The 7th season of Dinners at the Farm has just been announced...just in time for holiday shopping. Every summer Dinners at the Farm brings their celebrated benefit dinner series to local Connecticut farms by hosting amazing multi-course feasts of just from the earth food, cooked fresh that day. They'll be dicing, chopping, sautéing and plating delicious locally grown food in the fields of host farms including Barberry HIll Farm, Scott's Farm & Greenhouses and White Gate Farm for 12 glorious summer nights in 2013.
And, as with every year, these dinners are benefits. Dinners at the Farm will be donating $20,000 towards the critical work of our beneficiaries CitySeed, CT Farm Land Trust, Working Lands Alliance,Region 4 Schools and NEW this year, The New Connecticut Farmer Alliance, a group of emerging farmers working to grow and sustain new farms in Connecticut ensuring a viable agricultural future. Visit their schedules and tickets page for more details and to purchase tickets.
Winter is drawing near, and many of us will eat the last of our local, farm-fresh veggies alongside our Thanksgiving turkey. Luckily, with Winter Sun Farms & Wakeman Town Farm in Westport, you get to keep eating Hudson Valley vegetables and berries all winter. You don't want to miss your first pickup. If you haven't signed up yet, now is the time! (Here is more info on CSA's and how they work.)
The season kicks off in December, when your share is projected to include: Sweet Corn, Butternut Squash Puree, Green Beans, Peppers, Tomato, Blueberries and Pea Shoots. New this year, our tomato puree comes in a shelf-stable jar. Sign up at www.wintersunfarms.com and check Westport, CT as your pickup point.
WinterSunFarms Winter CSA Pickup at Wakeman Town Farm
White Gate Farm in East Lyme, CT, a favorite eastern Connecticut farm stand and Dinners on the Farm venue, is unveiling their new commercial "Farm Kitchen" and a series of cooking classes featuring talented Connecticut chefs.
The series will officially kick off this Friday at White Gate Farm for what they are calling a "Grand Unveiling" on August 24 at 7 pm ($10 per person). The evening will feature a preview of the hands-on kitchen and farm-fresh hors d'oeuvres, wine and chef's presentations. They will also unveil the full season of classes, dates and participating chefs this evening.
Tina Rupp is a professional food photographer who works with Food & Wine Magazine and Weight Watchers and also photographs many cookbooks and national print ads. She is inspired by the changing colors and textures of seasonal ingredients both as a foil for her her camera, as well as inspiration for her baking endeavors in her Old Saybrook home. She shoots with Canon and Hassleblad cameras
Blueberries. You can get them practically year round in any grocery store in the country. We all know that they are often mealy and tasteless. Yet we still buy them, perhaps for their antioxidant power.
But blueberry season is a whole different world. Outside of strawberries, blueberries are the fruit I look forward to the most in summer. The sweet yet tart delicious little nugget of flavor is such an amazing berry to eat straight off the bush, in a pie or cake or crumble, or right out of the freezer and into Sunday morning pancakes.
Hunter will be dishing out a seasonal favorite, tomato gazpacho, made with tomatoes from Riverbank Farm and served with a dollop of cucumber sorbet. In addition to this summer staple, Hunter will be making a fun twist on a classic, with Kings Kitchen Grilled Cheese Panini Fries. Made with Wave Hill Ciabatta, these fries are just as addicting as they sound, delicious, gooey, strips of grilled cheese heaven, cut to resemble a French fry!
The construction of Terrain along the Westport Post Road sprouted up faster than a weed; but unlike a weed, Terrain was a welcome sight--desirable and beautiful. I’m unsure who frequents this store, billed as “a shop for eco-friendly growing supplies, home and garden décor” with its $100. terrariums and $2,000. wire tables, but I have noticed a lot of people are eating here. Terrain’s restaurant, the Westport Garden Cafe, with the look of a modern barn in all its refined rusticity--reclaimed wood tables adorned with potted flowers, bulbs suspended from above, and floor to ceiling glass windows--is bright and airy, completely lovely. To match decor, the menu itself is farm-to-table, boasting support for local farms such as Sport Hill, Holbrook, Oakview, The Hickories and Warrups. Alabama chef, Joe Wolfson, Food & Wine’s 2011 People’s Best New Chef from the Gulf Coast, does justice to his ingredients.
A recent Westport transplant from NYC, Melissa Roberts was a food editor for Gourmet for almost 9 years, where she toiled happily in the test kitchen developing and writing recipes for the magazine. She was also a cook and stylist in the Food Network's kitchen.
Last Thursday’s Imperial Avenue Greenmarket in Westport fell on one of those perfect crisp and clear Fall days. The Greenmarket’s atmosphere was buzzing, complete with live music commemorating its 6th birthday. I joined in the celebration by treating myself to a Breakfast Pizza (pecorino, local bacon, fried egg) from Skinny Pines Pizza with Raus’ cold Roman Coffee to wash it all down. But my mission was not only to treat my belly, but to find inspiration amidst the produce, and it was there in spades beginning with a pile of deep green lacinato kale from Riverbank Farms in Roxbury, CT. Often with the freshest veggies the best way to treat them is the simplest. In this recipe, kale is shredded then tossed with a straightforward dressing of lemon and olive oil which brightens its earthy, mineral-like flavor, and a generous shower of nutty Parmigiano Reggiano.
A flurry of activity surrounds New Canaan’s Elm Streetas Chef/Owner Brian Lewis’ much anticipated elm restaurant is set to open in New Canaan in January 2012.
Elm will be a Modern American restaurant, “rooted in tradition and inspired by the seasons” featuring a 60 seat elegant dining room and 25 seats in the warm, casual bar area. A highlight of elm will be The Chef’s Kitchen Table, with seating for twelve as well as a separate Chef’s Tasting Bar with four seats, which will be etched into a semi-private nook overlooking the heart of Brian’s kitchen. Together, the food, wine, hand-crafted cocktails and exceptional service will embody both luxury and comfort; a destination perfect for everyday or your favorite occasion, filled with high energy, world class food and small town charm.
Got kids? Like pancakes? And bacon? And all things farm-y and fun?
Come on down to an old-fashioned “Pancake Breakfast & Pop Up Farmers' Market," a family event at Wakeman Town Farm (134 Cross Hwy, Westport) on Sunday, October 2 from 9 a.m.-noon. It's a fun, fall $5 Pancake Breakfast and Pop-Up Farmers' Market on the farm, featuring an array of local vendors and craftspeople selling everything from artisanal foods to handmade crafts from an eclectic assortment of local vendors. (Rain or shine.)
In addition to a country farm breakfast with pancakes, nitrate-free bacon and fresh maple syrup and coffee and juice, sponsored by Christie’s Country Store and Graze Delivered, there will be a host of local vendors and craftspeople selling their wares in a festive, farmers' market atmosphere.
The Darien Farmers' Market opens in May and runs into November, offering a wide variety of seasonal edibles. The market appears Wednesdays on Mechanic St., tucked between the Darien firehouse on the Post Rd. and the Goodwives shopping center. Berries and seedlings start off the year when a trip to the market requires outerwear, and week by week, the cornucopia fills to overflowing with tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, celeriac, kohlrabi, meats, cheeses, baked goods and brussels sprouts - still on the stalk and looking like some type of Aztec war club - by the time jackets are again required pre-dining wear.
The past few years have seen a spike in the amount and popularity of Farmers’ Markets, and the New Canaan Farmers' Market is no exception. Every Saturday morning from May through November vendors and townspeople crowd into (and around) the Municipal Parking Lot across from the town library. They come here to shop for local produce, pick up breakfast or lunch, and mingle with family, friends, acquaintances and strangers. The market is still small compared to others in the area, but the number of vendors and buzz around it is on the rise as more and more people seek quality, fresh food and want to know where it comes from.
Artisan, a "farm to table New England-inspired" restaurant opens tonight, July 13, 2011 at the Delamar Hotel in Southport, CT.
“We wanted Artisan to feel comfortable, as if you have been invited to enjoy a weekend in the country,” says Chef Kieffer, a native of Paris and resident of Fairfield County. “And we want the food to match the feel of the restaurant; a place that is casual and very comfortable yet that also reflects quality and excellence.”
Previewing the space during an opening party is a biased occasion, admittedly, but it’s also one of the best ways to understand intentions as well as gauge reactions. Dining experience non-withstanding, mission accomplished Artisan.
Bishops Orchards is 30 spaces away from hitting their maximum number of CSA sharholders this year. If you have been contemplating being a part of the Bishop's Orchards CSA this year, don't miss your opportunity. They will be taking registrations online through this Sunday, March 27. There are 3 CSA options for you to choose; a Full Share, a Half Share and a Flower Share. The flower share is one you can either add onto a Full or Half Share, or participate buy into alone. Click here for more information.
What is a CSA? CSA stands for "Community Supported Agriculture" and refers to a program where yourlocal farmer (Bishop's Orchards) offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Each share entitles members to a weekly box of fresh-picked produce, discounts & specials
The sounds of the Farmer’s Market change with the seasons. The “mmm’s” in June when the strawberries arrive; the “ooh’s and ahh’s” in July when the tomatoes make their entrance; finally, the sad, sighing “uh’s” in the fall as the weather chills and the markets draw to a close.
This year, thanks to the unabated demand for local produce and the persistence of some devoted market managers, we can enjoy a new season of sounds at our local Farmer's Markets.
Sustainable, seasonal, local, organic, and green might be popular phrases these days among the media and the masses, but to those who truly care about where their food comes from, whether they contain pesticides and want to support their communities, these are very powerful words indeed. By buying locally, seasonally and organically, the consumer never has to worry about food recalls. More importantly, the consumers know not only where their food comes from, but get to know their farmers by name. These are the people who also truly care about the future of their children and of children for generations to come… These are the people who truly care about preserving the world around them.
Patti Popp of Sport Hill Farm is just this type of person.
Reheated is a twice-weekly round-up of bite-sized food news in Connecticut and beyond.
In Connecticut...
It's National Pizza Month. If you're in Fairfield County, check-out this post for the best pies around your neighborhood.
The 5th Annual Harvest Tasting Fundraiser held at Equinox Club in Darien on Oct. 9 features over 60 wines. Info NicholasRobertsLtd.com.
The Pinkberry Grand Opening Party in Fairfield is just days away on Oct. 14 from 6 to 9 pm. Info CTbites.com.
Plan ahead for the Tokeneke Pumpkin Carnival is Oct 16 in Darien featuring Burger, Shakes and Fries, Heights Pizza and Upper Crust Bagels. Info Patch.com.
A few days remain to take advantage of CT Restaurant Week, a few places in Fairfield County and many more options towards New Haven & Hartford. Participating restaurants at CTRestaurant.org.
The lines between farm stand and restaurant are growing ever more blurry with the recent opening of Farmers Table on Forest Street in New Canaan, a hybrid farmers market, bakery and the latest restaurant to embrace the farm-to-table dining trend. Intimate in both name and practice, the tiny 6 top restaurant delivers farm fresh hospitality with a farm stand persona.
Eating at Farmers Table is like inviting yourself to dinner at a friend’s house
The 7th season of Dinners at the Farm has just been announced...just in time for holiday shopping. Every summer Dinners at the Farm brings their celebrated benefit dinner series to local Connecticut farms by hosting amazing multi-course feasts of just from the earth food, cooked fresh that day. They'll be dicing, chopping, sautéing and plating delicious locally grown food in the fields of host farms including Barberry HIll Farm, Scott's Farm & Greenhouses and White Gate Farm for 12 glorious summer nights in 2013.
