Description Paul Decker of New York presented Bella Viva with this marvelous desert as an entry in our Online Bake Off. We awarded his recipe first prize ($100 Bella Viva Certificate) based on: taste, quality, revelant use of dried fruit and ease of baking. We invite you to experiment with any and all of our delectable dried fruits in this tasty desert recipe. Thanks Paul! Ingredients: -1 cup Bella Viva Dried Apricots or Dapple Dandy Pluots, chopped -1 cup Bella Viva Dried Peaches, chopped -1 cup Bella Viva Dried Cranberries and/or Golden Raisins -4 Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced (skin on), 4-5 cups

Description At Bella Viva we love baking with our dried fruit! We have even diced our most delectable dried fruits for your convenience in the kitchen, including: Tangy Apricots, Yellow Peaches, White Peaches, Yellow Nectarines, White Nectarines, Pears, Dapple Dandy Pluots and Betty Anne Plums. Thanks to Mary A. of Sacramento for sending us this tasty recipe. Actually, I had the pleasure of making these scones with her. In today’s recipe we have used Bella Viva Diced Pears and Dapple Dandy Pluots but we invite you to be creative and use any and all of our diced fruits for your scones at home. You can

Nectarines – A Deliciously Sweet, California Treat! The nectarine harvest is underway in our Bella Viva Orchards! Radiant colors marked with sun kissed spots let us know that the fruit is bursting with flavor and loaded with sweetness. We hand pick our nectarines, which allows us to closely monitor the fruit until they reach peak ripeness; a task that requires much more attention to detail while enduring the current drought conditions coupled with the recent high temperatures we are experiencing here in California. After the harvest, our proprietary drying process begins within 24 hours to ensure the best flavor and texture possible for our

Planting Bare Root Trees – Your Backyard Orchard The bounty of the harvest all begins with the preparation and planting of our orchards. Although our Bella Viva orchards are filled with hundreds of trees, consisting of many different varieties, it doesn’t take a lot of space to create your own “Backyard Orchard.” The best time of the year to plant your bare root fruit trees is during the winter months when they are dormant; before their buds swell and the rainy season saturates the ground. First, you will need to find an area in your yard that receives six or more hours of full

Ingredients: ½ cup Bella Viva Prunes ½ cup Bella Viva Dried Peaches ½ cup Bella Viva Dried Apricots Orange peel/Orange Juice to taste 1 Tsp Cinnamon Lemon Juice Pinch/Lemon Peel Instructions Simmer 10 minutes in shallow water, after bringing to boil. Can be served, chilled or warm; add raw honey for sweetener if needed.

Description This combination is a delicious fruit-pie like concoction without the gluten, wheat, or flour. Enjoy throughout the holidays! Ingredients: 2-3 fresh cinnamon sticks Fresh or dry bay leaves Organic crystallized sugar (or any sugar) Ground cinnamon Bella Viva dried apricots Bella Viva dried pears Bella Viva dried peaches Bella Viva dried nectarines Bella Viva dried prunes Instructions Line a metal tin, or any container we like to use a festive holiday tin! Line the bottom with a paper doily or any food-grade liner. Layer ingredients in a liberal fashion and sprinkle cinnamon-sugar to taste. Close lid and let ingredients sit on counter.