Welcome to Rutiz Farms
HAPPENINGS ON THE FARM . 
I hope everyone remembers to celebrate the autumn equinox this coming Saturday, September 22. This is when the length of day and night are the same amount of hours...about 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark. Those of us involved in agriculture take special note of these changes in seasons...looking forward to winter vacations!!!
Please be sure to bring your own reusable shopping bag when coming to the farm stand. Due to the new county rules that will be taking affect in the coming weeks, we can no longer give out the white plastic shopping bags. We will continue to have the smaller "roll" bags available for you to put individual items into. We will be allowed to provide our shoppers with larger paper sacks...but we are required to charge you a small fee for those. This is all a good direction to be going toward...the throw-away society that we have all become accustomed to is not good for long term sustainability of our community (and planet).
For those of you who scribed on a pumpkin back in August and are anxious to take your masterpiece home...they are ready to go starting this Friday...but our crew haven't yet had the time to go and cut the stems on the pumpkins. So until we get around to cutting them off, you are welcome to go out into the field with our pruners and cut your own stem. We should have all the pumpkins cut and ready to go by the first week of October.
WHAT'S NEW IN THE BOX THIS WEEK
What is this Jicama(pronounced HICK-ah-mah) in the box? This tuber looks like a seriously overgrown radish and is the root of a vine native to Mexico and Central America ( we do grow the jicama on our farm..the only plantings that I know about outside of Mexico) . The flesh is crunchy, mild, and sweet, and is often served with a little lime juice and chile powder to accompany Mexican dishes. Wash off the dirt and peel the outer skin and then you are read to go! My favorite way is to cut it up into "sticks" and use the jicama raw as a "dipping" vegetable. How about a jicama and corn salad: cook up a ear of corn and remove the kernels with a sharp knife, peel and dice your jicama, add some mango, sweet red peppers, chopped red onion, cilantro and lime juice...will make for an interesting salad! The Lipstick peppers are very sweet...great chopped up raw and added to a salad or into your favorite stir fry. You can roast them whole on the bar-b-que and then put them in a small paper sack to 'steam" for a few minutes ( it makes it easier to peel the skins off).
The bi-color sweet corn tastes great...and there is the problem!
The "corn ear" worms love it too...so from here on out, we will be cutting off the tip of each ear before we put them in the boxes.
An easy way to prepare the corn on the bar-b-Que...keep the husk in tact, soak the entire ear in water for a few minutes, then put on the grill for 10 to 15 minutes, turning once or twice..until the outer husk is browned nicely, remove the husk and enjoy!
A simple and delicious way to prepare the zucchini squash..cut the squash lengthwise into stripes about 1/4 inch thick, cover with a little olive oil and seasonings, put them on a hot bar-b-q grill or under a broiler for 5 to 10 minutes on each side until brown and crispy.
The Persian cucumbers are from our own farm this week...no bitter skins, no need to peel...just be sure to eat them within a few days. Their thin skins make them especially crunchy, but they don't hold up in the refrigerator as long as a typical "waxed" thick skinned cucumber...in other words, if you try to store them for more than a few days, they will get slimy!
This week's tomatoes are from our own farm... a basket of "Sun Gold" cherry tomatoes or some "Early Girl" red tomatoes.
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. Tree Fruit from Mike Cirone in See Canyon and John Tennereli from Littlerock, California.
Blueberries from Gary Teixeria of Santa Maria
Avocados from David Righetti of San Luis Obispo
"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.
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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.
Green beans--$2.50/ pound
raspberries or blackberries--$4/ 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
"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
sunflower sprouts--$3 per 1/4 pound
peaches--$2.50/ pound
cherry tomatoes--$2/ basket
"early girl" type tomatoes--$3/ pound
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
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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
Adapted from Cookus Interruptus Serves: 6 Preparation Time: 15 minutes Ingredients:
1 bunch kale
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
¼ cup diced red onion
1/3 cup currants
¾ cup diced apple, (½ apple)
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Instructions: De-stem kale by pulling leaf away from the stem. Wash leaves. Spin or pat dry. Stack leaves, rollup and cut into thin ribbons (chiffonade). Put kale in a large mixing bowl. Add salt, massage salt into kale with your hands for 2 minutes. To toast seeds, put in a dry skillet over low to medium heat and stir constantly for a few minutes until they change color and give off a nutty aroma. Put kale in a fresh bowl and discard any leftover liquid. Stir onion, currants, apple and toasted seeds into kale. Dress with oil and vinegar and toss. Taste for salt and vinegar, adding more if necessary. When at desired flavor, toss in cheese.
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:
sweet red "Lipstick " peppers
Jicama
"Blue lake" green beans
"Bi-color" sweet corn
carrots
Romaine lettuce
tomatoes
"Persian" cucumbers zucchini squashes
avocado
Fruit ( either apples, blueberries or peaches..let me see which of these are the nicest on box packing day)
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 Our E-mail address is:
info@Rutizfarms.com
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