The entrance road to the new Whole Foods Market in Darien was so congested on the evening of their pre-opening party on Monday, that I glimpsed a reporter from Ch. 12 setting up a tripod to capture the line of vehicles, and the excitement. What awaited inside did not disappoint. Visitors were greeted by a friendly crew of volunteers from Person-to-Person, the beneficiary of the ten dollar entry fee, and the smile-enducing music of Arthur Lipner’s marimba and upright bass duo.

The enormous signs suspended from the ceiling with metal chains announce that Whole Foods completely understands and supports the local/sustainable food movement, and proudly sources from the Connecticut River Valley, Hudson Valley and Rhode Island. Lots of vendors from each state, plus New Jersey, were proudly handing out samples of  their products from stations set up throughout the store.

At least two  “producer” vendors  from Connecticut participated in the festivities. Westport Aquaculture supplies Whole Foods Markets in Fairfield County, along with high-end restaurants and farmers’ markets,  with super fresh, sustainably raised oysters and clams from Long Island Sound. Not surprisingly, they were among the first vendors to run out of food. Bear Pond Farm makes a wide variety of fresh, full-flavored dips and pesto sauces seasoned with USDA Organic herbs from their farm in  Glastonbury.  Note to those with nut allergies: their pesto sauces are nut free.

Visitors lined up at tasting stations throughout the store to sample ready-to-eat convenience products made from local and sustainable sources. The tender, juicy and flavorful organic chicken sausages from Bilinski’s in Cohoes, NY (near Albany) are made with Amish country chicken. The owner explained that the all natural version is also available for one dollar less because there’s not enough demand for 100% organic production.  Tang’s Natural in Brooklyn, NY makes a very tasty chicken and vegetable dumpling using  Bell & Evans chickens. The product is labeled “whole wheat dumpling”, but whole wheat is neither the first, nor the predominant ingredient according to both the package label and the product fact sheet handed to me. Ditto for their “whole wheat” noodles. A bit confusing to say the least, yet I am happy to see someone trying to do Asian healthier and they were a hit in the kids’ lunchboxes the next day. The dumplings stayed nice and warm in pre-heated food jars; just refrain from overcooking them or they’ll fall apart.

At 50,000 square feet in size, it took some time to arrive at the far end of the store where coffee, gelato, creme brulee, and chocolate were being served. How do you build and run a store of this size sustainably? Enter Green Mission Specialist Tristam Coffin, the answer book to all green questions. Do you own a hybrid vehicle?  Please come charge it in one of two complementary charging stations while you shop . According to Tristam, it’s the first store in the Northeast region to offer such an amenity. And just like their recently opened Milford store, Darien Whole Foods Market is going for the gold, as in LEED certification.

Our walk through the store began in the entryway where a large recycling center awaits guests. Come here to recycle your #1 and #2 plastics and receive not only a five cent refund, but also twenty-five rewards points redeemable for merchandise in Barnes & Nobel and other major retailers. Don’t forget to bring your #5 containers, plastic bags, cell phones and corks, because they’re collected for recycling here too. The first national retailer to launch a cork recycling program, Whole Foods Market announced in April the roll out of the program with partner Cork ReHarvest to all of its 292 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Everywhere in the store Tristam pointed out green features, which in the aggregate, help move them towards their goal of zero waste by 2013 and meeting the gold LEED certification requirements. Construction materials are in many cases locally sourced and made from reclaimed or recycled including beautiful, multi-colored  rectangles of glass matting ceiling signs, floors made from recycled aggregate material, and vintage-inspired tiles lining the walls behind the fish and meat counters made from 80% recycled content.

The fully compostable, 100% bullrush takeout containers, in-store composting program that gets shipped to New Milford Farm’s commercial composting facility, use of local roasters for their coffees, local artisans for their cabinet and counter construction, purchase of wind credits to offset their electric use, use of night shades and daylight harvesting to increase energy efficiency, and selection of low VOC paints all spell a dedication to sustainability.  Even the shad weather vane on the roof is made from recycled metal by a local artist.

When will the Fairfield store open? This time next year, complete with its own hydrogen fuel cell.

by Eileen Weber

A number of sites like LocalHarvest.org will list all the Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSAs) available in your area of the country. The Fairfield Green Food Guide recently published an online  Guide to Spring 2010 CSAs and lists CSAs in The Buying Guide. But what many people don’t realize is how rapidly CSAs have taken hold. Purchasing a share in a local farm in exchange for fresh produce, or in some cases meat, milk, and eggs, has essentially “gone viral.” More and more people are signing up for CSAs and many of them are sold out before the growing season starts. This is good news for the local farmer and one of the most economical ways for consumers to buy locally grown.

According to an article in The Hartford Courant dated April 8th, Shared Harvest CT, an upstart web site launched in March and a subsidiary of Edibles Advocates Alliance, helps connect farmers and the people looking for their produce. It essentially functions as an online classified ad. Like speed dating for crops. Consumers and restaurants can look online for what they want from what’s available, and the current listings include several CSAs.

“Shared Harvest creates a separate sales revenue stream for our producers and opens up that margin so that more people in Connecticut have the opportunity to participate and find their farmers,” Emily Brooks, CEO of Edibles Advocates Alliance, the parent organization for Shared Harvest CT, was quoted as saying.

Growing your own food and selling it is an age-old occupation. But with our societal focus shifting from processed foods, fresh produce is getting the spotlight. Farmers’ markets, CSAs, and farm stands are cropping up at an increasing rate. That’s because there is more demand for it.

For Stacia Monahan, who owns Stone Gardens Farm in Shelton with her husband Fred, her farm is in its third CSA growing season. As far as she’s concerned, CSAs provide her customers with new foods to try that they might not ordinarily pick up at the grocery store.

“There’s an investment in a farm, more than the value of the vegetables,” said Monahan. “By word of mouth, we’ve had more interest than last year. But there’s still plenty of room.”

Word of mouth is exactly what has helped CSAs grow across the country. According to Local Harvest’s January 2010 newsletter, they have nearly 400,000 shares from over 3,000 listings. That translates to 0.5% of all households in the U.S. who participate in CSAs. That might not seem like a lot, but it actually is. With that kind of growth, there could conceivably be close to 20,000 listings by 2020.

Growing your own food has expanded on a different horizon. According to an article on Change.org dated April 14th, prisoners in a Florida correctional facility are getting into the act. The state’s correction facility is working in conjunction with West Florida Research and Education Center to teach inmates how to farm. The article brought up three main points: Prisoners growing their own food meant a meal savings of $60,000; Farming is a sustainable job skill; With a link between nutrition and health, better food could lead to better behavior. That’s at least the hope for the latter statement.

For farmers offering CSAs, it gives them an opportunity to form a closer relationship with their consumers. For Dawn Allen, CSA manager for Gazy Brothers Farm in Oxford, the CSA means they can be more personally focused on the customer. “It’s not that we don’t like farmers’ markets,” said Allen. “But you see hundreds of people come and go. With a CSA, you can be very individual.”

Gazy Brothers has been doing farmers’ markets since 1995. The CSA is relatively new for them in comparison. Allen said that obviously farmers’ markets provide a financial return, but the goal will be to have the CSA as their mainstay. “You can tailor it more,” she said. “We’re really listening to what our customers want.”

With last year’s shares totaling 273, Gazy Brothers is now in their sixth season. Their ultimate goal is 600 shares. Overall, the CSA experience has been a good one for them. But, Allen said the one minor down side to the CSA is when customers don’t tell them there’s a problem until the end of the season. “When customers bite their tongues and don’t tell us they didn’t like something-maybe they got more radishes than they wanted-we’ll wish they said something earlier,” she said.

Each of the farms interviewed for this article said that CSAs were an added bonus to doing business. It not only supports their farms, but it brings them closer to the customer. Good produce. Good face time. Good profit. Now that’s a good business model.

Chef Jeff Borofsky is introducing his new, wood-fired brick oven catering company to Fairfield this weekend at the Garden Expo. Specializing in gourmet meals featuring local, seasonal ingredient, Chef Jeff’s driven to make his business, Skinny Pines Catering, as green as possible.

His commitment to sustainability starts with sourcing as much locally grown produce, fruit, dairy and meat products as possible for his pizzas, calzones, frittatas, salads, cookies and seasonal specialties liked baked apples. The food is cooked in his portable, wood-fired brick oven, so this is true slow food!

A very special pizza will be making its debut this weekend. “The JT” is named for John Turenne, Founder of Sustainable Food Systems, and  an Alice Waters disciple who implemented the Yale sustainable food service program as its Executive Chef. The JT pays tribute to Chef John as a local, sustainable food hero and was born after he told a story about it to his workshop attendees at the last CT NOFA Conference. The recipe was passed on to Chef Jeff and the JT was born. The JT is whole wheat or spelt pizza crust topped with roasted squash, sage, ricotta and maple syrup. I tasted it the other day and knowing that winter squash is just about finished, it’s a great pizza to bid farewell to winter food and welcome in the spring.

Chef Jeff is currently sourcing from the following CT farms:

• Eagle Wood Farms
• Gilbertie’s Herb Farm (sage for the JT!)
• Holbrook Farm
• Newgate Farm (squash for the JT!)
• Sport Hill Farm

You won’t be eating your pizza on paper and plastic this weekend, only fully biodegradable tableware, cutlery and cups made from plants. Their menus and other company materials are printed on recycled paper using soy and vegetable-based inks. Even their pizza boxes are made from 100% recycled content.

Chef Jeff’s mission is to “care for your catering needs while caring for the health of our community and planet.” Chef Jeff will also be making pizza at the Food for Thought Expo on March 27.

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.

What’s a CSA?

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. CSA members pick up their weekly shares either at the farm or a location in their community. Community pick up locations generally involve a small volunteer commitment, perhaps two hours per season, during which the site is readied and broken down for weekly share distribution. CSA membership is not for everyone because in such a partnership arrangement, the consumer shares both the bounty of the farm’s harvest and some of the risks inherent in farming.

We have lost so much farmland in Connecticut that less than one percent of our residents earn a living by farming. Eat well, support your local farmer and do your bit to preserve farmland by buying a CSA share in one of our precious organic or IPM (Integrated Pest Management) farms.

Back in January I announced that it was CSA registration month and shared that two organic farms were expanding and had opened their lists to new CSA families: Sport Hill Farm in Easton and The Hickories in Ridgefield. The CSAs from these two farms quickly sold out. The good news is that there are still a few CSAs open for new subscribers, but you should act quickly if you want to secure a share.

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. Each week the farm email CSA members with a list of the week’s harvest along with delicious recipes using the ingredients.  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 farm’s 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/

Last year Westport Green Village Initiative (GVI) began offering summer CSA shares supplied by Stone Gardens Farm in Shelton as part of their mission to “create a new food model - a relationship between local farmers and consumers- that offers local/healthy food to people at reasonable prices.” The program has been so successful that the farm is greatly expanding their CSA program this year. Stone Gardens is not an organic farm but their growing practices are IPM, (integrated pest management) which means they only spray when necessary and try to use organic spray.

The Westport pickup location is NO LONGER at the Unitarian Church; it will be at the Wakeman Farm on 134 Cross Highway, Westport. Westport GVI Town Farm, Inc. has leased the historic Wakeman Farm from the Town of Westport to create a sustainable community farm that includes a barn to house this CSA program.

If you are interested in learning more about or signing up for the summer CSA share offered by Stone Gardens for pickup at the farm in Shelton or at Wakeman Farm in Westport, please visit the farm’s  site.

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

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.

What Will You 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.

Gazy Brothers Farm CSA, Oxford

Locations: New Canaan, Darien, Fairfield, Westport, Greenwich, Monroe, Stratford, Bridgeport, Norwalk, Shelton, Danbury, Stamford, Trumbull and Westport

Status: Open, Please Contact the Farm for Drop Points in Each Town

Web Site: www.gazybrothersfarm.net

Gazy Brothers Farm is a fourth generation family farm in Oxford using integrated pest management (IPM) growing practices, which means they use a sustainable approach to managing pests. They offer different pick ups and deliveries for each community, so contact the farm directly for that information. Click here to download the Gazy Brothers 2010 CSA registration form. Their spring CSA is nearly full and runs April 1- June 10 offering 10 weeks of fresh greens, cherry tomatoes, and much more. One box of 5-6 veggies per week for 10 weeks is $200.  Gazy’s Summer CSA runs from July 1- September 16, giving you 12 weeks of summertime fruits, flowers and/or veggies.

Vegetable Share: 1 box of 7-8 veggies a week for 12 weeks is $250. 2 boxes of veggies per week for 12 weeks is $425.
Flower Share (starts the end of July): 1 bouquet of flowers a week for 10+ weeks is $100.
Fruit Share (starts mid-July): 8-12 pieces of fruit per week for 12+ weeks is $100.

Fall/Winter Program (October 7-December 9): Enjoy the last harvests of the season, like hearty root veggies and greens. Note that it may not be consecutive weeks due to weather conditions. 1 box of 5-6 veggies and apples for 10 weeks is $200.

Get a pocket guide or iphone app from Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program to help you choose sustainable seafood. http://bit.ly/4pU24

By Elizabeth Keyser

When Analiese asked Michael and me to make a sustainable and local Valentine’s dinner to inspire the readers of the Fairfield Green Food Guide, I knew I wanted to use John Boy’s quail.  They’re plump, meaty and full of flavor.  John Ubaldo raises them on organic feed he grows himself on his farm in Cambridge, N.Y.  The quail pen is half in a field, half in the woods.  “They’re in their natural environment, ” he says, “They like to perch. They’re birds.”

He suggested I stuff his semi-boneless quail with sausage from his Berkshire pigs. Excellent idea.

THE MENU

• John Boy’s Farm’s quail, stuffed with Berkshire pork sausage, mushrooms, and thyme. Served with red wine-wild raspberry sauce.
• Herbed quinoa
• Flash-seared shredded cabbage with caramelized onions
• Raw beet and apple salad in apple-cider vinaigrette

Dessert:

• Mint tea with Red Bee’s Honey
• Chocolate almond torte with raspberry buttercream, black walnut syrup praline

THE TASTE

The  stuffed quail was delicious, rich and meaty enough that one quail left us satisfied, especially when drizzled with savory-sweet pan sauce made with wine and the wild raspberry jelly sauce.  Michael and I made the jelly last summer from wild raspberries picked from the brambled edges of our property.  The organic quinoa was light and fluffy.  Organic raw beet  and apple salad added vibrant color to the plate, as well as juicy freshness and sweet acidity.  Cabbage, available at many of the winter farmers’ markets, is  a good accompaniment to game, and when it is sliced super thin and cooked fast with caramelized onions, it acquires a nutty flavor.

STUFFING

I sautéed a  chopped onion till translucent, then added John Boy’s Berkshire pork sausage and sprinkled in some salt, pepper and dried thyme (grown in my garden).  While the sausage cooked, I soaked dried chanterelle mushrooms in warm water until they were soft, then finely  chopped their soft caps.  I strained the mushroom water to remove the grit, and then dunked some dried crusts of Michael’s organic flaxseed bread into the mushroom water to soften them. You may have read a previous post on this site about Michael’s bread,  “The Flaxette,” which he bakes daily at the Fairfield Bread Company.

There was more sausage than we’d need for the stuffing, so Michael put some of it away (we made sausage rolls the next day). He added mushrooms, bread, and an egg to the seasoned sausage mixture, then spooned it into the birds’ cavity.

QUAIL

Quail need about 10 minutes of cooking.  After seasoning them with salt and pepper, Michael browned the birds breast side up in a little canola oil in a cast iron skillet. He spooned the pan fat and juices over the breasts, then put the pan of quail in a 450 oven for 5 minutes.  He removed the pan, put it over medium heat, added several cloves of garlic and a couple tablespoons of butter, until the garlic browned. He spooned the melted garlic-infused butter over the quails’ breasts for a minute or two, then put it back in oven 450 for 5 minutes.  He basted the quail, and broiled them for two minutes to brown the skin.

He removed the quail  from the pan to let them rest, added minced shallot, sautéed it till translucent, then deglazed the pan  with a half cup of red wine. He reduced it until the juices were a thick glaze, added salt and pepper, and  two tablespoons of homemade wild-raspberry jelly.  When the jelly melted into the sauce, Michael took the pan off the heat and swirled in a tablespoon of cold butter.  Salty, sweet, earthy and rich, this sauce was delectable.

QUINOA

Meanwhile, I made quinoa.  To the warm, cooked quinoa, I added minced scallion, zested  lime, chopped parsley, and crumbled dried mint leaves (grown in our garden). I drizzled it with lime vinaigrette.

BEET SALAD

This was inspired by The Blood, my favorite juice at Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe, a new raw food restaurant and juice bar in downtown Fairfield.  If they can make juice out of raw beets and apple, why couldn’t I make a salad?

I grated a big red, sweet and juicy organic apple. Its name escapes me, but if you are buying your apple at a farmers’ market, ask for the juiciest and sweetest apple. I used the skin as well. Then I peeled and grated two organic beets.

I tossed the salad with Bragg’s organic apple cider vinegar, a little olive oil and salt, pepper.

CABBAGE

A quick sear elevates the humble cabbage.  First, I sautéed a smashed garlic clove in olive oil, then I added julienned  onion, and slowly caramelized it over low heat .  I removed the garlic clove, then turned the heat high, threw in julienned cabbage and cooked it until just wilted.

STOCK and COMPOST

As I cooked, I had two containers in front of me, one for usable scraps - stems of parsley, thyme and dried mushroom  - for the stock bag we keep in the freezer. The other bowl was for the compost pile - onion and garlic skins, beet peels.

SUSTAINABLE ROMANCE

A woman wants to eat Valentine’s Day dinner in a romantic atmosphere.  And romance and sustainability are eminently compatible. I set the table with inherited things I love. There was Nana’s (my father’s grandmother) Victorian water glasses, Auntie Rie’s (my mother’s aunt) white linen table cloth and napkins, her pearl-handled Henckle knives, and silver candles sticks my mother bought at Elephants Trunk flea market.  Those objects connected me to a chain of women, no longer with us, who loved beautiful things, and beautiful moments.

Michael  and I sat down, raised our glasses, and toasted our good fortune in having cooked together for 11 years. We ate.  It was delicious!

Where to get the quail:

John Ubaldo also raises organic and pasture-raised chickens, ducks and Berkshire pigs on his farm in Cambridge, NY.  He makes great bacon and smoked meats. He sells his products at his farmers’ market in Pound Ridge, 9 Pheasant Rd. Saturdays from 11-4 p.m., but he comes to New Canaan every Wednesday morning to deliver to his customers. To order, send an email to  johnboysmarket@aol.com And look for his products to be available at The Farmer’s Table, a café and take-out place that will open by the end of March on Forest Street in New Canaan.

About the author and the cooks:

Elizabeth Keyser’s food pieces are published in Connecticut Magazine and The Fairfield County Weekly.  She has also been published in GQ, The New York Times, The New York Post, Edible Nutmeg, Yankee Brew News, and newspapers in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Michael Mordecai is a bread baker at Fairfield Bread Company.  He developed The Flaxette, featuring organic flax, which  is sold at:

Adam’s Bakery - 525 Tunxis Hill Cut-Off, Fairfield, CT

The Pantry - 1580 Post Road in Downtown Fairfield

Spic & Span Market - 329 Pequot Ave., Southport Center - Southport, CT

Garelick & Herbs - 1799 Post Road, Westport, CT

Harborview Market  - 218 Harborview Ave., Black Rock, Bridgeport, CT

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.

_____________________________________