WELCOME TO RUTIZ FARMS
FINALLY...we are open till 6 pm on Tuesday through Fridays! You can now make over to the farm stand after work and pick up some fresh veggies and berries for dinner.
Our "summer" hours are Tuesdays through Fridays, noon to 6 pm and Saturdays, 10 am to 4 pm.
Our
strawberry field is now open for u-pick Tuesday through Friday from noon to 5 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 $3.50 per pound, which works out to be about $3.00 per one pint basket ( our regular price when purchased already picked at the stand is $3.50 per basket.. This season we have 4 varieties of strawberries...Gaviota, Fronteras, Chandler, and Cabrillo. As you are picking in the field, be sure to look for the signs at the beginnings of the rows that identify each variety . Let us know which is your favorite!
We will continue to have plenty of picked berries available at The Stand, along with all our other veggies and fruits.
A large selection of vegetable and herb plants from Growing Grounds will be displayed and for sale at our farm stand through this entire week.
Phillip, from SLO Grown Produce in Arroyo Grande, is now bringing us his hot house grown "Persian" cucumbers and his "English" cucumbers.
Our artichokes are in full production and they are some of the best ones we've had for years! This winter's cold and rainy weather is just what artichoke plants like to produce tender and large artichokes. See below under recipe ideas for some simple cooking tips.
To encourage everyone to buy more artichokes ...a special price of 3 for $2 for our artichokes.
Sweet pea flowers and Godetia flower bouquets this week at the farm stand.
Little Red Hen bread
BlissRiver Organics elderberry syrup.
Kacey Cakes gluten free treats
Central Coast Catch ( fish ) will offer their pre-ordered deliveries...contact Kevin Hall at 2ccCatch@gmail.com for sign up info.
THIS SATURDAY AT THE STAND
Shannon and Justin from MicroCosmic Organics will be offering their organic microgreens .
Nelson and Christina from Wild Bread Co will have their freshly baked breads.
Jennifer from The Vreamery will have her dairy-free cheeses every 1st and 3rd Saturday.
WHAT'S IN THE HARVEST BOX THIS WEEK
Grown on our farm using organic farming methods: strawberries, peas, broccoli, bok choy, cilantro, scallions artichokes, greens mix, salad mix, and spinach.
Zutano avocados from David Righetti in SLO.
What do I do with this bunch of cilantro in the Harvest box...how about
CILANTRO PESTO:
INGREDIENTS
½ cup pepitas, toasted
1 cup cilantro, leaves and stems
2 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Combine pepitas, cilantro, garlic, salt and lime juice in food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Slowly drizzle in olive oil as you continue to pulse to desired consistency.
Perfect as a spread on toasted bread or in pasta .
BOK CHOY STIR FRY from Allrecipe website:
This basic stir-fry can be served as is, or you can add meat or tofu to make it more substantial. Quick and easy, this is one of my favorite ways to load up on leafy greens. Serve with fluffy rice or over noodles. The bok choy cooks down quite a bit, so the raw amount may look like it will be too much before cooking. If you want a more robust flavor, feel free to add some soy sauce or oyster sauce to the finished product, but personally I like to let the simple but delicious taste of the bok choy shine through
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 2 cloves garlic (crushed and chopped) 1 to 2 heads bok choy (trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces..use both the white stems and the green leaves )
Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat, and cook the garlic in the hot oil until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
Mix in the bok choy, and cook and stir until the green parts of the leaves turn bright green and the stalks become slightly translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with salt to serve.
The peas in this week's box are the
sugar snap peas
...edible pod....which means that you eat the outside skin also...no need to shell these peas. They are sweet and crunchy, great served raw with a dip or added to a stir fry dish.
"Elegance" Greens Mix---a combination of flavors and textures ( pac choi, red mustard, mizuna and leaf broccoli ) makes this a beautiful and tasty salad. You might want to mix the salad mix and spinach in to make a awesome salad.
Cooking your
artichokes....don't use your microwave when steaming your artichokes. I highly recommend the "old fashioned" way and use a steamer on the stove top with lots of water. I feel it makes for a good, moist artichoke, cook until tender. Make sure a knife goes into the heart very easily and the outer leaves should pull off very easily. If you under cook them, they will be tough and inedible...but with the right amount of cooking, the artichokes should be delicious.
A new recipe that I tried last night to prepare the artichokes:
(1) with a sharp knife, cut off the top third of the artichoke and peel the outer skin off the stem ( like peeling a banana ) (2) pull off and discard a few of the outer leaves that may be a little tougher,
(3) cut the artichoke in half lengthwise
(4) steam until tender ( about 30 minutes)
(5) remove from steamer, let cool slightly and coat with olive oil and seasonings on all sides
(6) grill the artichokes, under a broiler or bar-b-que, turning a few times until browned and crispy on the outsides.
The
Zutano avocados have just been picked and thus will need a week or so to ripened. To ensure a quicker and even ripening, put the avocados in a paper bag (with a apple or a ripe banana) on your kitchen counter .
PRODUCTS AVAILABLE AT OUR STAND FROM OTHER FARMERS AND BUSINESSES:
Springville Ranch "Grass Fed" Ground Beef ..for sale in frozen 1 pound packages
Custom canned Premium Albacore caught by Wayne and Diane Moody of Arroyo Grande. Check out their website at EatAlbacore.com for more info on their sustainable fishing methods, their history and recipe ideas.
Medjool Dates from Christina and Robert at the Flying Disc Ranch located in Coachella Valley ( near Palm Springs ).
Nini Cookie brings her assorted sweet and savoy treats every Tuesday.
"Artisan" breads from "Little Red Hen" Bakery every Tuesday and Friday and N.14th Wild Bread Co. every Saturday.
Goat cheeses from Drake Farms in Southern California...apricot and honey, jalapeno, herbs de Provence, and garlic and onion flavors.
Heather and John Teixeira bring their locally raised beef cuts to our stand every 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month. Sarah and Ryan from Beewench Farms brings their frozen chickens every 2nd and 4th Friday.
Almond Brittle from Paso Almonds of SLO...freshly made each week by Rusty and his crew.
Bone Broth made with BeeWench chicken bones and organic vegetables.
Sierra High brand Lavender and White Sage essential oils.
Vegetable and herb starts from The Transitions Mental Health Growing Grounds of Santa Maria...pesticide free!