Advance registration for most of Ambler Farm’s Fall programs begins today. Enrollment is limited for many programs so register early so you don’t miss out.  Click here for Complete Program Information + Online Registration.

Fall Programs

• Saturday, September 18th - Family Garden Tour
• Sunday, September 19th - Honey Harvest
• Saturday, September 25th - Sheep Shearing
• Sunday, October 3rd - Ambler Farm Day - A fun fall family event with apple slingshots, trebuchet launches, hayrides, scarecrows, homemade pies, goats + lambs, pumpkins and more.

• Thursday, October 14th - Seasonal Cooking Series: Pumpkins + Squash*
• Sunday, October 17th - Beginning Beekeeping
• Friday, October 29th - Fright Night*
• Saturday, October 30th - Fright Night*
• Tuesday, November 16th - Seasonal Cooking Series: Thanksgiving Sides*
• Friday, December 3rd - Art of the Wreath registration begins in October
• Sat 12/4, Sun 12/5, Sat 12/11 + Sun 12/12 - Holiday Greens Sale pre-sale begins in October

*Cooking Series + Fright Night registration is open to 2011 Members only today, September 1. Registration will open to the general public on September 15th, space permitting. Click here to learn more about membership.

Visit Ambler Farm’s website for additional programs, including their Farm Reads series with the Wilton Library which runs throughout the fall. Ambler Farm is located at 257 Hurlbutt St., Wilton, CT.

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If you like fresh, local food, you’re in for a treat as over 80 restaurants in CT prepare to please your palate during the first ever CT Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week. Designed to spotlight the wonderful quality and diversity of CT farm-fresh food and wine,  this event is the perfect opportunity to enjoy seasonal foods prepared by chefs at restaurants, caterers and schools in every county during the week of  September 26-October 2, 2010.

Fairfield County Participants:

Bloodroot Vegetarian Restaurant

Boxcar Cantina

Brownson Country Club

Catch A Healthy Habit Cafe

Chartwells Wilton High School

Fairfield University Dining Services/Sodexo Campus Services

Green Gourmet to Go

leFarm

Skinny Pines, LLC

Something Fishy Catering LTD

Stamford Yacht Club

Sugar & Olives

The Unquowa School

White Silo Farm & Winery

Please make your reservations early (when indicated below) to avoid disappointment as this is sure to be a popular event.

Fairfield County participants and their menus (when available) are listed below. For a complete list of all the participants in the state including menus and special events click here.

All information below was provided by the participants to the CT Dept. of Agriculture, which is organizing the event. Please call individual participants with any specific questions regarding their hours, menus, pricing, etc.

Fairfield County

Bloodroot Vegetarian Restaurant

85 Ferris Street

Bridgeport, CT  00605

203-576-9168

www.bloodroot.com

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

6pm to 9pm on TUES, WED, THURS - 6pm to 10pm on FRI & SAT

Reservations

Reservations requested for parties of five or more.

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

Bloodroot will offer a pre-fixe dinner for $22.00

• Appetizer/ A three cheese taster.*  (goat) Beltane Farm of Lebanon, (cow) Cato Corner Farm of Colchester and (sheep) Beaver Brook Farm of Old Lyme
• Soup / Portugese-Kale and Potato.  Urban Oaks Organic Farm of New Britain, Riverbank Farm of Roxbury and Fort Hill Farms of Thompson
• Dinner /  Moussaka.  Urban Oaks Organic Farm, Riverbank Farm and Fort Hill Farms
• Dessert / Apple Pie.   Rose’s Berry Farm of South Glastonbury, Woodland Farm of South Glastonbury and High Hill Farm of Woodstock

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

• Hooligan Cheese from Cato Corner, Cheese from Beltane and Cheese from Beaver Brook Farm
• Kale and Potatoes from Urban Oaks Organic Farm, Riverbank Farm and/or Fort Hill Farm
• Eggplant from Urban Oaks Organic Farm
• Apples from Rose’s Berry Farm, Woodland Farm and/or High Hill Farm

Menu Pricing

$22.00

Connecticut Wines Offered

Optional Black Rock Cabernet Sauvignon

Boxcar Cantina

Greenwich

Brownson Country Club

15 Soundview Avenue

Shelton, Connecticut  06484

1-203-929-0555

WWW.Brownsoncc.com

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

Open 6 days a week  Lunch Tuesday thru  Sunday  11:30 - 3:00

Dinner Tues, Wed, Friday  5:30 - 9:00  Saturday once a month 6 - 9pm

Reservations

Reservations are REQUESTED

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

Appetizers

+ Connecticut Blue Point Oysters warmed with torch,served with a lobster,shallot Pinot Gris butter and Eggplant Caviar $10.50

+ Whole Clam Chowder,corn ,crispy pork belly,potatoes  $  8.50

+ Four Mile River Farm Kielbasa,warm potato salad,tomato jam and mustard jus $  8.00

+ Cato Corner Farm “Bridgid’s Abbey” Fried with Gribiche, lemon,                       $  8.50

baby artichokes and green beans

Salads:

+ Tomatoes sliced with organic greens,micro herbs, farmers cheese, sea salt,basil oil, and dusted with dill pollen                                $ 7.50

+ Grilled Romaine,Roasted Beets,Garlic, olive oil,and  lemon, crumbled goat cheese                              $ 8.50

+ Chopped  salad of all Native Produce Green Goddess Dressing and Applewood smoked bacon                                                       $ 8.00

Entrees:

+ Crispy Skin Wild Striped Bass with Cauliflower Mash and Oregano butter                                                                    $21.00

+ Picked Lobster, creamed corn polenta, lobster essence, asparagus tips(or seasonal beans)                              $28.00

+ Breast of Chicken Roasted with Pancetta, capers, preserved  lemons, potato and seasonal beans                       $19.00

+ Hanger steak (grass fed),with fried stuffed potato slices and warm vegetable slaw            $18.50

+ Lamb Shank- Dumpling Casserole                                                                 $18.50

Desserts: $6.50

+ Bucks Spumoni, Blueberry Compote, Butter Fried Pound Cake

+ Chloes Carrot Cake with White Chocolate

+ Chocolate Polenta Cake with Raspberry

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

• Four Mile River Farm (Old Lyme), Robert Treat Farm (Milford)
• Stone Gardens Farm (Shelton), Cato Corner Farm (Colchester),
• Two Guys from Woodbridge (Hamden), Ned Island Oysters(Norwalk)
• Paganos Seafood(Norwalk), Jones Farm (Shelton), Sankow’s Beaverbrook Farm (Lyme)
• Kate and Mike Naturally Grown

I am expecting to use 90% CT Grown

Menu Pricing

See above

Connecticut Wines Offered

Sunset Meadow Vineyard-  St Croix

Jones Winery

• Pinot Gris
• Black Currant Bouquet

Jonathan Edwards Winery-  Chardonnay

Catch A Healthy Habit Cafe

39 Unquowa Rd

Fairfield Ct 06824

203 292 8190

www.catchahealthyhabit.com

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

mon-tue 8am-3pm Wed & Fri 8am-7pm Thur 8am-6:30pm Sat 9am-7pm Sun 11am-6pm

Reservations

Reservations are not required or recommended.

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

1. Drink: Smoothie “Grateful Green” Kale, Pear, Date, Banana

2. Salad: “Boston Lettuce Salad” Boston Lettuce, Beets, Cashew “cheese”

candied pecans, honey mustard dressing

3. Soup: “Creme of Broccoli Soup” Broccoli Walnut Himalayan salt Italian spices, Cucumber Olive Oil

4. Dessert: Apple Pie Ice Creme: Cashew, Coconut Oil, Maple Syrup, Apple, Cinnamon

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

1. Kale (Riverbank) & Pear (High Hill Orchard)

2. Beets (Fort Hill Farm) , Maple Syrup, Honey (Red Bee Honey)

3. Broccoli (Fort Hill) , Cucumber (Riverbank)

4. Apple (High Hill Orchard), Maple Syrup*

* searching for a CT source for Maple Syrup

Menu Pricing

1. Large $7 Small $5.25

2. $8.50

3. $4.50

4. $3.50

* Regular Price $21.75 w/ small smoothie, $23.50 w/large smoothie

Special prices will be announced for a meal that includes all four!

Chartwells Wilton Public School High School

395 Danbury Rd

Wilton, CT 06897

Phone: 203 834 4990

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

Monday - Friday

Reservations

Reservations required -  Wilton students only

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

Day One: Cavatelli Sausage & Broccoli* with side salad mixed greens* and cherry tomatoes*

Day Two: Flatbreads - Options = Basil Pesto*, Chicken, Feta Tomato*, Fresh Mozzarella Tomato*

Day Three: Breakfast  Omelets (regionally grown eggs) - build your own, tomatoes*, zucchini*, broccoli*, peppers*, fingerling potatoes*

Day Four: Chef Ron’s Pasta Putenesca - whole wheat pasta, plum tomatoes*, basil*, berry medley cup*

Day Five: Western Pizza - eggs (regionally grown), red & green peppers* side order apple crisp*

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

Blue Hills Farm, Baggott Farm, Beckett Farm, Cecarelli Farm, Futtner Farm, Long Plain Farm (all sourced through Fresh Point)

Menu Pricing

$3.00 - $4.50

Fairfield University Dining Services/Sodexo Campus Services

Barone Campus Center

1073 North Benson Road

Fairfield, CT 06824

203-254-4055

www.fairfielddiningservices.com

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

9/26/10 & 10/2/10 - 11:00am-7:30pm

9/27/10 through 910/1/10 7:30am-7:30pm

Reservations

Reservations required. If you are interested in joining during our Farm to Chef Lunch on Wednesday, September 29th, from 11:00am-2:00pm, Please contact us at 203-254-4055 opt. 2.

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

9/26/10: Butternut Squash Soup, Pasta Primavera, Whole Green Beans, Tomato Bruschetta Flatbread

9/27/10: Home Fried Potatoes, Honey BBQ Chicken Sandwich, Egg & Cheese Sandwiches, Cucumber, Tomato & Onion Salad, Roasted Acorn Squash with Honey and Maple Sugar, Tomato Bruschetta Flatbread

9/28/10: Potato Leek Soup, Apple Cobbler, Roasted Root Vegetables, Caprese Biggie Sandwich

9/29/10: Listed Below under Special Events

9/30/10: Gyro, Squash & Carrot Medley, Roasted Vegetarian Lasagna, Potato Salad

10/1/10: Baby Carrots, Farfalle with Wild Mushroom Sauce, Tomato Bruschetta Flatbread, Creamed Corn, Mashed Potatoes, 3 Cabbage Slaw

10/2/10: Roasted Apple Coffee Cake, Pork Cutlet with Roasted Peach and Honey Glaze, Onion Jam, Swiss Chard, Roasted Root Vegetable

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

Butternut Squash- Baggott Farms, East Windsor, CT

Pasta- Carla’s Pasta South Windsor, CT

Squash-Baggott Farms, South Windsor, CT

Green Beans-Fair Weather Acres Farms, Rocky Hill, CT

Tomatoes- Cecarelli, Northford, CT

Potatoes- Fuller Farms, Windsor, CT

Honey- Lamothe’s Sugar House, Burlington, CT

Eggs- Southern New England Eggs Franklin, CT

Cucmbers-Cecarelli, Northford, CT

Acorn Squash-Defrancesco & Sons, Northford, CT

Maple Sugar-Lamothe’s Sugar House, Burlington, CT

Apples-Lyman Orchards, Middlefield, CT- Blue Hills Orchard, Wallingford, CT

Pears- Lyman Orchards, Middlefield, CT

Turnips-Ferrari Farms, South Glastonbury, CT

Basil- Beckett Farm, Glastonbury, CT

Syrup-Lamothe’s Sugar House, Burlington, CT

Zucchini-Cecarelli, Northford, CT

Eggplant- Cecarelli, Northford, CT

Spaghetti Squash-Cecarelli, Northford, CT

Yogurt-Beltane, Lebanon, CT

Sour Cream-Guida, New Britain, CT

Savoy Cabbage- Windsor Farm Windsor, CT

Bi-Colored Corn-Baggott Farms, South Windsor, CT

Peaches- Blue Hills Orchard, Wallingford, CT

Swiss Chard-Cecarelli, Northford, CT

Suntan, Cherry & Banana Peppers-Defrancesco & Sons, Northford, CT

Romaine, Red Leaf & Green Leaf- Cecarelli, Northford, CT

Other products from local companies:

All of Milk is From Guida’s in New Britain, CT

Hen Turkeys- CT Meat Company LLC Manchester, CT

Pasta- Carla’s Pasta South Windsor, CT

Menu Pricing

Dining Hall door prices by meal are- breakfast $6.00, lunch/brunch $8.00, dinner $10.50

Connecticut Wines Offered

We do not serve wine but will be serving Currant Juice from CT Currant in Preston every day.

Special Events

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 Special Lunch to Promote Farm to Chef Program

Station Specials:

Entree Line Lunch:

Hen Turkeys, Corn on the Cob and Zucchini with Heirloom Tomatoes

Grill:

Grilled Portabella Sandwich

Deli:

Roasted Vegetable Baguette

Exhibition Station:

Egg & Cheese Sandwiches, Belgian Waffles-Fresh Whipped Cream, Fruit Comptes and Local Maple Syrup

Rotisserie:

Vegetarian Kabobs and Fingerling Roasted Potatoes

Vegetarian:

Eggplant Parmesan and Spaghetti Squash

Dessert:

Peach Cobbler

Green Gourmet to Go

2984 Fairfield Avenue

Bridgeport, CT  06605

203-873-0057

www.greengourmettogo.com

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

Tues 11-5:30, Wed 11-5:30, Thur 11-6:30, Fri 11-5:30, Sat 10-2.

Reservations

Reservations are not required or recommended.

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

Apple Curry Soup
Celeriac, Leek and Potato Soup
Roasted Beet Crostini
Butternut & Tempeh Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms w/Braised Sesame-Garlic Kale
Corn-Crusted Tofu Pot Pie
Multi-Grain Pumpkin Risotto
Acorn Squash Almond Cookies
Autumn Spiced Carrot Cake

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

Apples, beets, butternut squash, carrots, celeriac, broccoli, potatoes, kale, leeks, acorn squash (Sport Hill Farm, Easton, CT & Urban Oaks Organic Farm, New Britton, CT)

Goat cheese (Beltane Farms, Lebanon, CT)

Menu Pricing

GreenGourmetToGo food is for take out.  Prices for savory items range from $4 - $8, baked good range from $1.50 - $3.50

leFarm

Westport

Skinny Pines, LLC

220 Maple Road

Easton, CT  06612

203.727.8177

www.skinnypines.com

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

Friday October 1

Reservations

Reservations required

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

Seasonal green salad with seasonal produce and Beltane Goat cheese

Stuffed potenta with seasonal greens and Sankow Ricotta cheese

Pizza with seasonal items from SHF

Dessert:  Apple pie with apples from Lakeview Orchard served with fresh whipped cream from a local farm….

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

We will use Beltane cheese (Lebanon), Eaglewood Farm (Barkhamsted) pepperoni, Sankow’s Bever Brook Farm (Lyme) Ricotta, Sport Hill Farm (Easton) ingredients, Apples from Lakeview Orchard (Easton)

Menu Pricing

30 + Tax

Special Events

Skinny Pines, LLC will be co-hosting a dinner at Sport Hill Farm in Easton CT.  We will use fresh local ingredients from the farm for our pizza.  Minimum of 30 people and a maximum on 50.

Something Fishy Catering LTD

14 Depot Place

Bethel, CT 06801

(203) 722 2444 or (914) 572 5648

http://somethings.server313.com/

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

Friday October 1st, 2010 starting at 6pm

We are a catering company so will be hosting a Friday price fixed menu showcasing CT farm products and our catering style. October  1^st 2010  6pm, Location : TBD

Reservations

Reservations required

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Smoked Shiitakes, Holbrook Farm Braised Leeks, Ground Hazelnuts

Baby Endive Spoon

Holbrook Farm Salad

Holbrook Farm Baby Kale, Green and Red Leaf Lettuce, Purslane

Toasted Marcona Almonds, Caramelized Fennel, Maple Poached Dates, Orange Blossom Vinaigrette

Pan- Seared Tilden Seafood Diver Scallops

Grapefruit Zest, Burnham Farm Sweet Corn and White Truffle Risotto, Harrissa

Crispy Holbrook Farms Collard Frizz

Cinnamon-Cumin Rubbed Duck Breast

French Green Lentils, Blistered Plums, Larson  Farm Roasted Pumpkin, Caramelized Celery Root

Grilled Nectarine-Zinfandel Reduction

Grilled Greyledge Farm Grass- Fed Filet of Beef

Holbrook Farms Blue Potato Puree, Sautéed Broccoli Rabe, Holbrook Farm Chioggia Beet Chip, Horseradish Mousse

Cupcake Trio-Made from Holbrook Farm Eggs and Arethusa Farm Fresh Milk

“Tropical Fever” Banana Cupcake with Black Sesame Buttercream

“Castara” Coconut-Carrot Cupcake with Tamarind Buttercream

“Yucatan” Chocolate Chipotle with Orange Buttercream

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

Holbrook Farms, Bethel CT providing Leeks, Baby Kale, Lettuce, Purslane, Collard Greens, Blue Potato, Chioggia Beets, Chicken Eggs

Tilden Seafood, Litchfield CT providing Diver Scallops

Larson Farm, New Milford, CT providing Pumpkin

Greyledge Farm, Roxbury CT providing Beef Tenderloin

Burnham Farm, South Windsor CT providing Sweet Corn

Arethusa Farm providing Cream and Milk

DiGrazia Vineyards Brookfield CT- Wines

Menu Pricing

Price fixed menu $75 Dollars per person

Connecticut Wines Offered

DiGrazia Vineyards Wine provided by Spirits N Such Owner Rocky Patel

Stamford Yacht Club

Stamford

Sugar & Olives

21 1/2 Lois Street

Norwalk CT 06880

203.454.3663

www.sugarandolives.com

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

Tuesday through Saturday 8am to 3pm, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 6pm supper,

Reservations

Reservations required

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

“lobster on the farm”

lobster and sweet potato soup, vegan!

warm lobster chop salad, apples and calvados, mâché, minted ratatouille

“veggies in heaven”

leek and vermouth soup

three piles of love:

quinoa, kale and parlsey

amaranth and eggplant

heirloom grain medley and mushrooms

“honest pork belly”

eats, shoots, and leaves salad, pomegranate molasses vinaigrette

grass-fed, home-schooled, church-going pork, braised with pears and semi - sweet riesling wine

sweet turnip mash

“Caesar loves lime seared chicken”

lemon risotto and our favorite sauteed greens

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

Gazy Brothers Farm, Oxford, CT

Urban Oaks Farm, New Britain, CT

Two Guys From Woodbridge, Hamden,  CT

Fort Hill Farm, New Milford, CT

Laurel Ridge Farm, Litchfield, CT

Menu Pricing

All suppers are $30 including one glass of wine, and a cookie treat.

Connecticut Wines Offered

Haight  Brown Vineyard, Honey Nut Apple white wine and Semi-Sweet Riesling

Sharpe Hill Vineyard, Pomfret, CT, Reserve Chardonnay

The Unquowa School

981 Stratfield Road

Fairfield, CT 06825

302.336.3801

http://unquowa.org/

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

M - F

Reservations

Reservations required

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

Stuart Family Farm Hamburgers

Chilled Berry Soup, Unquowa Pickles, Local corn, Watermelon

Empanadas

Corn Chowder, Brown Rice, Black Beans, Broccoli, Brownie

Apples & Honey

Baby Heirloom Tomato Soup, Steel Cut Oat Bread

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

Ground Beef, Beef from Stuart Family Farm, Bridgewater, CT

Empanadas, Vegetables from Sport Hill Farm, Easton, CT

Honey & Apples, High Hill Orchard, Meriden CT & Red Bee Honey, Weston, CT

Baby Heirloom Tomato Soup, Assorted School Gardens in Fairfield County.

Menu Pricing

No Price

Connecticut Wines Offered

N/A

Special Events

Doing first demonstration at New Beginnings Family Academy with Chefs Move To Schools.

White Silo Farm & Winery

32 Route 37 East

Sherman, CT 06784

860 355 0271

www.whitesilowinery.com

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

Sunday 9/26 from  11 to 6. Friday 10/1 from 5 to 8 PM, Saturday 10/2 from 11 to 6.

Reservations

Reservations are not required or recommended.

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

Honey Roasted Rhubarb Salad

Turkey Sandwich with White Silo Farm Black Currant Mustard

Blackberry Panna-Cotta

Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Sauce

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

Raspberries, Blackberries, Rhubarb grown on our farm

Black Currant Mustard produced in our farm kitchen

Menu Pricing

$6 per item

Connecticut Wines Offered

Our own wines - Rhubarb, Blackberry, Raspberry and Black Currant

Special Events

Pick your own Raspberries and winery tours

Feeney Farm will be hosting its first in a series of three “Volunteer Days” at the Fairfield Community Garden (FCG) on Saturday, July 31st from 8 - 11 am. Volunteers will be weeding, digging and preparing the soil for Swiss chard, kale, carrots and brussell sprouts. All produce will be harvested in the fall and donated to Fairfield cancer patients and survivors.

Feeney Farm, a start-up farm in Fairfield whose aim is to grow and donate vegetables to those in the community suffering from cancer, plans to provide  50-100 Fairfield cancer patients and survivors 50% of their recommended daily vegetables intake during the months of June through October. Feeney Farm officially starts in 2011, but will be growing produce in a plot at the FCG located in Drew Park in Fairfield.

If you’re interested in volunteering this Saturday, fundraising or getting involved, contact Margaret Feeney at  margaretmaryfeeney@gmail.com or visit www.feeneyfarm.org. Feeney Farm is also on Facebook.

The Litchfield Saltwater Grille

Farm to Table Inspired Wine Dinner Series

presents…

March Farms Dinner (Bethlehem, CT)

featuring Certified Biodynamic Benziger  Wines

on Sunday August 8th at 3pm

Chef Albert Clugston III will prepare a five course farm fresh menu paired with four certified sustainable Benziger wines.  The menu will feature:

March Farms peaches, plums, nectarines, corn, blueberries, tomatoes, broccoli, and more!  As well as Local…

Farm Fresh Eggs, (Windswept Farm, Litchfield)

Arethusa Farm Dairy Products, (Litchfield)

Bantam Bread, (Bantam)*  Beltane Farm Artisan Cheese, (Lebanon)

Percy Thompson Meadows (Bethlehem)

Urban Oaks Organic Farm, (Kent) * Mountain View Farm (Kent)

Percy Thomson Meadows Farm (Bethlehem)

Mountaintop Mushrooms, (Waterbury) * Local Grass Fed Beef

Chef Albert Clugston III’s Organic Garden, ( Litchfield)

Call now for reservations 860-567-4900

Click here to learn about Benziger’s Green Farming practices.

Click here to view the complete menu.

The Litchfield Saltwater Grille

fine FOOD • WINE • ATMOSPHERE at its best

IN THE NEWS:

Pick up your copy of this months issue of Connecticut Magazine!

The cover story “Farm Dinners,”  by Elizabeth Keyser features

The Litchfield Saltwater Grille’s Farm to Table Dinner Series as one of Connecticut’s up and coming in this new trend.

Brett Clugston is invited to Fox CT to discuss the upcoming dinner series.  Check out the beautiful March Farms Tomatoes in the segment.

Click here to watch.

26 Commons Drive, Route 202, Litchfield, CT 06759

860.567.4900 swgcorporate@optonline.net

www.litchfieldsaltwatergrille.org

www.connecticutcaterers.org

Exciting news from Jones Family Farms, Shelton.

Starting Friday July 2nd Jones Family Farms will be hosting Friday Farmers’ Markets, outside their Winery tasting room, from 3:30pm-5:30pm through the end of August.

Scheduled to be on hand are farm market set-ups by Jones, Stone Gardens Farm, Pasta Fina and other guest vendors. The farms will offer goods including fresh vegetables, breads, eggs, pasta, honey and more. Cooking demos, craft projects for children and special themes will highlight the weekly event.

The kick-off on Friday July 2nd is being touted as the Red, White & Blue Farm Market Kick-off Event and will benefit the ACT Spooner House/Valley Food Bank charity. That day the market will be open special hours from 1:30pm till 5:30pm with more children’s crafts and games, special food offerings and a special wine tasting at Jones Winery. Guests attending are asked to bring a food donation for Spooner House. Those unable to bring food, can purchase food at the market and give it directly to Spooner House staff or make monetary donations as well. “Last year’s Red, White and Blue festival was a big help to us. The summer time is tough on the shelves at the food bank and we were able to fill them up after last year’s festival. We hope we can do the same this year,” said John Trovarelli from the ACT Spooner House/Valley Food Bank.

The weekly farmer’s markets are designed to not just feed the public, but to help educate them as well. Allyson Angelini, the Jones Family Farms Market Manager said; “We are very excited! We hope families will stop by the farm to learn about the diversity of agricultural products we produce right here in the White Hills of Shelton. It’s really exciting that our neighborhood of farms can offer such a variety of goods! We hope it will be a great way for families to start the weekend!”

The market will be held at Jones Family Farms that is located in Shelton, Connecticut, off Route 110 - 5 miles North of Shelton Center and 2 miles south of the junction of Route 110 and 111 in Monroe. For more information call the Farmer Jones Hot Line - (203) 929-8425.

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Marilyn Miller

Phone: 203-257-4394

For Immediate Release:    Legendary Organic Farmer Annie Farrell to Speak at Pequot Library June 30th

Annie Farrell, nationally-recognized ‘legendary’ organic farmer and expert on sustainable agriculture, is the featured speaker at a program highlighting plans for the Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm (FOTF). The meeting will take place Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 7:00PM in the Pequot Library Auditorium, 720 Pequot Avenue, Southport, CT. The program is being held in partnership with the Pequot Library.

Ms. Farrell was hired by Jesse and Betsy Fink to restore the Millstone Farm in Wilton, CT which was saved by the Finks from commercial development in 2006. Ms. Farrell transformed the farm into a model sustainable organic farming enterprise using biodynamic-French intensive farming techniques.   Today, the Millstone Farm provides fresh vegetable produce to some of Fairfield County’s best farm-to-table restaurants including “The Boat House” and “Le Farm” in Westport as well as “The School House” in Cannondale Crossing.

Annie first gained local notoriety when she collaborated with Paul Newman and Michel Nischan, to launch “The Dressing Room” restaurant.  She has also designed farms for other celebrities including Dave Matthews and Annie Leibowitz.  ABC News dubbed Annie, ‘the farmers’ farmer’. The FOTF is hoping to have Annie’s guidance in designing Fairfield’s aspiring organic teaching farm.

Dr. Ray Poincelot,  Fairfield University Professor Emeritus, founder and editor The Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and member of the FOTF Advisory Board, calls Ms. Farrell a “national treasure.”

Analiese Paik, founder and editor of the Fairfield Green Food Guide (www.fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com), and member of the FOTF Board of Directors, will emcee the event. The Fairfield Green Food Guide is a free online consumer resource for finding local sustainably grown food, farm-to-table restaurants, farmers’ markets, farm stands, green grocers, CSAs and green food events in Fairfield County. Ms. Paik is a regular monthly guest on News Channel 8’s ‘Good Morning Connecticut’ weekend show.

Pamela Jones, FOTF founder and president will update progress in finalizing the farm site, and will detail plans for future farm fundraising activities. Says Jones, “The goal of the Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm is to create a working farm and organic educational center on town land in Fairfield, CT. The farm’s mission is to celebrate Fairfield’s agrarian roots by redefining our community for the 21^st century through sustainable agriculture and responsible environmental stewardship. By creating this non-profit community-based agricultural resource and teaching center, Fairfield will become part of the greater global environmental movement.  Annie Farrell is our inspiration and role model.  She is also a delegate to the 2010 Terra Madre convention to be held in October in Torino, Italy.  It is an honor and privilege to have her as our first featured guest speaker.”

There will be many opportunities to help with the Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm. Anyone interested in learning more about plans for the farm is encouraged to attend. Please visit the farm’s website at www.fairfieldorganicteachingfarm.org.

FOTF Logo Design:  Jennifer Cole

Media Alert

For Saturday, July 24, 2010

Contact: Heather Caufield or Alison Goldstein

212.255.8455/ Heather@rosengrouppr.com / Alison@rosengrouppr.com

The James Beard Foundation’s Chefs & Champagne^® New York

Honoring Martha Stewart

What: The James Beard Foundation will honor multiple James Beard Award-winner Martha Stewart at Chefs & Champagne® New York, the Foundation’s annual summer fundraiser at Wölffer Estate Vineyard. This sumptuous tasting party features flowing Champagnes, the wines of Wölffer Estate Vineyard, beers from Stella Artois and culinary offerings from a select group of more than 30 fine chefs, many from JBF Award-winning restaurants. The 2010 recipient of the Christian Wölffer Scholarship for wine and food studies will also be announced.

When: Saturday, July 24, 2010

VIP Reception with Silent Auction Preview:

4:30 pm to 5:30 pm

Chefs & Champagne^® New York Main Event:

5:30 pm to 8:00 pm

Where: Wölffer Estate Vineyard

139 Sagg Road

Sagaponack, NY 11962

Guest of Honor: Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Why:  Chefs & Champagne^® New York is considered the East End’s premiere culinary event.  Funds raised at the event will help to support the James Beard Foundation’s mission and programs. A silent auction consisting of fine dining experiences, wines and spirits, cookware and culinary travel packages will also raise funds for the non-profit James Beard Foundation.

Reservations: VIP Premium Admission: $350 for JBF Members and Non-members. VIP tables of 10: $3,000.  The VIP experience includes exclusive one hour access to all tastings, reserved table seating, silent auction preview, VIP gift bag; invitation to VIP After-Party presented by Citarella.

General Admission: JBF Members $195, Non-members $250. General admission includes: all tastings, silent auction bidding opportunities and gift bag.

For reservations and more information, please contact the James Beard Foundation at (212) 627-2308 or visit www.jamesbeard.org/chefsandchampagne.

Chefs:   Wolfgang Ban and Eduard Frauneder, Seäsonal Restaurant and Weinbar, NYC; Nicolas Cantrel, Bistro Bagatelle, NYC; Dale Carty, Tasty’s, Anguilla, British West Indies; Maneet Chauhan, At Vermilion, NYC; Jeremy Culver, Fulton, NYC; Josh DeChellis, La Fonda Del Sol, NYC;  Pastry Chef Karen DeMasco**, Locanda Verde, NYC; Todd English**, Tuscany at the Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT; George Faison** and Marc John Sarrazin, DeBragga.com, NYC;  David Felton; Ninety Acres at Natirer, Peapack-Gladstone, NJ; Wesley Genovart, Degustation, NYC; Pastry Chef Mark Gerlach, Nick & Toni’s, East Hampton, NY; Pastry Chef Jennifer Giblin, Blue Smoke, NYC; Michael Ginor**, Lola, Great Neck, NY; Robbin Haas, Gulf Coast Kitchen at The Montauk Yacht Club, Montauk, NY; David Katz, Mémé, Philadelphia; Gavin Kaysen**, Café Boulud, NYC; Anita Lo, Annisa, NYC; Paul Marshall, Pomme Café Brasserie, Astoria, NY; Julian Medina, Yerba Buena Perry, NYC; George Mendes, Aldea, NYC; Harold Moore, Commerce, NYC; Marc Murphy, Ditch Plains, NYC; Michel Nischan**, The Dressing Room, Restaurant, Westport, CT; Charles Rodriguez and Pastry Chef Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez, Print, NYC; Guest Chef Marcus Samuelsson**, Blue Parrot, East Hampton, NY; Pierre Schaedelin, Benoit, NYC; Jesse Schenker and Pastry Chef Christina Lee, Recette, NYC; Bill Telepan, Telepan, NYC; Scott Uehlein, Canyon Ranch Hotel & Spa, Miami Beach, FL; Jason Weiner, Almond, Bridgehampton and NYC; Percy Whatley, The Ahwahnee, Yosemite National Park, CA; Damon Wise and Shane McBride, Colicchio & Sons, NYC

** James Beard Award Winner

About the James Beard Foundation
Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation is dedicated to celebrating, nurturing, and preserving America’s diverse culinary heritage and future. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, James Beard, who died in 1985, was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts. Today, the Beard Foundation continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships to culinary schools, and publications, and by maintaining the historic James Beard House in New York City’s Greenwich Village as a “performance space” for visiting chefs. For more information, please visit www.jamesbeard.org. Find insights on food at the James Beard Foundation’s blog Delights & Prejudices. Join the James Beard Foundation on Facebook. Follow the James Beard Foundation on Twitter.

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Everything I know about honey and honeybees I learned from Red Bee Honey founder, beekeeper, and “honey sommellier” Marina Marchese. My lessons came during a visit last month to her apiary in Weston for a special honey tasting event.

We sat down to a table tastefully set with a flight of seven honeys, each from a different nectar source, that varied in color from very pale yellow to dark amber. The honeys we tasted came from blueberry blossom, alfalfa, goldenrod, tulip poplar, star thistle, and wildflowers like Japanese knotweed and varied in flavor from delicate and lightly sweet to rich and raisinated, reminiscent of a dessert wine.

Marina  recounted the story of how she came to be an “accidental” beekeeper and connoisseur of fine honey. “It all started with a visit to a neighbor’s backyard where I tasted honey straight from the hive.  I was blown away. It was the freshest and most delicious thing I’d ever had and I was intrigued by the Italian honeybees.” That was ten years ago and marked the acquisition of her first hive.

It was Marina’s attendance at The Honey Show in London, a formal honey tasting and judging, that first introduced her to the idea of evaluating honey much as wine is - based on color, aroma and flavor. Marina then studied wine tasting in order to transfer those skills to honey tasting. Soon after, she traveled to La Città del miele (the City of Honey) in Montelcino, Italy and was delighted to find honey right alongside olive oil and wine on the store shelves. “Cactus, rosemary, eucalyptus honey - I tasted them all in Italy and discovered there’s life beyond wildflower” explained Marina.

As we smelled, tasted and marveled at the varied aromas and flavors of each honey, our hostess described the role of the bee and beekeeper in making honey. “When honeybees gather nectar from the flower of alfalfa, buckwheat or blueberry, beekeepers harvest honey that has the distinct flavor profile of that nectar source.” We discovered that wildflower honey is as different from Tulip Poplar honey as Sauvignon Blanc is from Cabernet Sauvignon, and that terms commonly used when tasting and evaluating wine - color, aroma, texture and flavor - are also applicable to honey.

“While Mother Nature plays an important role in honey making” explained Marina, “the timing of the beekeeper is crucial since beekeepers must be in tune with nectar flows and remove the honey just before the petals fall from the flower the bees are visiting and just before they move on to the next flower about to bloom. Bees gather nectar and place it inside the beeswax cells, and once it is ripened to 17-18% water content and mixed with their own enzyme, a sugar called “invertase”, it becomes honey.  The bees then cap the honey-filled cells with more beeswax.”

“Once most of the honey on a frame is capped over, beekeepers extract it (in the spinner or extractor) as liquid honey or cut it out as honey in the comb! I call ours Farmhouse Honeycomb.” Raw honey is honey direct from the honeycomb, all natural and unstrained. “In Saudi Arabia” Marina pointed out, “the honeycomb is traditionally served with the honey as a symbol of its authenticity”.

Curious about the medicinal use of products made by honeybees, Marina earned a certificate in apitherapy. “Honey is an immune system booster and its hygroscopic properties make it popular in wound care in other countries. The FDA recently approved a band aid with honey.” She recommend that those suffering from seasonal allergies try taking a spoonful of  honey each day to alleviate their symptoms.

Local, artisan honeys like Red Bee’s are made in small quantities, and in this case, using organic hive management practices. Marina pointed out that “commercial honey has to be pasteurized when it enters the US and is blended for uniformity”  whereas Marina’s “single source” honeys are true artisan foods with unique flavor profiles.

Colony Collapse Disorder does not affect small hives we learned, and has not yet entered our state. But pesticides are one of the suspected contributors to this syndrome that can wipe out entire commercial hives and negatively impact agricultural production that depend on these bees to pollinate their crops.  “It’s hard to manage 1,000 hives lovingly” explains Marina.

Honeybees are excellent pollinators, responsible for pollinating a wide range of fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts that constitute one out of every three bites we eat and provide $15 to $20 billion in added crop value annually.

Marina recommends tasting the honeys alone, as you would wine, and then finding ways to pair them with your favorite foods. Drizzle some on baked goods, pancakes and waffles or add to strawberries and balsamic vinegar.

To learn more about Marina Marchese, beekeeping, and honey, pick up a copy of her book, “Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper” or attend one of her upcoming tasting events. Carol Herman, the Books Editor at The Washington Times, named Marchese’s HONEYBEE as one of the “Books We Loved” in 2009.  Red Bee Honey is listed in the most recent edition of Patricia Brook’s “Food Lovers’ Guide to Connecticut”, a best of the best foodie guide to Connecticut.

Red Bee Honeys can be purchased at: the New Canaan farmers’ market (Sat. 10-2), Fairfield’s Brick Walk farmers’ market (Sat. 9-12), Fairfield Cheese Company (Fairfield), Catch a Healthy Habit Café (Fairfield), Aux Delices (Greenwich/Darien), Plum Pure Foods (Old Greenwich), Mirabelle Cheese Shop (Westport), Practically Green (Ridgefield), Jones Family Winery (Shelton), Artisan Foods (Southbury), and McLaughlin Vineyard (Sandy Hook).

Restaurants using Red Bee Honey include LeFarm (Westport), Scoozi (New Haven), Winvian Luxury Resort (Litchfield), Billy Grants (East Haven), and The Unquowa School (Fairfield).

Upcoming Events:

JUNE 5, 2010
Sculpture Barn + Art Center
Preservation Celebration
3 Milltown Rd at Rt 39, New Fairfield, CT 06812
203.746.6101
Red Bee® Honey, Cheese and Wine Tasting

JULY 9, 2010
Jones Family Farms
Shelton, CT 203.929.8425
Honey Sommelier: Tasting and Pairing Artisanal Honeys
by C. Marina Marchese

AUGUST 22, 2010
Grange Agricultural Fair
25 Cannon Road Wilton, Connecticut 06897
203.762.1900
Artisanal Honey Tasting Table

If you’re growing strawberries at home, make sure you pick them soon so they don’t wind up as  squirrel food. We picked our first handfuls earlier in the week and have left a few for our Memorial Day guests to pick and savor.

The strawberries are ripe and ready! Pick them up at your favorite farm, farmers’ market or great grocer. If you’re free this Saturday morning, head over to Jones Family Farm in Shelton for a very special SNEAK PREVIEW picking THIS Saturday morning (5/29) from 8am - 11am! Don’t forget to bring your JFF berry box from last year.

The 70-year-old Easton Garden Club has put together a beautiful map of the farms of Easton to help guide visitors to the 22 farms that dot the community. You’ll find everything from honey to Christmas trees in Easton!

I love to visit Sport Hill Farm at 596 Sport Hill Road for farmer Patti Popp’s just-picked organic vegetables available at the farm stand located in their newly-renovated barn. The farm is set to reopen for the season on the weekend of May 22 and the farm stand will be open every day of the week from 10-6, except Wednesday. Select products from other farms will also be available this year. Don’t miss the on-farm events for children and family that are held throughout the season.