Dinners at the Farm are a mecca for local food lovers in search of a unique, seasonal meal enjoyed at the source.
Back in 2007 Jonathan Rapp, chef/owner of River Tavern in Chester, and Drew McLachlan, then chef/owner of Feast Gourmet Market in Deep River, recognized the vast, untapped potential of reconnecting people with their food and the land. The two entrepreneurs partnered to establish Dinners at the Farm, a series of plein air, farm-to-table, community dinners held on select Connecticut farms every July and August for the last 5 years. The perennially sold out events are powerful fundraisers for the very organizations working to preserve farmland and create a more equitable food system – Working Lands Alliance, City Seed Farmers’ Market, and Connecticut Farmland Trust. They’re also a mecca for local food lovers in search of a unique, seasonal meal enjoyed at the source.
Dinner at the Farm's signature red food truck is a kitchen on wheels.
For 2012 Dinners at the Farm is adding a third farm, Scott’s Farm & Greenhouses in Essex, and holding dinners there for eight nights in September. July and August host farms will once again be Barberry Hill Farm in Madison and White Gate Farm in East Lyme.
CT NOFA’s Winter Conference Welcomes Families, Farmers and Foodies
March 3, 2012
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Manchester Community College
Manchester, CT
Jeffrey M. Smith is the founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, the orgnaization behind the Campaign for Better Eating in America.
The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut (CT NOFA) announces its 30th Annual Winter Conference, an important day or learning and sharing for farmers, gardeners, locavores, homesteaders and anyone interested in sustainable living. The conference features workshops (listed in detail below), internationally-celebrated speakers, and the largest local-sustainable food potluck lunch you’ve ever seen. (Yes, attendees are expected to bring a dish to share. No stress; we’ll be posting recipes.)
The 2012 Winter Conference’s keynote speaker is Jeffrey Smith, noted author and speaker on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the leading consumer advocate promoting healthier, non-GMO choices. He is the author of Seeds of Deception and Genetic Roulette, and will share insights on the real threats that GMOs pose to local food production as well as to consumers’ health. A second workshop on GMOs will be hosted by Daniel Ravicher, legal counsel representing CT NOFA and 80 other plaintiffs against Monsanto to legally protect small farms and farmers.
In this video Jeffrey Smith succinctly (2 minutes!) explains why corporate science is wrong when they say GMOs are safe.
If you’re in the mood to be entertained while learning more about GMOs, Rob Herring’s rap video is excellent!
All workshops are taught by Connecticut professionals bringing expertise from the farm, kitchen, government, or non-profit organization dedicated to sustainable living. Learn to grow fruit, garlic, honey, nuts, and mushrooms. Classes on pollination, nitrogen management and soil microbiology are among those that will provide more technical instruction. Sustainable home-life classes include seminars on root cellars, food storage, cooking, household products as well as well as how to make healthy choices in cosmetics. For activists and community organizers, the conference offers workshops in climate change, starting food co-ops, and establishing winter farmers’ markets.
The Winter Conference is a celebration of local foods and farms. In keeping with this theme, attendees are asked to bring a favorite food dish for the potluck feast. Local, organic vendors including Sweet Sage Bakery of Madison, CT and Bean & Leaf of New London, will be selling delicious, sustainable treats. Children are welcome to spend time in the Family Play ‘n’ Chill room.
The CT NOFA 30th Annual Winter Conference will be held at Manchester Community College, on Great Path Rd in Manchester, CT, on March 3 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration is $50 for NOFA members, $60 for non-members ($35 for students or seniors). This is a bargain considering the value your receive- a keynote address plus multiple workshops that would easily cost $25 each elsewhere. There is a $5 discount for early registration (before February 18th) and an additional $10 discount for those interested in volunteering. For more information and registration online, visit http://ctnofa.org/events/CAOC/2012/2012_Winter_Conference.html, or call the office at 203-888-5146.
WORKSHOPS
Organic Seed vs. Monsanto: The Lawsuit Challenging Patents on Seed – Attorney Daniel Ravicher, NYC
Certified Organic Nutrient Dense Small Fruit – Julie Rawson & Jack Kitteredge, Many Hands Organic Farm, MA
Wild Bees and Pollination – Dr. Kim Stoner of CT Ag Experiment Station
Food as Medicine – Dr. Leigh White, Natural Family Health, LLC
Transition Movement Workshops:
First: Transition Success Stories – Tina Clarke & Terry Halwes
Second: Permaculture and Transition – Cynthia Rabinowitz & Joan Spear
Third: Transition: Lighting the Fire for Action – Coleen Spurlock
Lead in Soils – Concerns and Corrections – Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory
Edible School Gardens – Dan Levinson, Green Village Initiative (GVI)
and more to come…
VENDORS & EXHIBITORS
Interested in being a vendor or promoting your organization at our event? Last year’s conference attracted over 400 passionate organic-minded individuals, and at least the same number are expected this year. Email CT NOFA for details, print and mail this form, or call 203-888-5146.
Music, storytime, children’s workshop, hanging out. CT NOFA provide pillows, books, and comfy places for kids to just shlump down and read!
POTLUCK
Chef John Turenne of Sustainable Food Systems and an impressive staff of kitchen volunteers will once again be on hand to pull it all together, making sure hot dishes are hot and salads are dressed.
Please bring a dish to share with everyone—it need not be local food or even organic—do what you can. Email info@fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com if you need help with a recipe or ingredients or just have a questions. Thanks! Put a label on the bottom of the container and claim it at the end of the conference. Please bring a plate and utensils as this event is committed to avoiding waste.
RAFFLE
CT NOFA is accepting raffle donations. Gently used treasures, duplicate garden tools, gift baskets, unused gift certificates or gift certificates for your business (=great advertizing!) are all welcome. CT NOFA Board member Janet Heller will be coordinating this year. Call the office at 203-888-5146 or email.
Extra Virginity exposes a world of fraud and deception in the olive oil trade, but also lauds producers who continually sacrifices profits to make superior oil worthy of the EVOO label.
Some of us have never tasted real extra virgin olive oil. That’s the shocking realization I came to after reading Tom Mueller’s riveting new book, Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil. Mueller, story by incredible story, reveals the ugly truth behind a surprisingly large number of supermarket olive oils carrying the extra virgin grade and why they fail quality tests. The saddest part is that olive oil fraud, in some cases impossible to detect with even sophisticated laboratory equipment, is nothing new. Adulteration of good oil with cheap and tasteless seed and nut oils and deodorization of low quality olive oils is a fraud that has been perpetrated on consumers worldwide for millennium according to Mueller.
In Extra Virginity Mueller describes the olive oil trade in Roman times and how at Monte Testaccio “you knew from the label exactly what you were getting” in each amphora of oil. He explains how an enormous pile of ancient fragments at the site reveals that each amphora was carefully labeled with the producer, point of origin, importer, weight and quality, then sealed to prevent fraud. It’s incredible that the olive oil industry remains plagued today with the same problems that existed in Roman times. If your olive oil’s label doesn’t conform to the Monte Testaccio standards, you have a lot of questions to ask.
In this video, Mueller discusses fraudulent olive oil and ways to find real extra virgin olive oil.
Alilna fills a UV protected bottle with EVOO chosen by a customer after tasting several different varieties from around the world.
Enter Olivette. The timing of the opening of this boutique specializing in single varietal, single origin extra virgin olive oils (EVOO) from around the world is brilliant. At Olivette, you taste before you buy. Co-owner and General Manager Alina Lawrence said “This is a tasting room. You’re not going to go home and find out you didn’t like what you bought.” Gleaming stainless steel olive oil drums (fusti) line the walls and counters, each labeled in detail to provide tasters with complete product transparency, something unheard of in supermarket olive oil. The olive variety, date of crush, country of origin, awards received and a chemical analysis of the polyphenols, oleic acid, free fatty acids and peroxide levels – all determinations of quality and taste – are listed on each label. A low level of free fatty acids, for example, is desirable and is most common in oils that go from harvest to extraction within hours. Polyphenols are heart-healthy flavonoids naturally present in olive oil. Low free fatty acids are a sign of quality as are low peroxide levels, a product of oxidation.
At Olivette, you taste before you buy from gleaming stainless steel olive oil drums (fusti) lining the walls and counters, each labeled in detail to provide tasters with complete transparency, something unheard of in supermarket olive oil.
Small tasting cups stand at the ready next to each olive oil type, inviting customers to taste and compare, perhaps for the first time, fresh extra virgin olive oils made from single cultivars from distinct places around the world. How do oils from Chile and Argentina compare to Australia and New Zealand? Can California oils compete with those from France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain? Do organic olive oils taste different? A note here: Olivette has chosen not to label organic oils to avoid prejudicing your choices. If you feel strongly about only choosing organic oils, ask a staff member to point them out to you.
Olivette carries honey, olives and other artisan foods that pair well with olive oil and vinegar.
“The higher the polyphenols, the more bitterness you feel in your throat” explained Alina as we began tasting down the line of EVOOs. Starting with the delicate and creamy, award-winning Australian Ultra Hojiblanca (polyphenols: 120) we worked our way up to the medium-intensity California Arbosana (polyphenols: 101) crushed in November 2011 that tasted of fresh olive and artichoke and was creamy and mild, a reflection of low polyphenol levels. “You want to taste olive oils just like wine” said Alina, “starting from the mildest and working your way up to the most robust.” The California Frantoio Verde, measuring 728 polyphenols at crush, was robust and exhibited bitter and peppery characteristics as well as a more more intense finish than the first two. Polyphenols (heart-healthy antioxidants) are not found in processed or refined olive oils due to heat decomposition, but no labeling laws require makers to divulge polyphenol levels, or free fatty acids or oleic acids for that matter.
Alina will be leading an olive oil tasting and pairing event for Fairfield Green Food Guide readers on Feburary 2.
Special “agrumato” oils made from crushing olives with whole, fresh native citrus fruits including blood oranges, lemons or Persian limes are a beautiful expression of a region and so versatile they’ll surely become pantry staples. Oils infused with herbs and spices, like Milanese Gremolata made from fresh lemon zest, minced garlic, Italian flat leaf parsley and a hint of mint, make gorgeous sauces for pasta, fish and fresh vegetables and are excellent seasonings for roast chicken, lamb, pork or beef. Olivette’s line of fine vinegars includes a rich and intense 18-year-old balsamic vinegar from Modena aged in the traditional Solera system in chestnut, oak, mulberry and ash barrels, a Champagne vinegar from France, and a 25-year-old Sherry reserva wine vinegar from Jerez, Spain. Something we’ve never seen or tried beforeis Handcrafted Artisanal Honey Vinegar, a 2008 Sofi™ Silver award-winning vinegar that’s both sweet and tart and made from 100% US honey! This vinegar can be used in place of grape-based vinegars in dressings and sauces.
The rise of specialty olive oil retail stores like Olivette is the private sector's way of achieving what the US and Italian governments have failed to do – distinguish real extra virgin olive oils from cheap substitutes for the retail consumer.
Alina has a stack of Mueller’s books artfully displayed in her store and was quick to show us a US report corroborating the author’s claims of widespread adulteration and mislabeling of extra virgin olive oils worldwide. The July 2010 report by the UC Davis Olive Oil Center and Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at UC Davis was subtitled: “Tests indicate that imported “extra virgin” olive oil often fails international and USDA standards.” The rise of specialty olive oil retail stores like Olivette is the private sector’s way of achieving what the US and Italian governments have failed to do – distinguish real extra virgin olive oils from cheap substitutes for the retail consumer. Veronica Foods, a leading importer and distributor of premium olive oils based in Oakland, California is the exclusive supplier of extra virgin olive oils and high quality vinegars to Olivette and 200 other stores around the country. Mueller lists Veronica Foods in his book and website as “a high quality source” for olive oils. Mike Bradley, President of Veronica Foods, is quoted frequently in the book and Mueller classifies him as having “among the most encyclopedic knowledge of world oil he’s encountered anywhere” and someone who shares his conviction “that the shortest route to oil quality runs through consumer education.”
Guide to Buying Olive Oil in North America by Tom Mueller, author of Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil. Mueller lists Veronica Foods, the exclusive supplier of extra virgin olive oils to Olivette, as “a high quality source” for olive oils.
(we will schedule a second event if this is significantly oversubscribed)
Taste real extra virgin olive oils from around the world and discover what you’ve been missing at Olivette, Fairfield County’s newest gourmet food store specializing in single varietal, single origin extra virgin olive oils. Join us for a special educational extra virgin olive oil tasting and pairing event with Alina Lawrence, co-owner and General Manager of Olivette.
At Olivette, you taste before you buy. Gleaming stainless steel olive oil drums (fusti) line the walls and counters, each labeled in detail to provide tasters with complete transparency, something unheard of in supermarket olive oil.
Alina will teach us how to taste and evaluate extra virgin olive oils using attributes identified in the legal definition of extra virginity including pepperiness, bitterness and fruitiness, then guide us in pairing the oils with Olivette’s vinegars to create beautiful blends for flavoring simple, healthy and delicious meals at home.
Olive oils we’ll taste will range from single variety, single origin extra virgin olive oils, some of which are organic, to special “agrumato” oils made from crushing olives with citrus fruits including blood oranges, lemons and Persian limes. Oils infused with herbs and spices, like Milanese Gremolata, make gorgeous sauces for pasta, fish and fresh vegetables. Olivette’s line of fine vinegars includes an 18-year-old balsamic vinegar from Modena aged in the traditional Solera system, a Champagne vinegar from France, and a 25-year-old Sherry reserva wine vinegar from Jerez, Spain.
Olivette's bottles are UV protected to help prevent sunlight from damaging fine extra virgin olive oils. Please consumer your oils within 12 months for maximum freshness.
Each guest will receive a specially prepared guide to pairing Olivette’s olive oils and vinegars with various foods. Olivette’s olive oils and vinegars are available in 200 milliliter, 375 milliliter and 750 milliliter UV protected bottles to preserve freshness.
We visited with Alina at Olivette for a private tasting and interview and will be have published a full-length article about the shop and the world of extra virgin olive oil here. in our next this post. We couldn’t wait to post this exciting event. Happy Friday!
Buying Guide to Buying Olive Oil in North America by Tom Mueller, author of Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil. Mueller lists Veronica Foods, the exclusive supplier of extra virgin olive oils to Olivette, as “a high quality source” for olive oils.
Author Emily Brooks will be signing copies of Connecticut Farmer & Feast at the Winter Farmers' Market at the Norfield Grange in Weston on Saturday, December 17.
Cookbooks are always welcome gifts for the home cook, providing us with new inspiration when we get stuck in a rut. With more home cooks choosing to eat local-in-season, a cookbook that serves up recipes using native ingredients is sure to be a winner. Celery root remoulade, rosemary turnip ratatouille (recipe below!), baked pumpkin, winter day rice, apple soup and carrot bran muffins are a few of the seasonal recipes that author Emily Brooks offers readers in her cookbook, Connecticut Farmer & Feast.
Author Emily Brooks will be signing copies of Connecticut Farmer & Feast at The Winter Farmers Market at Norfield Grange this Saturday, December 17, from 11 am until 1 pm. The Norfield Grange is located at12 Good Hill Road in Weston and there is plenty of free parking.
Connecticut Farmer & Feast introduces readers to Connecticut’s agricultural bounty and those passionate individuals – Connecticut’s farmers and producers – who toil endlessly to bring us our food. The book tells the stories of more than forty of Connecticut’s devoted farmers and artisan food crafters who proudly produce Connecticut’s vegetables, fruits, meats, cheeses, and other food items found at farm stands, farmers’ markets, and top restaurants throughout the Nutmeg State. Emily Brooks tells their stories in elegantly written profiles, showcasing lives rich in both food and history. In addition she includes up to three individually created recipes to feature each producer’s specialty foods. The result is a heartfelt invitation into the lives of Connecticut farmers and the foods they produce through a labor of love.
At the Winter Farmers’ Market at Norfield Grange, families can defy winter while purchasing farm fresh fruits and vegetables, honey, maple syrup, goats milk cheese and yogurt, handmade soap and body products, natural beef and pork, wild-caught seafood, eggs, baked goods, prepared foods, and more. Visit the Crafters’ Corner, and check some items off your last-minute holiday shopping list with beautiful hand-knit hats, hair accessories, boxwood wreaths and trees, live orchids, custom drawings and paintings, and much more. The Market is open every Saturday, from 10am to 2pm (closed Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve) at the Norfield Grange, 12 Good Hill Road in Weston.
About the Author
Emily Brooks is the founder of Edibles Advocate Alliance (ediblesadvocatealliance.org) and the founder and director of Bridges Healthy Cooking School. Brooks nurtures social entrepreneurs who support local agriculture, sustainable farming, and sustainable food systems as a business consultant. She is the creator of Buy Local Connecticut and is a regular local food and sustainability expert on National Public Radio. She lives in Woodbury, Connecticut.
This healthy and flavorful recipe from Connecticut Farmer & Feast was reprinted with permission and is an excellent make-ahead dish when you’re expecting a crowd. It’s also a smart way to prepare several days’ worth of vegetables for a busy family.
Joe Gazy’s Rosemary Turnip Ratatouille
From Gazy Brothers Farm, Oxford, CT
Serves 6-8
Marinade
• 1/3 cup minced rosemary leaves
• 3/4 teaspoon dried lavender
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
Vegetables
• 3 pounds carrots, halved and sliced
• 3 pounds turnips, diced to the same size as the carrots
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a mortar and pestle or in a blender, blend the rosemary, lavender, garlic, orange zest, and sea salt to a coarse paste. Transfer to a small bowl and blend in the olive oil, lemon juice, and orange juice.
2. Pour the mixture over carrots and turnips that have been placed in large (16×9 inches) roasting or casserole dish. Toss to combine. (Note: Lots of air space is necessary for browning, so if the vegetables are piled too high and too deep, use two roasting or casserole dishes as needed, baking them together. Use sheet trays if desired.
3. Bake for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally to rotate the turnips and to ensure browning on all sides. Roast until carrots and turnips have released their juices and are brown and starting to crisp. Serve warm.
Note: This marinade is brilliant with lamb, duck, pork, quail, turkey, or beef. Will marinate up to 3 pounds of food. Marinate meat for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days.
Local honey lovers and those on the road to good taste and new discoveries won’t want to miss Red Bee Honey’s annual holiday open house on December 11 from 11 am to 6 pm. Last year’s event was a roaring success and more guests are expected this year due to growing concerns about counterfeit and tainted honey imported from India and China. News outlets around the country last month published articles citing studies which provided incontrovertible evidence that many retail products labeled “honey” contained no pollen and were therefore not real honey according to the USDA’s definition. Consumers in the know are turning to local beekeepers as a trusted source for real honey.
If you’ve never tasted single nectar source honeys side-by-side to compare and contrast them, this is your chance to do so with Red Bee Honey’s founder, beekeeper, and Honey Sommelier Marina Marchese. Once you’ve picked your favorite flavors, choose from a wide assortment of beautifully packaged individual bottles of honey or boxed gift sets that include lavender lip balm and beeswax candles. Or create your own gift boxes at any price point. Relax by the fireplace and enjoy the live music as your gifts are boxed up, wrapped and tied with ribbon- compliments of the house.
Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper is Marina Marchese’s captivating story of how she came to be a beekeeper and expert on honey.
For the readers on your list, pick up a signed copy of Marina’s book “Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper”, now also available in paperback. Carol Herman, the Books Editor at The Washington Times, named Marchese’s Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper one of the “Books We Loved” in 2009.
Red Bee Honey is listed in the most recent edition of Patricia Brook’s “Food Lovers’ Guide to Connecticut”, a best of the best foodie guide to Connecticut. James Beard Award-winning author Rowan Jacobsen calls Marina “The Red Queen” and dedicates one chapter of his new book American Terroir to tasting honey with Marina at Red Bee Apiary.
To learn more about Red Bee Honey, visit the web site and read Lessons from a Local Beekeeper on this site. Marina’s transition from art director to beekeeper and Honey Sommelier is also told via a beautifully produced Yahoo Second Act video.
Marina Marchese, Honey Sommelier, author and founder of Red Bee Honey, will be a special guest at the Weston Grange winter farmers' market on Saturday, Dec. 3.
Honey Sommelier and Author Marina Marchese of Red Bee Apiary will be the featured guest at the Winter Farmers’ Market at Norfield Grange in Weston on December 3 from 10am to 2pm. During this event, Marina will host her Signature Artisanal Honey Tasting at “The Drizzle Table” and be signing copies of her international selling book, Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper, which will be available for purchase. Also available for purchase will be a wonderful selection of Marina’s Red Bee Artisanal Honeys, gift items, and her honey-based skin care products including lip balm, soaps, honey facial scrub, and beeswax balms.
Marina Marchese is a passionate and inspirational speaker who has dedicated her life to honeybees and educating chefs, foodies and beekeepers about the culinary delights of artisanal honey. The founder of Red Bee® Honey as well as The American Honey Tasting Society, Marina is an unparalleled connoisseur of honey from all over the world. Ms. Marchese is the current president of the Back Yard Beekeepers Association of Connecticut and enjoys sharing her personal story and journey into beekeeping with domestic and international audiences including beekeeping and gardening clubs, woman and motivational groups, libraries and general audiences.
The indoor, heated Winter Farmers’ Market at Norfield Grange kicked off its second season on November 12th and provides local residents with fresh local produce and products through the winter season. The market is open on Saturdays through April 7, 2012 from 10:00am-2:00pm (closed Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve). Each weekend nearly 20 vendors will set up shop inside the Grange during the market so visitors can enjoy shopping in a warm and comfortable environment. Guests are encouraged to bring reusable bags and their holiday shopping list to purchase local artisan foods and other specialty products, which make great gifts.
This Saturday several new vendors will join the market: Du Soleil (hot soups, tapas, and prepared gourmet food), Pasta Heaven (gourmet pasta), Stoneware by Krisa, Designs of the Season miniature boxwood trees, Laszlo Accessories (belts and headbands), and Weston High School Crafters for a Cause.
Along with the REGULARS: Gazy Brothers Farm (produce), Daffodil Hill Growers (produce + jelly, jam, syrup and more), Eaglewood Farms (meat & eggs), Butterfield Farm (Promote the Goat with cheese, milk, yogurt and more), Whistle Stop Bakery (cakes, pies, muffins & cookies), Pemaquid Seafood, Connecticutly Grown Hot Sauces, The Bites Company, Sticky Nuts, Jesse’s Kettle Corn and Nod Hill Soap, Kareen Kanaga (handmade jewelry), antique & collectible holiday gifts, hand knit infant & kids hats, handmade boxwood wreaths by Weston Girl Scout Troop, picket fence artwork, and more.
The winner of the market’s HOLIDAY TREE RAFFLE will be drawn at 2:00 pm on Dec. 3. Weston Gardens generously donated the 6-7 foot Balsam Tree. Tickets are free with a purchase from any of the market vendors or 3 for a dollar. If you didn’t win they have 440 more trees for sale down the street; stop on your way home.
HOLIDAY SEAFOOD RAFFLE – 8 Maine Lobsters! Drawing Saturday, December 17th at 2:00pm.
The Norfield Grange, located at 12 Good Hill Road in Weston, Connecticut, is a community center that hosts events for the residents of Weston. It serves as a meeting place for members of the community to socialize. It also hosts fairs and other farmer’s markets throughout the year, where local vendors sell fruits, vegetables, baked goods, art work, needlework, rugs, photographs and more. It is also home to the Grange Coffee Club, where local artists meet to share their works of art and is available for private events.
For additional information about the Winter Farmers Market visit www.wintermarket-ct.com or www.norfieldgrange.com or call 203-226-8233. For additional information about Marina Marchese and Red Bee Honey visit www.RedBee.com.
The fourth Annual Green Coast Award winners were announced Wednesday, November 16, at the fourth Annual Fairfield County Green Faire at Grand Restaurant and Lounge in Stamford, Connecticut. Fairfield Green Food Guide is proud to be named a 2011 Green Coast Award winner and we thank all our readers for your votes! Four green food businesses we love – Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe, Health in a Hurry, Port Coffeehouse and the Westport Farmers’ Market – are among the 2011 award winners and we congratulate them. Please find a complete list of all 28 winners below and we welcome you to join us on Dec. 6 as we accept our award.
Twenty-eight businesses, organizations and individuals were honored this year and are recognized at both the Green Faire in Stamford and also Green Drinks, December 6at The Shack Hometown Grille, in Fairfield, Connecticut from 6:00pm-8:00pm. Voting for the Green Coast Awards was completed online at GreenCoastAwards.com from January 1st-November 10th. All winners were reviewed for their contribution to sustainability and approved by Matt Turek, Director of the Green Coast Awards, as well as approved by the Green Coast Award advisory committee. “This year’s 28 Green Coast Award winners represent all areas of sustainability, and demonstrate that Connecticut is on its way to building a more sustainable infrastructure,“ said Mr. Turek.
Patrice Gillespie, of Clean Air – Cool Planet received the Green Coast Award for Leader in Sustainability at the Stamford reception. Patrice thanked the GCA voters and the advisory council by saying, “We are all learning about environmental stewardship from one another, and almost every day I have a ‘V-8′ forehead-smacking moment when an urgently needed idea about sustainability is revealed to me. By now, there are hundreds of innovators whom I know personally and who are contributing greatly to the collective ‘Green Intel’ just in this region. I salute them all and hope that together we effect tremendous progress in 2012.”
Town of Fairfield won the Town category and newly elected First Selectman Mike Tetreau will be in attendance at the December 6th Green Drinks gathering, which features Green Coast Award winners including Fairfield Green Food Guide. When given the good news about Fairfield’s award, First Selectman Tetreau said, “The Town of Fairfield is honored to receive this award and to be recognized in this manner. It’s a testament to our on-going commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability for the well being of all of our citizens. Thank you.”
A long-time friend of environmental efforts and a strong supporter of local green initiatives, Mayor Bill Finch won the Green Coast Awards for Mayor. The City of Bridgeport recently celebrated the Third Annual Green Market Exposition at City Hall Annex, a celebration of Connecticut’s green infrastructure. In an interview with GreenTowns, at the GME, Mayor Finch talked about the many green projects and initiatives that are going on in Bridgeport.
Recognizing a growing interest among local residents and businesses for protecting the environment, Daphne Dixon founded the Green Coast Awards, an initiative of Conscious Decisions, in 2007, to support and promote local sustainability, eco-friendly living practices and the celebrate the people behind these efforts. A native Californian and a resident of Fairfield, she has over twenty years of public relations, community organization and event planning experience. Daphne has been working closely with local leaders, businesses and residents to raise awareness and to engage people in green living practices. “By making smart choices, individuals can and do make a difference,” said Dixon.
Please join Fairfield Green Food Guide’s founder, Analiese Paik, on Dec. 6 at Green Drinks Fairfieldat The Shack Hometown Grille in Fairfield, Connecticut from 6:00pm-8:00pm to celebrate the awards and network with members and guests including First Selectman Mike Tetreau and Slow Food Metro North. Click here to RSVP. Attendance is free.
The Westport Farmers Market invites you to the Fairfield County premier of the documentary film Farmageddon: The Unseen War on American Family Farms. Filmmaker Kristin Canty’s quest to find healthy food for her four children turned into an educational journey to discover why access to these foods was being threatened. Farmageddon highlights the urgency of food freedom, encouraging farmers and consumers alike to take action to preserve individuals’ rights to access food of their choice and farmers’ rights to produce these foods safely and free from unreasonably burdensome regulations.
Come for an educational evening filled with local food, wine and great networking.
After viewing the documentary Farmageddon the audience will have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A session with guest experts Annie Farrell of Millstone Farm, Michel Nischan from Wholesome Wave and The Dressing Room and Suzanne Sankow from Beaver Brook Farm.
Annie Farrell is the Master Farmer at Millstone Farm, a 75-acre property in Wilton, CT. Millstone Farm, a vision of owner Betsy Fink, is a working farm and serves as a hub for education and outreach. Millstone regularly hosts workshops and action-learning activities, and partners with farmers, community organizations, school groups, restaurateurs, and others interested in learning about diverse, chemical-free farming. The farm’s practices are geared towards achieving a closed loop system where the farm’s varied parts contribute to the whole working body. Millstone Farm produces food for local restaurants, local family-owned markets, and a small CSA. The farm strives to use best farm practices, encourage their implementation, and promote awareness about their positive impact on local economies, the community, and our quality of life.
Annie Farrell was born, and raised in NYC, and spent summers in Northern Westchester County where she fell in love with the farms that still operated there. Inspired by Helen and Scott Nearing, she settled in Bovina, NY, in Delaware County in 1973, where she built a stone house and learned farming skills from the old-timers who remembered how to farm productively before ‘modern’ agriculture took over. As the farms began to disappear, she was determined to offer alternatives to diversify the dairy farmers. The Delaco Agricultural Co-op, which she started, organized 40 farms into producing and delivering products locally. She was inspired by Flying Foods International, the first Specialty Food venture in NYC, to demonstrate other, more valuable crops for the region, and built a business called ”Annie’s”, which delivered her and other producers’ specialty wares to NYC and the Union Square Green Market. Organic Mesclun was unheard of, and she was selling it at Greenmarket, and to top Chefs. After selling that business, she was the first Director of the CADE project, (Center for Agricultural Development & Entrepreneurship), which continues to help farms diversify. She founded NELA, the New England Livestock Alliance, using several European models, and introduced Devon cattle as one of the best breeds for efficient grazing production. Since 2006, she has been working with Betsy Fink to build a community and model for small, diversified farming at Millstone Farm. In addition to her work on the farm, Annie also acts as the Ag & Food Systems Program Coordinator for the Betsy and Jesse Fink Foundation. In this role, Annie has added her expertise to such programs as the Wilton High School Garden, Stepping Stone’s Edible Garden, and Fodor Farm thereby complementing the foundation’s grant making in the sector.
Michel Nischan
Michel Nischan, CEO, Founderand President of Wholesome Wave, grew up with a great appreciation and respect for local agriculture and those who work the land. He translated these childhood values into a career as a James Beard Award-winning chef, author and restaurateur, becoming a catalyst for change in the sustainable food movement. An Ashoka Fellow, Michel serves on the Board of Trustees for the James Beard Foundation, The Rodale Institute and The Center for Health and the Global Environment (Harvard Medical School).
Suzanne Sankow:
Owned by the Sankow family since 1917, Sankow’s Beaver Brook Farm in Lyme CT started as a dairy farm. In 1984 Suzanne and Stan introduced sheep and in 2002, they reintroduced cattle. Now, this beautiful one hundred and seventy five acre farm is a sheep and cow dairy farm featuring raw milk products. The Sankows are committed to producing the highest quality goods while protecting the environment. Their products are available to consumers at the Westport Farmers’ Market.
Farmageddon is presented by the Westport Cinema Initiative and Westport Farmers’ Market and sponsored by Whole Foods Market. The screening will take place on Friday, November 18th, at 7:30pm at Christ and the Holy Trinity Church on 75 Church Lane in Westport.
SYNOPSIS:
Americans’ right to access fresh, healthy foods of their choice is
under attack. Farmageddon tells the story of small, family farms
that were providing safe, healthy foods to their communities and
were forced to stop, sometimes through violent action, by agents of
misguided government bureaucracies, and seeks to figure out why.
Filmmaker Kristin Canty’s quest to find healthy food for her four
children turned into an educational journey to discover why access
to these foods was being threatened. What she found were policies
that favor agribusiness and factory farms over small family operated
farms selling fresh foods to their communities.
Instead of focusing on the source of food safety problems — most often the
industrial food chain — policymakers and regulators implement and
enforce solutions that target and often drive out of business small
farms that have proven themselves more than capable of producing
safe, healthy food, but buckle under the crushing weight of
government regulations and excessive enforcement actions.
Farmageddon highlights the urgency of food freedom,
encouraging farmers and consumers alike to take action to preserve
individuals’ rights to access food of their choice and farmers’
rights to produce these foods safely and free from unreasonably
burdensome regulations. The film serves to put policymakers and
regulators on notice that there is a growing movement of people
aware that their freedom to choose the foods they want is in
danger, a movement that is taking action with its dollars and its
voting power to protect and preserve the dwindling number of
family farms that are struggling to survive.
at Sport Hill Farm, 596 Sport Hill Road, Easton, CT
Sustainable Pastry Chef Robyn Eads, founder of Peace Tree Desserts, invites you to an artisanal honey tasting celebrating the single nectar source honeys of Weston-based Red Bee Honey. The three course eco-luxe tasting menu prepared by Chef Eads features Red Bee’s artisanal single-nectar source honeys and foods from local artisans and organic farms in Connecticut. Each course will be paired with wines from Connecticut wineries (selections TBA).
The afternoon will begin with a Prosecco and cheese reception featuring artisan and farmstead cheeses from Connecticut’s own Cato Corner Farm and Beltane Farm paired with Red Bee’s honeys. Patti Popp, owner of Sport Hill Farm, will lead guests on a tour of her organic farm. Guest speaker Marina Marchese, honey sommelier, author and founder of Red Bee Honey, will masterfully pair her line of artisanal honeys throughout the tasting and share the captivating story of her personal journey into beekeeping.
Chefs Eads' plated desserts are works of arts that pay tribute to the local, sustainable and artisan ingredients which make them so unique.
ARTISANAL HONEY TASTING MENU
Cheese and Honey Bar
Artisanal Cheeses from Cato Corner and Beltane Farm, Red Bee’s Single-Nectar Source Honeys, Locally Sourced Accompaniments
1st Course
Lady Apple, Grapefruit, Whipped Crème Fraiche, Bee Pollen, Mint, Ginger,
Apple Honey-Lime Vinaigrette, Honeycomb, Pomegranate
The Westport Farmers Market invites you to the Fairfield County premier of the documentary film Farmageddon: The Unseen War on American Family Farms. Filmmaker Kristin Canty’s quest to find healthy food for her four children turned into an educational journey to discover why access to these foods was being threatened. Farmageddon highlights the urgency of food freedom, encouraging farmers and consumers alike to take action to preserve individuals’ rights to access food of their choice and farmers’ rights to produce these foods safely and free from unreasonably burdensome regulations.
Sustainable Pastry Chef Robyn Eads, founder of Peace Tree Desserts, invites you to an artisanal honey tasting celebrating the single nectar source honeys of Weston-based Red Bee Honey. The three course eco-luxe tasting menu prepared by Chef Eads features Red Bee’s artisanal single-nectar source honeys and foods from local artisans and organic farms in Connecticut. Each course will be paired with wines from Connecticut wineries (selections TBA).
