Farm News August 15, 2023
Our Farmstand is in full swing:
Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 2 - 6:30 PM
Saturday: 8 am - 12:30 pm
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It’s Rebecca here, and to mix things up a bit, we are bringing forward a small piece of a winter project that never made it past the seasonal tidal wave of activities that we call Spring! We want you to know your farmers a bit more, and through their own words and ours, we will periodically feature some of the lovely, hard working folks that make up this farm. This week we begin with two individuals who have collectively worked the Fort Hill plateau for more than 16 years. Each is a valuable member of the management team that makes up the Fort Hill family….
As Farm Operations Manager, Elliott is a cherished fixture here at the farm. Pictured here, his enthusiasm for vegetables is overflowing, as usual. With a true “eagle eye,” Elliott keeps us on our toes in the food safety and general catastrophe department. He also manages to juggle people, tasks, and irrigation schedules with athletic agility. Always the joker, Elliott approaches the worst of situations in a comedic light.
Elliott McGann, Farm Operations Manager
Originally from Hamden, CT, Elliott earned a degree in Political Science from Northeastern University. After college, he dedicated two years to service in Americorps before venturing into farming as co-owner of a small-scale pastured egg and poultry business in Georgia. In 2012, he returned to Connecticut and began his apprenticeship at Fort Hill Farm, where he is now entering his 10th season. Elliott enjoys the educational opportunities and daily challenges that farming provides. In addition, Elliott places great importance on the sense of community and teamwork among his fellow crew members, as well as fostering strong connections with the customers who support the farm. When not farming, Elliott enjoys hiking, swimming, and kayaking, as well as relaxing on the couch watching YouTube videos.
Another person invaluable to the farm’s success is Dana, who is in her second season in the role of Harvest Manager. She is as understated in her management style and as in her sense of humor: While she (somehow) calmly runs the harvest crew each day with a seemingly gentle hand, she actually exacts a strong determination and attention to detail to get it all done (and get it done RIGHT!). Her kind and peaceful demeanor belies her deeply dry sense of humor that has taken us an embarrassingly long time to pick up on.
Dana Scott, Harvest Manager
Hello there! I’m Dana: quirky, curious, and Connecticut based. I’m a naturalist, and a conservationist, with special interests in wetland ecosystems. If I’m not kayaking in my pond or specimen collecting, you’ll find me harvesting crops with our crew. Beyond farming, I’d like to open a natural history museum of my own.
Kolade decides his favorite in the melon patch …. red or yellow?
The harvest is ramping up to the point where summer will soon collide with autumn and there will be too many vegetables to name. With watermelons coming in this week, we hope this helps lift you out of any end-of-summer blues.
We hope you enjoy the farm and the harvest,
Rebecca, for Paul and the Fort Hill Farm crew
Featured veg:
Red and Yellow Watermelons: The melon harvest begins! We are bringing in loads of sweet and juicy red and yellow watermelons - ripe and ready to eat - just in time to lift us out of the dog days of summer. Best stored in your fridge (if you don’t eat them all at once!), but melons can be outside of the fridge for a spell.
Dark Red Norland potatoes: A classic that I’ve been impatiently waiting for, this is my favorite waxy potato for salad potato. It’s yummy almost any way you cook them, baked and smashed or roasted… leave the skins on for a striking effect. Store 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 and Chioggia beets, beefsteak and heirlooms (ON SALE this week), Sungold, red and artisanal cherry tomatoes (ALL on sale this week), zucchini, and Zephyr summer squash, slicing cucumbers, jalapeño and shishito peppers, Red Gold, Satina, and Caribe potatoes, Ailsa Craig and Red torpedo fresh onions, the first eggplant and sweet peppers, sweet corn (as available this week), fresh, young ginger!
Coming Soon:
celery
Pick Your Own:
SUNGOLD CHERRY TOMATOES:
PYO pints are available from the high tunnel.
WAX AND GREEN BEANS:
A new patch is open!
SUNFLOWERS:
These beauties are available by the stem.
FLOWERS:
The flower patch is in full bloom!
PERENNIAL HERBS:
chives, oregano, sage, and thyme
Recipes
Suggested by Rebecca Batchie
For more recipes, check out the Fort Hill Farm Recipe Database
I know you know what to do with a watermelon – just eat it! Well, just in case you need a change of pace, here goes:
Smoky Watermelon-Jalapeno Margarita
Author Toni Dash from BoulderLocavore
Ingredients
1 jalapeno chile pepper
2 ounces tequila (I used a Blanco, or white, un-aged tequila for this)
1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
1 ounce watermelon puree
¾ ounce agave nectar/syrup
Hickory smoked salt for rimming the glass
Instructions
Muddle the jalapeno in a shaker or a pint glass.
Add the tequila, lime juice, watermelon puree and agave nectar.
Shake with ice and strain into a double old-fashioned glass filled with fresh ice and rimmed with hickory smoked salt. Garnish with a slice of watermelon and lime wedge.
Notes
Make watermelon puree by putting chunks of fresh watermelon in a blender and processing on the puree setting.
For an 8-cocktail large batch:
6 jalapenos
16 ounces silver or blanco tequila
8 ounces watermelon puree
8 ounces fresh lime juice
6 ounces agave nectar
a glass container larger then 38-ounces
In a large jar or container muddle the jalapenos. Follow the recipe as written above, sealing the container with ice and vigorously shaking it.
Strain into a pitcher and pour into rimmed glasses with ice for serving.