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Welcome to Rutiz Farms
HAPPENINGS ON THE FARM
The stand is open from noon until 6pm, Tuesday and Fridays, and now Saturdays from 10am to 3pm.
Plenty of sweet strawberries at the stand and the snap peas and English shell peas are at their peak of flavor...spring has arrived!
This Friday, 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 get your garden ready for planting.
For those of you who will be picking up your first Harvest Box for our Spring deliveries into SLO ...the boxes should be available for your pick up after 2pm every Thursday afternoon.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX THIS WEEK
This week's peas are the sugar snap type. These are the edible pod type ...so you can eat the whole pea, pod and all. Use the baby Bloomsdale spinach raw in salads or saute lightly with a little garlic and olive oil...don't overcook, keep it a little crispy ( be sure to wash the sand out of the spinach...I like to double wash and then spin in a salad spinner). 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.How about a nice fresh kale salad using the bunch of Tuscano kale in your box this week. First, gently massage the leaves with your hands for a minute to make them a bit more tender. Then cut up the leaves into thin "ribbons" discarding the thicker portion of the stem. Mix in a bowl with some vinaigrette dressing and chopped nuts and fruits and finish with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top..delicious and good for you! Or how about some "kale chips"...wash and separate the leafy part from the stem ( discard the thicker stems ), cut up the leaves into smaller portions, add a little olive oil and seasonings, put on a roasting pan and roast in a hot oven until the leaves are crispy. 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 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.
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:
broccoli
a bag of baby Bloomsdale spinach
artichokes
sugar "snap" peas
a bunch of "Tuscano" Kale
"Persian" cucumbers
a head of red lettuce and a head of green lettuce
Mandarin oranges
Blueberries
PLEASE bring back the empty boxes each week. |
| Stand Hours
Tuesdays and Fridays.. Noon 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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