Welcome to Rutiz Farms
This Week on the Farm
HAVE A HAPPY 4TH OF JULY
Our stand will be open on Friday, regular hours ( 1 to 6pm), but we will be closed on Saturday, July 4...so we can all celebrate the holiday!
Our strawberry u-pick is finished for the season...but start thinking about a raspberry u-pick...coming sometime in August!
Our bi-colored sweet corn should be ready in another week or 2...I will keep you posted when it is ready!
Our Tomatoes should be ready in 2 to 3 weeks.
The first of the season Apricots, from Cirone Farms of See Canyon, should be available at our stand this Friday ...Mike ( the grower) tells me they are great quality this year!
For those of you who have signed up to have your box delivered to the Slo city area...the boxes should be available for pick-up at your arranged location by 2pm each Thursday afternoon. Please, please make the effort to return the collapsed box to your pick up location by the next Thursday when you pick up again ( these boxes cost me over $1...and I really don't factor this cost into the overall cost of your Harvest Box...as long as I get them back, I won't have to pass the costs down to everyone!)
IF YOU PICK UP YOUR BOX AT OUR STAND IN ARROYO GRANDE ON FRIDAYS, YOU CAN JUST CONTINUE TO RESERVE YOUR BOX ON A WEEK BY WEEK BASIS BY USING THE EMAIL RESPONSES
If you are receiving the delivered Harvest Boxes in the SLO city area, you do not need to respond back with the e-mail each week...you have already paid for your Boxes and they will be delivered to your pick up location each Thursday.
WHAT'S NEW IN THE BOX THIS WEEK:
Basil is growing well and to celebrate everyone will get a bunch in their Box this week...look below in our recipe section for some ideas of how to use it
Italian parsley and a small bulb of garlic will be included in your Harvest Box this week so you can use it in our basil pesto recipe.
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Available at the Stand
Here are the items that we should have on the "table" for this Friday along with the prices so you may plan your meals and your budget.
blue lake green beans--$2/ pound
blackberries--$3/ basket
strawberries--$2.75/ basket, $8/ 3 pack
parsnips--$2 / pound
sweet yellow or purple onions--$1/ pound
broccoli--$1.50/ pound
zucchini squashes--$1.50/ pound
"Sierra Gold" potatoes--$1.50/ pound
carrots--$1.75/ bunch
"rainbow colored" carrots--$2/ bunch
cauliflowers- white--$1.00/ pound
colored--$2/ pound
red beets-$1.75/ bunch
leeks--$1.75/ bunch
red leaf , butter leaf and romaine lettuces--$1 each
baby mixed salad greens--$2/ bag of about 1/2 pound
spinach--$2/ bag of about 1/2 pound
"sunflower" sprouts--$2.50 for !/4 pound
fennel bulb--$1 each
basil---$1.50/ bunch
Italian flatleaf parsley, cilantro, rosemary, sage, thyme, arugala,--$1/ bunch
rhubarb--$3/ pound
lemons--3 /$1
avocados--$1 each or 3 for $2.50
honey: 1 pound--$10,
"flavored" cream honey varieties--$7.50/ jar bee pollen--$30/ jar ( by special order)
( all honey products from David's Blue Ribbon Honey,
Arroyo Grande)
fresh flowers:
mixed bouquets--$5 to $7/ bunch
sunflowers--$5/ bunch
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Harvest Box Info
You are welcome to come by and pick out individual items from the table or continue to pick up your reserved Harvest box or both( add items that may not be included in your Box that week)..The Harvest Boxes, which cost $14 / week , will be available for pick up during the Stand hours on Fridays only. I would ask you to kindly let me know by Thursday evening of each week, with a E mail response( use the link in the right hand column of this newsletter where it says Order Your Harvest Box) if you want a Box for the week. Please take note: this ordering link is only usable for the current week's newsletter....After Friday morning of each week, the ordering link becomes unusable!
If you are receiving the delivered Harvest Boxes in the SLO city area, you do not need to respond back with the e-mail each week...you have already paid for your Boxes and they will be delivered to your pick up location by 2pm each Thursday. |
RECIPES
BASIL PESTO
3 Tablespoons pine nuts or almonds, lightly toasted
1 Cup lightly packed basil leaves
2 Tablespoons Italian parsley leaves
1 lg. clove garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 Cup olive oil
parmesan cheese
salt
In a food processor (or blender), combine nuts, basil, parsley, and garlic. Pulse, until well chopped. With motor running, add oil in a stream. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in cheese and salt to taste. Store with a thin layer of oil to keep fresh and green. (The parsley helps keep the bright green color too.)
SPECIAL BASIL storage notes: It shouldn't get too cold, so try to find the 'warmest' place in your fridge. For some that's the door, for others that might be the produce drawer. In my own fridge, the back of the fridge tends to get coldest.... I've read recently that wrapping the basil bunch in a damp clean cloth (I used an old clean cloth napkin) and put that in the 'vegetable crisper'. It worked for me! If you're not sure about your fridge you can try keeping your basil as a flower bunch in a jar with water at the stems. I don't recommend drying basil: it's best used up or made into pesto and then freezing the pesto if you want to keep the flavor for another week/month.
A Simple TOMATO AND BASIL SAUCE
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs. tomatoes, peeled
8 basil leaves
Heat the oil and gently fry the onion and garlic until they are
transparent. Add the tomatoes and cook quickly in a shallow uncovered
pan so that the sauce thickens and remains a bright red. Season to
taste then puree with the basil leaves.
SMASHED POTATOES WITH PESTO
Boil in salted water to cover until very tender:
1 lb. potatoes
Drain well and return to the pan. Place back on the burner and shake to dry the potatoes. Peel all or half of the potatoes, then smash with a large spoon or fork, blending in:
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp. butter
Add:
1/2 cup pesto sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
Serve hot. The potatoes can be placed in an oiled baking dish and reheated in a 375 degree oven just before serving.
EASY TIPS FOR PERFECT ROASTED VEGETABLES
adapted from The Santa Monica Farmer's Cookbook by Amelia Saltsman
Roasting vegetables concentrates their flavors, develops and caramelizes natural sugars, and gives them that appetizing crisped look. Best of all, the same technique works for just about any vegetable you've got on hand, any time of the year. Follow these simple steps for great results.
Keep vegetables or vegetables pieces a uniform size for even cooking.
Toss cleaned, trimmed vegetables with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, kosher or sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. For convenience, do this directly in the pan.
Always preheat the oven.
Roast dense vegetables, such as beets or potatoes, at 400 degrees, quick-cooking ones, such as asparagus or tomatoes, at 425 to 450 degrees.
green beans, trimmed and cut in 3" lengths Don't crowd the pan, or your vegetables will steam rather than brown. Large baking sheets and heatproof-glass dishes are ideal for roasting.
Roast vegetables uncovered in the upper third of the oven for better browning.
Halfway through the cooking time, remove the pan from the oven and give it a shake or use a spatula to loosen and turn the vegetables.
When the vegetables are browned and tender, season again with your favorite seasonings...salt, pepper, garlic powder.
If serving the vegetables at room temperature, allow them to cool before piling them onto a serving dish( so they won't steam themselves and get soft). | |
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Order Your Harvest Box
This Weeks Harvest Box should Include:
a bunch of basil
a bunch of Italian parsley
a small bulb of garlic
broccoli
a bag of salad mix
"Blue Lake" green beans
"rainbow colored" carrots
Jerry's "Sierra Gold" potatoes
red and yellow sweet onions
1 basket of blackberries
PLEASE bring back the empty boxes each week.
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| Stand Hours
Tuesdays and Fridays 1 to 6pm
Saturdays 10am to 4pm
FARM STAND LOCATION:
1075 "The Pike" in Arroyo Grande. We are located on the south side of The Pike, between Halcyon Road and Elm Street. Visit our web site at www.Rutizfarms.com for a map to the farm. |
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