Farm News November 12, 2024
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The farmstand continues through Thanksgiving, and we will have abundant, fresh Fort Hill Farm produce available through mid - January!
Tuesday & Thursday: 2 - 5:30 PM
Saturday: 9 am - 12:30 pm
Our LAST farmstand day will be Tuesday, November 26.
* Online ordering begins on Saturday, Nov. 30, for Friday pickups through early January.
New Milford Farmers’ Market: the last market is November 23, 9am to noon, on the green.
Westport Farmers’ Market: Thursdays 10-2 into January
It *goes indoors* this week, at Gilberties, 7 Sylvan Lane, Westport.
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The string of unseasonably warm days continues, punctuated by a very skimpy rain over the weekend, and some very cold nights. Rebecca has become pretty good at reading the forecasts and getting us to triple and quadruple the frost blankets, with the result being we have an abundance of very tasty lettuce, frost sweetened spinach, an insane amount of fennel and kale, and a wide variety of greens along with a bumper crop of root crops and winter squash. Compared with last season’s monsoon like weather, the dry conditions we’ve experienced over the last few months have made it a great fall to harvest veggies in New England.
It’s finally time to get the garlic in the ground. Based on the unseasonably warm temps, this is the latest we’ve ever planted it.
We are also getting into the late fall clean up and project mode because sooner or later, winter is coming. Faye has started cutting back the dahlias, which we need to clean, divide, and protect from freezing temperatures. Withered tomato vines need to be removed from greenhouses, equipment needs to be repaired and stored for winter, greenhouse crops need to be tended, greenhouses need to be built.
It’s also time to turn the compost for future plantings. This is a big job that is shared among Dana, Kolade, CJ, James. Matt, and Tom (Dana pictured here).
Last week was a tough one for many people who support local, organic farms. I think the vast majority of American people of all political persuasions are decent folks who are searching for leaders that will bring basic economic realities both big (home ownership) and small (a trip to the grocery store) a little easier to manage. I’m not sure how much progress we will see on those issues in the next four years, but I am hopeful that maybe we can find some common ground to tackle some of the challenges that lie ahead.
Or perhaps on a more dire level, the country needs to see more income inequality, catastrophic weather, and trampling of human rights before we hit a bottom and decide to take a new road. It’s been a little harder than usual for me to prattle on about things like the weather, weeds, crops, and broken equipment that consume most of my days. But in the end, the farm’s role is to provide a bright spot for people in their week, and I know many of you find happiness and connection with our farm, our produce, and the people who produce it. And so, on with the garlic planting for 2025….
We hope to see you at the farm or a farmers’ market soon,
Paul, Rebecca, and the Fort Hill Farm crew
Featured veg:
Sugar Pie Pumpkins: Very popular for looks and function, these are great for pumpkin breads and pies, see the dinner recipe below. Prepare pumpkin puree by cutting pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds, bake at 375F cut side down on a parchment-lined or greased pan until a fork slides in easily. Puree or mash the flesh. This will freeze well for future use. Use as soon as possible.
Bok Choy: We have a prolific fall crop of Choy. Bok choy is great for stir fry, or a quick sauté in oil and tamari sauce. We especially love it raw in the Chinese Cabbage Salad recipe on our website (where it replaces its Chinese cabbage cousin). We also give it a quick sauté and then add it to ramen for a super easy yet nutritious dinner.
Also available:
Head lettuce; salad mix; sweet winter spinach; pea shoots; curly and lacinato kale; rainbow & ruby chard; red and French Breakfast radish; cilantro, parsley, red beets, chioggia beets and gold beets; red and green cabbage; baby Bok Choy; limited heirloom and beefsteak tomatoes; sweet fall carrots; limited romanesco; German Extra Hardy garlic; shallots, red (Farmstand only) and yellow storage onions; jalapeño, poblano and shishito peppers; limited sweet red Italian and orange snacking peppers; limited Classic Italian, Graffiti, and Rosa Bianca eggplant; Dark Red Norland potatoes, Blackberry potatoes, LaRatte Gold and Pinto Gold fingerlings, White and Gold potatoes; leeks; celeriac; fabulous fall fennel; collard greens; escarole; radicchio (round and Treviso); fresh ginger; Honeynut squash; sweet potatoes; Murasaki Japanese sweet potatoes Butternut squash; Koginut squash; Brussels sprouts; certified organic parsnips and Gilfeather Turnips from Picadilly Farm, NH (farmstand only)
Pick Your Own:
Herbs are under protective row cover and are finished for the season. We will have bunches in the barn for as long as they last.
Recipes
Suggested by Rebecca Batchie
Not into this particular recipe? For more recipes outlined by crop, check out the Fort Hill Farm Recipe Database.
Thai Pumpkin Curry with Shrimp and Bok Choy
This quick, easy Thai Pumpkin Curry Recipe with shrimp and bok choy is the perfect weeknight meal instead of take-out!
Prep Time 10minutes minutes
Cook Time 20minutes minutes
Total Time 30minutes minutes
Servings 4
Author Phoebe Lapine
Ingredients
2 tablespoons coconut oil divided
Sea salt
¾ pound large shrimp peeled and deveined
2 baby bok choy quartered lengthwise
1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 garlic clove minced
1 tablespoon Thai yellow Penang, or red curry paste
½ teaspoon turmeric
One 15-ounce can unsweetened pumpkin puree
One 15-ounce can coconut milk
½ pound Chinese long beans or French green beans Cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chopped Thai basil mint or cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ cup chopped peanuts
Instructions
In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil over a high flame. Rinse the shrimp and pat dry. Stir-fry the shrimp until pink and curled, 2 minutes. Season with salt and remove to a plate. Set aside.
Add the bok choy to the pot and cook until lightly browned and the greens are wilted, 5 minutes. Remove to the plate with the shrimp.
Heat the remaining oil and sauté the red pepper, ginger, garlic, red curry paste, turmeric, and 1 teaspoon sea salt until very fragrant, 2 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin, coconut milk, and green beans. Bring to gentle simmer and cook over medium-low heat until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the herbs, lime juice, bok choy, and shrimp.
Ladle the Thai pumpkin curry into bowls, garnish with peanuts, herbs, and lime wedges, and serve alongside brown rice.
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