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 CT Specialty Food Association (CSFA) held its ninth Product Awards Competition on Thursday, February 18, 2010, at the Aqua Turf in Plantsville. Two hundred thirty-seven specialty food items from Connecticut-based manufacturers were entered into 20 categories, with hopes of receiving the prestigious honor of CSFA Product Award Winner 2010. A complete list of Thursday’s winners appears below.

A panel of 30 judges consisting of local media personalities, food writers, and chefs from the CT Department of Agriculture’s Farm-to-Chef Program scored products on overall taste, originality, variety, and flavor. Each judge was assigned to specific categories, responsible for evaluating an average of approximately 30 different products.

Categories included beverages, confections, dairy, gift packs, gluten-free, pasta sauces, savory condiments, snack foods, and a dozen others. The wide array of products featured fine chocolates, ice cream sauces, pestos, pickles, hot teas and coffees, flavored seeds, breads, and much, much more.

“It is always amazing to see the diversity and quality of fine foods made by producers right here in Connecticut,” said Tricia Levesque, CSFA Director. “This competition showcases the best of the best in the state. Not only are these products perfect for everyday meals and parties, they also make wonderful gifts. Who wouldn’t be delighted to receive a package filled with such fabulous gourmet foods?”

“Purchasing products from Connecticut companies also fuels our local economy and helps create jobs here in our state, which is more important now than ever before,” Ms. Levesque continued. “It really is a win-win for everyone - consumers get the best quality foods available and Connecticut companies stay strong.”

Consumers looking for CT specialty food products can visit the Connecticut Food Association’s web site and ask for them at local markets and grocers. (Editor’s Note: I’ve added a partial list of retailers plus links to more for some of the winners.) The Connecticut Creative - A General Store in Hartford and Well Baskets in Newtown offer a selection of CT specialty foods an CT-themed gift baskets featuring numerous CT specialty food items and can ship baskets anywhere in the country.

CSFA is a subdivision of the CT Food Association and is a non-profit organization that represents small food businesses based in the state. The CT Department of Agriculture attends CSFA meetings and provides information to the organization as appropriate.

To learn more, visit www.ctfood.org or email ctfood@ctfood.org.

THE CT SPECIALTY FOOD ASSOCIATION

2010 PRODUCT AWARDS COMPETITION WINNERS

2010 PRODUCT OF THE YEAR

The Purple Pear by Tina, Willington, CT

Buttered Almond Cream

OUTSTANDING BARBECUE SAUCE

1st Place

Gourmet Conveniences, Ltd., Litchfield, CT

Sweet Sunshine Sauce - Sweet

2nd Place

RGN Sales, Inc., Coventry, CT

Rich’s Sweet Heat

3rd Place (The Pantry in Fairfield, Walter Stewart’s Market in New Canaan and Palmer’s Market in Darien & others carry this product)

The Gracious Gourmet, Bridgewater, CT

Sweet Tomato Grilling Sauce

OUTSTANDING BEVERAGE

1st Place

Willoughby’s Coffee & Tea, Branford, CT

Sumatra Mandheling French Roast Organic Coffee

2nd Place

Willoughby’s Coffee & Tea, Branford, CT

Super Keemun Hao Ya “A” Tea

3rd Place

Willoughby’s Coffee & Tea, Branford, CT

English Breakfast Tea

OUTSTANDING BREAD

1st Place

Michele’s Pies, Norwalk, CT (Walter Stewart’s Market in New Canaan & others carry this brand )

Zucchini Nut Bread

2nd Place

Wave Hill Breads (New England Bread Company, LLC), Wilton, CT (Available at The Pantry in Fairfield , Balducci’s, Whole Foods & more plus area farmers’ markets)

Three Grain Pain du Campagne - Country Bread

3rd Place

Wave Hill Breads (New England Bread Company, LLC), Wilton, CT

Three Grain Petit EPI

OUTSTANDING CONFECTION, BAKED FOOD, COOKIE OR CRACKER

1st Place

Michele’s Pies, Norwalk, CT (available at Walter Stewart’s Market, New Canaan & others)

Pear Cranberry with Walnut Crumb Pie

2nd Place

Willoughby’s Coffee & Tea, Branford, CT

Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans

3rd Place

Kathie’s Kitchen, LLC, Newtown, CT

Mucha Superseedz

OUTSTANDING DAIRY

1st Place

Cato Corner Farm, LLC, Colchester, CT (available at Walter Stewart’s Market, New Canaan; CT Farm Fresh Express, Village Market in Wilton and more)

Black Ledge Blue Cheese

2nd Place

Cato Corner Farm, LLC, Colchester, CT

Bridgid’s Abbey Cheese

3rd Place

Cato Corner Farm, LLC, Colchester, CT

Bloomsday Cheese

OUTSTANDING FROZEN FOOD

1st Place

Michele’s Pies, Norwalk, CT (available at Walter Stewart’s Market in New Canaan & others)

Australian Beef Pie

2nd Place

Michele’s Pies, Norwalk, CT

Quiche Lorraine

3rd Place

Michele’s Pies, Norwalk, CT

Chicken Pot Pie

OUTSTANDING GLUTEN FREE

1st Place

Gilbert’s Gourmet Goodies, Sandy Hook, CT (click here for a full list of retailers). Click here for a previous post about the company.

Apple Crumb Pie

2nd Place

Can’t Beet It, LLC, South Windsor, CT

Can’t Beet It - Medium Beet Horseradish

3rd Place

Can’t Beet It, LLC, South Windsor, CT

Can’t Beet It - Hot Beet Horseradish

OUTSTANDING GIFT PACK

1st Place

The Purple Pear by Tina, Willington, CT

Two & Four Box Dessert Topping Gift Pack

2nd Place

Sweet Maven’s, LLC, East Hartford, CT

Biscotti Jar (Valentine’s Day)

3rd Place (Available at Walter Stewart’s in New Canaan, Caraluzzi’s , A&J Farmstand in Westport and more)

Ola! Foods, LLC, Redding, CT

Ola! Granola Gift Jars

OUTSTANDING HERB, SEASONING OR SPICE BLEND

1st Place

Passage Foods, Collinsville, CT

Pad Thai

2nd Place (Available at Walter Stewart’s in New Canaan, Palmer’s, Whole Foods Markets & more)

El’s Kitchen, Inc., Weston, CT

Moroccan Lamb Spice Rub

3rd Place

Passage Foods, Collinsville, CT

Red Thai Curry

OUTSTANDING HORS D’OEUVRE

1st Place

Can’t Beet It, LLC, South Windsor, CT

Can’t Beet It - Hot Beet Horseradish

2nd Place

Artisan C.S.F., Colchester, CT

Lobster Lover’s Dip

3rd Place

Can’t Beet It, LLC, South Windsor, CT

Can’t Beet It - Medium Beet Horseradish

OUTSTANDING JAM, HONEY OR SWEET TOPPING

1st Place

The Purple Pear By Tina, Willington, CT

Buttered Almond Cream

2nd Place

Twin Pines Farm, Thomaston, CT

Raspberry Rhubarb Jam

3rd Place

Twin Pines Farm, Thomaston, CT

Raspberry Peach Jam

OUTSTANDING OIL, VINEGAR OR SALAD DRESSING

1st Place

Capa di Roma, East Hartford, CT

Aged Balsamic Vinegar

2nd Place

Stark Naked, Inc., Monroe, CT

Japanese Ginger Dressing

3rd Place

Ariston Specialties, LLC, New Britain, CT

Ariston Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar

OUTSTANDING PACKAGING OR DESIGN

1st Place

May Cookie Company, Newington, CT

Hearty & Wholesome Oatmeal Cranberry Cookie Mix

Rich & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

Triple Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Mix

2nd Place

Bridgewater Chocolate, Brookfield, CT

Cherry Hearts

3rd Place

Cookie Wishes, LLC/Les Oliviers, LLC, Newtown, CT

Winton Farms Wildflower Honey

OUTSTANDING PASTA SAUCE

1st Place

Frank’s Marinara, Amston, CT

NY Style Sicilian Gravy

2nd Place

Frank’s Marinara, Amston, CT

Original Marinara Sauce

3rd Place

Chef Silvio’s of Wooster Street/New Med Foods, LLC, Guilford, CT

FraDiavolo Sauce

OUTSTANDING PASTA, RICE OR SOUP

1st Place

Boxed Goodes, LLC, Litchfield, CT

Sunny Dahl

2nd Place

Artisan C.S.F., Colchester, CT

Jambalaya Soup

3rd Place

Artisan C.S.F., Colchester, CT

Tortilla Soup

OUTSTANDING PICKLE, RELISH OR TAPENADE

1st Place (The Pantry in Fairfield, Walter Stewart’s Market in New Canaan and Palmer’s Market in Darien & others carry this product)

The Gracious Gourmet, Bridgewater, CT

Artichoke Parmesan Tapenade

2nd Place

The Gracious Gourmet, Bridgewater, CT

Dilled Carrot Tomato Tapenade

3rd Place

The Gracious Gourmet, Bridgewater, CT

Roasted Vegetable Tapenade

OUTSTANDING PRODUCT LINE

1st Place

Boxed Goodes, LLC, Litchfield, CT

Herbs, Rice, Snacks & Soup

– TIE –

Twin Pines Farm, Thomaston, CT

Jams, Pickles, Relish & Vinegar

2nd Place

The Olive Oil Factory, LLC, Watertown, CT

Flavored Oils

3rd Place

Gourmet Conveniences, Ltd., Litchfield, CT

Sweet Sunshine Sauce

OUTSTANDING SALSA OR HOT SAUCE

1st Place

Mama Manju’s Salsa, Chester, CT

Fandango Mango Salsa

2nd Place

Fresh Trak Foods, LLC, East Granby, CT

Salsa Loca - Just Right

– TIE –

Giff’s Original, LLC, Cheshire, CT

Mango Spice Salsa

3rd Place

Gourmet Conveniences, Ltd., Litchfield, CT

Sweet Sunshine Sauce - Atomic

OUTSTANDING SAVORY CONDIMENT

1st Place (The Pantry in Fairfield, Walter Stewart’s Market in New Canaan and Palmer’s Market in Darien & others carry this product)

The Gracious Gourmet, Bridgewater, CT

Gingered Peach Apricot Spread

2nd Place

Can’t Beet It, LLC, South Windsor, CT

Can’t Beet It - Medium Beet Horseradish

3rd Place

Can’t Beet It, LLC, South Windsor, CT

Can’t Beet It - Hot Beet Horseradish

OUTSTANDING SNACK FOOD

1st Place

Aurora Products, Inc., Stratford, CT

Wizard’s Mix

2nd Place (Walter Stewart’s Market in New Canaan & others carry this brand)

Michele’s Pies, Norwalk, CT

Sweet & Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

3rd Place

Aurora Products, Inc., Stratford, CT

Spicy Pub Mix

CONNECTICUT GROWN - The Local Flavor

Visit us at www.CTGrown.gov

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.

Thursday, February 25 from 7-9pm at Ambler Farm, 257 Hurlbutt Street, Wilton

Snow Date: March 4th

Bring a friend or a group to share food, wine and conversation during this convivial evening at the Carriage Barn. This is the fifth year for what has become a very popular annual Ambler event. Enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvres made from local and organically grown ingredients, and sample a variety of organic wines. $35 members; $40 non-members

Our guests will enjoy an International Tasting Menu with fondue as the centerpiece:

* Crudités with Dijon Tarragon Mustard Dip
* Beet, Goat Cheese, and Arugula Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette
* Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Kalamata Olives, Artichoke Hearts and Feta
* Three Cheese Winter Fondue with Potatoes, Wave Hill Bread, Steamed Broccoli, and Sausage
* Asparagus and Sharp Cheddar Cheese Frittata with Chives
* Chocolate-Beet Mini Cupcakes
* Lemon Squares

We are excited to learn more about organic food, wine and coffee from our expert presenters:

• Monica Brown, well-known local wine expert and proprietor of Cellar XV and no. 109 Cheese and Wine in Ridgefield
• Margaret Sapir from Wave Hill Breads in Wilton and
• Charles Ciaccio of Sun Coffee Roasters in Plainville

ENROLLMENT IS LIMITED
The only way to guarantee your spot is to REGISTER/PAY IN ADVANCE online.Click here to register.

Hidden Brook Gardens is offering a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share this spring, with CTFFE delivering shares to participating families!

What’s a CSA?

CSAs are partnerships between an individual farm and a community of supporters, providing a direct link between the production and consumption of food. CSA members make a commitment to support the farm throughout the season, and assume the costs, risks and bounty of growing food along with the farmer or grower.

How Does It Work?

For this CSA with Hidden Brook Gardens, the 2010 season will run for 15 weeks beginning on Friday, June 18th and ending Friday, September 24th. CTFFE will deliver your share directly to your door each week! The weekly pick-up fee will be $5.00 and the delivery fee will be based on the proximity of your home to our distribution center in East Haddam. To determine your specific delivery fee, please contact CTFFE at 860-873-8760. The pick up and delivery fees will be paid directly to CTFFE each week when we deliver your share.

Why the CSA Model?

CSA members help to cover a farm’s yearly operating budget by purchasing a share of the season’s harvest. Members help pay for seeds, water, equipment maintenance, labor, etc. In return, the farm provides a healthy supply of seasonal fresh produce throughout the growing season.

What Will I Get?

So far Hidden Brook Gardens is planning crops ranging from beans, beets, and broccoli to carrots, collards,  and cucumbers and on to squash, scallions and strawberries! For a full list of planned produce, click here and follow to request the farm’s CSA brochure. Full Shares (15 weeks) are priced at $450, and Half Shares (15 weeks) are $225. A great deal, a great way to support a local farm, and great farm-fresh produce for your table. How cool is that?!

The pick-up and delivery fees will be paid directly to CTFFE each week when they deliver your share.  You can order any other products from their website to compliment that week’s CSA offering, which helps to offset the price of delivery.

Please visit the farm’s site to request a CSA brochure.

by Eileen Weber

We have a nationwide epidemic and it’s not the swine flu. We are losing our farmland at an alarming rate. One of the main problems fueling it is overdevelopment. This is something we can change, but we don’t. We’d rather have the subdivided housing developments next to the new mall in the same oversized parking lot as yet another Starbucks.

Let’s look at some scary statistics from NumbersUSA, a non-profit organization dedicated to a sustainable environment and economy. The 1990s saw the biggest population boom and we’ve been feeling the effects of it ever since. Over two million acres of land were lost in that decade alone. According to the organization, if this rate continues the equivalent space of the top half of the Eastern Seaboard will be lost by 2050. That’s only four decades from now. Not as long as you might think.

“It’s tough,” said Bill Duesing, Executive Director for Connecticut’s Northeast Organic Farmers’ Association (CT NOFA) . “We need to move to a more retail agriculture. The CSAs and the Farmers’ Markets all help. It matches the food farmers grow with the food we eat.”

But it’s not enough. What a farmer can make from a weekend morning at the Farmers’ Market is a couple of hundred dollars. That’s just a drop in the bucket. Nothing more than grocery money.

Duesing said programs like Working Land Alliance and American Farmland Trust along with state-run preservation and protection programs have made a difference in saving farmland from becoming a needless housing development. “The Working Land Alliance has certainly had success getting the state to give more money. But all these programs could use more money,” he said.

The good news is that the government is listening, at least a little bit. This past summer, Governor Rell signed a bill granting $10 million in aid to the state’s dairy farmers. That certainly helps, but it won’t last forever. The bill covers only the next two years.

According to information provided by the USDA Census via Working Lands Alliance, dairy farms make up nearly 20% of the farmland in Connecticut. That’s a sizeable chunk when you consider the rest is made up of cropland, animal production, as well as undeveloped wetlands and woodlands. Ten million dollars may sound like a lot of money. But when you spread the wealth, it’s not as much financial help as these farmers need.

“We are going to miss Governor Rell,” said Terry Jones, who runs the Jones Family Farm in Shelton and is a member of the Steering Committee for Working Lands Alliance. “She’s been very supportive.”

But there’s another problem facing farmers today besides overdevelopment. Too often retiring farmers are unable to leave the farm to their children. They’ve grown up and moved on to careers far more lucrative than farming. That’s when the farm gets sold. Most likely, the one who can afford it is a developer. And the vicious cycle continues.

And for those that are bequeathed a farm, there’s a hefty tax that goes with it. According to an article dated January 24^th in the Hartford Courant, Democratic legislators voted nearly two months ago for an estate tax bill that would only exempt estates up to $3.5 million. This means that if your estate amounts to less than that, you would have a large sum to pay the government. For example, having an estate valued at $2 million could mean having to pay nearly $100,000 in estate taxes. There aren’t too many farmers-or their adult children-who can afford that. Fortunately, Governor Rell vetoed the bill and requested a postponement.

But when a farm goes under, it stays under. According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), nineteen dairy farms in Connecticut sold off their animals last year. Those are nineteen farms we won’t get back. “Dairy farms utilize much of the cropland in the state,” said Jones. “When they go under, there’s more opportunity for sprawl.”

There are state-based non-profit organizations that are fighting against suburban sprawl. “Organizations like Working Land Alliance and Connecticut Farmland Trust are working hard to get purchase rights to protect the land,” said Henry Talmage, Executive Director of Connecticut Farmland Trust. “But it’s a short term fix. Land protection is only one piece of the puzzle.”

Talmage said other factors come into play. You can protect the land from being sold, he says, but you need a sustainable business model to keep it. “I don’t think the future of agriculture is doomed. But it has to be a consumer-driven model.”

Talmage echoed Duesing’s sentiments that it’s the CSAs and the Farmers’ Markets that keep people interested in where their food comes from. And they both agreed that it’s a growing sentiment, especially in this area. “We live in an affluent area along a very marketable corridor between New York and Boston,” said Talmage. “The future of agriculture is supporting your individual farmers so that each one is thriving.”

Farmland is a precious commodity. It is the largest area of open space we have in this tiny state. And when farms go under, we don’t just lose the land. We lose the wildlife. We lose the natural resources. And, what we replace that open space with adversely affects our environment.

Ten years ago, the town of Cromwell purchased a 55-acre property for $2 million with a nearly $500,000 grant from the state. Originally a farm, the property is now in the line of fire. According to an article dated on January 20^th from The Middletown Press , the town bought the property with the intention of keeping it as open space including a community garden and hiking trails.

Some residents are thinking it might be a better idea to pay back the purchase price to the state, put in a senior center and a community pool, and sell the rest off for housing. Others are supporting the protection of open space. But with a growing retiree pool and a decrease in space at the current senior center in the Town Hall, that open space is looking more and more attractive.

According to The Day in an article dated January 20^th, open space that was originally farmland is also being vied for in the Mystic/Stonington area. For the fourth time, the Planning and Zoning Commission rejected David Lattizori’s $70 million bid for the development of shops, offices, townhouses, and a hotel. In his plan, fifty percent of the 70-acre land, which is across the street from the Stone Ridge retirement community and formerly the Perkins Farm, would be left as open space. But many of the retirees think the plan will still mar the landscape and affect existing local businesses.

These are just two examples of what’s happening in this state. For far too long, we have looked at an open tract of land and seen it for its lucrative potential. We don’t see it for the animals that roam across it or the birds that fly above it. We don’t see it for a space that kids can run freely. We look at how we can carve it up and make money off it. Pretty soon, though, there won’t be anything left to carve.

“Agribusiness has been agribusiness for so long,” said Craig Floyd, who raises pigs on Footsteps Farm in Stonington, “we’ve forgotten about the small farmer who’s toting the bucket to feed the animals. Without him, we’ve got nothing. We have no farms.”

But for some farmers, working the land, growing vegetables, or raising animals is not necessarily a money-losing proposition. Fred Monahan, who runs Stone Gardens Farm in Shelton with his wife Stacia, said there’s definitely a future in farming in this state. “There’s a possibility to make a good living,” he said. “You’ve got to sell retail. Go directly to the public. It’s more profitable when you eliminate the middleman.”

Monahan shared the sentiments of Duesing, Talmage, and Jones: When the farmer focuses on the business of the farm, he can make money. A consumer-driven farm is a farm that thrives. CSAs. Farmers’ Markets. While it may be only a few hundred dollars at a time, these outlets create a regular cash flow. But it’s more than that. They create a connection between the consumer and the farmer. Just as Monahan said, you are eliminating the middleman and becoming more aware of where your food comes from. “Farmers have to realize,” he said, “we need to be connected to the consumer.”

“You’ve got to have an attitude that’s supportive of your local community,” said Jones. “It goes a long way in making farming viable.”

One person can make a difference. And you are that person every time you buy directly from your local farmer. Think about that the next time you visit the supermarket and the items in your shopping cart are shrink-wrapped in plastic.

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.

The Farmer’s Cow is holding an Ice Cream Naming Contest for their 10 new flavors starting February 1 so start thinking of names! The Farmer’s Cow is a cooperative of six family-owned farms that supplies milk to retailers throughout Connecticut and parts of New York and Massachusetts. Combined, they milk 2,300 cows on nearly 7,000 acres of land. Their collaboration has been so successful that they’ve branched out into other products like eggs, half and half, heavy cream, and cider. Read more about the company in a previous article on this site.

Contest Rules:

You may enter up to 10 names, one per flavor, making sure that the names reflect something about farming and the benefits of local agriculture. Entries will be accepted online from 12:01 a.m. February 1, 2010. through midnight on February 14, 2010. Click here to enter the contest!

Their farmers and marketing team will review all the names submitted.
A winner will be drawn at random from all of the entries received.

One lucky entrant will receive a summer’s supply of ice cream from Memorial Day 2010 until Labor Day 2010. The winner will be announced at the end of February 2010. All names become property of The Farmer’s Cow. Click here to enter the contest!
Please direct any questions to farmers@thefarmerscow.com