Welcome to Rutiz Farms NEWS OF THE FARM
Strawberries and asparagus are just starting to come in...be sure to come by the stand early so you don't miss out!
Full of Life Flatbread Pizza ( of Los Alamos) will be bringing their portable wood burning oven out to the farm next Friday, March 18 (not this Friday ). We will be giving out free small slices of pizza to everyone who comes by between 1 and 5pm and in addition, the Flatbread crew will be selling hot pizzas fresh out of the oven for you to eat on the spot or to take home for dinner that night. Many of the topping used on the pizzas will be veggies right off of our farm! More info in next week's newsletter.
Just some reminders:
1) The stand will be reopening for Saturdays beginning April 2.
2) As of last week, the price for our Harvest boxes is now $15.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX THIS WEEK
Fresh spearmint
is in the boxes this week. An easy way to make some hot mint tea ( good for soothing a grumpy stomach):
Rinse the mint leaves well to remove any dirt.
Roughly tear the leaves with your hands and place them in a teapot. Bring the water to a boil. Gently bruise the mint leaves with a wooden spoon to release oils. Add the boiling water to the leaves in the teapot. Cover the teapot and let the leaves steep for at least 5 to 10 minutes, then strain and serve. Sweeten with honey or sugar to taste if desired.
What do you do with this fennel bulb that is in my box ( way to often for some people!) The easiest way to prepare it is to cut up the bottom bulb portion and saute it in olive oil...just as you would sauteing an onion. Mix in in with the snap peas, pre-cooked baby artichokes and baby broccoli for a delicious stir fry.
The baby artichokes are a great treat that are easy to prepare: wash off the artichoke, remove the outer 2 or 3 set of dark green leaves until the remaining leaves are a lighter shade of green or cream color. Using a sharp knife, cut off the top 1 inch or so of the top of the artichoke, then remove the outer skin from the stem( yes, the inside of the stems are very delicious). Cut the artichoke in half lengthwise, steam 10 to 15 minutes until slightly soft, remove from the steamer, coat with olive oil and garlic powder. Grill on the bar-b-que or under the broiler oven for 5 to 10 minutes on each side until brown and crispy ( or put them under a broiler)
The snap peas are the edible pod type, you can eat the whole pea...just remove the stem and the small "string" that runs along one edge. They are great raw in salads, with dips or snacks in the kids lunches or in a saute or stir fry.
Use the "Bloomsdale" spinach as the base for a simple spinach salad or saute the leaves lightly in a little olive oil and garlic...but don't overcook, keep it a little "crunchy"!
The Zutano avocados are the local late winter, springtime variety of avocado for this area. They don't have quite the rich flavor of a Haas variety, but when you allow them to ripen properly, they are great in sandwiches and salads. The ones we are putting in this week's boxes will need another week or so to be ripe...once they are soft to the touch, eat within a day or so...don't store them after they are ripe, as they can get "stringy" and discolored rather quickly.
Also available at our stand from other farmers and businesses: We are proud to again offer freshly made "artisan" breads from the Eclair Bakery of The Village of Arroyo Grande. Every Friday afternoon, we will have for sale such creations as blue cheese pecan, Asiago cheese onion, sourdough, honey whole wheat and baguettes. These breads are a real treat, coming hot out of the Bakery's oven on Friday mornings, great to accompany our veggies for your Friday night dinner! Most loaves will run about $5, with the baguettes about $3.
The Transitions Mental Health Growing Grounds of Santa Maria, a non profit organization that uses growing of potted plants as therapy for their clients, is supplying us with bedding plants to sell at our stand. Vegetable and herb starts in 4 packs and 4 inch pots of perennial herbs, along with herb bowls are currently available for purchase. Help to support their worthwhile work programs by using their potted plant starts in your garden this spring. You might think that if our customers have their own gardens, it might take away business from the stand...but I think quite the opposite...when people realize how much work it is to raise their own vegetables, they have a greater appreciation for the work we put in every day at the farm.
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." DO YOU WANT TO SIGN UP FOR DELIVERIES OF OUR HARVEST BOXES FOR THE SLO CITY AREA?
We are now taking sign up for those of you who are interested to receive our weekly Harvest Box delivered to pick up locations in the SLO city area. The current drop sites are planned to be :
1) Avila Bay Club near Avila Beach ( available for the public)
2)The Montessori Childrens School ( available only for staff and families of the school)
3)Equilibrium Fitness Center located in the Marigold Shopping Center ( available for the public )
4) Pacheco School and Bishop's Peak School ( available only for staff and families of the school)...see your school coordinator for schedules as they are influenced by school holidays and the box costs are slightly higher to allow for fund raising opportuinties. I would be open to new drop off points in SLO area if anyone wanted to get 10 or more box subscriptions at one place!
This spring's delivery program will start April 7 and run through June 9. You will receive a Harvest Box delivered to your pick up location each Thursday afternoon for the 10 week period for the cost of $180. If interested, please contact your school coordinator ( if you are at Pacheco, Bishop's Peak or Montessori ) or if you want to use the Avila Bay Club or the Equilibrium Fitness Center...send me an email ( to info@RutizFarms.com ) stating where you want to pick up and then send a check for $180 ( made out to Rutiz Farms ) to:
Rutiz Farms
333 Miller Way
Arroyo Grande Ca 93420
I must hear from you at least 5 days before the start date...so we can prepare...also, if we don't have at least 10 subscribers at any one location, we may have to cancel the use of that location. 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!
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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
strawberries--$3/ basket asparagus--$2.50/ bunch snap peas, snow peas and shelling peas--$4/ pound "Sierra Gold" potatoes--$1.50/ pound
Brussels sprouts---$3.00/ pound
pie pumpkins--75c/ pound
winter squashes---$1/ pound, butternut,
delicata squash--$1.50/ pound
"Tuscano" kale--$2 / bunch
"rainbow" colored chard--$2 / bunch
broccoli--$2/ pound
Italian "sprouting" baby broccoli--$4 / pound
radishes--$1 / bunch
artichokes--50c to $1.50 each
cauliflower--$2/ pound for white, $3/ pound for the orange color
carrots--$2 / bunch
baby mixed salad greens--$2/ bag of about 1/2 pound
baby spinach--$2/ bag of about 1/2 pound
fennel bulb--$1 each Italian flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, rosemary, arugula, -$1/ bunch
sunflower sprouts--$3 / 1/4 pound
Tomatoes from the Salton Sea--$3/ pound
apples--$1.50/ pound
Mandarin oranges--$2.50/ pound
kiwis--2 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
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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 $15 / 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!
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RECIPES
for more recipe ideas, go to our web page at www.Rutizfarms.com and click on the "recipe" section
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
Produce in the Harvest Box this week:
baby artichokes
a bunch of spearmint
a bag of salad mix
a bag of "Bloomsdale" savoy spinach
a bulb of fennel
"Italian sprouting" baby broccoli sugar snap peas
2 "Zutano" avocados
Mandarin oranges from See Canyon
PLEASE bring back the empty boxes each week.
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| Stand Hours
Tuesdays and Fridays.. 1 to 5 pm
Saturdays...closed until April 2011
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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