Welcome to Rutiz Farms
HAPPENINGS ON FARM: Cooking demonstration at the farm this Friday, Sept. 13.
Jerry and Carol will bring out our cast iron griddle and be cooking up some simple stir-fry recipes using veggies from the farm. We'll show you how to turn the eggplant, green beans, fennel, onions, corn, sweet peppers, tomatillos, broccoli and tomatoes into a tasty and quick stir-fry...free samples will be given to those of you who stick around and cheer us on. The demos and samples will be going on continuously from about 12:30 to 4:30pm or until we get tired!
Raspberry u-pick this Friday ( and Saturday if supplies last). The raspberry plants are not nearly as vigorous as in past years, so not so many raspberries to pick...so come early for best picking. The price will be $5/ pound.
Margie, at SLO Fresh Catch ( our fish lady) informs me that this Friday she will only have fish available for her subscribers...no extra fish will be sold at the stand.
What's 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 "Seckel" pears in this week's box are grown by Lisen at Vintage Organic Farm in San Luis Obispo. They are the smallest variety of pear, sweet, and can be eaten right away (they will be a little on the crunchy side) or if allowed to sit out on your kitchen counter for a couple of days, they will become softer. Their small size is perfect for the kid's lunches...just right for 5 or 6 bites from a little mouth.
This week's eggplant can be grilled ( see below for a recipe sent to us by Stephanine ) or simply cut into 1 inch size cubes and added to a veggie saute together with onions, green beans, garlic and salt and pepper...adding corn kernels and some diced tomatoes near the end of cooking. The eggplant really doesn't have much flavor by itself, but it will take on the flavors of the other veggies mixed with it. 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!
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!
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" next comes to our stand on Tuesday, September 17..bringing her wonderful eating treats using only raw ingredients.
Juices from Chadmark Farms of Paso Robles...apple, berry cider, and pomegranate cider . All of his juices are "flashed pasteurized" for best flavor and nutrient retention.
Almond Brittle from Paso Almonds of SLO...freshly made each week by Rusty and his crew.
Peaches and pears from Mike Cirone of See Canyon
Peaches and Nectarines from John Tenerellii of Littlerock, California.
Mandarin oranges from Friend's Ranch of Ojai, California.
Avocados from David Righetti of San Luis Obispo.
"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." 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.
"Sierra Gold" potatoes---$1.50/ pound
raspberries and blackberries---$4/ basket
"blue lake" green beans---$2.50/ pound
"rainbow" colored chard--$2 / bunch
"calvo nero" kale---$2 / bunch
Italian "sprouting" baby broccoli--$4 / pound
cauliflower--$2/ pound
carrots--$2 / bunch
leeks--$2/ bunch
sweet yellow onions--$1.50/ pound
tomatoes--$3/ pound
cucumbers---$2/ pound
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, cilantro, rosemary, arugula, basil,-$1/ bunch
sunflower sprouts--$3 per 1/4 pound
avocados--$1.25 each
honey: 1 pound--$11 / jar
"honey with comb"---$16/ 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 Friday morning ( 7am ) 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
GRILLED EGGPLANT, PEPPERS AND ONIONS Ingredients: Globe-type eggplant - fresh & firm, sliced thick, salted to express water. Green, Red, Orange large peppers - roast whole Sweet onions, large - peeled and sliced thick Fresh basil leaves, olive oil, salt & pepper Grill: Fill the grill with an assortment of the vegies, brush with oil and flip continuously. The eggplant will cook the fastest and should not be too charred. The peppers you will turn as each side does char. The onions will be darkened but if left too long will be too soft to flip without losing them into the fire. Remove the veggies from the grill and set to cool on countertop while you prepare the peppers. Assembling the dish: First step is the peppers. They need to be "sweated" (Cooled in a plastic bag), skins and seeds removed then cut into strips. The eggplant goes on directly, separate the onions into rings. Start the layers with the eggplant, sprinkle with basil leaves,a little olive oil, salt&pepper. Then onion and peppers. Repeat. *Note- this dish is best made a day ahead, left in the refrigerator to set and served at room temperature on bruchetta or as a side dish.
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
Click Here (this ordering link is only active until 7am Friday of the week that this newsletter was originally sent out.)
Produce in the Harvest Box this week:
broccoli
eggplant
sweet yellow onions
Jicama
3 ears of our bi-color sweet corn
"Fourth of July" tomatoes from our farm
"Persian" cucumbers
"Blue Lake" green beans
a basket of our blackberries
a bag of "Seckel" pears
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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