Farm News August 1, 2023
Our Farmstand is in full swing:
Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 2 - 6:30 PM
Saturday: 8 am - 12:30 pm
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What a relief it was to watch the cold front roll in from the north Saturday evening. The cool, dry air swept away last week’s sweaty heat wave and left us with some truly wonderful weather to start this week. I think these clear, moderate, days are the ones when folks with indoor jobs look out the window and think it would be great to have an outdoor job.
An early, misty morning lettuce harvest.
If that’s true, then last week was the opposite. While not as bad as the months-long heat wave in southwestern states, 90-degree temps with very high humidity gave us some tough working conditions last week. We changed our daily schedule to an earlier morning wake up so we could spend more time harvesting in the cooler morning hours, and shrunk up our lunch so we could get the crew out of the field a little earlier in the afternoon. Our dedicated crew still managed to knock out the week’s task list, bringing in the sweet Ailsa Craig onions at their peak of sweet hugeness. We got the week’s lettuce plantings in the ground, and even managed to rescue the fall carrot crop, which was in danger of being run over by millions of carpetweed seedlings.
Lush ginger growth in the hight tunnel - must be time to dig!
We also welcomed a new partner to the farm to help us bring in some surplus cukes and scallions we had in the field. Real Food Connecticut operates a gleaning project to help bring in food that would otherwise go to waste on local farms, and they also grow some veggies on their own. We can sometimes overwhelm the New Milford Food bank with a boom-and-bust crop, and it’s great to have a backup plan when we get a windfall.
We are grateful to be able to partner with groups like Real Food CT (pictured here).
Today we flipped the calendar to August, though the weather makes it feel more like mid-September. We have a great pick of sweet corn this week, the first spuds are looking good, tomatoes are coming in strong from the high tunnel, cukes and summer squash are in abundance, and we’ve got plenty of greens from all the summer rain along with some timely irrigation to keep the lettuce cool on those sweltering July afternoons.
We hope you enjoy the farm and the harvest,
Paul, for Rebecca and the Fort Hill Farm crew
Featured veg:
Fresh Young Ginger: We are digging our ginger extra early again this year, and hoping the crop fills out as it always has in August. Juicers rejoice - you've been asking, and it is here! No peeling, no fibers, just pure flavor and joy to use. This can be a tricky crop to grow in CT, and we are always grateful when the plants start to bush out in early August after the six-month long wait. Note that prices will be higher because we are pulling the crop very early, and there will be plenty of ginger in the coming months at the regular season’s price.
Red Gold potatoes: This early spud kicks off our potato harvest and satisfies that undeniable craving for potato salad. They are light red potatoes with a hint of yellow in the flesh, and we find them to be more delicious than the more common Yukon Gold. Stores for at least a month in a dark, dry place at room temperature. Do not refrigerate spuds!
Also available:
Head lettuce, salad mix, pea shoots, red and French Breakfast radishes, curly and lacinato kale, rainbow chard, scallions, parsley, basil, dill, chives, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic scapes and German Extra Hardy garlic, red, gold, and Chioggia beets, beefsteak and heirlooms, Sungold, red and artisanal (limited) cherry tomatoes, zucchini, Zephyr, and Patty Pan summer squash, slicing and Asian cucumbers, jalapeño and shishito peppers, Ailsa Craig and Red torpedo fresh onions, hints of the first eggplant and sweet peppers, sweet corn!
Coming Soon:
Satina Gold Potatoes
Pick Your Own:
FLOWERS:
The flower patch is in full bloom!
PERENNIAL HERBS:
chives, oregano, sage, and thyme
BEANS:
We are in between patches right now - look for more soon.
Recipes
Suggested by Rebecca Batchie
For more recipes, check out the Fort Hill Farm Recipe Database
POTATO CORN CHOWDER
Recipe by Ashley Fehr
6 Servings
Just in time for the cool nights this week!
INGREDIENTS
2 slices thick cut bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 medium potatoes diced
3 cups fresh or frozen corn
3/4 cup whole milk or cream
2 tablespoons corn starch
cheese, green onions, bacon bits as desired for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, cook bacon until browned.
Add onion and celery, cooking and stirring until the onion starts to brown. Add garlic, salt, thyme and pepper and cook 1 minute.
Stir in broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to remove any browned bits.
Add potatoes and corn. Stir, bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to medium.
Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender. Reduce heat to low.
Combine milk and corn starch and gradually whisk into soup mixture, a little at a time, until thickened slightly.
Serve as desired.