Welcome to Rutiz Farms  With Mother's Day coming up this Sunday, we should have plenty of sweet strawberries, blueberries and fresh flower bouquets available at the stand...to help you celebrate.
Our strawberry field is now open for u-pick each Tuesday and Friday from 1 to 6pm and Saturdays from 10am to 3pm. Bring the family out for a fun time picking our delicious strawberries. Bring your own containers or use our baskets to pick into. The price will be $2 / pound, which works out to be about $2 per one pint basket ( our regular price when purchased already picked at the stand is $3 / basket). We will continue to have plenty of picked berries available on the stand table, along with all our other veggies and fruits.
The ciders and juices from Chadmark Farms are again available on our stand table. We have the apple cider, apple-pomegranate cider blend, and the apple-boysenberry cider blend ...in 1/2 gallons bottles and pint bottles. Great pride is taken by the farmer to bring you his high quality ciders and juices using the "flash pasteurized" method.
Do you ever find yourself wanting to buy our strawberries...but then coming by the farm only to realize that the stand wasn't open that day? We will now have a "self service" strawberry table set up at our stand every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday...open from 10am to 5pm. Keep in mind that only strawberries will be offered for sale on those "self service" days...to purchase all of our other veggies and fruits, you will still have to come by during our regular stand hours of Tuesday and Fridays, 1 to 6pm and Saturdays, 10 to 3pm. For the "self service" honor system to work, you must bring the exact amount of your intended purchase or use a check...as there will not be anybody around to help you or make change. The strawberries will be priced at $3 / basket or $9 / 3 pack. Please put your payment in the small red "money box" that will be sitting next to the berry display.
WHAT'S IN THIS WEEK'S BOX?
I have included a bunch of mint in today's box to help you celebrate the running of the Kentucky Derby this coming Sunday...hoping to get you inspired to make a Mint Julep, a traditional drink for the Derby. Here's the recipe:
4 fresh mint sprigs
2 1/2 oz bourbon whiskey
1 tsp powdered sugar
2 tsp water
Muddle mint leaves, powdered sugar, and water in a collins glass. Fill the glass with shaved or crushed ice and add bourbon. Top with more ice and garnish with a mint sprig. Serve with a straw
If you are not alcohol inclined, here's a great ice tea recipe:
4 tea bags
leaves from 1 bunch of "Jerry's" mint
3 cups boiling water
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar ( use less if you don't desire a sweet tea)
6 cups water
sprigs of mint
orange slices
Place tea bags and mint leaves in a 3-quart pitcher. Add 3 cups boiling water and steep until cool. Discard tea bags and mint leaves. Add orange and lemon juices, sugar, and 6 cups of water to tea mixture, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Serve over ice and garnish with mint sprigs and arrange slices.
The artichokes in this week's box are medium to smaller sized. Be sure to steam them for 30 to 40 minutes until the outer leaves pull off very easily...then they are cooked enough...The one complaint that we hear about the artichokes is " they were tough"! This week's artichokes are harvested from nice young plants and are not overmature and should be tender and delicious when cooked correctly.
If you want to prepare the artichokes as baby artichokes : 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)
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"!
Here's a quick and easy way to prepare this week's chard:
wash off the leaves and cut them in 1 inch wide ribbons
when you get to the ribs of the leaves, cut them into 1/2 inch pieces, heat some olive oil in a skillet and add the chard, season with a little sea salt and garlic powder , cook until the leaves are "wilted" and the stem portion are soft. Add a little balsamic vinegar to the chard near the end of cooking if you wish.
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."
Our SLO 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!
|
|
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 fava beans--$2/ pound cabbage---75c/ pound asparagus--$2.50/ bunch snap peas, snow peas and shelling peas--$4/ pound "Sierra Gold" potatoes--$1.50/ pound
"rainbow" colored chard--$2 / bunch
"calvo nero" kale---$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
tomatoes--$3 / pound
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
|
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!
|
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).
|
|
|
|
|
Order Your Harvest Box
Produce in the Harvest Box this week:
French "breakfast" radishes
broccoli
a bag of salad mix
artichokes
a bag of Bloomsdale baby spinach
tomatoes from the Salton Sea
"rainbow" colored chard
sweet yellow and purple onions
a bunch of mint
a basket of "Jerry's Berries" strawberries
PLEASE bring back the empty boxes each week.
|
| 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
|
|
