Rutiz Farms Newsletter for July 13

Rutiz Family Farms
Newsletter

Welcome to Rutiz Farms
HAPPENINGS ON THE FARM . Stand

Our raspberries and blackberries are starting to ripen up...we should have plenty at the stand this week...hopefully we could start a raspberry u-pick in another week or so. The apricots from Mike Cirone of See Canyon are at their peak...sweet and tasty. In addition, we are starting to get some great nectarines and peaches from Tenerelli Farms ( located in the high desert of Southern California)

Summer is finally arriving...in another week or two we should have our sweet corn and tomatoes! We will have the strawberry field open for you- pick this week...then that should be about it for the season...the plants are getting tired! BIG EVENT AT THE FARM THIS FRIDAY, JULY 13:

Full of Life Flatbread Pizza of Los Alamos, will have their wood burning pizza oven at the farm and making fresh pizzas between 1 and 5pm. They will be selling a "Kalamata Olive and Feta" pizza and a "Summer Squash" Flatbread. They have sold out early during their past visits...so be sure to come early and get your order in.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX THIS WEEK

This week's kale would make some tasty kale chips...These are a low calorie nutritious snack. Like potato chips, you cannot stop at just eating one. They are great for parties and a good conversation topic. See below in our recipe section for instructions.

This week's potatoes are the new crop of our Sierra Gold potatoes.. They 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.

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 ...(you can reach her direct at Sweetpeabakeryag.blogspot.com).
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.
Tree Fruit from Mike Cirone in See Canyon
Avocados from David Righetti of San Luis Obispo

Blueberries from Gary Teixeria of Santa Maria

"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 Arroyo Grande

Sunflower "sprouts" from Carl and Ruth...one of our neighbors at the farm.

Available at the Stand strawberry

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.
Green beans--$2.50/ pound
"Jerry's" strawberries--$3/ basket or $30/ flat

"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
"Persian" cucumbers--$2/ pound
beets--$2/ bunch, red or orange
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, mint, cilantro, rosemary, arugula, -$1/ bunch
Basil--$1/ bunch
sunflower sprouts--$3 per 1/4 pound
Mandarin oranges--$2.50/ pound
apricots--$2.50/ pound
Valencia oranges--$1/ pound
Blueberries--$4/ basket
avocados--$1 each

honey: 1 pound--$10 / jar
( all honey products from David's Blue Ribbon Honey, Arroyo Grande)
eggs from our "free range" happy chickens--$5/ dozen
fresh flower bouquets---$5 to $9 / 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

KALE CHIPS

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

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).

Week of July 13, 2012

In This Issue

Available at the Stand

Harvest Box Info

Recipes

Order Your Harvest Box

Click Here

Produce in the Harvest Box this week:

salad mix

broccoli

"Tuscano" kale

"Blue Lake" green beans

carrots

"Persian" cucumbers

potatoes

onions

avocado

"See Canyon" apricots

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

Thank you for choosing to support our farm and local, pesticide free, sustainable agriculture.

Jerry Rutiz

Rutiz Family Farms