Farm News July 9, 2024
Our Farmstand is in full swing
(PYO & Farmstand Hours):
Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 2 - 6:30 PM
Saturday: 8 am - 12:30 pm
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The farm is really humming these days. We’ve got a big crew assembled for bunching greens, hoeing weeds, and planting crops. Hot weather has returned, but a timely inch and half of (mostly) gentle rain at the end of last week has meant the crops have kicked into high gear. Cucumbers and squash really love this kind of weather, and we have them in abundance. Tomatoes are coming in strong with that great “real tomato” flavor you’ve been waiting for. Sweet corn is close! Barring any catastrophes from the multitude of varmints who like corn as much as people do, we will have it any day now.
Tom and Faye hang the last bunches of garlic for curing in their new home : Greenhouse 7, formerly known as Greenhouse 1.
We found enough dry days to pull all the garlic and get it hung and drying in a greenhouse. This is a hard task and as usual, occurs on some of the hottest days of the year, so we are a bit relieved to have it behind us. Timing is critical for garlic harvest: we want the bulbs to be filled out, but not so far along that the leaves die back to the point where the bulb splits open. We got going on pulling the patch a bit early, so by the time we pulled the last bulb they were all in great shape.
Beautiful radish harvest today! James pulls purple radish from the tub, while Danniella tends to the French Breakfast in the background.
With the garlic safely tucked away, we can turn our attention to some field cleanup. The old beds of lettuce, greens, and strawberries need to be turned over and planted to cover crops, and the new strawberry field we are growing for 2025 needs weekly attention to keep the plants weeded and growing strong.
On the pick-your-own front, the flowers look great, and we have a nice crop of green beans. Blueberries are available! The small bushes from our young planting have made some tasty berries. We estimate they will be around for another week or two, but honestly, we are learning as we go on this new and exciting crop.
We hope to see you at the farm or a farmers’ market soon,
Paul, Rebecca, and the Fort Hill Farm crew
“Gleaners” volunteering from Real Food CT came to claim some good but cosmetically challenged lettuce and carrots last week. We love that we are able to donate this produce and that they make it so easy for us.
Featured veg:
Broccoli: Broccoli is a fickle crop in New England because of the spikes in temperature in the spring and summer. It’s tricky to grow, which is why nearly all the broc we eat in the US is grown in coastal California, where the temperatures are mild and stable. Our first harvest began last week, and the crowns are beautiful. If we’d known the spring was going to be as mild as it was, we would have planned an earlier crop. After 25 plus years of growing, we still can’t predict the future!
Sprouting Broccoli/ Broccolini: technically a budding type of Chinese kale, more similar to broccoli than kale. The stems, leaves, and buds can all be used. We are in love with this vegetable, for its ease of preparation and its deep, delectable flavor. We usually braise in a pan with a bit of water until it is passed the bright green stage, add salt and olive oil, and that’s it – no chopping! You can also cook just like broccoli: roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper, or steamed and sautéed. It’s a very popular ingredient for stir-fries, although I will try that out just this week.
Also available:
Head lettuce; salad mix; arugula; pea shoots; curly and lacinato kale; rainbow chard; kohlrabi; baby bok choy; purple, red and French Breakfast radish; cilantro, parsley, dill, basil; escarole; scallions; purplette onions; red beets, chioggia beets (and limited gold beets); Chinese cabbage; garlic scapes; zucchini, zephyr, and Patty Pan summer squash; Asian and slicing cucumbers; heirloom and beefsteak tomatoes; sungold and red cherry tomatoes; conehead, red, and Tendersweet cabbage; rainbow and orange fresh carrots; fresh garlic
Coming Soon:
Sweet Corn any minute now!
Pick Your Own:
Blueberries:
We are thrilled to be able to open the patch for PYO! These modest shrubs are only 3 - years old and are just starting to produce enough berries for harvest. The yields will grow each year along with the plants. After some battles with infertility, overzealous weed whackers, and Spongy moth caterpillars, we have (for the most part) very healthy plants with sweet and tasty blueberries! $5.75/pint PYO.
Perennial Herbs:
There are HERB RINGS provided to establish the bunch size.
Chives and Oregano: trim long lengths from the base of the plant, leaving 1” behind
Sage: clip 4 - 6 inches from the largest stems
Thyme: clip 4-6 from the perimeter of the plant
Flowers:
Already there is a full selection of blossoms out there. Be sure to use the flower ring provided to establish the bunch size.
Recipes
Suggested by Rebecca Batchie
For more recipes, check out the Fort Hill Farm Recipe Database
Asian Broccolini With Sesame and Ginger
From FoodieCrush
Servings 4
Ingredients
1 pound broccolini , ends trimmed
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger [our minced ginger is perfect here]
½ teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
pinch red pepper flakes
[optional: 1 large clove garlic, crushed]
Instructions
Bring ¼ inch water to a boil in a large skillet. Add the broccolini, cover with a lid, and cook for 8-10 minutes. Drain any remaining water then add the butter, soy sauce, grated ginger, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes to the pan and toss with the broccolini. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Toss with the sesame seeds and season with kosher salt if needed.
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