Welcome to Rutiz Farms
HAPPENINGS ON THE FARM . 
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 $2.50 / pound, which works out to be about $2.50 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.
Alan Johansing ( our "grass fed" beef rancher from San Miguel ) will be back at our stand this Friday (May 11 )with more of his beef. Alan will be there to answer any of your questions about his families' ranching practices and tips on how to cook and prepare grass fed beef. He will have several different "CSA" combinations of beef cuts available for you to choose from. The prices range from $50 to $130 per bag...depending on the cuts included. If you are interested in getting a bag this Friday ( or if you have questions ), contact Alan directly at (805) 591-0401 or email him at Alanjohansing@gmail.com. He is able to take pre-orders to ensure you get the best selections for your family. Our family has been enjoying his beef for the last several months...and I can definitely say that it is much more flavorful and less fat and wastes then conventional beef. We find ourselves eating smaller portions of meat at a meal and savoring every bite!
WHAT'S IN THE BOX THIS WEEK
You may ask, what do we do with this week's bunch of leeks....
To clean leeks: Trim base and tough green leaves from leeks, leaving tender green and white part.
If you want to use leeks whole, cut lengthwise in half part way down leek, otherwise cut in half lengthwise. Rinse under cold running water, spreading leaves apart.
To Bake leeks: Place leeks on lightly oiled foil, dot with a small amount of margarine, and pepper. Wrap in foil. Bake at 350ºF. oven for 25 minutes or until tender.
BROILED LEEKS WITH BUTTERED BREAD CRUMBS
3 med.
2 tbsp.
3 tbsp. | leeks (about 1 1/2 pounds)
unsalted butter
fine dry bread crumbs |
Trim leeks and discard most of dark-green parts. Cut leeks in half lengthwise and wash well, keeping halves intact. Steam leeks 15 minutes, or until tender. Arrange leeks, cut sides up, on a buttered baking sheet.
Preheat broiler. In a small saucepan melt butter and stir in bread crumbs and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon bread crumb mixture onto leeks, patting down mixture with back of spoon to help adhere. Broil leeks 2 to 3 inches from heat until bread crumbs are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Serves 2 as a side dish.
The fava beans are a real spring time treat...all of our restaurants that we sell to are currently featuring them on their seasonal menus. The easiest way to prepare them is:
Remove the "beans" from the outer pod.
Blanch the bean for a minute in boiling water, cool, and remove the outer "membrane" from each bean. Then you can use the bean in salads, or add them to your favorite stir-fry. Use the baby artichokes to make crispy artichoke hearts:
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). At this point, the whole artichoke is edible...enjoy!
.The tomatoes come from the Southern California desert area near the Salton Sea. Debbie Chamberlain and her family grow these tomatoes "outside" ( not in greenhouses ), and pick them fully ripe for summertime like flavor. I pick up the tomatoes from her each Wednesday at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market. The "Persian" cucumbers come from Ocean Breeze Farms in Nipomo. They are grown using pesticide- free farming practices. . The "Persian" cucumber is unique among cucumbers in that it has a thin skin that doesn't require peeling and has no bitter aftertaste.
PRODUCTS AVAILABLE AT OUR STAND FROM OTHER FARMERS AND BUSINESSES:
Kelli ( aka Sweet Pea) has her tasty baked cookies and cakes at the stand each Friday.
Almond Brittle from Paso Almonds of SLO...freshly made each week by Rusty and his crew. Mandarin oranges from Bob Polito of Valley Center, San Diego County.
Avocados from David Righetti of San Luis Obispo
Blueberries from Gary Teixeria of Santa Maria 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 from Nipomo 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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