On a sunny yet crisp winter’s day at Audubon Greenwich last Saturday, over 100 guests gathered to attend a screening of the documentary food film FRESH.  This film is the perfect excuse to invite members of the local-sustainable food movement to serve on the guest panel and share their passions with the public. A complete list of all the panelists and exhibitors appears below, along with a photo gallery from the event.

Thoughtful audience questions during the panel discussion clearly demonstrate an ongoing need for continued dialog on this topic. Please read “How to Eat FRESH this Winter” to learn ways you can join or increase your participation in the local-sustainable food movement.  Please sign up for the e-newsletter and follow me on Facebook and Twitter so we can stay connected.

I’m delighted to have received very positive emails from a number of guests, one of whom posted a fantastic review of the event on his blog. He’s become a fan of the Fairfield Green Food Guide and Audubon Greenwich and is looking forward to more events like FRESH. As a reminder, Jeff Cordulack at Audubon has planned  two more screenings that are worth the trip: ‘A Chemical Reaction’ on Sunday, March 28 from 3:30-5 pm and ‘Tapped’: A Movie About Bottled Water on Friday, April 23 from 7-9 pm.

Remember Russ Kremer? He’s the hog farmer from FRESH who’s also the poster boy for how sick superbugs passed from animals to humans can make us. Well an excellent op-ed piece in Sunday’s NYT by Nicholas Kristof opens our eyes to the disturbing fact that “70 percent of antibiotics are used to feed healthy livestock, with 14 percent more used to treat sick livestock. Only about 16 percent are used to treat humans and their pets, the study found.” Russ was lucky they could save him with a new generation antibiotic, but the article suggests that increasingly, we might not be so lucky. And so, the FRESH story continues.

Panelists:

Moderator: Analiese Paik, Founder of the Fairfield Green Food Guide

Dan Levinson, Co-founder and Chairman of Westport Green Village Initiative (GVI)

Dan is Founder and Chairman of Westport Green Village Initiative(GVI); and Founder/Chairman of Main Street Resources

www.westportgvi.org;  www.mainstreetresources.com

Deb Marsden, Founder, CT Farm Fresh Express

Deb Marsden is the founder of CT Farm Fresh Express, a farm-to-consumer company that sells exclusively CT grown and made food. Deb has been featured in article in the New York Times, the Faith Middleton Show on NPR, and NBC 30 News. www.ctffe.com

Amy Kalafa, co-producer school lunch documentary 2 Angry Moms, and a better school food advocate

Rachel Khanna, an organic chef and Certified Health Counselor

Melina Brown, a chicken expert and founder of the Southern CT/Westchester Backyard Poultry Meetup

Exhibitors:

Analiese Paik, Founder, Fairfield Green Food Guide, LLC

Analiese is a local-sustainable food advocate who helps consumers source local and sustainable food via her web site, blog, live events and regular guest appearances on News Ch. 8’s Good Morning CT Weekend. www.fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com

Deb Marsden, Founder, CT Farm Fresh Express

Deb Marsden is the founder of CT Farm Fresh Express, a farm-to-consumer company that sells exclusively CT grown and made food. Consumers place their custom order online once-a-week home delivery that Friday. Deb has been featured in article in the New York Times, the Faith Middleton Show on NPR, and NBC 30 News. www.ctffe.com

Amy Kalafa, a better school food advocate and co-producer of the school lunch documentary, 2 Angry Moms

Rachel Khanna, an organic chef and Certified Health Counselor

Melina Brown, a chicken expert and founder of the Southern CT/Westchester Backyard Poultry Meetup

Nick Mancini, Master Gardener, Founder Organic Gardening Simplfied

Nick is a Certified Master Gardener from the Cooperative Extension System of the University of Connecticut, and past head Master Gardener of Vegetables, Brambles and Fruit Frees at Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford, CT. He is a lecturer, educator and consultant that specializes in vegetables, brambles and espaliered fruit trees. Nick is a member of CT NOFA. www.organicgardeningsimplified.com

Fairfield Bread Company - a new artisan bakery making the bread served at the event, The Flaxette. Michael Mordecai can be reached via http://fairfieldbread.blogspot.com/

Artscape Organic Care LLC - Owner Mike Pappa is a CT NOFA Certified organic landcare specialist serving Fairfield County.

I’m so grateful for the support and generosity of Audubon Greenwich.  Special thanks go to Deb Marsden of CT Farm Fresh Express for arranging the cheese donations from the followingfarmers listed below and to Fairfield Bread Company for donating their “Flaxette” loaf to the event and Glenville Wines for the organic wines they donated to accompany the cheese tasting.

Connecticut cheeses served during the FRESH reception/exhibition:

Cato Corner Farm, Colchester (all cow’s milk)

Hooligan

Brigid’s Abbey

Aged Dutch Farmstead

Beltane Farm, Lebanon (all goat’s milk)

Feta

Dill chevre

Chive chevre

Sankow’s Beaver Brook Farm, Lyme

Pleasant Cow (cow’s milk)

Sun (cow’s milk)

Pleasant Valley (sheep’s milk)

M&K Dairy, Lebanon (all cow’s milk)

Black Pepper Queso Fresco

Chive Queso Fresco

Meadowstone Farm, Brooklyn (cow’s milk)

Cheddar

All these cheeses are available for online ordering and home delivery from CT Farm Fresh Express. See you at the movies!

by Neil Gluckin

Neil Gluckin is a writer, communications consultant and local food advocate who lives in Wilton, CT. He explores the links between food, self and community in his blog at forageprimeval.com.

photos courtesy of Stephanie Webster, Founder/Editor CTBites

After firing up the generator that runs the vacuum pump, Mark Harran watches intently as liquid begins to flow through plastic tubing connected to a sleek spout protruding from the trunk of a tree. We are a long way from wooden buckets, tanks of sap on horse-drawn sleds and rustic smoke-filled sugar houses, but Harran is aiming at the same result: maple syrup, the addictive nectar that Americans have been distilling from the sap of the sugar maple since the legendary Chief Wokis first struck a tree with his tomahawk and made it weep sweet tears.

A 30-year veteran of the food industry, Harran, now retired, has returned to his roots. He grew up on a farm in upstate New York that hung buckets from 5,700 taps, and he lives on one now, in Litchfeld, where he does the same thing albeit on a smaller scale. In addition to being a private farmer, he also serves as President of the Maple Syrup Producers Association of Connecticut. In both roles, Harran is a zealous advocate of sustainable forest management and a promoter of modern production techniques.

But the issue that really engages this modern local food artisan goes considerably beyond a love of trees and technology. You’ll see it for yourself next time you buy maple syrup. Where does the stuff sold in your store come from? Vermont is sure to be represented, Canada without doubt, and possibly New York, Massachusetts or Pennsylvania. And how much syrup from Connecticut? Unless you’re at a farmers market, you’re not likely to find any.

“We currently tap about one-tenth of one percent of all the sugar maples in the state,” Harran says, noting that the resulting annual yield of syrup and other maple sugar products is worth about $1 million. That places Connecticut in last place behind the 9 other states where maple syrup is made. “If Connecticut tapped the same percentage of its trees as Vermont does - 2.1% — the annual contribution to the state’s economy would exceed $20 million in ten years,” he calculates. For that matter, Harran adds, if all the U.S. States producing maple products raised their tapping percentage to Vermont’s level (the current nationwide average is .4%), the value produced would exceed $300 million and the U.S would eclipse Quebec, the current world leader.

No matter what the amount, the process of creating maple syrup from tree sap is a miracle of arboreal and human ingenuity. For most of the year, the sap of the sugar maple is an inedible mixture of water and various starches. But in February and March, in preparation for the growing season that lies ahead, enzymes in the tree convert starch to sugar. Taps and buckets (or vacuum tubing) at the ready, maple syrup makers everywhere pray the process will start early and continue as long as possible. “Typically the season begins on February 1 and continues for 6 to 8 weeks,” Harran explains, “although cold weather this year has delayed the start considerably. “My rule of thumb is that when the baseball season begins, the maple sugar season is over.”

Daylight is the main driver of the process. At this time of the year, as the days get longer and the temperature of the wood reaches 40 degrees, the starch-converting enzymes get busy. Cold nights and sunny days cause pressure inside the tree to rise, driving energy-rich sap - as much as 200 to 300 gallons per day — upwards to still-dormant buds. The same pressure that pushes the sap up also pushes it out of the tree through the maple syrup maker’s taps and spouts. In mid to late March, when the temperature of the wood reaches 45 degrees, the starch-converting enzymes stop functioning, and shouts of “play ball!” are soon heard across the land.

While the sap is running, it needs to be collected frequently; otherwise it will begin to ferment, just as milk might if left out too long. On the same day as he collects sap, Mark Harran boils it, evaporating the water away until the sugar content of the resulting liquid reaches 66% (or “66 brix” in the lingo of the trade). Sap collected in the cooler, early part of season tends to have sugar content as high as 4% and relatively little fermentation. This sap therefore requires less cooking, and consequently produces the paler and more delicately flavored “A” grades of syrup. Sap collected later in the season has lower sugar and will tend to ferment more because daytime temperatures are higher. More boiling is required to get this later-season sap to 66 brix, which in turn produces the darker, more strongly-flavored “B” grade. Early or late, as the sap cooks, its various constituent sugars interact and the resulting chemical reaction creates both the color and depth of flavor that are the characteristic hallmarks of maple syrup.

Harran’s approach to making maple syrup is a model of environmentally compatible technology. That means he employs techniques that produce more syrup without increasing energy use, carbon emissions or stress to either tree, forest or syrup maker. The newly developed vacuum-pumping system that he uses on 300 of his 500 trees, for instance, allows him to increase annual yields from 10 gallons of sap per tap to 40 or more.  In his sugarhouse, he saves energy by using the steam from his evaporator to pre-heat sap to 200 degrees as it flows into the boiling pan. The bottom line for these improvements is that Harran gets six times more syrup from the same amount of energy. He notes that there other techniques now being refined, such as using reverse osmosis to increase the brix of the sap before it gets to the evaporator, that further reduces the amount of cooking required. Considering that it takes about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup - in other words, a whole lot of boiling — these gains in efficiency are significant.

To turn Connecticut maple syrup into a $20+ million a year revenue generator, in Harran’s view, calls for more than sophisticated production techniques. Protecting not only the state’s sugar maples for the long haul (a single tree will be productive for 300 years or more) but also its forests is an obvious and essential requirement. And so is a modern marketing system, one in which farmers collaborate in order to guarantee uninterrupted supply and efficient order fulfillment to large grocery chains and other sizeable buyers here and abroad.

Harran is optimistic about the prospects for a robust local food infrastructure in our state. “There’s a new generation of farmers coming of age in Connecticut,” he says, “who combine technological smarts with business acumen. They’re the reason that smaller specialty farms are showing signs of growth.” For all his enthusiasm for 21st century farming, Mark Harran, who describes himself as a  “maple worshipper,” is clearly in love with making syrup, as he has been all his life. Says he: “there’s nothing like a night in the sugar house, producing a few gallons an hour, making the real stuff. There’s just no greater satisfaction.” Well, there might be just one satisfaction sweeter than making maple syrup, and that would be eating it.

Got a craving for syrup?

Maple syrup producers are normally happy to welcome visitors, explain the process and of course sell their products. This 2010 guide to Connecticut Sugarhouses [PDF] will help you locate one near you. There may also be other local maple sugar producers where you live running special programs. Ambler Farm in Wilton, CT, for instance, has a maple syrup open house from 12:30 to 1:30 this coming Saturday, March 6 (there’s more information on their website at www.amblerfarm.org), and a maple syrup sale on April 3. Winter Farmers’ Markets including Norwalk, Fairfield, Coventry, Litchfield and Wooster Square in New Haven sell local syrup. For a complete list of winter markets, visit this CT Department of Agriculture website at http://www.ct.gov/doag/cwp/view.asp?a=3260&q=449350.=

Editor’s Note: My family and I visited Warrup’s Farm in Redding last year to learn about maple sugaring and it was both fun and educational. Here’s a link to the story.

The documentary food film FRESH was shown to a packed house at Audubon Greenwich yesterday and nearly everyone attended the guest panel discussion! In honor of the movie and all the local heroes who make farm-fresh food available to consumers, I’ve created a list of ways you can easily eat fresh this winter. Enjoy the winter season and all the interesting and delicious local food it brings: Organic Adironack Blue potatoes, organic tatsoi, organic maitake mushrooms, sweet, wild Maine shrimp-what are your favorites?

1)      Shop at a winter farmers’ market and stock up for the week. Both Fairfield and Norwalk have indoor winter farmers’ markets that run on Saturdays from 10-2 and offer a wide variety of CT Grown produce, cheese, yogurt, eggs, meat, bread, and artisan made foods. Fairfield’s is held inside the Fairfield Theater Company on Sanford Street and Norwalk’s is held at 61-65 Wall St., near the Garden Cinemas.

2)      Buy CT Grown foods online for home delivery. Order online from CT Farm Fresh Express (CTFFE) by noon Tuesday for a Friday home delivery. You pick what and how much CT-grown food you want from their online store and they deliver it to your door. No minimums, no membership fees and no ongoing commitment. Leave a cooler with ice packs on your doorstep if you won’t be home to receive the delivery. New: Order your CSA from CTFFE for home delivery.

3)      Buy from local, family-owned specialty or independent grocers that make it a point to carry locally grown and produced food. Palmer’s Market in Darien, The Village Market of Wilton Fairfield Cheese Company and The Pantry in Fairfield, and Walter Stewart’s Market in New Canaan carry a selection of local fruits, vegetables, breads, cheeses, honey, and artisanal foods.

4)      Buy from national retailers that are committed to selling locally grown and other sustainably grown and harvested foods. Whole Foods Markets in Greenwich and Westport proudly feature produce from local farms, artisan products from local producers, and a wide range of organic and Fair Trade Certified foods like coffee, tea and chocolate.

5)      Dine at restaurants that source local and organic ingredients. Farm-to-Chef restaurants in the county include: The Boxcar Cantina in Greenwich uses local and sustainably grown food and is Fairfield County’s first restaurant to receive a Green Restaurant Certification from the Green Restaurant Association. Health in a Hurry and Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe in Fairfield, The Dressing Room and the newly minted Le Farm in Westport, Bloodroot in Bridgeport, Cobbs Mill Inn in Weston, David’s Catering and Napa & Co. in Stamford, and Woodway Country Club in Darien all cook with the seasons using fresh, local ingredients. Look for The Filling Station to open soon in New Canaan; it will feature grass-fed burgers, nitrate-free hot dogs, organic French fries and antibiotic and hormone-free milk shakes.

6)      Buy some Connecticut wine directly from a winery or buy organic and biodynamic wines from a wine shop like Glenville Wine & Spirits in Greenwich and Harry’s Wines & Spirits in Southport. Some standouts from the Connecticut Wine Festival were Sharpe Hill Vineyard’s Ballet of Angels, the award-winning wines of Hopkins Vineyards, Miranda Vineyard’s Seyval Blanc and Woodridge White, Land of Nod’s Bianca, Taylor Brooke’s Traminette and Connecticut Valley Winery’s Chianti and port-style Black Bear.

7) Join a spring, summer or winter 2010 CSA (Community Supported Agriculture program).  Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a means for consumers to buy a share in a farm’s seasonal production directly from the farmer. Consumers benefit from buying local, farm fresh, high quality produce at an attractive price and farmers benefit from pre-selling the harvest. Click here for a complete Guide to Fairfield County 2010 CSAs.

Squash is abundant, inexpensive, eat to cook, delicious and good for you. This recipe can be used for any kind of squash: acorn, dumpling, delicata, butternut, etc. The larger and thicker the squash, the longer it will take to roast.

Wash, dry, and place on cutting board. Cut off each end if you’d like. Split lengthwise with a heavy chef’s knife or serrated bread or meat slicing knife using sawing action. Remove seeds, place on baking sheet and coat lightly with olive oil or butter, sprinkle with s&p, add some brown sugar and butter to the cavity and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until pierced easily with a knife. You can certainly omit the brown sugar and butter or replace it with maple syrup or another natural sweetener.

Serve as is if it’s a small squash or scoop out the flesh to make a puree or add to another dish. Roasted squash is delicious as a pizza topping or folded into a pasta dish.

Look for squash at your local farmers’ market. Winter markets in Fairfield County are held in Fairfield and Norwalk on Saturdays from 10-2.

Analiese Paik, Founder of the Fairfield Green Food Guide,

Presented A Local and Sustainable Valentine’s Day Celebration

On News Ch. 8’s Good Morning CT

with Chris Velardi at 7:45 am on Sunday, February 7, 2010

Click Here to View Video Clip on wtnh.com and Comment

A trip to the Indoor Winter Farmers’ Market at the Fairfield Theater Company provides everything you need to prepare a special Valentine’s Day meal. Open Saturdays from 10-2 on Sanford Street, Fairfield.

• Organic greens and herbs from Two Guys from Woodbridge.
• Organic root vegetables from Starlight Gardens including celeriac, carrots, and potatoes.
• Cheese, milk and yogurt from the Ladies of Levita Road.
• Honey, maple syrup, bread, pies, meat and poultry from other vendors.

Local wines for a local meal.

1.       Hopkins Vineyard’s (Warren) fine sparkling wines made using the same methods and grapes (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) that are used to make Champagne and are perfect to serve with Valentine’s Day dinner. Many of the wines from this 30-year-old winery on a 200+ year-old family farm have won multiple awards in both American and International competitions.  Visit the web site to order online or visit the winery for a tasting.

2. CT Valley Winery’s (New Hartford) Black Bear (a port-style wine) goes great with chocolate! Jason Ferraro and his father are the team that runs this CT winery that was voted Best Small Winery and won ten medals in the 2009 Big E Northeast Gold Wine Competition.Visit the winery for a weekend tasting or  reserve a seat now for a special Valentine’s Day dinner with wine pairings at the winery!

A Few Favorites from the 21 Bar Tasting of Organic and Fair Trade Chocolates

Equal Exchange Organic & Fairly Traded Very Dark Chocolate, 71% and 80% cacao, , USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Kosher Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. The bars combine famous Swiss standards in chocolate making with cocoa from the farmer co-operatives CONACADO, in the Dominican Republic, COCABO, in Panama, and CACVRA, in Peru; fairly traded organic sugar from co-operatives in Paraguay and Costa Rica; and fairly traded vanilla from Madagascar.

Kallari Single Source Organic Cacao Nacional, 70%, 75% and 85% cacao, USDA Organic, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. This single source USDA organic chocolate made by a cooperative of 850 indigenous Kichwa farmers in the Ecuadorian Amazon and they are the only farmers’ cooperative in the world that harvests, markets and enjoys all profits from its own line of organic chocolate. Made primarily from a rare cacao varietal called Cacao Nacional that flourishes in this area and once faced extinction, these rare beans were singled out for protection by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity.

Newman’s Own Organics Signature Series Dark Chocolate, 54% cacao, USDA Organic, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Rainforest Alliance Certified. The new Signature Series line of Chocolate Bars is formulated with fine Certified Organic chocolate made from cocoa beans grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified^TM farms.

365 Organic Swiss Dark Chocolate, 52% cacao, USDA Certified Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. This is Whole Foods Market’s Everyday Value brand of chocolate that’s made in Switzerland using beans from the Dominican Republic.

Note: The Whole Trade Guarantee^TM label identifies companies with a commitment to ethical trade, the environment and quality products in accordance with Whole Foods Market standards. The Whole Planet Foundation receives 1% of the retail sales of Whole Trade Guarantee^TM products, helping to further its mission of ending poverty in the developing world.

The Fair Trade Certified^TM label guarantees consumers that strict economic, social and environmental criteria were met in the production and trade of an agricultural product. Fair Trade principles include fair prices, fair labor conditions, direct trade, sustainable agricultural practices to preserve human health and fragile ecosystems, democratic organizations and community development using Fair Trade premiums.

Please visit www.fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com to read the complete article about our 21 bar sustainable chocolate tasting and article about a local and sustainable Valentine’s Day Dinner.

If someone had told me there were more than 20 different companies that made premium, organic and fair trade chocolate bars, I might have doubted the veracity of that statement. But there I was at Whole Foods Market Westport, in chocolate heaven, scrutinizing the sustainable labeling on beautifully wrapped bars of Dagoba, Equal Exchange, Newman’s Own Organic, Kallari, Divine and 15 more chocolate companies, each just begging to be chosen for the sustainable chocolate tasting I was holding with the help of CT Bites. I couldn’t choose; they all had to come home. It was only fair.

I found All Chocolate’s advice about setting up a tasting indispensable and used it to write a guide to lead the 12 panelists through the blind tasting. Yes, it was really blind, and we tasted, smelled, wrote, cleansed our palates with room temp water, tasted some more, compared notes, voted for our favorites, and had a lot of fun. We obviously had no idea which bars we were tasting, but by the time we got to the fourth flight, we had gotten so good at evaluating what was in our mouth that some of us were able to identify the single origin chocolates. Others were suffering from palate fatigue, including one panelist who reported being cured of her chocolate addiction. So I ordered a short break with some Fairfield Bread Company bread and room temperature water to cleanse our palates. That was the cure.

At the conclusion of each flight, we reviewed the bars by inviting panelists to call out the tastes and aromas they had scribbled on their tasting sheets: fruity, milky, smooth, creamy, chalky, bitter, spicy, coffee, caramel, burnt caramel, butterscotch, toffee, velvety, floral, tannic, sour, orange, raisin, vanilla, balanced, acidic, intense chocolate/cacao, red wine, tangy, hemp, cedar, earthy, popcorn, buttery, tobacco, burnt black coffee, espresso. Maybe some of these seem a bit strange, but we’re not talking bulk bean bars here, these are premium bars made from rare (less than 10% of cacao production worldwide) flavor beans, some of which were single varietal or single origin, or both.

We were genuinely surprised as brands were revealed and it was especially interesting to see how different our taste perceptions and preferences are. A true revelation was how unique and complex the flavor profiles of the single origin and single varietal bars were. Single origin bars come from a single cacao cooperative in a country like Madagascar, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Panama, Ghana and Venezuela. Unique and intensively flavored, these bars varied widely in their flavor profiles and a few may be too exotic or intense for consumers used to mass market chocolates made from bulk beans from Africa, Brazil and Indonesia. Premium chocolates are made from the rarer, more difficult to grow noble or “flavor” varietals including Cacao Nacional, Criollo, Trinitario, Venezolano, & Blonde Cacao. When you think of these bars, don’t just think organic and fair trade, think biodiversity and preservation of species. One of the outstanding bars we tasted is made primarily from a rare single varietal  from the Ecuadorian Amazon called Cacao Nacional. It turns out that we have Slow Food to thank for giving this varietal a much needed sustainability boost in 2004 when they selected it for their prestigious Presidium Award (footnoted below). According to Slow Food, “Nacional Cacao is a descendant of the cacao trees first developed and cultivated by the Mayans in South America. It is an exceptionally flavorful and delicate cacao type, found only in Ecuador hence its patriotic name.”

In nearly every flight each of the bars received at least 2 votes for best in flight. That means there were no clear winners. But for what it’s worth, I asked for a show of hands to vote for the favorite bar in each flight and overall. Our results are listed below, but I recommend you hold your own tasting as a Valentine’s Day celebration! I recommend a dedicated single origin/single varietal tasting since they are so unique.

Note: The Whole Trade Guarantee^TM label identifies companies with a commitment to ethical trade, the environment and quality products according to Whole Foods Market standards. The Whole Planet Foundation receives 1% of the retail sales of Whole Trade Guarantee^TM products, helping to further its mission of ending poverty in the developing world.

The Fair Trade Certified^TM label guarantees consumers that strict economic, social and environmental criteria were met in the production and trade of an agricultural product. Fair Trade Certification is currently available in the U.S. for coffee, tea and herbs, cocoa and chocolate, fresh fruit, flowers, sugar, rice, and vanilla. TransFair USA licenses companies to display the Fair Trade Certified label on products that meet strict international Fair Trade standards.

Green and Black’s announced on January 28, 2010 that it will move to using 100% Fair Trade cocoa in all its products in all markets. Green and Black’s chocolate bars are widely available at retail so consumers now have easy access to a delicious and sustainable chocolate.

Favorite Bar in Each Flight (received the most votes of 12 cast for each flight)

Flight #1         52%-65% cacao

1C: Lake Champlain Chocolates Organic Dark Chocolate, 55% cacao, USDA Organic, Certified Organic by Quality Assurance International. Made in Burlington,Vermont in their factories.

Flight #2         70% cacao only

2B: Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate, 70% cacao, USDA Organic, Certified Organic by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). Green & Black’s announced on January 28, 2010 that it will convert its entire range of chocolate, worldwide, to use only Fair Trade Certified ingredients. This bar is made using organic Trinitario cocoa beans sourced from the Dominican Republic, a flavor variety of cocoa bean that makes up only about 2 percent of the world’s crop yet is more complex in flavor than ubiquitous, ordinary bulk beans. This chocolate contains enough sugar to balance the inherent bitterness of the cocoa. “Cocoa is amongst the most highly sprayed food crops in the world. At Green & Black’s, we choose to grow and make our chocolate organically to bring out the signature intensity and flavor in our cocoa beans. We ensure that every one of our ingredients is grown using natural, sustainable farming methods with no pesticides. This allows the true cocoa flavors to shine through and our chocolate to taste the way it was meant to - deep, fruity and full.”

Flight #3         71%-77% cacao

3A: Equal Exchange Organic & Fairly Traded Very Dark Chocolate, 71% cacao, , USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Kosher Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. Our organic fairly-traded gourmet chocolate bars are a rich and delicious treat that supports small-scale farmers and their families. The bars combine famous Swiss standards in chocolate making with cocoa from the farmer co-operatives CONACADO, in the Dominican Republic, COCABO, in Panama, and CACVRA, in Peru; fairly traded organic sugar from co-operatives in Paraguay and Costa Rica; and fairly traded vanilla from Madagascar. This is a top seller at on their retail web store - a delicious and rich dark chocolate experience. Vegan and gluten-free.

Flight #4         80%-91% cacao

4C: Kallari Single Source Organic Cacao Nacional, 85% cacao, USDA Organic, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. This single source USDA organic chocolate made by a cooperative of 850 indigenous Kichwa farmers in the Ecuadoran Amazon and they are “the only farmers’ cooperative in the world that harvests, markets and enjoys all profits from its own line of organic chocolate” according to The Kallari Story printed inside the box . 100% of the proceeds go back to the farmers so they can lead a good life and preserve the Napo region, home to “some of the most species-rich forests in the world”, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Made primarily from a rare cacao varietal called Cacao Nacional that flourishes in this area and once faced extinction, these rare beans were singled out for protection by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity and the Nacional Cacao Presidium was established to improve the quality of the production. Later that year, the community presented their first chocolate bars at the international Terra Madre meeting, marking the beginning of a more profitable enterprise.”

Favorite Bars Overall (received at least one of 12 votes cast)

1A. 365 Organic Swiss Dark Chocolate, 52% cacao, Fair Trade Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. This is Whole Foods Market’s Everyday Value brand of chocolate that’s made in Switzerland using beans from the Dominican Republic. The Whole Trade Guarantee symbolizes a commitment to Ethical Trade, the Environment and Quality Products. Whole Trade Guarantee products must meet Whole Foods Market’s high Quality Standards, provide more money to producers, ensure better wages and working conditions for workers and utilize sound environmental practices. February is Fair Trade Month at Whole Foods Markets across the country and 1% of sales from products carrying their Whole Trade Guarantee are donated to the Whole Planet Foundation. The mission of this foundation is to create economic partnerships with the poor in those developing-world communities that supply their stores with products.Through innovative assistance for entrepreneurship - including direct micro-credit loans and tangible support for other community projects - the Whole Planet Foundation seeks to create prosperity in emerging economies.

1B. Newman’s Own Organics Signature Series Dark Chocolate, 54% cacao, USDA Organic, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Rainforest Alliance Certified. Newman’s Own Organics was established as a division of Newman’s Own in 1993, and became a separate company in late 2001. The Newman’s Own Foundation has given over $250 million to thousands of charities worldwide since 1982. The new Signature Series line of Chocolate Bars is formulated with fine Certified Organic chocolate made from cocoa beans grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified^TM farms.

1C. Lake Champlain Chocolates Organic Dark Chocolate, 55% cacao, USDA Organic, Certified Organic by Quality Assurance International. Made in Burlington, Vermont in their factories.

3A. Equal Exchange Organic & Fairly Traded Very Dark Chocolate, 71% cacao, , USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Kosher Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. Our organic fairly-traded gourmet chocolate bars are a rich and delicious treat that supports small-scale farmers and their families. The bars combine famous Swiss standards in chocolate making with cocoa from the farmer co-operatives CONACADO, in the Dominican Republic, COCABO, in Panama, and CACVRA, in Peru; fairly traded organic sugar from co-operatives in Paraguay and Costa Rica; and fairly traded vanilla from Madagascar. The top seller at their retail web store - a delicious and rich dark chocolate experience. Vegan and gluten-free. 3.5oz per bar.

4A. Equal Exchange Organic & Fairly Traded Extra Dark Chocolate (Single Origin) Panama, 80% cacao, USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Kosher Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. Our organic fairly-traded gourmet chocolate bars are a rich and delicious treat that supports small-scale farmers and their families. The bars combine famous Swiss standards in chocolate making with cocoa from the farmer co-operatives CONACADO, in the Dominican Republic, COCABO, in Panama, and CACVRA, in Peru; fairly traded organic sugar from co-operatives in Paraguay and Costa Rica; and fairly traded vanilla from Madagascar. This 80% cacao content bar is Equal Exchange’s darkest yet. Unlike many high cacao content bars that are dominated by a bitter or sour note, this bar is perfectly balanced in a way that allows the true chocolate flavor of the Panamanian beans to shine. Vegan and gluten-free.

4C. Kallari Single Source Organic Cacao Nacional (rare single varietal), 85% cacao, USDA Organic, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. This single source USDA organic chocolate made by a cooperative of 850 indigenous Kichwa farmers in the Ecuadoran Amazon and they are “the only farmers’ cooperative in the world that harvests, markets and enjoys all profits from its own line of organic chocolate” according to The Kallari Story printed inside the box .100% of the proceeds go back to the farmers so they can lead a good life and preserve the Napo region, home to “some of the most species-rich forests in the world”, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Made from a rare cacao varietal called Cacao Nacional that flourishes in this area and once faced extinction, these rare beans were singled out for protection by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity and the Nacional Cacao Presidium was established to improve the quality of the production. Later that year, the community presented their first chocolate bars at the international Terra Madre meeting, marking the beginning of a more profitable enterprise.”

A Complete List and Description of the 21 Sustainable Chocolate Bars Tasted

Flights are ordered from lowest to highest percent cacao with descriptions of each bar from the company’s web site.

Flight#1          52%-65% cacao

A. 365 Organic Swiss Dark Chocolate, 52% cacao, Fair Trade Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. This is Whole Foods Market’s Everyday Value brand of chocolate that’s made in Switzerland using beans from the Dominican Republic. The Whole Trade Guarantee symbolizes a commitment to Ethical Trade, the Environment and Quality Products. Whole Trade Guarantee products must meet Whole Foods Market’s high Quality Standards, provide more money to producers, ensure better wages and working conditions for workers and utilize sound environmental practices. February is Fair Trade Month at Whole Foods Markets across the country and 1% of sales from products carrying their Whole Trade Guarantee are donated to the Whole Planet Foundation. The mission of this foundation is to create economic partnerships with the poor in those developing-world communities that supply their stores with products.Through innovative assistance for entrepreneurship - including direct micro-credit loans and tangible support for other community projects - the Whole Planet Foundation seeks to create prosperity in emerging economies.

B. Newman’s Own Organics Signature Series Dark Chocolate, 54% cacao, USDA Organic, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Rainforest Alliance Certified. Newman’s Own Organics was established as a division of Newman’s Own in 1993, and became a separate company in late 2001. The Newman’s Own Foundation has given over $250 million to thousands of charities worldwide since 1982. The new Signature Series line of Chocolate Bars is formulated with fine Certified Organic chocolate made from cocoa beans grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified^TM farms.

C. Lake Champlain Chocolates Organic Dark Chocolate, 55% cacao, USDA Organic, Certified Organic by Quality Assurance International. Made in Burlington, Vermont in their factories.

D. Dagoba Organic Chocolate, Dark, 59% cacao, USDA Organic. Dagoba is dedicated to pursuing Full Circle Sustainability with high standards in Quality, Ecology, Equity and Community. Chocolate bars are made in small batches from cacao sustainably sourced from Latin America, South America and Madagascar in their Ashland, Oregon facility.

E. Chocolove Organic Belgian Dark Chocolate, 61% cacao, USDA Organic. Make in Boulder, CO from Belgian chocolate made with Caribbean beans. “On a Caribbean Island, organic farming has stimulated the cocoa trees to produce cocoa beans that are full of character. The big fruity flavor, acidity, and bitterness of the beans are artfully crafted into a balanced full-bodied premium chocolate as only the Belgians know how to do. Upon eating, the extra cocoa butter softly gives way to tangy, bittersweet cocoa flavor.”

F. Theo Madagascar (Single Origin), 65% cacao, Whole Trade Guarantee. “This is a single-origin organic chocolate from the island nation of Madagascar. The dynamic fruit and wine notes in this dark chocolate reflect the unique and diverse environment of this exotic land.” “As the first and only organic and Fair Trade chocolate factory in the country, all of our ingredients are carefully screened to ensure they meet our standards for social and environmental responsibility. Theo’s standards and practices include: Using only pure ingredients that are grown sustainably. We source our ingredients locally whenever possible. Partnering with our growers by ensuring they earn a living wage and have access to education for their families. Honoring and respecting our employees and suppliers. This is possible due to the unique fact that we control every step of our own manufacturing process. Using green energy sources to power our factory. Using sustainable packaging and printing methods. Educating about social and environmental accountability 7 days a week through public tours of our artisan factory.

Flight #2         70% cacao only

A. Theo Jane Goodall Organic Dark Chocolate, 70% cacao, Fair Trade Certified, USDA Organic, Whole Trade Guarantee. “As the first and only organic and Fair Trade chocolate factory in the country, all of our ingredients are carefully screened to ensure they meet our standards for social and environmental responsibility. Theo’s standards and practices include: Using only pure ingredients that are grown sustainably. We source our ingredients locally whenever possible. Partnering with our growers by ensuring they earn a living wage and have access to education for their families. Honoring and respecting our employees and suppliers. This is possible due to the unique fact that we control every step of our own manufacturing process. Using green energy sources to power our factory. Using sustainable packaging and printing methods. Educating about social and environmental accountability 7 days a week through public tours of our artisan factory. As a leader of the environmental movement for over 40 years and a United Nations Messenger of Peace, Jane Goodall has created her own “Good For All” seal to reflect her personal commitment to supporting high quality, ethically produced products from the developing world. Our two newest Theo chocolate bars carry Jane’s seal, essentially her seal of approval, and truly are “Good for All.” Proceeds from the sale of these chocolate bars will benefit cocoa farmers, promote conservation in the tropical rainforest and directly contribute to the Jane Goodall Institute’s efforts to save chimpanzees, develop community centered conservation efforts and direct youth education programs around the world.

B. Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate, 70% cacao, USDA Organic, Certified Organic by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). Green & Black’s announced on January 28, 2010 that it will convert its entire range of chocolate, worldwide, to use only Fair Trade Certified ingredients. This bar is made using organic Trinitario cocoa beans sourced from the Dominican Republic, a flavor variety of cocoa bean that makes up only about 2 percent of the world’s crop yet is more complex in flavor than ubiquitous, ordinary bulk beans. This chocolate contains enough sugar to balance the inherent bitterness of the cocoa. “Cocoa is amongst the most highly sprayed food crops in the world. At Green & Black’s, we choose to grow and make our chocolate organically to bring out the signature intensity and flavor in our cocoa beans. We ensure that every one of our ingredients is grown using natural, sustainable farming methods with no pesticides. This allows the true cocoa flavors to shine through and our chocolate to taste the way it was meant to - deep, fruity and full.”

C. Divine Dark chocolate, Ghana (Single Origin) 70% cacao, Fair Trade Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. Divine Chocolate is today a leading Fair Trade UK brand and pioneer in the world of socially responsible enterprise that is partially owned by cocoa farmers in Ghana. Kuapa Kokoo, which means good cocoa growers, is a farmers’ cooperative which began trading its own cocoa and eventually set up a chocolate company of their own in order to return even more benefits to cocoa farmers. With investment from The Body Shop and Twin Trading, and support from Comic Relief and Christian Aid, Divine Chocolate was born. Its mission is to empower farmers in their efforts to gain a dignified livelihood, to increase women’s participation in all of Kuapa’s activities, and to develop environmentally friendly cultivation of cocoa. At present, there is no national program for organic certification of cocoa in Ghana.  In 2006, Divine Chocolate Inc. opened in Washington DC to bring fantastic Fair Trade chocolate to US consumers. The farmers of Kuapa Kokoo own one-third of Divine Chocolate in the US. Additional investment is provided by Divine Chocolate Ltd. in the UK, Lutheran World Relief, Oikocredit, and SERRV International.

D. Endangered Species Organic Smooth Dark Chocolate, 70% cacao, USDA Organic, Certified Vegan, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Whole Grade Guarantee. Endangered Species Chocolate (ESC) was founded in 1993 in effort to spread awareness and to make an impact on the growing number of plant and animal species that are disappearing from Earth. Since then the mission has grown to embrace a new definition of “endangered” - that all species, habitat and humanity are endangered on our planet, not just animals on a list. 10% of net profits of this Indianapolis, Indiana-based company are donated to help support species, habitat and humanity. Organic Smooth Dark Chocolate features the Karner Blue Butterfly on the outside of the 30% post-consumer FSC certified paper wrapper and the plight of this delicate creature on the inside. Made from ethically traded, shade-grown, organic-certified chocolate, Organic Smooth Dark Chocolate is also certified vegan, gluten-free and kosher. Since it is ethically traded, we ensure farmers humane working conditions and a fair price for their cacao.

E. Kallari Single Source Organic Cacao Nacional, 70% cacao, USDA Organic, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. This single source USDA organic chocolate made by a cooperative of 850 indigenous Kichwa farmers in the Ecuadoran Amazon and they are “the only farmers’ cooperative in the world that harvests, markets and enjoys all profits from its own line of organic chocolate” according to The Kallari Story printed inside the box .100% of the proceeds go back to the farmers so they can lead a good life and preserve the Napo region, home to “some of the most species-rich forests in the world”, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Made primarily from a rare cacao varietal called Cacao Nacional that flourishes in this area and once faced extinction, these rare beans were singled out for protection by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity and the Nacional Cacao Presidium was established to improve the quality of the production. Later that year, the community presented their first chocolate bars at the international Terra Madre meeting, marking the beginning of a more profitable enterprise.”

Flight #3         71%-77% cacao

A. Equal Exchange Organic & Fairly Traded Very Dark Chocolate, 71% cacao, , USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Kosher Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. Our organic fairly-traded gourmet chocolate bars are a rich and delicious treat that supports small-scale farmers and their families. The bars combine famous Swiss standards in chocolate making with cocoa from the farmer co-operatives CONACADO, in the Dominican Republic, COCABO, in Panama, and CACVRA, in Peru; fairly traded organic sugar from co-operatives in Paraguay and Costa Rica; and fairly traded vanilla from Madagascar. The top seller at our retail web store - a delicious and rich dark chocolate experience. Vegan and gluten-free. 3.5oz per bar.

B. Chocolove Organic Belgian Dark Chocolate, 73%, USDA Organic. Make in Boulder, CO from Belgian chocolate made with Caribbean beans. “On a Caribbean Island, organic farming has stimulated the cocoa trees to produce cocoa beans that are full of character. The big fruity flavor, acidity, and bitterness of the beans are artfully crafted into a balanced full-bodied premium chocolate as only the Belgians know how to do. Upon eating, the extra cocoa butter softly gives way to tangy, bittersweet cocoa flavor.”

C. Dagoba Organic Chocolate, Conacado (Single Origin) Dominican Republic Origin, 73% cacao, USDA Organic, Whole Trade Guarantee. Full of rich, deep and earthy flavors, this dark chocolate hails from the Conacado Fair Trade Cooperative in the Dominican Republic. Dagoba is dedicated to pursuing Full Circle Sustainability with high standards in Quality, Ecology, Equity and Community. Chocolate bars are made in small batches from cacao sustainably sourced from Latin America, South America and Madagascar in their Ashland, Oregon facility.

D. Dagoba Organic New Moon Chocolate, 74% cacao, USDA Organic. Dagoba is dedicated to pursuing Full Circle Sustainability with high standards in Quality, Ecology, Equity and Community. Chocolate bars are made in small batches from cacao sustainably sourced from Latin America, South America and Madagascar in their Ashland, Oregon facility.

E. Kallari Single Source Organic Cacao Nacional, 75% cacao, USDA Organic, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. This single source USDA organic chocolate made by a cooperative of 850 indigenous Kichwa farmers in the Ecuadoran Amazon and they are “the only farmers’ cooperative in the world that harvests, markets and enjoys all profits from its own line of organic chocolate” according to The Kallari Story printed inside the box .100% of the proceeds go back to the farmers so they can lead a good life and preserve the Napo region, home to “some of the most species-rich forests in the world”, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Made primarily from a rare cacao varietal called Cacao Nacional that flourishes in this area and once faced extinction, these rare beans were singled out for protection by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity and the Nacional Cacao Presidium was established to improve the quality of the production. Later that year, the community presented their first chocolate bars at the international Terra Madre meeting, marking the beginning of a more profitable enterprise.”

Flight #4         80%-91% cacao

A. Equal Exchange Organic & Fairly Traded Extra Dark Chocolate (Single Origin) Panama, 80% cacao, USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Kosher Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. Our organic fairly-traded gourmet chocolate bars are a rich and delicious treat that supports small-scale farmers and their families. The bars combine famous Swiss standards in chocolate making with cocoa from the farmer co-operatives CONACADO, in the Dominican Republic, COCABO, in Panama, and CACVRA, in Peru; fairly traded organic sugar from co-operatives in Paraguay and Costa Rica; and fairly traded vanilla from Madagascar. This 80% cacao content bar is Equal Exchange’s darkest yet. Unlike many high cacao content bars that are dominated by a bitter or sour note, this bar is perfectly balanced in a way that allows the true chocolate flavor of the Panamanian beans to shine. Vegan and gluten-free.

B. Theo Ghana (Single Origin), 84% cacao, Whole Trade Guarantee. “The Fair Trade Certified^TM cacao used in this single-origin dark chocolate bar is from the fertile growing region surrounding Kumasi, Ghana. The perfectly fermented and dried beans yield slightly floral notes over golden and round chocolate flavors. As the first and only organic and Fair Trade chocolate factory in the country, all of our ingredients are carefully screened to ensure they meet our standards for social and environmental responsibility. Theo’s standards and practices include: Using only pure ingredients that are grown sustainably. We source our ingredients locally whenever possible. Partnering with our growers by ensuring they earn a living wage and have access to education for their families. Honoring and respecting our employees and suppliers. This is possible due to the unique fact that we control every step of our own manufacturing process. Using green energy sources to power our factory. Using sustainable packaging and printing methods. Educating about social and environmental accountability 7 days a week through public tours of our artisan factory.”

C. Kallari Single Source Organic Cacao Nacional, 85% cacao, USDA Organic, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. This single source USDA organic chocolate made by a cooperative of 850 indigenous Kichwa farmers in the Ecuadoran Amazon and they are “the only farmers’ cooperative in the world that harvests, markets and enjoys all profits from its own line of organic chocolate” according to The Kallari Story printed inside the box . 100% of the proceeds go back to the farmers so they can lead a good life and preserve the Napo region, home to “some of the most species-rich forests in the world”, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Made primarily from a rare cacao varietal called Cacao Nacional that flourishes in this area and once faced extinction, these rare beans were singled out for protection by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity and the Nacional Cacao Presidium was established to improve the quality of the production. Later that year, the community presented their first chocolate bars at the international Terra Madre meeting, marking the beginning of a more profitable enterprise.”

D. Dagoba Organic Eclipse Extra Strong Dark Chocolate, 87% cacao, USDA Organic. Barely sweetened cacao with a hint of coffee flavor. Dagoba is dedicated to pursuing Full Circle Sustainability with high standards in Quality, Ecology, Equity and Community.

E. Theo Venezuela (Single Origin), 91% cacao, Whole Trade Guarantee. “A blend of Venezuelan cacao from Barinas, Merida and Tachira. The delicate flavors of these remote western regions are highlighted in this very high cacao percentage dark chocolate.” This special bar is available for a limited time only and you may see it already replaced on the shelf with a Costa Rica Origin bar. “As the first and only organic and Fair Trade chocolate factory in the country, all of our ingredients are carefully screened to ensure they meet our standards for social and environmental responsibility. Theo’s standards and practices include: Using only pure ingredients that are grown sustainably. We source our ingredients locally whenever possible. Partnering with our growers by ensuring they earn a living wage and have access to education for their families. Honoring and respecting our employees and suppliers. This is possible due to the unique fact that we control every step of our own manufacturing process. Using green energy sources to power our factory. Using sustainable packaging and printing methods. Educating about social and environmental accountability 7 days a week through public tours of our artisan factory.”

About the Slow Food Presidia: (from the web site)

The Presidia began in Italy in 1999 as the working arm of the Ark of Taste. The Ark had catalogued hundreds of products at risk of disappearing, but with the Presidia, Slow Food decided to make a concrete contribution to the world of food production. Presidia are local projects that focus on a group of producers of a single product, developing production and marketing techniques to allow their work to be economically viable. The Presidia program is the tool that Slow Food uses to assist producers directly in the commercialization, protection and promotion of their products. The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity supports the development and promotion of the Presidia around the world. Created in 2003 with the assistance of the Tuscan Region, the Slow Food Foundation promotes a new agricultural system that respects local cultural identities, the earth’s resources, sustainable animal husbandry, and the health of individual consumers.

This event was made possible through the generosity of Whole Foods Market Westport. Special thanks go to Stephanie Webster, Founder/Editor of CTBites, and the guest panelists including chef/author Nicole Straight, food writer Elizabeth Keyser, mompreneur Alexandra Wells, Sarah Green, Deanna Foster, Fairfield Parent magazine writer Karen Demeter, and Marcy Shinbaum.

Stoneledge Farm Certified Organic CSA has drop/pick up locations in Stamford, Wilton/Norwalk and Southport. As of today there are a few CSA shares available in each location.

The shares from this 90 acre, NOFA-NY certified organic farm located in South Cairo, New York are varied and generous. I particularly liked all the herbs last summer because I learned to use more of them in my cooking. I didn’t expect to love summer savory, but I do. If you don’t pick your own fruit during the summer, I suggest signing up for a fruit share too. The plums, cherries and other tree fruit were gorgeous and I saw varieties that were new to me.

Stamford pick up is at Zion Lutheran Church, 132 Glenbrook Road on Wednesdays, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. Visit the site for a brochure describing the program or just keep reading below. 

Wilton/Norwalk pick up is at 345 Belden Hill Road on Wednesdays, from 4:15 - 6:30 pm.

Thanks to the dedication and passion for local, organic food of Sarah Bollman and Leann Weaver of Fairfield, a CSA location was added last year at Trinity Southport Church, 651 Pequot Avenue on Wednesdays, from 4:30-6:30 pm.

The cost is $490 for 24 weeks, June through November. That’s $20.42 a week for an abundance of fresh, local, organic produce! Fruit shares are available to vegetable share members for $225 and run for 20 weeks. Berries are grown at Stoneledge Farm and orchard fruit is grown by Stoneledge Farm’s neighbors, who take a light approach in protecting their crops.

Visit their web site to register online by credit card or check. Click here to sign up online. The farmer keeps members very involved, emailing about crop yields and what’s included in the current week’s share. Every week at least one or two herbs are included in the share. Any unclaimed shares will be donated to programs including Operation Hope and the Connecticut Food Bank. Members share recipes and the Fairfield Green Food Guide will post them too because I renewed my share!

Visit the web site to learn more, register for a share or join the waiting list.

Web Site: http://www.stoneledgefarmny.org/locations/

CT NOFA’s 28th Annual Winter Conference

Celebrate Local Organic Farming, Gardening, Landscaping and Sustainable Lifestyles

Co-sponsored with Manchester Community College’s Team Green

Saturday, March 6, 2010
Manchester Community College
Manchester, CT
8:30 am to 4:45 pm

Join us in celebration of local organic farming, gardening, landscaping and sustainable lifestyles. This event will feature 30 plus workshops, a vendor and exhibit area, keynote speech, delicious potluck lunch, children’s program, and a series of hands-on cooking demonstrations.

KEYNOTE~ REGISTRATION~ WORKSHOPS~ SPONSORS~VENDORS

Keynote

Featuring Michael Shuman, author of The Small Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses Are Beating the Global Competition. Author and entrepreneur, Mr. Schuman has written nearly one hundred articles for such periodicals as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Nation, Weekly Standard, Foreign Policy, Parade, and The Chronicle of Philanthropy. His books and articles have explored people, practices, and policies in the fields of technology, national security, citizen diplomacy, municipal foreign policy, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and business development. To view Michael’s blog, click here.

Michael co-authored a recent report, “Community Food Enterprise: Local Success in a Global Marketplace,” spotlighting 24 ventures around the world that are pioneering models for local food.

Registration

	Before 2/19	After 2/19
NOFA Members:	$40	$45
Non-Members:	$50	$55
Students/Seniors:	$25	$30

Volunteer for 2 hours and receive $10 off the registration price!

Children 12 and under are free.
Free daycare will be available for children ages 3 to 12 with preregistration only.

Online registration is now available. Details>

For a printer-friendly form to mail in, click here.

Workshops

PERMACULTURE DESIGN FOR PRODUCTIVE CONSERVATION:  GROW FOOD, REBUILD THE ENVIRONMENT - Keith Zaltzberg, Regenerative Design Group www.regenerativedesigngroup.com

GROWING CUT FLOWERS - Alan Gorkin, Growing sustainable cut flower crops for to increase market diversity.

MAKING FOOLPROOF COUNTRY WINE - Jack Kittredge, Many Hands Organic Farm.  www.mhof.net

BUILDING A CSA - Dina Brewster, The Hickories Farm www.thehickories.org

HOW WE GROW GARLIC AT WAYNE’S ORGANIC GARDEN - Wayne Hansen, Wayne’s Organic Garden www.waynesorganicgarden.com

FIRST LESSONS IN BEEKEEPING - C. Marina Marchese, Red Bee Apiary   www.redbee.com

THE AMATEUR ARTISAN BAKER - Jiff Martin, Serious & not-so-serious home bakers learn new techniques and share old favorites.  Taste tests & take home live starter.

WORM COMPOSTING - Nick Mancini,   www.OrganicGardeningSimplified.com

SEEDY BUSINESS:  THE HISTORY, POLITICS, & FUTURE OF SEEDS - Ken Greene,  Hudson Valley Seed Library  www.seedlibrary.org

RAW MILK AND FOOD RIGHTS - David E. Gumpert, www.davidgumpert.com

“LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR, YOUR AGRICULTURE COMMISION IS THERE” - John Weedon,  How to start a commission w/no money down.  What a Town Agriculture Commission can do to help farmers.  How to work effectively with a commission.

THREATS TO THE HEALTH OF HONEY BEES AND WILD BEES - Dr Kimberly Stoner, Vegetable Entomologist at the CT Agriculture Experiment Station, New Haven.  www.ct.gov/caes

FARM TAXES SHOULDN’T BE TAXING - Ron Capozzi, “Class will be limited to those who think they can spend their money wiser than the government.”

GETTING INTO RAW FOODS - Rawdawg Rory  www.rawdawgrory.com

RAISING DAIRY GOATS & MAKING CHEESE - Paul Trubey, Beltane Farm.  www.beltanefarm.com

NATURAL NIBBLES, AN INTRODUCTION TO WILD PLANT FORAGING - Bryan Connolly, Massachusetts State Botanist, PhD student - Native Plant Horticulture.

WEED ECOLOGY & ORGANIC WEED CONTROL - Robert Durgy, Farm Manager CT Agricultural Experiment Station, Griswold Research Center.

THE 10 LEAST WANTED: VEGETABLE INSECTS PESTS & WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM - Robert Durgy, Farm Manager CT Agricultural Experiment Station, Griswold Research Center.

EXTENDING THE GROWING SEASON AND COLDWEATHER CROPS - Bettylou Sandy, Bettylou’s Gardening.  Learn tricks to extend the growing season at both ends. Harvest April thru November.

THE FUTURE OF COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY - Michel Nischan, Wholesome Wave Foundation www.wholesomewave.org

HOOP TUNNELS,  LOW & HIGH - Bryan O’Hara, Tobacco Road Farm.  Use, construction, costs, and appropriate crops for the extended season production of vegetable crops.

BACKYARD BARNYARD - Peter & Judith Rothenberg, Northfordy Farm.  Sustainable farm animal husbandry.

GREENHOUSE/NURSERY ENERGY CONSERVATION - IDEAS THAT SAVE MONEY - John W. Bartok Jr. Extension Agricultural Engineer - Emeritus Univ of CT  Materials, tools, and techniques for reducing fuel  & electricity  use in small to medium size propagation & production structures.  Basics of wood, corn, waste oil, geothermal & solar systems.

REFORM OF THE “SUPPLY CHAIN”: INSTITUTIONAL FOOD SERVICE - Marydale DeBor, Plow to Plate/New Milford Hospital  www.plowtoplate.org

HILLS AND VALLEYS - RAISED BED GARDENING - James Roby, Roby’s Organic Farm.  Raised bed, ridge till and trench planting methods.  Managing walkways, mulching, and cultivation.

SO  YOU WANT TO START A  FARMERS MARKET? - Winter Caplanson    www.CoventryFarmersMarket.com Basics of starting a market; defining a niche for your farmers market, state requirements, location, management, vendor recruitment, rules/regulation & marketing.

EXPERT PANEL DISCUSSIONS:

BACK (AND FORTH) TO OUR ” ROOTS” - Dr. Lisa Gengo, PA, ND, CNS, Chef  John Turenne, President & Founder of Sustainable Food Systems  &  Farmer Wayne Hansen  discuss & demonstrate uses and nutritional benefits of familiar and the less-well known winter vegetables.

Additional details and workshops still to come.

Sponsors

Gold Level Sponsors - Stonyfield Fam and Whole Foods Market

Silver Level Sponsors - Farmer’s Cow and Global Environmental Services

Supporting Sponsors - Sunlight Solar Energy, Farm Credit East, New England Seed and Steven A. Rose Agency

Vendor - Exhibitors

If you’d like to reserve a space, please call the office at 203-888-5146.

___________________________________________________________

POTLUCK DETAILS

Please bring a dish to share with everyone-it need not be local food or even organic-do what you can. A family-sized serving is fine, along with the recipe or ingredient listing. Drinks are always welcome if you are unable to cook.

Our impressive staff of kitchen volunteers will be on hand to pull it all together for us and make sure hot dishes are hot and salads are dressed.

To help us conserve, please bring your own place setting, napkin, and utensils. Questions? Call 203-888-5146.

_____________________________________

What: Norwalk Indoor Farmers Market and Artspace

A unique opportunity to see and enjoy the working artists and artisans of Fairfield county and vendors from around the state while shopping the Farmers’ Market. Maine shrimp available through April.

When: Each Saturday 10AM to 2PM

Where: 61-65 Wall St. (near the Garden Cinemas), Norwalk, Ct. 06851

Contact: Duvian Montoya, Artspace coordinator

505-400-4467 or duvianm@prodigy.net

Alexis Gazy, Farmers Market coordinator

203-723-8885 or gazybrothersfarm@sbcglobal.net

Market Hours: 10AM - 2PM

Additional Information:

On Saturday January 23 from 10AM to 2PM the Norwalk Winter Farmers Market at 61-65 Wall St. on the corner of Isaac Street will have its first day of presenting local artists and artisans in its unique space. A space where other artists in the past have influenced the aesthetics of the space and where new artists of today will be able to showcase and expand on an already successful farmers market.

The Norwalk Winter Farmers Market is sponsored in cooperation by the city of Norwalk, POKO Partners, Stanley M. Seligson Properties, Fat Cat City, local residents, and Gazy Brothers Farm. The farmers market has become a weekly social gathering for friends and families in the Norwalk community, as well as visitors from afar. Products available at the farmers market include CT grown produce, farm raised beef, pork, eggs, Maine seafood, goats milk soap products, fresh baked goods, crafts.

The artisan space is sponsored in cooperation with the Norwalk Winter Farmers Market and the Norwalk Arts Commission and  is open to all mediums in the arts. Duvian Montoya states “I truly believe that if we put the energy into building this community and cultural market, we can create a venue to showcase the producers and creators living in Fairfield County. A market where people can distinguish who we are as a community.”

If any artists would like to join the market please contact Duvian Montoya at 505-400-4467 or duvianm@prodigy.net. The space is free to artists and open to all mediums. Currently there is space for about 8, 2D artists on a 10′ x 10′ chunk of wall and about 6 spaces for any 3D artists or artisans on a 10′ x 10′ floor space (more spaces to come). Painting and or creating on site is encouraged but not necessary. We are also open to other vendors who believe in the idea of building the community center.

Good thing Westport GVI never settled on a commercial space suitable for distributing the CSA from Shelton-based Stone Gardens Farm they started last year for Westport residents. As fortune would have it, the Wakeman Farm and house on Cross Highway became available for lease from the town for $1 per year last spring and Westport GVI’s team jumped at the chance to lease the property. The town embraced their proposal for a  Town Farm on the site and GVI recently announced the signing of a five-year lease and plans to once again farm the 2.2 acre property.

Westport GVI is a group with clarity of vision and the people and resources to see it realized. The house is being spruced up so the future residents can move in by June. May this be a happy home to Mike Aitkenhead, Staples HS Environmental Teacher and 2009 Westport Teacher of the Year, who will take up residence at and oversee the Town Farm along with his wife, Carrie, and their one year old son, Ethan.

Don’t mind the dumpster; there’s no gutting going on in this historic house. You can see from the above photo that there’s no insulation in the walls and the plaster was cracking so badly in some places that it had to be removed. Think of how beautiful this spacious house is going to look with some new wall board, paint, appliances and fixtures.

The aged red barn is being renovated from the inside out in preparation for CSA season. This is where you will come to pick up your Stone Gardens Farm CSA share each week from Carrie. Don’t have a share yet? Sign up now! Future plans include the addition of CSA shares from other area farms and add ons  like local eggs, cheese, poultry, meat, flowers and honey to make the CSA more full service. These will come after appropriate food service licenses have been obtained and the Town Health Department has given its blessing.

Planting of organic vegetables will begin in the spring at Wakeman Farm, but don’t expect enough production for their own CSA. A farm stand is more likely. The intention was never to grow enough food for the whole town, but rather serve as a model of environmentally sustainable agriculture and an educational facility.

Town Farm Director Becky Howe cited a book, The Backyard Homestead, as the foundation of their message to the public, “You can grow all the food you need on a quarter acre. Anybody can do this. We’re going to be a model of how to do it and provide continuing education to the community in everything from composting to organic gardening to beekeeping so they can get comfortable doing these things on their own.” Andrew (from Andrew’s Local Honey) is going to drop off one of his hives here and Westport GVI board member Sherri Brooks Vinton will give canning and preserving workshops. Get excited but be patient, be supportive, and visit often. It’s going to take the whole community to make this work, and there’s not doubt that it will.