Rutiz Family Farms
Newsletter


WELCOME TO RUTIZ FARMS

Slim pickings on our farm right now...the recent rainy and cold winter has really slowed the growth of most of our crops.  We are fortunate to have a great network of like minded growers around the area that we can count on to supplement our offerings at the farm stand.  As the weather warms up and the days get longer, we will have more to harvest in our fields.

You may ask...what's going on with the strawberry crop this year?   We have been picking the field for several weeks, but discarding all the fruit because of damage from the weather.
Hopefully in the next week or two, the quality will improve so we can offer them at the stand.  Our old strawberry variety that we've been growing for 13 years ( Galante ) is no longer available from the plant nursery, so we are trying 5 new varieties for this season...hopefully we'll find a replacement that will be as good or even better than Galante!

Representatives from the University of California's Master Food Preserver Program of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties will be available at the farm stand this Friday from noon-5pm to provide information about their Spring Community classes and answer your home food preservation questions.

THE NEW TIMES MAGAZINE---BEST OF SLO COUNTY 2017 CONTEST
It's that time of year again. We know it's time consuming but come on people, help our SMALL STAND beat THE BIG BOYS! You can vote online, or pick up a paper and mail in your ballot. We greatly appreciate your loyalty and support!
         Vote for Rutiz Farms under the category of              "Getting Goods", 92). Best Farm/ Produce Stand.
And if we win, we'll have a party!

 This Friday at the stand
Teixeira Ranch beef.
 Little Red Hen bread.
Kacey Cakes gluten free treats.
Larry Kandarian's ancient grains, herbs and spices,
Central Coast Catch will only be offering fish for her CSF members..no retail sales for the winter.  Contact Jo for more info on her CFS ( 2cccatch@gmail.com ).

What's in this week's Box
Grown on our farm using organic farming methods:
kale, salad mix, carrots and potatoes .
The cucumbers are greenhouse grown in Nipomo by Ocean Breeze Farms...pesticide free.
The avocados come from Mallard Lake Ranch in Nipomo...pesticide free.
The apples are organically grown by Cuyama Orchards .
The kiwis are grown pesticide free by Mallard Lake Ranch in Nipomo.
The Mandarins are pesticide free from Friend's Ranch in Ojai.

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.
This week's Zutano avocados are the "winter" variety that is available locally this time of the year.  Put them on your kitchen counter to ripen...about 7 days...until they are soft to the touch.  If you want to assure a quicker ripening...put the avocado in a paper bag with a apple or ripe banana. The Zutano has a nice flavor and texture when allowed to fully ripen...just not quite as flavorful as the Hass variety.

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.
The "Sierra Gold" potatoes are great for baking, roasting, mashing or frying. No need to peel off the outer skin, just scrub off the dirt and cook with the skins left on ( much of the nutrients in a potato are in the skins!). They have a nice sweet taste and a yellow, creamy insides.

        PRODUCTS AVAILABLE AT OUR STAND FROM OTHER FARMERS AND BUSINESSES: 

Chanterelle mushrooms harvested by Louie Mello on his ranch in See Canyon.
Kiwis and avocados from Bob Criswell of Mallard Lake Ranch in Nipomo.
Medjool Dates from Christina and Robert at the Flying Disc Ranch located in Coachella Valley ( near Palm Springs ).
"Artisan" breads from "Little Red Hen" Bakery every Tuesday and Friday 
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 her frozen chickens every 2nd and 4th Friday.
Chadmark Farms of Paso Robles brings us 100% pure apple cider, pomegranate juice, pomegranate cider 
Almond Brittle  from Paso Almonds of SLO...freshly made each week by Rusty and his crew.
 Citrus from Friend's Ranch in Ojai and Bob Polito in San Diego County....pesticide free.
 Apples from Cuyama Orchards...certified organic.
Vegetable and herb starts from The Transitions Mental Health Growing Grounds of Santa Maria...pesticide free!  
Grass fed ground beef from Springville Ranch. 

Fresh fish caught by local fisherman out of Morro Bay is offered every Friday at our stand.  Contact 
Jo Oliver  at 2cccatch@gmail.com for sign up info for the fish CSF.     
We have two great beekeepers that bring their honey to our stand...Alisha Taft from the Rock Front Ranch near Cuyama  brings her sage and wildflower honeys and David's Blue Ribbon Honey ( and bee pollen ) from the Arroyo Grande area. 
   
"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.
  


  

Available at the Standstrawberry
Here are the items that we should have on the "table" for this Friday:
snap peas--$4/ pound
English shelling peas--$4/ pound
baby broccoli--$4.50/ pound
Brussel Sprouts--$4/ pound
onions--$1.00/ pound
kale--$2/ bunch
chard--$2/ bunch
beets--$2/ bunch
lettuce-- $1.50 each
Sierra Gold" potatoes--$2/ pound
sweet potatoes--$2/ pound
carrots--$2.50 / bunch
celery root--$2.50/ pound
parsnips--$2.50/ pound
leeks--$2/ bunch
baby mixed salad greens--$2/ bag of about 1/2 pound  
Bloomsdale baby spinach--$2/ bag               
cucumbers--$2/lb ( from Ocean Breeze Farm in Nipomo)
fennel bulb--$1 each
fresh herbs--$1/ bunch.. Italian flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, rosemary, arugula, 
Valencia oranges-$1.50/ pound,, Mandarins--$2.50/ pound             and Meyer Lemons--$2.50/ pound  ( from Bob Polito Farm in                 San Diego  County)                    
blueberries --$4/ basket ( from Gary Teixeira Farm in Santa Maria )
apples--$2.50/ pound ( from Cuyama Orchards in Cuyama.)
Honey:  $13 for a 1 pound jar, $20 for a 2 pound jar 
goat cheese--$7/ tub
almond brittle--$5 / 5 oz  bag or $13/ 1 pound bag
Fresh eggs--$7/ doz                       
Flowers:   $6 to $10 / bunch    

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 $18 / 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!

  

Week of March 3 2017

In This Issue
Available at the Stand
Harvest Box Info

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. )
Harvest Box   

Produce in the Harvest Box this week:

carrots

a bag of salad mix

"Tuscano" kale

"Persian " type cucumbers

Sierra Gold potatoes

2 "Zutano" avocados

Fuji apples

Kiwis

Mandarin oranges

  PLEASE bring back the empty boxes each week.
Stand Hours
OPEN RAIN/SHINE 

Tuesdays and Fridays: noon to 5pm
Saturdays: 10am to 4pm

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


 
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Thank you for choosing to support our farm and local, pesticide free, sustainable agriculture.

Jerry & Maureen
Rutiz Family Farms