Take mom to a local farmers’ market this Saturday (today) for some fresh spring greens to use in a special Mother’s Day meal. Choose from the Greenfield Hill Grange, Norfield Grange or opening day at the New Milford farmers’ market on the green from 9-1. Locations and hours for Fairfield County farmers’ markets are listed on our farmers’ market page. Bedding plants, including organic vegetable and herb transplants, are available from Moorefield Herb Farm, a vendor at the Greenfield Hill Grange farmers’ market. Riverbank Farm, an organic vendor at the Greenfield Hill Grange and New Milford farmers’ market, has fresh spring spinach, green garlic, spicy arugula, salad mix and collard greens available for sale.
Treat mom to some special herbs and vegetables for her containers, patio garden or vegetable garden from Gilbertie’s Herb Garden at 7 Sylvan Lane in Westport. Gilbertie’s is a family-owned business started in 1922 and is the largest grower of herb plants in the US. They supply over 400 different varieties of USDA Organic herbs, some of which are very hard to find, to outlets in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern US. Visit their garden center in Westport to enjoy the formal display gardens, themed greenhouses and gift shop offering herbs and vegetables from the usual to the exotic. Open Saturday from 8:30-5:30 and Mother’s Day from 9-4.
Ambler Farm in Wilton and Holbrook Farm in Bethel are also excellent sources for organic vegetable and herb transplants. Ambler Farm will be selling transplants and maple syrup from the farm on May 7 from noon until 3 pm. The farm stand opens for the season on May 23. Holbrook Farm’s Farm Market & Bakery is open Monday through Saturdays from 9-5 and is a great place to buy fresh vegetables and eggs from the farm, raw milk from Stonewall Dairy, milk and other dairy products from Arethusa Farm, award-winning Flaxette bread, and other artisan and farmstead products. Holbrook Farm has a wide variety of organically grown vegetable seedlings for sale including more than a dozen varieties of heirloom tomatoes. I was thrilled to see the Mortgage Lifter on the list.
The Fairfileld Organic Teaching Farm's Harvest Supper Event Team is planning a farm-to-table dinner special enough to be deemed the "social event of the season".
Save the Date: Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 10 for the“Fairfield social event of the season”. The Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, will be holding its first annual Harvest Supper, a celebration of local farm fare prepared by renowned area ‘farm to table’ chefs.
Hosted by DJ Carey, the Editorial Director of the beautiful Cottages and Gardens publications, the fundraiser will be held at the landmark Pequot Library in Southport. Guests will be treated to a bountiful farm-to-table menu, seasonal wine and craft beers, fresh desserts, and foot-tapping music.
The Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm’s mission is to celebrate the town’s agrarian past (Just 90 years ago there were more than 100 farms in Fairfield), educate youth and adults about sustainable gardening practices, promote good stewardship of the land and sound nutrition, and to provide a fresh local source of organic produce.
Red Bee Apiary & Gardens hosts plein air honey tastings that are beautiful arranged and formally structured, much as a wine tasting would be.
Red Bee honey tastings are formal, white linen events organized and led by owner, beekeeper, and author Marina Marchese. Guest are treated to a tour of Red Bee Apiary & Gardens, a honeybee talk, and finally a formal honey tasting at farmhouse style tables en plain air. Participants are encouraged to engage their curiosity through discussions while learning about the many types and styles of unique nectar source honeys. The menu is a carefully orchestrated “Tasting Flight” of seven single-origin, local honeys perfectly paired with locally produced, seasonal accompaniments including cheese, fruit, chocolate, nuts, bread, spices or herbs.
Event: Honey Tasting Laboratory Workshop with Honey Sommelier Marina Marchese
Location: Red Bee ® Apiary and Gardens, Weston, CT MAP QUEST
When: Sunday, May 29, 2011 from 1:00 pm until 3:00 pm. This event takes place outside at Red Bee in the apiary gardens.
Cost: $35.00 per guest and includes all food and beverage, including a welcome glass of Prosecco.
Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper is a great summer read and the honeys are a culinary delight.
Marina Marchese’s book, “Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper” has just been released in paperback after a successful publication in hardcover. 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), 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).
Jacques Pepin reaching for a grilled cheese sandwich from the Caseus truck at the 2010 Celebration. Photo c/o Elizabeth Keyser.
The 11th Annual Celebration of Connecticut Farms will take place on Sunday, September 11 at Jones Family Farms in Shelton, CT. Returning as honorary chairpersons of the Celebration are Tony Award winning actress Christine Baranski, WNPR’s Two Time Peabody Award winner Faith Middleton, and celebrity TV chef and author Jacques Pépin.
Tyler Anderson, Executive Chef of The Copper Beech Inn, puts the finishing touches on his dish at the 2010 Celebration. Photo c/o Elizabeth Keyser
Guests of the Celebration of Connecticut Farms can enjoy spectacular dishes featuring ingredients from over 50 farms across the state and prepared by chefs from 24 of Connecticut’s best restaurants including: Metro Bis in Simsbury, It’s Only Natural in Middletown, The Dressing Room in Westport, The Suburban in Branford, Polytechnic ON20 in Hartford, and many more. Attendees can also enjoy wine from 10 Connecticut wineries and vineyards and beer from Connecticut breweries. Musical entertainment will be provided by the band, Bone Dry and paintings by members of the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society will be on display and for sale.
The Jones family is thrilled to welcome the Celebration of Connecticut Farms back to its farm. The first event in 2001 brought together Connecticut residents, artists, farmers, and chefs resolved to protect Connecticut’s productive farmlands for future generations. The generous food bounty of Connecticut was expressed through unforgettably delicious dishes created by farmers and chefs, working side by side in an idyllic setting.
Tony Award winning actress Christine Baranski and James Beard Award-winning Chef Michel Nischan at the 2010 Celebration. Photo c/o Elizabeth Keyser
Farm owner Terry Jones says, “what seemed so amazing in 2001, chefs partnering with farmers, has almost become commonplace today. In only ten years, significant progress has occurred regarding citizen desire to protect farmland, as well as in the actual number of acres set aside for permanent protection. But, the battle is far from over and there are new challenges ahead for all of us in preserving Connecticut’s agriculture.”
Jones Family Farms in Shelton produces Christmas trees, berries, pumpkins, grapes that supply the farm’s winery, and much more. You can learn more about the farm and its products at JonesFamilyFarms.com.
Tickets to the Celebration are $150 each (with $75 of that being tax-deductible). To purchase tickets or request an invitation, visit CelebrationofCTFarms.org, or call 860-247-0202. Proceeds from the Celebration are dedicated to Connecticut Farmland Trust’s mission to preserving our state’s working farmland.
Jones Family Farms owner Terry Jones walking through his fields with his grandson, Jackson. Photo c/o Jones Family Farm
Connecticut Farmland Trust is the only private statewide conservation organization dedicated solely to permanently protecting Connecticut’s farmland. Established in 2002, CFT holds agricultural conservation easements that protect 2,096 acres of farmland on 26 farms around the state, has assisted partners in the preservation of 602 additional acres, and serves as a leading resource on conserving Connecticut’s working farmland.
You are invited to attend a very special event – Growing Sustainably in Connecticut: 3 Local Farmers Discuss their Connection to Our Soil. The farmers serving as guest panelists are Dina Brewster from The Hickories farm in Ridgefield, John Holbrook from Holbrook Farm in Bethel and Annie Farrell from Millstone Farm in Wilton. Please join me on May 3 at 6:30 pm at Norfield Grange in Weston from an opportunity to learn firsthand from our sustainable farmers and ask some questions. This event is organized by the Weston Select Committee for Sustainability and is free and open to the public.
Look for CTC&G at the usual drop sites and enjoy Sustainable Connecticut magazine starting on page 49. Sustainable Connecticut cover photo of Sustainable Farmer Annie Farrell of Millstone Farm by Doreen Birdsell of Doreen Birdsell Studios Photography and Video.
A beautiful new magazine called Sustainable Connecticut has launched. This special preview in the April issue of Connecticut Cottages & Gardens magazine (CTC&G) profiles local leaders of the sustainable food movement who are inspiring all of us to change. They are creating a wonderful ripple effect that can be felt throughout the state, and beyond. Perhaps you know some of them or they have touched your lives, or maybe even the food you eat.
Video from WTNH’s Good Morning Connecticut show introducing Sustainable Connecticut magazine on Saturday April 2 with Analiese Paik, Founder & Editor of the Fairfield Green Food Guide, and WTNH’s Steve Villanueva.
Sustainable FarmerSustainable Connecticut magazine begins on page 49 of CTC&G with a beautiful photo of Master Farmer Annie Farrell of Millstone Farm in Wilton with one of their heritage breed hens. Annie Farrell, the subject of the magazine’s cover story, has spent her life establishing sustainable farms and sharing her knowledge with others as a consultant. Millstone Farm was founded by Betsy and Jesse Fink and they hired Farrell to help them build “a sustainable farm whose mission it is to build a healthy local food system that enhances the natural and social environment” according to the article.
Betsy is an environmentalist and philanthropist and runs the 75-acre farm which has a small CSA and supplies the highest quality fresh produce to top farm-to-table restaurants including the Dressing Room and Le Farm in Westport, Schoolhouse at Cannondale in Wilton, the Boathouse at Saugatuck, and the Barcelona restaurant group. Millstone Farm regularly hosts teachers, students and educational events at the farm where participants can learn directly from Master Farmer Annie Farrell. If you’re a beginning gardener, don’t miss Millstone’s Backyard Workshop on April 16.
From left to right: Bill Taibe, Ryan Fibiger and seated, Alex Gunuey
Farm-to-Table Chefs& Whole Animal Butcher In the Locavore column “Staying Hungry”, I interviewed a few chefs who are leaders in the farm-to-table movement to share their latest news with readers. James Beard award-winning chef and sustainable food pioneer Michel Nischanpresented at TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” and was recently elected to Ashoka’s global fellowship of leading social entrepreneurs in more than 60 countries in recognition of his work at Wholesome Wave.
Bill Taibe, chef/owner of LeFarm restaurant in Westport and a James Beard Foundation award semifinalist for Best Chef: Northeast is finalizing his restaurant’s green certification process and is planning a second restaurant. Alex Gunuey caters farm-to-school meals at the Friends School in Wilton and started Bone A Part to provide discerning canines with gourmet, locavore dog food.
Fairfield County is welcoming two new sustainable food businesses – Mario Batali’s Tarry Lodge Enoteca Pizzeria is due to open early summer in Westport and Ryan Fibiger, a graduate of Fleischer’s Grass-Fed and Organic Meats in Kingston, NY, will be opening a sustainable butcher shop specializing in whole animal (aka nose-to-tail) butchery soon in either Westport or Fairfield. Naturally chef Gunuey will be buying trimmings from Fibiger for his dog food, thereby ensuring that no part of the animal goes to waste.
Lettuce is an excellent early spring crop and easy to care for, just avoid too much sun in high summer advises author Bill Duesing.
In “Spring Lettuce” author and farmer Bill Duesing encourages us to plant some lettuce soon since it’s an excellent early spring crop that likes cool weather. Duesing is Executive Director of the Connecticut Chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (CT NOFA) and recommends planting every 2-3 weeks so gardeners can enjoy lettuce through October. CT-NOFA is not just for farmers (I’m a member!) so please take a look at their upcoming workshops and events-one might be just right for you.
John Turenne, Founder & President of Sustainable Food Systems worked behind the scenes in Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and is a founding member of Michelle Obama's "Chefs move to Schools" initiative, part of her "Let's Move" campaign to combat childhood obesity.
“The Great School Food Makeover” spotlights the success of The Unquowa School in Fairfield in making over their lunch menu to feature locally sourced foods from sustainable family farms. John Turenne, who helped create Yale’s sustainable dining program, left the university to found Sustainable Food Systems and took on the school as his first client. The Unquowa School has embraced Alice Waters’ edible schoolyard philosophy by not only putting in a school garden, but also by partnering with Sport Hill Farm in Easton to offer a summer farm camp that teach kids from early on where their food comes from and how to plant, cultivate and harvest it. Campers prepare a farm fresh lunch with school chef Peter Gorman on Fridays from food they picked that morning.
Pick up the magazine at the usual drop sites for CTC&G or visit the web site for a digital copy at sustainablethemagazine.com.
Enjoy the hard work of our farmers by seeking out the bounty of Connecticut Grown this spring. Foods that are special to the season like Spring parsnips, early lettuces, and fresh goat’s milk cheeses are a treat.
Displayed on the Ch. 8 set are the following CT Grown foods purchased on closing day of the Westport Winter Farmers’ Market:
Fresh Spring goat’s milk cheese (chevre) and yogurt from Beltane Farm
Soft ripened goat’s milk cheese from Beltane Farm called Danse de la Lune
Cow’s milk and yogurt from Ladies of Levita Road dairy farm
Certified Organic kale, mesclun greens (mixed salad greens), and flowering tarragon from 2 Guys from Woodbridge farm
Certified Organic Spring parsnips, carrots, heirloom tomato sauce and bread and butter pickles from Riverbank Farm
Certified Organic mixed baby greens and spinach from Star Light Gardens farm
Loin lamb chops and lamb Bolognese sauce from Sankow’s Beaver Brook Farm
Please come back and let us know how you like Sustainable Connecticut magazine and what spring foods you’re enjoying now. Planting a garden? Share your garden photos with us on Facebook.
Whether you’re planning to start a backyard garden or are a seasoned gardener, there’s always something new to learn from Master Farmer Annie Farrell at Millstone Farm in Wilton. There’s so much to think about – where to plant, what to plant, how to plant (raised beds or not?), companion planting, watering and fertilizing (without chemicals), and how to deal with disease and pests. Learn best practices to ensure your gardening success during this 3-hours workshop where you’ll also enjoy a farm tour.
Attending this Backyard Gardening Workshop with Master Farmer Annie Farrell at Millstone Farm is a smart way to get a successful start to your backyard garden.
Bill Hill demonstrating how a maple tree tap works
Warrup’s Farm in Redding is one of our favorite farms to visit for a maple sugaring demonstration. Each of the first three weekends in March, owner Bill Hill treats guests to a free lesson as he babysits the wood-fired cooker, taking care not to let the syrup overcook.
Maple sugaring , which takes place mid-February to the end of March, starts with tapping maple trees and slinging collection buckets from them, then collecting the sap and bringing it to the maple sugar house to be boiled until it reaches the syrup stage. It’s then poured off, strained and cooled. The syrup is later reheated in the kitchen to a temperature of 180 degrees and poured into jugs for sale to the public.
Pouring off the freshly made syrup
It take 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup! No wonder it looks like water in the collection buckets. Be sure to buy some syrup while you’re at the farm. Demand has been so great recently that little or none makes it the farmers’ markets.
Warrup’s Farm is located on John Read Road, Redding, CT, 1.2 miles north of Redding Center, off Route 107. Do not attempt to travel to the farm via Rt. 58 as it is impassible according to the farm’s web site. Maple sugar demonstrations are held the first three weekends in March from 11-5. The farm is also open seasonally for pick your own organic produce and flowers, pumpkins, and cut your own Christmas trees. The farm stand is open late July through the first frost from 10-6. Call ahead to plan your visit: 203-938-9403.
If you have children, the barnyard animals, including the “sentry” ducks, will entertain them. Along with the cats, goats, pony and hens, there’s plenty to keep them occupied while you visit the sugar house and gain an appreciation for the ancient art of making syrup from the sap of maple trees.
Discount available for the first 5 spots for non-profit organizations and educators.
Space is limited
About Millstone Farm:
Millstone Farm is a 75-acre property in Wilton, CT. We are a working farm whose mission is to achieve a sustainable and economic farm model. The farm also serves as a hub for education and outreach, where we host workshops and action-learning activities, and partner with farmers, community organizations, school groups, restaurateurs, and others interested in learning about diverse, chemical-free farming. Our practices are geared towards achieving a closed loop system where the farm’s varied parts contribute to the whole working body. Our activities include; organic pasture management, rare breed animal husbandry for eggs, meat, wool, and breeding, bio-intensive vegetable and fruit production, maple syrup harvest, and more. We produce for local restaurants, Wilton’s only family-owned supermarket, and a small CSA. We strive to use best farm practices, encourage their implementation, and promote awareness about their positive impact on local economies, the community, and quality of life.
Early birds enjoy a 33% discount on Thursday and Sunday dinners thru May 1.
Haven’t been to a farm dinner yet? Well you can attend a virtual one this weekend on Cooking Channel’s newest food show UNIQUE EATS , airing Sunday at 10:00 p.m. Unique Eats spotlights America’s most exciting and revolutionary food experiences, with this episode focusing on “Extreme Farm-to-Table”. The film crew came out this summer to Barberry Hill Farm in Madison and filmed a whole day’s worth of harvesting, cooking, prepping and eating. This Sunday take time out from all the celebrity Oscar glitter and tune in to some fabulous outdoor dining scenes.
Feeling inspired to attend a Farm-to-Table dinner this season? Dinners at the Farm has announced their Summer 2011 event schedule and early birds enjoy a 33% discount off the ticket price of Thursday and Sunday dinners through May 1. This year, open air dinners will once again be held at Barberry Hill Farm in Madison, Conn., home to Kelly and Kingsley Goddard and to White Gate Farm in East Lyme, home to Pauline Lord and David Harlow–and an original host farm. Each of these small organic farms grow a wide variety of produce that’s picked the day of the event and transformed into that evening’s unique seasonal menu by Chef Jonathan Rapp and his team. Indeed, a different six course menu is served every night for 16 nights, preceded by a cocktail hour with passed hors d’oeuvre.
Treat mom to some special herbs and vegetables for her containers, patio garden or vegetable garden from Gilbertie’s Herb Garden at 7 Sylvan Lane in Westport. Gilbertie’s is a family-owned business started in 1922 and is the largest grower of herb plants in the US. They supply over 400 different varieties of USDA Organic herbs, some of which are very hard to find, to outlets in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern US. Visit their garden center in Westport to enjoy the formal display gardens, themed greenhouses and gift shop offering herbs and vegetables from the usual to the exotic. Open Saturday from 8:30-5:30 and Mother’s Day from 9-4.
Ambler Farm in Wilton and Holbrook Farm in Bethel are also excellent sources for organic vegetable and herb transplants. Ambler Farm will be selling transplants and maple syrup from the farm on May 7 from noon until 3 pm. The farm stand opens for the season on May 23. Holbrook Farm’s Farm Market & Bakery is open Monday through Saturdays from 9-5 and is a great place to buy fresh vegetables and eggs from the farm, raw milk from Stonewall Dairy, milk and other dairy products from Arethusa Farm, award-winning Flaxette bread, and other artisan and farmstead products. Holbrook Farm has a wide variety of organically grown vegetable seedlings for sale including more than a dozen varieties of heirloom tomatoes. I was thrilled to see the Mortgage Lifter on the list.
