Welcome to Rutiz Farms
HAPPENINGS ON THE FARM
Be sure to come out to the farm and get your Halloween pumpkins. We have large, medium and small sizes, ranging in price from $1 to $10 each. The Jack-O- Lantern size pumpkins are 40c/ pound. You may choose from the pumpkins already harvested and located at the stand or you may go out to the field and find your very own "great pumpkin".
For those of you who have "engraved pumpkins" in the pumpkin field, you can go out and retrieve your pumpkins.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX THIS WEEK:
Those of you picking up your Harvest box in SLO will get a basket of our own blackberries. If you pick up your box at our stand , you will get Warren pears from Huasna Valley Farms...a real treat ( I think one of the tastiest of all the pears ).
The "heirloom" tomatoes come from Tutti Fruitti Farms of Lompoc...they are multicolored, organically grown and each one is a experience in itself!
See below under our "recipe" section for a great zucchini soup recipe and how to make "kale chips" with your "Tuscano" kale..
We are offering jicama in the boxes this week.
The root's exterior is yellow and papery (which you want to peel off using a vegetable peeler or a pairing knife), while its inside is creamy white with a crisp texture that resembles raw potato or pear. The flavor is sweet and starchy, reminiscent of some apples or raw green beans, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes.
Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, oranges, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish and soy sauce. It can be cut into thin wedges and dipped in salsa. In Mexico, it is popular in salads, fresh fruit combos, fruit bars, soups, and other cooked dishes.
Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber.
Jícama should be stored dry, between 53°F and 60°F, colder temperatures will damage the root. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.
The first of this season's celery will be included in this week's box. It's a little on the small side...but it is sweet and tender, with a dark green color. Use the top leaves as flavoring in soups and cut up the stalks and add to your salad or put a little cream cheese or peanut butter on the stalks for a lunchbox favorite.
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.
PRODUCTS AVAILABLE AT OUR STAND FROM OTHER FARMERS AND BUSINESSES:
Almond Brittle from Paso Almonds of SLO...freshly made each week by Rusty and his crew.
Tree fruit from Cirone Farms of See Canyon and Huasna Valley Farms Ciders and Juices "flash pasteurized" from Chadmark Farms of Paso Robles....pesticide free!.. "Artisan" breads from the Eclair Bakery of The Village of Arroyo Grande...every Friday and Saturday.
Vegetable and herb starts from The Transitions Mental Health Growing Grounds of Santa Maria...pesticide free!
Fish CSA with pick ups at our stand each Friday..call Margie at 481-5827 or email her at slofreshcatch@gmail.com
David's Blue Ribbon Honey...regular honey, honey with comb and lemon and raspberry flavored creamed honey. Avocados from Dave Righetti of San Luis Obispo. Sunflower "sprouts" from Carl and Ruth...one of our neighbors at the farm.
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
cucumbers--$2/ pound
vine ripened tomatoes--$2.50/ pound blue lake green beans--$2/ pound blackberries--$3.50/ basket "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
cauliflower--$2/ pound for white, $3/ pound for the green or orange color
carrots--$2 / bunch
beets--$2/ bunch, red, orange or pink colored
leeks--$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
basil--$1/ bunch
sunflower sprouts--$3 per 1/4 pound
apples--$1.50/ pound, from Cirone Farms of See Canyon
"Haas" avocados--$1.25 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 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
Zucchini Roquefort Soup
shared with us by Stacy Gregory
ingredients:
1/2 stick butter
1 large yellow onion--chopped
1-2 t dried thyme
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 medium zucchini--chopped
64oz. chicken broth ( 99% fat free Swansons is best)
6-8oz.Cave aged crumbled blue cheese
Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add the chopped onion over medium heat and cook until the onion begins to soften. Add the thyme and continue cooking for 1 minute. Whisk in the 1/2 C flour while still cooking and it forms a paste. Slowly pour in all of the chicken broth while cooking. ( now on high heat). Add the chopped zucchini and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 40 minutes. Make sure the heat is not too high or it will boil over. After 40 minutes, transfer the soup to the blender ( two batches) and blend briefly. Pour back into a saucepan and add the cheese, stir and serve.
What to do with the Tuscano kale??? How about some "kale chips"...
Ingredients:
- kale
- olive oil
- spices to taste: smoked paprika, powdered ginger, chili powder (optional)
- sea salt
- Preheat the oven to 250 F.
- Remove the stems and woody ribbing from the tender leaves.
- Tear the kale into bite-size pieces. Wash and dry.
- Add 1-2Tbsp olive oil to a large bowl.
- Whisk in 1/2 tsp or more of the paprika and ginger. Add a pinch of chili powder (optional).
- Add the Kale leaves to the oil and toss with your hands, coating each leaf, front and back.
- Lay the kale out on a parchment paper-covered cookie sheet.
- Sprinkle with seas salt.
- Wash your hands so you don't rub chili powder into your eyes. Just sayin'.
- Bake in the oven until they are flat and crisp, about 15-20 minutes. (It took about 17 minutes for mine, although the recipe that inspired it online said 33 minutes.)
- Remove with a spatula and let them cool.
- Serve them to someone who will try one and say, "Kale chips?!?" as they bite into one. In about 1 minute, they'll come back for 10 more. You could also grate hard cheese, like Pecorino or Parmigiano-Reggiano over them for a cheesy treat.
Please go to our web site at Rutizfarms.com for a listing of recipes for many of the veggies grown on our farm.
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
"Sierra Gold" potatoes
"heirloom" tomatoes
salad mix
Jicama
celery
green beans
zucchini squashes
"Tuscano" kale
blackberries for the SLO box
"Warren" pears for the box picked up at our stand 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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