Welcome to Rutiz Farms NEWS OF THE FARM
We are now open on Saturdays, 10am to 3pm....and Tuesdays and Fridays 1 to 6pm.
The breads from Eclair Bakery are now available at the stand on both Fridays and Saturdays.
The strawberries are making a comeback after the rains of 2 weeks ago...we should have a few flats this Friday and Saturday and then ample supplies by next week...if the weather cooperates!
NEW ITEMS AT THE STAND: Lemon or raspberry flavored cream honeys from David's Blue Ribbon Honey...a little goes a long way, great in your tea or spread on toast! Blueberries from Gary Teixeira farms of Santa Maria...picked ripe and sweet!
WHAT'S IN THE BOX THIS WEEK
The baby broccoli is very tender and sweet flavored, use the stem and all when adding the florets to your stir fry.
The fennel bulb is delicious grated up raw and added to a salad or cut up the white bulb portion and saute with other veggies...as you would a onion. The fennel is also great quarter up and roasted with the potatoes and carrots.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. The "French breakfast" radish are a little milder than the typical red radish...delicious cut up in your salad or lightly roasted with other veggies. The "Sierra Gold" potatoes are great for mashed, steamed, fried or roasting...my favorite is: --scrub the dirt off the skin---no need to peel the potatoes ( the skins have much of the vitamins of the potato) --cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes --place in a bowl and sprinkle with olive oil and seasonings --place on a cookie sheet or roasting pan, single layer --roast in the oven at 425 degrees for about 35 minutes or until the outsides are crispy and the insides are still moist and soft. When using the potatoes for mashed potatoes...be sure not to overcook the potatoes and mash them first, then add warm milk and butter...that way you won't end up with "glue". 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 and Saturday, 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 and Saturday mornings, great to accompany our veggies for your dinner! Most loaves will run about $5, with the baguettes about $3.
Our blueberries come from the farm of Gary Texiera located just south of Santa Maria. He uses pesticide free farming methods and picks his berries fully ripe...for best flavor!
As many of you know, we travel down to the Santa Monica Farmer's Market every Wednesday. In being down there, I am able to meet other farmers from all over the state... selling all kinds of fruits and vegetables that I may not have growing on our farm. My latest find are " outside" grown tomatoes from Debbie Chamberlain of the Salton Sea ( near Palm Springs). Not being "greenhouse" grown, these tomatoes are pesticide free ( except for a little sulfur dust, which is approved for use on organic farms) and are picked fully vine ripe, having a great tomato flavor...just like a summer grown tomato from your garden!
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 salad "bowls" are currently available for purchase. Help to support their worthwhile work programs by using their potted plant starts in your garden this spring.
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 spring season. Call her at 481-5827 or email her at slofreshcatch@hughes.net."
Deliveries start this Thursday for our SLO city pick up locations.. Our pick up locations are:
1) The Montessori Childrens School
2) The Equilibrium Fitness Center
3) Pacheco School
4) Bishop's Peak School
5) The Laureate School
6) United Methodists Children's Center
Thank you to all of those who have signed up. The Harvest Boxes should be available for pick up at your location by 2:30pm each Thursday afternoon. Please don't throw away the cartons..either bring a bag with you and transfer the produce at your pick up site and leave the box or take the box home with you ...but bring it back the next week as you pick up your new Harvest Box. If you have signed up for the SLO area deliveries, you do not need to respond back to this newsletter in order to reserve a box each week...you have already done that by prepaying for the deliveries!
If you want to pick up a box on a week by week basis at our Stand in Arroyo Grande, you need to let me know each week by using the "Click Here" link to order your box.
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
winter squashes---$1/ pound, butternut,
"rainbow" colored chard--$2 / bunch
broccoli--$2.50/ 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
Mandarin oranges--$2.50/ pound
kiwis--2 for $1
blueberries--$4/ basket
"Haas" avocados--$1 each
honey: 1 pound--$10 / jar
honey with comb--$16/ jar
flavored creamed honey--$10/ jar, raspberry or lemon flavor
( all honey products from David's Blue Ribbon Honey, Arroyo Grande)
fresh flowers: $5 to $8 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:
carrots
Italian "sprouting" baby broccoli
a bulb of fennel
snap peas
a bag of salad mix
a bunch of French "breakfast" radish
"Sierra Gold" potatoes
"Haas" avocado
a basket of blueberries
PLEASE bring back the empty boxes each week.
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| Stand Hours
Tuesdays and Fridays.. 1 to 6 pm
Saturdays..10am to 3pm
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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