20% of the recommended folate intake for expectant mothers and more vitamin C than an orange.

175 grams of Strawberries provides.
Kilojoules 175 (Calories 42)
Protein 2 g
Fat less than 0.2 g
Carbohydrates 4.7 g
Dietary Fibre 3.8 g
Vitamin C 79 mg
Folate 25 mcg
Calcium 22.7 mg
Magnesium 146.0 mg
Phosphorus 40.3 mg
Potassium 227.5 mg
Beta-carotene 44mcg * converted into Vitamin A in the body

Visit www.vicstrawberry.com.au for more details on strawberry nutrition

RASPBERRIES

ABOUT RASPBERRIES:

Raspberries, like blackberries are bramble fruits but they are also a member of the rose family. Raspberries are known as ‘aggregate’ fruits which mean they are a compendium of smaller seed-containing fruits called drupelets that are arranged around a hollow central cavity. While the most common type of raspberry (rubus idaeus) is pink-red in colour, raspberries can also be black, purple, orange, yellow or white. Loganberries and boysenberries are hybrids of the raspberry.

 

Selecting and Storing Raspberries - When picking, make sure the raspberries are fully ripe - the darker they are the sweeter they will taste. Choose berries that are firm, plump and deep in colour - avoid those that are soft or mushy. Pull them gently from the stem, being careful not to squeeze them. You should also be aware that raspberries have wicked thorns, so you need to be careful when picking them.

Before storing in the fridge, you should remove any berries that are spoiled to avoid them contaminating the other fruit. Raspberries should only be washed just prior to consumption or recipe preparation to avoid the fruit becoming water soaked. As raspberries are highly perishable, they should only be purchased 1-2 days prior to use and should not be kept at room temperature or in direct sunlight for too long as this will cause them to spoil.

Raspberries freeze well and once frozen will keep for up to one year. Before freezing, wash gently and pat dry with a paper towel. Adding a squeeze of lemon juice to the raspberries will also help to preserve their colour.

Raspberry Nutrition - Raspberries are an excellent source of manganese and Vitamin C. They are a good source of Vitamin B2, folate, niacin, magnesium, potassium and copper. In addition, they contain significant amounts of the anti-cancer phytochemcial ellagic acid. Information from www.whfoods.com

ABOUT BLUEBERRIES:

Blueberries are the fruit of a shrub that belongs to the heath family which includes cranberries, azaleas and rhododendrons. They grown in clusters and range in size from that of a pea to a small marble. They are deep in colour ranging from blue to maroon to purple-black and feature a waxy ‘bloom’ that covers the surface serving as a protective coat.

Selecting and Storing Blueberries - Choose blueberries that are firm and have a lively, uniform hue colour with a whitish bloom. Before purchasing, gently shake the container, to make sure the berries do not move freely, this may be an indication that some of the fruit is soft and damaged. They should also be free from moisture as this will promote decay.

Ripe berries should be stored in a covered container in the fridge where they will keep for about 1 week. However, ideally blueberries should be consumed within a few days of purchase.

Don't wash blueberries until right before eating as you will remove the bloom that protects the berries' skin from degradation. If kept a room temperature for more than an hour, the berries will start to spoil.

Blueberries can be frozen although this will slightly change their texture and flavour. Before freezing wash, drain and remove any damaged berries.

Blueberry Nutrition - Blueberries are literally bursting with nutrients and flavour while being very low in calories. They contain significant amounts of anthocyanadins, antioxidant compounds that give blue, purple and red colour to fruit and vegetables. In addition, blueberries also contain ellegic acid, another phytochemical that has been shown to prevent cell damage.

Blueberries are also a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, manganese and both soluble and insoluble fibre like pectin. Information from www.whfoods.com

CHERRIES

ABOUT CHERRIES:

Cherries are a stone fruit along with apricots, peaches, nectarines and plums. During Spring their trees are massed with beautiful white blossoms which form in clusters consisting of several flowers. These turn into bunches of one to three fruits which are harvested when ripe.

Cherries are 1-3cm in diameter and round to heart shaped with a hollow stalk - this stalk should be left attached after harvesting to prolong the shelf life. The cherries skin is smooth, glossy, red to deep red or black in colour and has red to crimson soft moist flesh.

Selecting and Storing Cherries - Select plump, glossy skins with green stems. Avoid fruit that is soft, dull or bruised – small, hard cherries lack flavour and juice.
Cherries can be stored in the fridge in a plastic bag, but are highly perishable so are best eaten as soon as possible.

Cherry Nutrition - Cherries are low in kilojoules (approx 170 kj to 100 grams). They are a good source of dietary fibre and Vitamin C.

Information from www.freshforkids.com.au

FARMGATE

Seasonal fresh produce is available year round from Sunny Ridge's farmgate including fresh berries, cherries, stone fruit, beans, avocadoes, corn and pumpkins.

WINES & LIQUEURS

Rebello Wines produces boutique strawberry wines and liqueurs.

All wines are available from the Sunny Ridge shop, at weekend Farmers Markets in Melbourne and regional Victoria and by mail order.

For further details contact: info@rebellowines.com.au

 

Read more about our wines and Liqueurs here.

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