Farm News November 15, 2022
Please note our Fall Farmstand Hours:
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We are closed on Fridays in November!
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Tuesday & Thursday: 2 - 5:30 PM (closing an hour earlier)
Saturday: 9 am - 12:30 pm (opening 1 hour later)
LAST FARMSTAND IS NOVEMBER 22ND!
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Basking in 70-degree weather last week put us into an early November trance. It was so warm it felt like spring, and it covered up the fact that winter is closing in on us. It was an odd feeling to be bulk harvesting fall crops like cabbage, celeriac, and leeks in short sleeves. This week feels like the door is slamming shut on September-like weather for good, and it has put us back into “full squirrel mode,” as we try bringing in dahlias tubers and the last of one of our best carrot crops ever, take down our high tunnel, mulch the garlic, and bring in the spinach, chard, kale, Brussels sprouts and collards from the field before the ground freezes up.
After we get done putting up all the crops for winter, we can settle into a lower tempo rhythm. There’s lots to do to put the farm to bed: stowing irrigation equipment and row covers, mowing done crops, and organizing the barn. Elliott and the crew have been working on a new greenhouse, and we are hoping to get the hoops up and covered by the end of December.
Try as we did, we didn’t succeed in capturing everyone here. From left to right: Elliott, CJ, Matt, Faye, Rebecca S., Rebecca B., Dana, James, Kim, Olivia, Erika, Kathy, Shell, Mimi, Calin, Brendan
This will be the last Farm News of the season and it’s time to celebrate all the folks whose hard work makes the farm possible. Breaking all kinds of Fort Hill Farm employee tenure endurance records, Elliott McGann returned to the farm to manage operations. Elliott is an experienced farmer, and we are lucky to have him keeping us all on task and managing the New Milford market, all the while sprinkling around facetious comments like confetti. Once again Dana Scott managed our harvest this season. It’s one of the hardest jobs on the farm, but Dana made it look downright easy. James Gilbert managed our field plantings, keeping careful track of the many plantings of the 40 odd crops we grow through our 695-line field planting schedule. Our apprentices Brendan Coll, Calin Pons, and Olivia Stokes helped us manage the greenhouses, prep and plant the fields, keep everything watered and weeded, and sell the veggies. Brendan spent much of his time making and spreading compost and preparing for the Westport market; Calin, organizing our wholesale produce operation; and Olivia, seeding arugula and tending to drip irrigation needs around the farm. Shell Pitcher returned for her third season at the farm and was a go-to person for everything from transplanting to farm market set up.
Faye gets ready for the big undertaking of dahlia digging, labeling, and storing - don’t worry, she’ll have help!
Farms are some of the most labor-intensive businesses around. We were terribly shorthanded early in the season, and we were rescued by a bunch of folks who jumped on the crew between late May and July. They did a lot of the hard, physical work on the farm and we are very grateful for their efforts. We were lucky to have CJ Coll, Mimi Silberman, Matt Gannon, Kim Herman, Mary Tombelli, Julia Leslie, Julie Nelson-Ross, and Rebecca Sullivan help us take out the weeds and bring in the harvest. Faye Barry is the force behind the upgraded fall dahlia show, and Kathy Scott and Erika Cambisaca kept everything running at the farmstand, assisted by Monty Robinson, Diana DiPaula, and Claudia Thiel. Kathy is also responsible for the majority of greenhouse seeding in the spring. Rebecca and Elliott had a very special group of folks help them at the Westport and New Milford farmers markets, including Jon Clement, Eileen O’Reilly, Jon Jaegar, Stacy Fama, Liz Kiritharan, Melanie Ross (Westport), Jodi Beckett and Julia Kinoshita-McCauley (New Milford).
I’m really honored and lucky to be able to work with Rebecca on the farm. Rebecca puts together the entire vegetable and summer flower crop plan, manages our greenhouses and plant sales, creates work schedules for our 28 employees, seeds many of our vegetable crops, oversees the harvest and sales, puts together the weekly newsletter, and runs the Westport Farmers market…on top of being a wonderful mom and partner. She’s a gifted farmer and responsible for much of what goes well at Fort Hill.
Winter spinach, along with curly and lacinato kale grow tucked away in a toasty greenhouse.
Our biggest and warmest thanks goes to you folks who take the time to seek out our veggies at our farm or at our stand at a farmers’ market. Without you the farm wouldn’t exist, and we are very grateful. While this is the end of the Farm News for 2022, it’s not actually the end of the season, as we still have lots of veggies in storage and growing in our greenhouses for you! The farmstand will be open through the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and then stay tuned for our weekly online ordering system (at the farm only), which is open December through early January. The New Milford farmers’ markets will close after Thanksgiving. The Westport Market moves indoors as the Winter Market at Gilbertie’s. We will continue to put out a weekly email reminder through December.
We hope you have a happy holiday season and a restful winter!
Paul, for Rebecca and the Fort Hill Farm crew
Featured veg:
Brussels sprouts: I know, I’m featuring the Sprouts again, but it’s mostly because they are so beautiful this year! Tis the season also, but do check out the tasty recipe below for a nice break from Thanksgiving fare.
Kale: either the frilly green, or deep green Lacinato (aka Dinosaur Kale). Kale is one of those work horses on a vegetable farm. When planted in succession, barely a week goes by in which one can't dine on kale if one chooses. It's the meat and potatoes of the cooking greens world, if that makes any sense. Still all of that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deliver in the flavor department... Sauté with garlic and oil, add to winter soups, or try the great, all raw Kale Salad recipe at www.forthillfarm.com. Both varieties can be used interchangeably in recipes, although there’s lots of opportunity to argue one way or another. Store in a loosely closed plastic bag in your fridge for up to a week.
Also available:
Head lettuce, pea shoots, carrots, parsnips, fennel, leeks, celeriac, red and French Breakfast radishes, salad turnips, curly and lacinato kale, rainbow chard, collards, baby bok choy, escarole, radicchio, cilantro, parsley, oregano, sage, thyme, red, Chioggia, and gold beets, green cabbage, garlic, jalapeño, Kennebec, Dark Red Norland, Satina Gold, Magic Molly blue fingerling, & gold fingerling potatoes, classic sweet potatoes and Murasaki Japanese sweet potatoes, Butternut & Koginut squash, Carnival and Starry Night winter squash (at farmstand), Brussels sprouts on stalk, fresh ginger and turmeric!
Pick Your Own:
~Perennial Herbs:
chives, oregano, sage, and thyme
Recipes
Suggested by Rebecca Batchie
For more recipes, check out the Fort Hill Farm Recipe Database
Shredded Brussels Sprout and Bacon Pizza
Recipe by Tieghan Gerard
Ingredients
1/2 pound pizza dough, at room temperature
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
crushed red pepper flakes
kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded brussels sprouts
1/2 cup grated manchego or parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded fontina or Havarti cheese
4 thick-cut slices of bacon, chopped
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450° F. Grease a large baking sheet with olive oil.
In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, the honey, balsamic vinegar, shallot, garlic, thyme, and a pinch each of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
In a separate bowl, toss together the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the brussels sprouts, parmesan, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
On a lightly floured surface, push/roll the dough out until it is pretty thin (about a 10-12 inch circle). Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet.
Spread the dough with the olive oil/balsamic herb mix. Add the Havarti cheese, then layer the brussels sprouts over the cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese has melted.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crisp. Top the pizza with the crispy bacon and freshly shaved parmesan. Slice and enjoy!