Garden Girl Co.

Garden Girl Club Membership...Sign up today!

2011-03-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

With a fresh breeze and crisp, chilled air mixed with warm sunshine we all know it's that time of year again! Spring will soon be followed by the ever awaited days of Summer! As I sit here I've been preparing, planning and expanding my ambitions for the 2011 Garden Girl Co. season. So much still in the works, but one new addition I will share with you for this farm season at Norm Lehne Garden and Orchards is the introduction of Garden Girl Club. What's this you say? Well, I won't keep you in suspense....

In addition to a small store front at the farm, Garden Girl Co. will be offering a seasonal Garden Girl Club membership. This membership will include 6 pick-ups at the farm alongside the Lehne Farm CSA, which runs July 8th through September 23rd. Every other week Club members will receive one 4-ounce (not 8 ounce sorry for the mix up) jar of homemade jam and at least one baked item, such as a package of Garden Girl muffins, brownies, pie or other creations. Cost will be $75. As always, all items will be handmade, at the farm in our licensed kitchen, with farm-fresh ingredients.

Thank you for your continued support and I hope to reward your tastebuds with farm fresh excellence again this 2011 season! To join please call the farm at (541) 672-2745, as space is limited.

Your Garden Girl,
Wendy Lehne

**Gluten-free and possibly sugar-free options will be available upon request. This excludes the jams as they are not sugar free, but are low-sugar recipes and of course gluten-free.

CSA Member Season Finale Sale this Weekend...September 23rd-25th!

2010-09-23T08:17:00.000-07:00

For all of you CSA members on your Season Finale week, I wanted to offer a special "thank you" for all of your support this trial year of Garden Girl Co. at Norm Lehne Garden and Orchards!

This weekend only we are offering our Jam as a buy one get one 50% off! This is the perfect time to try some of the other varieties and flavors available for yourself or as gifts...yes, the holidays are approching! This discount applies to the ice cream toppings as well...remember to stock up this winter so you don't run out of your favorite flavors! Also, the 16 oz containers of tomato sauce are 50% off and are in the freezer, making them only $2.25, just ask for assistance. This is just my way of offering you an extra thank you to all of the CSA members this season and hope you enjoyed all the products this year...it was a pleasure to serve you!

*As an added bonus turn in your Garden Girl Co. survey this week and get an extra one-dollar off of any item...that can be included with the specials as well!

NEW this week...Raspberry Rhubarb pie $12. This marks the last of Norm's delicious raspberry crop that I have in storage, so get them while you can. The regular version has a whole wheat crust and looks delicious! This pie is also available in Gluten-free...the Gluten-free version came out a little tart as I didn't add very much sugar...just add whipped cream or ice cream to add a little sweetness if you desire. Apple Pie and Marionberry pie are also still available.

Enjoy...thank you for all your support this summer and hope to see you all next year!

Garden Girl Co....Italian Style!

2010-08-30T18:12:00.000-07:00

This week at home it's hard to get used to the under-pressure of sorts in the kitchen. Oh yes, our kitchen is busy with our family's canning projects, but my mind wanders of what to offer at the farm next. As much as I needed the break, I can't wait to offer more goodies for you at the farm this Labor Day weekend!

This week at home I've been subsisting on cheese and crackers...fresh cheeses of sorts...I need something to go with all that Garden Girl Jam:), and I thought why not offer some of my favorite types at the farm for sale! My favorite is sheep's milk cheese (I have a lead on a potential local producer), goat's milk che'vre would be my second choice and last but not least regular old cream cheese. I've hunted tirelessly for the perfect serving size packaging and hope to have some for sale soon. Some combined with our farm produced Garden Girl Co. pesto or specialty jams of course. Why not?

Since my creativity is on a roll I will also be offering pesto, tomato based pasta sauce and potentially some fresh gnocchi this next weekend for sale. What could be better, you say?... to go with all your garden fresh veggies you just picked up. Oh yes!...a wonderful Italian fare and one stop shopping at the farm for this delightful meal. So if you are interested in trying some of these delicious new mid-summer offerings, we hope to see you on this Labor Day weekend to sample and purchase these new products. What a perfect addition to your farm-fresh produce picking, dinner discovered...Ciao!

Pies Available at the Farm...

2010-08-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

With school days lingering in the near future and lazy summer days at the farm coming to an end, our family packed up to head home for a week. School clothes to buy and preparation ahead for the "big" school year ahead. School officially starts next week for Ashlynn and I will be home-schooling Kylie this year and have much to prepare. You may see her with me some as we return to the farm...riding the beloved bike of the summer, their vintage garage sale three-wheeler!

So with all the events around the corner Glen and I made the long and late drive home last night to Vancouver, but never fear, I've left some goodies behind! Wednesday I was very busy in the kitchen preparing a variety of pies to put in the freezer. Same great quality, just take and bake instead.

The varieties available are both in gluten-free and regular pies:

Cherry
Blackberry
Nectarine
Apple
Blackberry/Nectarine

There is a limited quantity...so first come, first serve on these. Garden Girl Co.'s famous muffins are also available in blueberry and apple-cinnamon, with everything made out of Norm's farm-fresh fruit! Of course my specialty jams and ice cream toppings are still available for sale. Enjoy...until I return Labor Day weekend!

Your Garden Girl,
Wendy Lehne

Garden Girl Co. "Open House" Saturday August 21st...

2010-08-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

This Saturday from 9am-1pm Glen and I will be hosting Garden Girls first open house here at the farm. Come out for a visit and try scrumptious samples of muffins, pie, jam and my specialty fruit ice cream topping. Glen will also have the smoker fired up and will be demo-ing his apple wood smoking chips. At this open house there will be specials and lots of free samples...come out to Norm Lehne Garden and Orchards on Cleveland Rapids and taste for yourself this well received new addition to the farm.

I have also updated my products page to list when certain products will be available here at the farm for purchase. I also take special orders so just call the farm ahead to place and order. I also specialize in baking some gluten-free items...pies are the regular item I have here at the farm for sale...hope to see you all this Saturday!

Your Garden Girl,
Wendy Lehne

Bake...Bake...and more Bake...

2010-08-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

That is the theme this week, Baking...here at the farm. I've been busy in the kitchen creating new muffins like Chocolate Zucchini, Lemon Poppy Seed and Blackberry Peach. This weekend at the farm these will be available for sale by the box and individually.

Finally I have moved on to the most awaited of baked goods..Pie! Last night I made a sample for myself, of coarse it is gluten-free...boy was I impressed with the deliciousness of this creation. I have Norm to thank for his most flavorful Red Haven Peaches and Blackberries that went into this pie! This weekend I will be having Pies available here at the farm for sale regular and small sizes. The small variety will be gluten-free and the regular size is not.

In both pies of course I will use the freshest LOCAL ingredients, right down to the flour. Actually as I type my husband, Glen is at Bob's Red Mill picking up more flour varieties. I do not use any artificial ingredients and have incorporated the use of all-natural lard from Dietrich Meats in Pennsylvania...some of the best stuff money can buy. I hope to have blackberry, peach, nectarine and apple, and possibly some combinations. See you soon...now it's back to the kitchen!

Your Garden Girl,

Wendy Lehne

CSA through the season at...

2010-07-31T10:49:00.000-07:00

Lehne Farm CSA season is in full swing. This week the farm has been gearing up for opening week, produce is finally catching up with the warmer weather and fruit nearly ripe to pick. Luckily for the CSA members they have been fortunate to enjoy some of the limited and early crops that Norm grows. Here you'll see some of the action, behind the scenes at Norm Lehne Garden and Orchards. The Lehne Farm packing crew gets their workout every week...enjoy the pictures, and THANK YOU to our photographer and CSA member Sheila Nielsen, of Sheila Nielsen Photography!

**Garden Girl Co. products will be available this week when the farm opens...see you soon!

Your Garden Girl,
Wendy Lehne

Picking Marionberries in Portland

2010-07-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

This week our family drove back home from the farm and picked a few flats of ripe, juicy Marionberries for farm fresh jam making. I'll be offering jam this next week at the farm for sale....but unfortunately no baked goods. While all of you are are picking up your CSA boxes, this Garden Girl will be busy working in her garden this weekend here in Vancouver, Washington. Since the last two weeks our family has been working down at Norm Lehne Garden and Orchards farm, in Roseburg, we've fell behind here at home. Here in Vancouver we have a small farm of sorts of our own. Currently besides our small garden we have, according to my daughter Ashlynn, 46 animals; actually 56 if you count the possible nine chicken eggs hatching shortly and a mare in foal that will be due any day now. That is our family's world, back and forth to Roseburg, but our hearts leave much behind here at home...

Not without reward...as I truly hope this season by providing a unique variety of artisan products we will fill a need at the farm to offer some value added products for sale to enhance your garden shopping experience. It has been a delight to create and sell some bonus items to those picking up their CSA boxes. Garden Girl Co. will be back the end of this month offering more baked items and hopefully some Marionberry Jam....Enjoy!

Your Garden Girl,
Wendy Lehne

Jammin' around with Raspberries

2010-07-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

This week Norm and Cinda finalized the farm kitchen licensing and got the go-ahead for making and selling homemade jam and baked goods here on the farm. This week Garden Girl Co. products will feature farm- fresh Raspberries! I have been busy making the best jam ever, of course I'm a little biased, and testing new versions which CSA members will get to sample and buy this weekend here at the farm.

Some of the flavors of jam to look forward to are: Raspberry, Raspberry/Rhubarb and a limited edition of Strawberry/Rhubarb. I'm excited to get these out on the shelf for sale and get some feedback on what everyone thinks. It's been a fun experience to get this "Garden Girl" off to a running start and I hope you enjoy all the goodies this summer we will have to offer. Whether it is fresh-farm produce or some of my processed goods and baked items for sale here at Norm Lehne Garden and Orchards....ENJOY!

Your Garden Girl,
Wendy Lehne

With Sunshine Comes More Planting...

2010-06-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

This past weekend the girls and I spent visiting the Farm. We saw the sun, finally, after all these rainy, wet weeks behind us and Norm was anxious to get the rest of the plants in the ground. The planter is an interesting piece of equipment used to put the plants in rows, with the help of its passengers. Our daughter, Ashlynn, helped her grandma carefully place the plants in the planting mechanism, while grandpa drove the tractor. I got some great photos to share...

My Garden Girls...

2010-06-01T10:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend the girls (Norm and Cinda's granddaughters) and I did a lot of chores outside between rainstorms...cleaning the chicken coop, weeding in the garden were on the list as well as stirring the compost pile. I heard lots of complaining about how I never let the girls play...but I'm not sure how much "work" they really got done...the joys of youth, without a care in the world, ahhh...

Garden Greens!

2010-05-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

To my surprise not all was wet and gloomy as I checked the garden today. I mostly expected to find half struggling plants, seeds rotted and stunted lettuce. But to my delight I found beautiful spinach and arugula greens waiting to be picked. With the first bright sun I've seen, in what seems like weeks, the garden shined with a glimmer of hope. They graced our table with dinner tonight in this recipe and I thought I'd share it here...Enjoy!

Rain, Rain...Well Then, Let's Bake!

2010-05-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

With three of our Labradors inside cuddled by the wood stove, I decided today feels nothing like spring as it should, but more like a cold, dreary winters day in the Northwest. Usually this time of year I would be knee deep in the garden preparing, weeding and seeding all kinds of goodies for a tasty summer fare. Instead I stoke a fire, trying to keep it going to stay warm and dry. What a wet and rainy spring it has been, but I know warm Summer days are ahead and with that I need to perfect some recipes. I am so thrilled to share these recipes with you on the farm this summer!

Today, "pie" will be my attempt...developing some recipes for Garden Girl Co.. Off in the kitchen I plan to create my first individual pies with crust made with REAL butter and yes, lard! I've heard there is no better pie crust than one made with real all-natural lard. Ours will contain lard from Dietrich's Meats & Country Store, in Pennsylvania, a source I found on one of my most loved gluten-free websites. I hope to find some locally, but until then, at least I am certain of the quality of this farm-fresh product having no preservatives nor hydrogenation. Other local ingredients will be Tillamook butter, Bob's Red Mill Flour and local, farm-fresh fruit from Norm's Orchards.

I plan to offer three flavors of this pie: cherry, apple and peach. I hope this summer your family will have the pleasure of trying some to go along with all the garden goodies at Norm Lehne Garden and Orchards in Roseburg. Off to the kitchen I go...I think I'll need a latte' while I bake to stay warm!

Garden Girl Co. NEW at Norm Lehne Garden's!!!

2010-05-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

At Norm Lehne Garden and Orchards, Norm and Cinda have been very busy in the green house growing this years plants that will produce a plentiful harvest for all to enjoy! Just this week the last of the seedlings were transplanted into the garden and given a kick start with lots of sunshine and Oregon rain to nourish their growth. I can't wait for all the wonderful summer produce and can almost taste that sweet corn now!

This year there will be a small addition for our weekend customers. Garden Girl Co. will partner with Norm Lehne Gardens and will be offering some jams and bakery items for sale. We want to find what items people are interested in this year in hopes of expansion in the coming years. I, Wendy, Norm and Cinda's daughter-in-law, will be heading up this operation. I look forward to pairing some great ideas with my passion of natural, farm fresh food. We will be offering natural, delicious products made with local, farm fresh, high quality ingredients. I hope you will enjoy them and support this new venture at the farm!