Welcome to Rutiz Farms
This Week on the Farm
The raspberries and tomatoes are slowly ripenning up and we will have limited supply for sale at the Stand this week....I am sure within a few weeks in the future, we will have ample supplies of both!
The strawberries are still out there to harvest, just not many of them...we should have enough for the table at the Stand, but we will again be putting Cirone Farms apricots in the Harvest Boxes this week. Mike Cirone tells me that his next fruit crop ( starting in another week or two) will be peaches... and they should be great 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:
Look for red beets and "Persian" cress ( don't overlook this small bunch of green leaves in your Box this week)....see below for recipe ideas.
Our sweet corn has finally ripened up and is nice and sweet...everyone should receive 3 to 4 ears in their harvest Box this week. I know the ears are a bit on the small side this week...but htis is typical of the first field of the season...they will get larger in the coming weeks!
The fruit for this week will be a pound of Cirone Farms ( from See Canyon ) apricots...they are the "Blenhiem" variety and are at their peak of flavor!
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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
ROASTED BEETS
Scrub beets under cold water, rub them with vegetable oil and sprinkle them with a little kosher salt. Roast them on a baking sheet at 350 F. Small to medium beets take 30-60 minutes. You may want to cut large beets in half to shorten the baking time. When the beets can be pierced easily with a fork, they're done. Once the beets are cool, the skins slip off easily.
One of my favorite salads is a mixture of greens topped with cubes of roasted beets, slices of tart green apple, and pats of goat cheese, all drizzled with sweet-tangy beet vinaigrette.
Beet Salad
We love it, it's fast, easy and healthy.
I just threw it together, so it's a simple one. trim ends off beets, then steam until soft rinse with cold water, so that the skin peels right off. dice up, mix with thinly sliced onions, (red, white or yellow), add crumbled crostini, and plenty of balsamic vinegar, salt/pepper to taste with a dash of extra virgin olive oil. Toss, EAT.
A quick way to fix beets: use a pressure cooker! It's faster...
Chocolate Beet Brownies
from: http://www.plantea.com/chocolatebeetbrownies.htm
These brownies are rich, chewy and secretly nutritious!
1/2 cup butter (or 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup applesauce)
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
4 eggs
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 cup applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup cooked beets , drained and mashed;
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1/2 cup wheat germ
Melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Set aside to cool. In a separate bowl, beat eggs until light in color and foamy. Add sugar and vanilla and continue beating until well creamed. Stir in chocolate mixture, followed by applesauce and beets. Sift together flour, salt, spices and baking powder and stir into creamed mixture. Fold in wheat germ and almonds. Turn into greased 9x13-inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Cool before cutting into squares.
While I had fun developing the chocolate beet recipe, it's a treat to see the expression on people's faces when I tell them what's in the recipe.
"Persian" Cress
is high in cancer-fighting phyto-nutrients as well as antioxidant vitamins C and A. Cress can be used in soups, salads, sauces, on sandwiches or as a garnish. Its flavor is peppery and will add a zing to your favorite dishes. Store it! In your refrigerator crisper section.
Fresh spinach salad
Ingredients:
1 tbsp red wine vinegar (or cider)
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp prepared mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
3 tbsp salad oil
1/2 garlic clove
4 cups crisp spinach, hard stems removed
2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
4 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
4 fresh mushrooms sliced
1/4 cup broccoli sliced into small pieces (optional)
How to make this recipe:
Mix first 7 ingredients and refrigerate. Tear spinach into bite-sized pieces and prepare remaining ingredients. Add dressing just before serving, having removed the garlic clove. Prep time: 10-15 minutes
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.
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 red beets
a bunch of "Persian" cress
zucchini squashes or cucumbers
a bag of "bloomsdale" spinach
"bi-color" sweet corn
a bag of salad mix
"Blue Lake" green beans
Jerry's "Sierra Gold" potatoes
red and yellow sweet onions
See Canyon apricots
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. Our mailing address is : Rutiz Farms
333 Miller Way
Arroyo Grande, Ca 93420
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