If you’re planning to plant a garden this spring, now is the time to flip through your seed catalogs or visit your favorite seed companies online to make your selections. Backyard, community, and school gardens are wildly popular and last year I had to live without some of my favorite seeds because I waited too long to order.

If you’re new to gardening, consider starting small with some easy cool weather crops like peas, radishes and lettuce. Even if you just plant peas in a container on St. Patrick’s Day (less than 3 weeks away!), you will enjoy the freshest, most delicious peas you’ve ever had because you’ve grown them yourself. Research has shown that children who grow and pick their own food tend to eat it. That means they’ll eat more vegetables!

Check out this WTNH Good Morning CT Weekend segment for a quick lesson in getting your spring container garden started with Comstock Ferre’s heirloom seeds and supplies from Gilbertie’s Herb Gardens.

Comstock, Ferre & Co. in Wethersfield, CT offers over 250 varieties of heirloom seeds in their 2011 catalog, including these rare kale, leek and pea seeds.

In mid to late spring the peas will be ready to harvest and enjoy in salads or cooked in stir fries and other dishes. Some varieties of peas, such as the heirloom Blue Podded Pea, can be harvested early and eaten like snow peas or harvested late as a shell pea according to the Comstock, Ferre & Co. catalog. The 100-year-old Thomax Laxton shell pea matures in 55 days and because it’s so sweet, I’m expecting it to be a hit with the kids.

Once the hot weather arrives and the vines begin to fade, take a pair of scissors and clip them at soil level, leaving the roots  behind. The roots of legumes “fix” nitrogen in the soil, enriching it for the next crop, so be sure to plant something else in the container, right on top of the pea roots. The pea vines might just be the first plant trimmings to go in your compost pile.

Supplies for a spring container garden of peas - terra cotta container, organic planting mix, gardening gloves and three stakes for trellising - can all be purchased at Gilbertie's Herb Gardens in Westport. Be sure to ask for planting and composting advice while there if you're new to gardening.

Seeds are very inexpensive, and if you make your own compost, you’ll likely wind up saving money by growing your own. A fantastic online source of inspiration and advice for home gardeners is Kitchen Gardeners International, the group behind the campaign to replant a kitchen garden at the White House.

Some of the best planting advice is dispensed by the experts at our local garden centers and one of my favorites is Gilbertie’s Herb Gardens in Westport. They sell everything you need to start your own organic garden, from soil and containers to seedlings and raised beds. A few weeks ago I got a sneak preview of the gorgeous Western Red Cedar wooden planter boxes and raised garden beds they are stocking for the spring. Assembled in 5 minutes, these planters are designed for the home gardener looking to grow on patios, decks, and even rooftops. The elevated garden beds are a great solution for anyone with limited mobility or just plain tired of gardening on their knees!

After watching this video about Comstock Ferre & Co., a 200-year-old seed company in Wethersfield, CT, that was recently acquired by Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company of Missouri, I ordered  the seed catalog and chose a number of heirloom varietals I had never heard of before. The Comstock Heirloom Seeds catalog offers over 250 seed varieties, all of which were part of their original 1820-1950 heirloom seed collection. An heirloom seed is one that is at least 50 years old and has been selected to be saved and passed down from generation to generation because it grew well and tasted good. Heirloom seeds, unlike hybrids or GMOs (genetically modified seeds) will reproduce true to the parent strain. Rewarded with the same excellent vegetable they remember from past years, gardeners would again save seeds for the next season’s planting. You can save seeds too!

Comstock, Ferre & Co., located in historic Wethersfield, CT, is the oldest continually operating seed company in New England and is set to celebrate its 200th anniversary this summer. Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company is  committed to restoring Comstock Ferre to its original state, including choosing historic art work originally commissioned by Comstock from local artists to grace the covers of their seed packets. Comstock, Ferre is planning a huge 200th birthday celebration in Old Wethersfield on June 5, including several acclaimed garden authors and speakers, live music and vendors.

How to Purchase Comstock Heirloom Seeds:

Seed packets are available for purchase at the retail store in Wethersfield, CT, just 5 minutes south of downtown Hartford. Comstock, Ferre & Co. is located at 263 Main Street in Old Wethersfield, and is open Monday through Friday from 9-4. Phone: 860-571-6590 860-571-6590 or visit them online at www.ComstockFerre.com to order a catalog or place an online seed order.

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Gilbertie's Herb Garden is the perfect place to meet a friend for a casual farm-to table lunch and some local food shopping.

Sometimes the best gift you can give a friend is your company over a wonderful meal. So invite a friend, or two, to join you for lunch at the new indoor winter farmers’ market at Gilbertie’s Herb Gardens of Westport. Each week lunch from a different local farm-to-table restaurant will be served. Think of it as the Northeast’s answer to the food truck!

Each week one of the following restaurants will provide lunch and prepared foods at the market: leFarm, Schoolhouse at Cannondale, The Dressing Room, or Fat Cat Pie. Because you won’t want to miss any of them, I’ll post the name of each week’s restaurant on Facebook and Twitter. 

Schoolhouse at Cannondale chef/owner Tim LaBant’s uncompromising commitment to serving the highest quality fresh, local, and seasonal food has won Schoolhouse numerous awards including a Top 10 Ranking on Open Table’s Best of the tri state area, Best Special Occasion restaurant 2010 by Westport Magazine, and the top Fairfield County Pick for the Best of New England 2010 guide. Now the only special occasion you have to wait for is their week at the indoor Westport farmers’ market.

Don’t miss opening day, Thursday, December 9, as celebrated chef Bill Taibe of leFarm restaurant of Westport dishes up lunch.  If you’ve never dined at leFarm, it’s reason enough to make the trip.

Harvest to Heat is as much a story book as a cookbook, sharing inspiring back stories for each farm fresh ingredient and recipe.

Both Bill and one of the farms from which he sources organic food, Millstone Farm in Wilton, are celebrated in the newly released and very beautiful cookbook, Harvest to Heat: Cooking with America’s Best Chefs, Farmers, and Artisans, which was just named Best Cookbook Overall 2010 by Epicurious. Gift Tip: Buy the cookbook for a friend and bring it to the market for Bill to sign!

In addition to the guest restaurants, Boxcar Cantina, the first restaurant in Connecticut to earn a Green Restaurant certification, and brick oven caterer Skinny Pines, a 2010 Green Coast Award recipient, will be regular weekly vendors. Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe will vend lunch every other week, starting opening day. Arrive early to avoid the lunch lines and if you can, get there are 11:00 to enjoy free weekly talks about herbs and gardening from experts at Gilbertie’s.

The indoor Westport winter farmers’ market will be held each Thursday, except December 23, from 10-1 at Gilbertie’s of Westport on 7 Sylvan Lane. Opening day is December 9, 2010 and the market closes for the season on March 31. Market to car grocery valets available upon request.

Winter 2010 Weekly Vendors

1. Boxcar Cantina
2. Skinny Pines Catering
3. Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe (alternating weeks)
4. Beltane Farm
5. Ladies of Levita Road Farm
6. SoNo Baking Company
7. Fort Hill Farm
8. Two Guys from Woodbridge
9. Riverbank Farm
10. Wave Hill Bread
11. Raus Coffee
12. Arogya Tea
13. Izzie B’s
14. Colyer Catering
15. Greyledge Farm
16. Sankow’s Beaver Brook Farm
17. Huckleberry Artisan Pastry
18. Boxed Goods
19. Calcutta Kitchen
20. Whistle Stop Bakery
21. Bone-A-Part
    

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Happy Holidays!

Looking for a special holiday gift for the gardeners, cooks and green food lovers in your life? This first installment of our Holiday 2010 Green Food Gift Guide contains 3 clever, thoughtful and fun ideas that were featured on WTNH’s Good Morning Connecticut Show on Saturday, December 6.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to be notified when the next Holiday 2010 Green Food Gift Guide post is published. New gift idea will be published each day on the Blog over the next two weeks.

For the Gardener:

Heirloom Seeds from Comstock, Ferre & Co. in Wethersfield, CT

This pre-World War II photo shows just a few of the 11 historic buildings and barns that date back to the 1700s when Comstock was founded. Amish crews from parent company Baker Creek have begun to restore the buildings and preserve the antique equipment, transforming the campus into a living agricultural history museum. Photo c/o Comstock, Ferre & Co.

Comstock, Ferre & Co., located in historic Wethersfield, CT, is the oldest continually operating seed company in New England and is set to celebrate its 200th anniversary this summer. Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company of Missouri recently purchased Comstock, not only saving it from demolition, but also committing to restoring Comstock Ferre to its original state.

The retail and catalog heirloom seed businesses are now up and running and the 260 seed varieties being offering this year were part of the original 1820-1950 heirloom seed collection. An heirloom seed is one that is at least 50 years old and has been selected to be saved and passed down from generation to generation because it grew well and tasted good. Heirloom seeds, unlike hybrids or GMOs (genetically modified seeds) will reproduce true to the parent strain. Rewarded with the same excellent vegetable they remember from past years, gardeners would again save seeds for the next season’s planting. You can save seeds too!

Historic art work originally commissioned by Comstock from local artists will once again grace the covers of heirloom seeds packets sold by Comstock.

Many of the heirloom varieties sold by Comstock are at least a few hundred years old and trace their roots to the founding of our country. Squash and pumpkin, so-called New World varieties, are native to the Northeastern US and the seeds were originally acquired from Native Americans. Others were introduced to this country by the Pilgrims and other European immigrants, including the bulb onion (not to be confused with native wild onions).  The legendary Wethersfield Red Onion served as a major cash crop in the 1800′s and today remains “an icon and logo of Wethersfield” according to the catalog where it is sold in packets of 300 seeds.

Illustrations of vegetables from antique seed packets found in the company archives now grace the covers of heirloom seed packets and decorate the newly minted 2011 catalog, all of which are sure to become collectors’ items. To order a Comstock seed catalog, register at the Baker Creek web site and anyone in the Northeast will automatically be sent one.

Note: No catalog orders are being taken until after Christmas.

How to Purchase Comstock Heirloom Seeds:

Seed packets are available for purchase at the retail store in Wethersfield, CT, just 5 minutes south of downtown Hartford. Comstock, Ferre & Co. is located at 263 Main Street in Old Wethersfield, and is open Monday through Friday from 9-4. Phone: 860-571-6590 or visit them online at www.ComstockFerre.com (this site is under construction)

For the Cook:

A Woolly Pocket Kitchen Herb Garden

Woolly Pockets are made in the USA from recycled plastic bottles and come in a wide variety of sizes and colors.

Bring the garden indoors this winter in a Woolly Pocket Garden container so your favorite cooks have easy access to fresh culinary herbs. Made in the USA from recycled plastic bottles, Woolly Pockets make indoor gardening fun and easy because they are specially designed to keep plants moist and surfaces dry.

Woolly Pockets should be filled with good quality potting soil and healthy herb plants that will grow well indoors. Remove the guess work by heading over to Gilbertie’s Herb Gardens in Westport to talk to one of their experts. They steered me towards the Aussie basil because it grows straight up and does well indoors. Pictured here is the peacock blue Tina model from Woolly Pocket Garden’s freestanding Island line with Aussie basil, parsley, thyme, orange mint, and garlic chives from Gilbertie’s. Be sure to pick up a complimentary copy of Raising Herbs Indoors when you check out so the gift can be properly cared for.  Also, Gilbertie’s is hosting a winter farmers’ market each Thursday from 10-1 starting December 9 and will offer free gardening lectures at 11 am.

Woolly Pocket garden containers ship flat and include all the instructions you need to get a garden started. Add some soil and healthy plants to make a thoughtful and useful gift that keeps on giving.

The gift that gives again: When you make a purchase on WoollyPocket.com, they will donate a Wally One modular wall system (above) to the school of your choice to help them build their Woolly School Garden.

Bonus: When you make a purchase on WoollyPocket.com, the company will donate a Wally One modular wall system to the school of your choice to help them build their Woolly School Garden. Wally One can be hung from a door or wall to bring the vertical space to life with living art.

For the Chocolate Lover:

Organic Fair Trade & Direct Trade Chocolate

Organic Fair Trade and Direct Trade chocolate is made from the highest quality sustainably grown and harvested cacao.

Organic Fair Trade and Direct Trade chocolates make a delicious stocking stuffer that’s good for both people and planet. Organic growing practices protect and preserve fragile ecosystems and the Fair Trade Certification signifies that farmers receive fair wages and work under fair labor conditions.

Two of my favorites are Taza Chocolate and Equal Exchange.  Taza Chocolate is a Somerville, Massachusetts-based sustainable and socially conscious company which produces a line of 100% stone ground organic chocolates made in the authentic Mexican style. According to the company, Taza Chocolate purchases cacao beans through a Direct Trade Agreement that provides high quality producers “with the economic security and flexibility necessary to conserve natural resources and protect the rights of workers.” These handmade chocolates are available in bars or discs in a wide range of flavors including Salted Almond and Guajillo Chili and fit neatly into a stocking or gift basket. Children especially enjoy making Mexican hot chocolate with the discs and I recommend viewing Taza’s head chocolate maker’s “How to Make Mexican Hot Chocolate” video on the site’s recipe page. Taza Chocolate can be purchased online via the company’s web site, where shipping is free through December 15 on orders over $50, or at Walter Stewart’s Market in New Canaan, Fairfield Cheese Company in Fairfield, and Caseus in New Haven.

Equal Exchange is a leading producer of high quality organic Fair Trade coffee, tea, chocolate, cocoa, healthy snacks and bananas. Cacao beans are sourced from over 40 small sustainable farm co-operatives in Peru, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Panama, and then made into fine chocolate bars in Switzerland. The 65% cacao Orange Dark Chocolate is reminiscent of dark chocolate dipped orange peels and new flavors include Organic Chocolate Caramel Crunch with Sea Salt (55% Cacao) and Organic Ecuador Dark Chocolate (65% Cacao). Equal Exchange chocolates can be purchased at major retailers including Whole Foods Market and via the company’s web site.

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Gilbertie's Herb Gardens in Westport is the largest grower of USDA Organic herbs in the US and is host to Westport's 2010 indoor winter farmers' market.

Don’t let the cold weather deceive you, there’s plenty of local food to be had in Connecticut, even in the dead of winter. Three farms that grow during all four seasons with the help of hoop houses and greenhouses will be bringing their organic produce to the newly minted indoor winter farmers’ market in Westport at Gilbertie’s Herb Gardens. And it’s heated. A happy circumstance for both vendors and guests who can look forward to toasting their fingers and toes as they sip coffee and tea, lunch, and shop inside a warm greenhouse festively adorned with white Christmas lights.

Not impressed? How about a budget-friendly gourmet lunch from a different farm-to-table restaurant each week? Don’t miss opening day, Thursday, December 9, as celebrated chef Bill Taibe of leFarm restaurant of Westport dishes up lunch.  If you’ve never dined at leFarm, it’s reason enough to make the trip, just don’t forget to bring a friend for the social currency.

Harvest to Heat is as much a story book as it is a cookbook, sharing delightful backstories for each farm fresh ingredient and recipe.

Both Bill and one of the farms from which he sources organic food, Millstone Farm in Wilton, are celebrated in the newly released and very beautiful cookbook, Harvest to Heat: Cooking with America’s Best Chefs, Farmers, and Artisans, which was just named Best Cookbook Overall 2010 by Epicurious. If you subscribe to the Hallmark Channel, tune in to the Martha Stewart Show next Wednesday, November  24, where Bill Taibe will be a guest chef.

Each week one of the following restaurants will provide lunch and prepared foods at the market: leFarm, Schoolhouse at Cannondale, The Dressing Room, or Fat Cat Pie. Because you won’t want to miss any of them, I’ll post the name of each week’s restaurant on Facebook and Twitter.  Schoolhouse at Cannondale chef/owner Tim LaBant’s uncompromising commitment to serving the highest quality fresh, local, and seasonal food has won Schoolhouse numerous awards including a Top 10 Ranking on Open Table’s Best of the tri state area, Best Special Occasion restaurant 2010 by Westport Magazine, and the top Fairfield County Pick for the Best of New England 2010 guide. Now the only special occasion you have to wait for is their week at the indoor Westport farmers’ market.

In addition to the guest restaurants, Boxcar Cantina, the first restaurant in Connecticut to earn a Green Restaurant certification, and brick oven caterer Skinny Pines, a 2010 Green Coast Award recipient, will be regular weekly vendors. Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe will vend lunch every other week, starting opening day. Arrive early to avoid the lunch lines and if you can, get there are 11:00 to enjoy free weekly talks about herbs and gardening from experts at Gilbertie’s.

The indoor Westport winter farmers’ market will be held each Thursday, except December 23, from 10-1 at Gilbertie’s of Westport on 7 Sylvan Lane. Opening day is December 9, 2010 and the market closes for the season on March 31. Market to car grocery valets available upon request.

Winter 2010 Weekly Vendors

1. Boxcar Cantina
2. Skinny Pines Catering
3. Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe (alternating weeks)
4. Beltane Farm
5. Ladies of Levita Road Farm
6. SoNo Baking Company
7. Fort Hill Farm
8. Two Guys from Woodbridge
9. Riverbank Farm
10. Wave Hill Bread
11. Raus Coffee
12. Arogya Tea
13. Izzie B’s
14. Colyer Catering
15. Greyledge Farm
16. Sankow’s Beaver Brook Farm
17. Huckleberry Artisan Pastry
18. Boxed Goods
19. Calcutta Kitchen
20. Whistle Stop Bakery
21. Bone-A-Part
22. Pemaquid Seafood Harvesters *New
    

The Westport Farmers’ Market will have a special guest this Thursday from 10-2, Sal Gilbertie from Gilbertie’s Herb Gardens. Gilbertie is a nationally recognized expert on herbs and is the author of 6 books on the subject including the recently released “Small Plot, High Yield Gardening”, which will be available for sale and signing on Thursday. Sal regularly conducts talks and workshops at the company’s Westport location and was featured in the Spring 2010 edition of Edible Nutmeg magazine .

Gilbertie’s is a family-owned business started in 1922 and is the largest grower of herb plants in the US. They supply over 400 different varieties of USDA Organic herbs, some of which are very hard to find, to outlets in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern US. Visit their garden center in Westport to enjoy the formal display gardens, themed greenhouses and gift shop offering herbs and vegetables from the usual to the exotic.

Additionally, Chef/Owner Bryan Malcarney from Blue Lemon will be treating market guests to a divine cucumber dill soup. Each of his ingredients are hand selected from the market vendors. Chef Bryan and his restaurant are supporting the local food movement so be sure to this Westport restaurant.

Gilbertie's Herb Gardens in Westport is the largest grower of USDA Organic herbs in the US

It’s a chilly, overcast Mother’s Day so why not head to the warm greenhouses at Gilbertie’s Herb Gardens on 7 Sylvan Lane in Westport  to take mom shopping for some special herbs and vegetables for her containers, patio garden or vegetable garden. Gilbertie’s is a family-owned business started in 1922 and is the largest grower of herb plants in the US. They supply over 400 different varieties of USDA Organic herbs, some of which are very hard to find, to outlets in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern US. Visit their garden center in Westport to enjoy the formal display gardens, themed greenhouses and gift shop offering herbs and vegetables from the usual to the exotic. Open Mother’ Day from 9-4.

Each herb has a companion sign describing its culinary and medicinal uses.

Sal Gilbertie is a nationally recognized expert on herbs and is the author of 6 books on the subject including the recently released “Small Plot, High Yield Gardening”. He regularly conducts talks and workshops at the Westport location and was featured in the Spring 2010 edition of Edible Nutmeg magazine . Reserve your spot now for “Grilling with Herbs” on June 19 at 1:30 when Sal Gilbertie will grill under the arbor and share dishes and recipes every backyard gardener and grill chef can enjoy.

Head to the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk's "Go Fish!" exhibit to learning about sustainable seafood via interactive exhibits and a 20-minute video.

The Maritime Aquarium at 10 North Water Street in Norwalk has a new permanent exhibit called “Go Fish! Long Island Sound & Beyond,” that is not to be missed. Take mom on Sunday and the entire family will enjoy the lessons learned about how to respect the fish that live in the waters of Long Island Sound and elsewhere in the world. Guests learn about sustainable seafood via interactive exhibits and a short film about the challenges sea life face from unsustainable fishing practices including overfishing, aggressive fishing methods, and certain types of fish farming.

This short film presents the challenges sea life face from unsustainable fishing practices including overfishing, aggressive fishing methods, and certain types of fish farming.

Children will enjoy catching and releasing replicas of the native species found in local waters and then heading up to the 30,000 gallon tank to see them up close and personal. The cod will even come to the surface looking for food. See if you can identify the cod, striped bass, Atlantic salmon, tautogs, wolffish and spiny dogfish sharks in the tank. Don’t forget to pick up a sustainable seafood pocket guide courtesy of Seafood Watch.

Don't miss the heart of the exhibit, the Seafood Choices Cafe, which teaches us to make sustainable seafood choices using a cleverly designed cafe setting.

In the Seafood Choices Café we Learn to Avoid:

• Atlantic cod,
• summer flounder and
• sole because they are overfished.
• Atlantic salmon because it is not raised in a sustainable manner.
• Atlantic halibut caught by trawling because it disrupts the sea floor and results in unwanted bycatch that is thrown back to die.

And to Instead Choose:

• US farmed tilapia,
• US albacore tuna bearing the Certified Sustainable Seafood label from the Marine Stewardship Council,
• recreationally fished striped bass,
• wild-caught salmon,
• swordfish caught by harpoon or handline.

The exhibit sends a very simple but powerful message: “Every small step counts. Be a part of the solution.”