Rutiz Farms Newsletter for January 7

Rutiz Family Farms
Newsletter

Welcome to Rutiz Farms Stand

NEWS OF THE FARM

The last few weeks have brought us much rain with cold and cloudy weather...but that is what December and January are supposed to have.
Most of the crops are doing fine, just not growing much...so we find ourselves with nearly the entire farm planted with crops, but not much to harvest. The selection of our own veggies at the stand is definitely less than the summer time, so I have been bringing in some produce from other local farmers ( who follow sustainable farming practices similar to my own ). Kiwis from Mallard Lake Ranch of Nipomo, pomegranates from Chadmark Farms of Paso Robles, apples from Cirone Farms of See Canyon, wheat flour from Huasna Valley Farms of Arroyo Grande, avocados from Nipomo, Chanterelle Mushrooms from the hills of See Canyon and oranges, lemons and limes from local backyards.

Remember...Closed Saturdays until March 2011.

The celery root in this week's box is the funny looking whitish colored ball cover with small roots. Here's a easy and tasty way to prepare....wash off any dirt, cut off and discard the green leafy top and peel away the outer roots until you have a round, white root about the size of a baseball, slice in half or quarters and steam with the potatoes until soft like a cooked potato ( a fork will easily past through it ), Combine with the cooked potatoes to make a delicious mashed celery root/potato dish.
The delicata squash in this week's box are one of my favorite of the winter squashes. An easy way to prepare them: wash off the outer skin, cut into 1/2 inch thick rings, scoop out the inside seed cavity and discard the seeds, cover in olive oil and place in a roasting pan for 20 minutes or so in a 400 degree oven until the the "rings" are crispy on the outside, turning once, ( the kids will think they are onion rings).
The cabbage would make for a great Cole Slaw, mix in some of the baby broccoli ( lightly blanch the broccoli first ) and grate up some of the carrots.
An easy way to prepare the pomegranate for eating...cut into quarters, place the cut fruit in a large bowl of water and separate the seeds from the skin while keeping the fruit pieces underwater, then strain the seeds out of the water...the seeds are ready to eat without the mess of juice squirting all over. Then you must decide if you are a seed "swallower" or a seed "spitter".

Available at our stand:

Heirloom Sonora Whole Wheat Flour from Huasna Valley Farm.

"Locally Grown, Freshly Milled"

The price will be $6.75 for a 21/2 pound bag of freshly milled flour.

Recipes will be available at www.huasnavalleyfarm.com.

Do you have interest in joining the fish CSA with pick ups at our stand each Friday ( weather permitting that the fisherman can get out to catch fish!) ?... "Margie the fish lady is taking sign-ups for the winter season. Call her at 481-5827 or email her at slofreshcatch@hughes.net."

Be sure to check out our "new and improved" web site at www.Rutizfarms.com. You will find many of our recipes and past newsletters archived and a "blog" page where you can see pictures and discussion of current and past events at the farm!

Available at the Stand strawberry

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

"Sierra Gold" potatoes--$1.50/ pound
sweet peppers--$2.50/ pound
Brussels sprouts---$2.50/ pound
cabbage--75c/ pound
romaine or red leaf lettuce--$1 each
pie pumpkins--75c/ pound
winter squashes---$1/ pound, butternut, kabocha, spaghetti, red kuri, musque de provence
delicata squash--$1.50/ pound
"Tuscano" kale--$1.75/ bunch
"rainbow" colored chard--$1.75/ bunch
broccoli--$2/ pound
cauliflower--$2/ pound for white, $3/ pound for the orange color
carrots--$1.75/ bunch
baby mixed salad greens--$2/ bag of about 1/2 pound

fennel bulb--$1 each

Italian flat-leaf parsley, mint, cilantro, rosemary, , arugula, -$1/ bunch
Chanterelle Mushrooms--$12/ pound
apples--$1.50/ pound
pomegranates--$1.50 each
kiwis--3 for $1
"Haas" avocados--$1 each

honey: 1 pound--$10,

( all honey products from David's Blue Ribbon Honey, Arroyo Grande)
fresh flowers: $5 to $9 per bunch

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!

RECIPES

For more recipe ideas, go to our web site at www.Rutizfarms.com and click on the "recipe" page.

Buttermilk Pancakes

These pancakes are simply amazing. Grab some buttermilk from the store and throw together a batch for what many people claim to be the best pancakes they have ever tasted. Makes about 1 dozen pancakes (3 to 4 servings).

2 cups Sonora whole wheat flour from Huasna Valley Farm

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 1/3 cups buttermilk

2 eggs (local, farm-fresh, free-range eggs are best!)

3 tablespoons of your favorite vegetable oil (butter works, we use melted coconut oil)

1. Mix together dry ingredients in medium bowl. In another bowl whisk together eggs, buttermilk and melted butter or oil. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until incorporated (don't stir more than necessary).

Cook on medium heat skillet about 1/3 cup at a time for each pancake. Cook for about 3 minutes until bubbles form on top of the pancakes and then flip. Cook for another 30 seconds to one minute and serve.