WELCOME TO RUTIZ FARMS
HAPPENINGS ON FARM:
The Growing Grounds Farm of Santa Maria will be celebrating springtime by having their "Everything Edible" plant sale this Friday and Saturday at our farm stand. This would be a great time to get your garden up and going with their vegetable, herb and flower starts. They will have 4 large tables set up with a great selection of plants and their own plant experts to answer your gardening questions. The proceeds of the plant sales go to help fund the Transitions Mental Health programs...a very worthy cause.
Our strawberry field is now open for u-pick each Tuesday and Friday from noon to 6 pm and Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm. Bring the family out for a fun time picking our delicious strawberries. Bring your own containers or use our baskets to pick into. The price will be $2.50 per pound, which works out to be about $2.50 per one pint basket ( our regular price when purchased already picked at the stand is $3/basket ). We will continue to have plenty of picked berries available at The Stand, along with all our other veggies and fruits.
Heather Teixeira will have their local beef cuts available for sale at the stand this Friday.
What's in the box this week:
Use the baby artichokes to make crispy artichoke hearts:
wash off the artichoke, remove the outer 2 or 3 set of dark green leaves until the remaining leaves are a lighter shade of green or cream color. Using a sharp knife, cut off the top 1 inch or so of the top of the artichoke, then remove the outer skin from the stem( yes, the inside of the stems are very delicious). Cut the artichoke in half lengthwise, steam 10 to 15 minutes until slightly soft, remove from the steamer, coat with olive oil and garlic powder. Grill on the bar-b-que or under the broiler oven for 5 to 10 minutes on each side until brown and crispy. At this point, the whole artichoke is edible...enjoy!
The Mokum carrots are a new variety for us at the farm. They are smaller and skinnier than our regular Chantaney carrots, but very sweet and crisp.
The "Sungold" cherry 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.
This week's avocados are the Hass varietiy grown by David Righetti of San Luis Obispo. Let them sit out on your kitchen counter ( or put them in a paper sack with a ripe banana or apple to quicken the ripening process ) until they are soft, but not overly squishy!
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).
Goat cheeses from Drake Farms in Southern California...apricot and honey, jalapeno and garlic and onion flavors.
Sweet potatoes from Rocky Canyon Farm in Atascadero...certified organic
Juices from Chadmark Farms of Paso Robles...apple 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.
Persian Cucumbers from Ocean Breeze Greenhouse Farm in
Nipomo.
Dates from the Flying Disc Ranch in Cochella Valley, pesticide free
Blueberries from Gary Teixeira of Santa Maria..pesticide free.
Oranges and
Mandarins from Bob Polito of Valley Center, California.
"Artisan" breads from "Little Red Hen" Bakery every Tuesday and Friday
Vine ripened tomatoes from Debbie Chamberlain growing near the Salton Sea --- pesticide free.
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 and honey from Rock Front Ranch
