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Welcome to Rutiz Farms
HAPPENINGS ON THE FARMThe stand is now open from noon until 6pm, Tuesday and Fridays....we should reopen for Saturdays on April 6. Easter is coming up this weekend, and what better way to celebrate than with a nice meal. We should have plenty of strawberries, blueberries, asparagus, peas and fresh flowers, along with all our other delicious produce, at the stand this Friday.
Coming up in 2 weeks ( April 5 ), The Growing Grounds Farm from Santa Maria, will be setting up a "spring extravaganza" of vegetable bedding plants at our farm. The first of the season tomatoes, squash and many other veggie starts will be for sale in single pots and 4 and 6 packs. So, you have 2 weeks to get your garden ready for planting.
"Raw Foods" Betsy will again be set up at our farm stand this coming Tuesday, April 2...she will have her tasty 100% raw treats...be sure to stop by and check out her creations...you could even learn about the healthy lifestyles of eating raw foods.
Our chickens are starting to work overtime...so with the longer days of spring...we are getting more eggs...also within a month or 2, we should be getting many more eggs each week because we just increased our flock by another 100 hens! So, if anyone has "slightly" used egg cartons, we sure would appreciate you bringing them by the stand...that will help us to keep our costs down.
SIGN UPS FOR OUR HARVEST BOXES DELIVERED INTO SLO:
We are now taking sign ups for those of you who are interested to receive our weekly Harvest Box delivered to pick up locations in the SLO city area.
If you would like to pick up your box at The Equilibrium Fitness Center in the Marigold Shopping Center...here's the info:
We will start deliveries on Thursday, April 4 and continue for each Thursday, ending May 30.
The cost for the 9 weeks of produce boxes will be $162 ( $18 per week).
You do not have to be a member of The Equilibrium Fitness Center to pick up your box at this location...they welcome anyone to come in.
We will also be delivering at the Fidelity Office...check with Deena for sign up info.
To reserve your subscription please email me at info@RutizFarms.com and let me know of your intentions and send a check made out to "Jerry Rutiz" (for $162) to:
Jerry Rutiz
333 Miller Way
Arroyo Grande, Ca 93420
To ensure that you will receive your box on the starting date, please make sure I receive your payment by April 1.
For those of you who are families or staff at the Montessori Children's School, UMCC, Bishops Peak School and Pacheco School. If you are interested in picking up a weekly box at these locations, please check with your school's Harvest Box coordinator for sign up details. Only those families associated with the individual schools may use these locations.
If you come to our stand in Arroyo Grande to pick up your box, please disregard the above info pertaining to the SLO city deliveries.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX THIS WEEK
Everyone should get 2 nice size artichokes in the box this week. The artichokes are grown by Lisen at Vintage Organics in San Luis Obispo. They are a purple variety and have tasty leaves and a nice large heart...but to enjoy them , you must be sure to prepare them correctly....steam them whole for about 35 to 45 minutes..until the outer leaves pull off very easily...if they are under cooked, they will be tough and inedible! Don't cut off the stems...they are as delicious as the heart, after cooking, they should be soft..just peel off the outer skin and eat like the heart.
The avocados in this week's box are grown by Dave Righetti in San Luis Obispo. They are the Zutano variety...I know they are not nearly as tasty as the Haas variety...but this is the only type available locally this time of the year. Be sure to let them ripen on your kitchen counter until the entire length of the avocado is soft...sometimes the stem end becomes blackish and squishy by the time the rest of the fruit is ripe...but don't worry about the discoloration near the stem end...when you cut into the avocado, it will be fine inside. If you open it too early, you will be very unhappy with the taste!
Use the white bottom part of the fennel bulb shaved finely raw as a topping for your salad or cut up and added to a saute with other veggies...it will cook up like an onion and have a mild licorice-flavor.
The tomatoes in this week's boxes are being grown by Debbie Chamberlain in the Salton Sea area ( the desert near Palm Springs ). They are outdoor grown, picked fully ripe for great "summertime-like" flavor and pesticide free.
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).
"Raw Foods Betsy" comes to our stand every 1st, 3rd and 5th Tuesday...bringing her wonderful eating treats using only raw ingredients.
Juices from Chadmark Farms of Paso Robles...apple, berry cider, pomegranate cider and 100% pomegranate juice..."flashed pasteurized" for best flavor and nutrient retention.
Almond Brittle from Paso Almonds of SLO...freshly made each week by Rusty and his crew.
Oranges and Mandarins from Bob Polito from San Diego County
Blueberries from Gary Teixeria of Santa Maria
Kiwis from Mallard Lake Farm in Nipomo.
"Artisan" breads from the Eclair Bakery of The Village of Arroyo Grande every Friday; and from "Little Red Hen" Bakery every Tuesday.
Vegetable and herb starts from The Transitions Mental Health Growing Grounds of Santa Maria...pesticide free!
Fresh fish and canned albacore for sale every Friday. 100% wild caught by San Luis Obispo County commercial fishermen. Or join the Fish CSA and get weekly deliveries; contact Margie at slofreshcatch@gmail.com or 481-5827." David's Blue Ribbon Honey from Arroyo Grande Sunflower "sprouts" from Carl and Ruth...one of our neighbors at the farm.
"At Rutiz Farms, our goal is to provide the highest quality fresh produce while using sustainable farming practices, including legume green manure cover cropping, organic fertilizers, no pesticides and no GMO crops." When we bring in produce from other growers, I personally know the farmer and his or her growing practices. At the very least, outsourced fruit has not had any pesticide sprays applied to the fruit, and is often raised using organic farming practices. If there ever are exceptions to the above mentioned practices, those products will be clearly labeled on the table. Our goal is simple...to bring to our customers ( and their families ).. fresh, nutritious, and safe food at a reasonable price and good value.
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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.
sugar snap peas--$4/ pound
English "shelling" peas--$4/ pound
strawberries--$3/ basket "Sierra Gold" potatoes--$1.50/ pound
"rainbow" colored chard--$2 / bunch
"calvo nero" kale---$2 / bunch
Italian "sprouting" baby broccoli--$4 / pound
carrots--$2 / bunch
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
Winter squashes---, butternut--$1/ pound
sweet dumpling and delicata---$1.50/ pound
Italian flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, rosemary, arugula, -$1/ bunch
sunflower sprouts--$3 per 1/4 pound
Mandarin oranges---$2.50/ pound
Kiwi---5 for $2
avocados--$1 each
honey: 1 pound--$11 / jar
"creamed" flavored honey--$10/ jar, red raspberry and lemon "honey with comb"---$16/ jar
Spicy Asian Honey BBQ Glaze--$10/ bottle
( 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
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:
artichokes
sugar "snap" peas
"vine ripened" tomatoes
a bulb of fennel
"Persian" cucumbers
a bunch of "spring" onions
a bag of salad mix
"Sierra Gold" potatoes
avocados
Blueberries
PLEASE bring back the empty boxes each week.
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| Stand Hours
Tuesdays and Fridays.. Noon to 6 pm
Saturdays..closed for the winter
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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