Welcome to Rutiz Farms
HAPPENINGS ON THE FARM 
Starting with:
...a gift certificate for our farm, in any amount you wish, that could be used for future purchases at the stand or for Harvest Boxes
...add a handmade produce bag by Kerrily Carmichael, (available starting this Friday-see Facebook for a picture)
...a bag of almond brittle from Paso Almonds
...a jar of honey from David's Blue Ribbon Honey
...a jar of apple butter from Suzanne Delinger
...from Ruth's Herbal Products
Italian Marinera Sauce 1 pt for $14 Mexican Tomatillo Salsa 1/2 pt for $10 Healing Savvy Salve: Lemongrass OR Lavender Blend $14 Sweet Sleep OR Muscle Soothing Therapeutic Bath Salts $14 Air Freshener: Sage OR Lavender Blend $12 ...a gift certificate for a month of the fish deliveries at the stand or a can of local albacore tuna by SLO Fresh Catch
During the weeks before Christmas we will have the items listed above set out on a "gift table", so you can put together your own gift packages. Think "outside the box" but think "Made in America" and think "Buy Local"!
Sweet Pea Bakery is featuring winter flavors this week. Individual apple pies, lemon poppyseed scones, pistachio macarons, caramel stuffed brownies, orange cranberry coffee cake and more are among the menu options this week. She will be taking special orders for pick up Friday the
23rd of December
for "Santa's Cookie Packages," " Macaron Sampler," "Biscotti Ensembles," and "Mini Cake Trios." For more information stop by Rutiz Farm on Friday and say Hi to Sweet Pea.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX THIS WEEK
What to do with this week's Brussels Sprouts...roast them whole by covering them in a little olive oil and garlic powder and putting them single layer on a roasting pan in the oven @ 400 degrees until they are light brown on the outside.
-steam them whole until tender( don't over cook them...as they can become strong flavored and bitter) or cut them up into small pieces, coat with olive oil and garlic powder, roast in the oven until they start to brown, then sprinkle a little parmesan cheese and bread crumbs on top and broil a minute or two more...even Brussels sprout "haters" will like this dish!
Hard-skinned red kuri squash can be difficult to peel and are most easily cooked in their skin. Split squash in half, scoop out seeds, season with salt and pepper and a little olive oil spray, roast cut-side down until tender about 45-50 minutes or until the shell starts to wrinkle or sag and the squash is soft to the touch. Serve in wedges. If you want to kick this up a notch, before serving drizzle with a little honey, Agave nectar or Maple syrup. The perfect side dish for a chicken, pork or beef. I even like to cube the leftovers and put it over a salad of baby greens. Grate flesh and bake into gratins or casseroles with cream and cheese. Puree squash with syrup or vanilla for compote or bake diced squash into bread pudding with apples. Hard red kuri squash will keep in cool, dry storage for up to six weeks.
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.
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".
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
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. 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.
Brussels Sprout---$2.50/ pound
Celery root--$1.50 each
Lipstick sweet peppers--$2.50/ 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
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
sunflower sprouts--$3 per 1/4 pound
apples--$1.50/ pound, from Cirone Farms of See Canyon
Mandarin oranges--$2.50/ pound
Valencia oranges--$1/ pound
Kiwis--3 for $1
"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 $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
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:
celery root
cauliflower
French "breakfast" radish
potatoes
Brussels Sprout
carrots
salad mix
red "kuri" squash
Mandarin oranges
pomegranate
PLEASE bring back the empty boxes each week. |
| Stand Hours
Tuesdays and Fridays.. 1 to 5 pm
Saturdays..closed for the winter, reopen in April
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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