Author Archives: wpengine

Traeger Roasted Lamb Sliders

Traeger Lamb Slider

While the original was a mini “grease-burger” by White Castle in the 1940s, they’ve come a long way! Watch one way to twist a slider into something unexpected on your Traeger. What You’ll Need for Roasting the Lamb 1 Lamb leg roast (I de-boned mine, but you don’t have to. Smaller pieces cook faster. You can use […]

Grower Spotlight: Heesacker Farms

Steve Heesacker, Heesacker Farms in Forest Grove, OR How long has your family owned your farm? My dad started farming hazelnuts in 1960. My wife, Karla, and I purchased the business in 2003. We are second-generation hazelnut farmers. How long has your family-owned and operated the receiving station? Since 1994. I helped Dad build our […]

2019 Harvest Update

Payment Schedule

Thank you for choosing HGO as your marketing partner. Overall, 2019 was a successful harvest year. Many processes that were pain points at HGO last year were significantly improved this year; demonstrating the commitment of the HGO team to continuous improvement and to our growers. Sampling Process Our chain of custody procedure allowed us to […]

Winter Pruning

Ryan

Now that harvest is complete, attention is now focused on winter pruning. Pruning, while it is expensive, can be very beneficial to the health of your orchards. Most growers are cutting out deadwood, EFB infected trees, and pruning young trees to establish strong scaffolding. Cutting out dead wood is something that is done every year. […]

January 2020 – Letter From COO Greg Thorsgard

Dear Grower, After nine months with Hazelnut Growers of Oregon, I’m excited to report an excellent and smooth 2019. We are expecting continued growth in the New Year by adding to our grower memberships and the Oregon Orchard® brand. I think the most exciting event this past year was when our state-of-the-art Donald processing facility […]

Ryan’s Corner November 2019

Ryan

Here it is, November and we’re soon to welcome a new decade! On Sept. 20th we received our first load of hazelnuts at the HGO plant in Donald. Being new to HGO and the Hazelnut industry, I heard the stories of the 2018 harvest being fast and furious by industry standards. The 2019 harvest has […]

November 2019 Letter From CEO Sam Bugarsky

Sam Bugarsky Ceo

There’s been a lot of change at Wilco and HGO these past few years and I want to take this opportunity to reassure you that our business units are well-positioned for the future. First, with the recent and sudden leadership change, please know that our momentum will not slow down. We have an excellent leadership […]

Pumpkin-Hazelnut Cake with Maple Glaze

Hazelnut Pumpkin Recipe Blog

Adapted from a NY Times recipe by YOSSY AREFI by Chef Jessica Ritter Champion, Co-owner Wild Pear Restaurant & Catering and Ritter’s Housemade Foods. Pumpkin-Hazelnut Bundt Cake with Maple Brown-Butter Glaze TIME: 1 1/2 hours, plus allow time for cooling. Pumpkin-Hazelnut Cake: 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 ¼ […]

October 2019 Letter From COO Greg Thorsgard

Dear Grower, I’ve been here six months now and boy, have I learned a lot about the hazelnut business!   Things are getting busier and we’re in the throes of harvest season.  We are excited to see what the approximately 180 farms we service will produce with it being a “biennial year” and orchards providing less […]