• arugula
• spinach
• a lovely potted lavender plant

The new barn at Sport Hill is really coming along. It is beautiful. Sorry, no photo since this was an impromptu visit! Next time.

Cecelia is up for a weekend of wine trailing for the 2010 Passport contest, so we planned on an abbreviated Saturday forage.

Serendipitous score: at the Newtown Deli, there’s a (newish) fresh meat market called Butcher’s Best Market. Their lamb and pork are from local farms. I scored

• lamb chops from Sepe Farm, Sandy Hook, CT
• a container of lard, made from Rowland Farm hogs

At the New Milford Farmers Market (on the green, Saturdays from 9 AM to noon), I scored:

• patchouli soap from Goatboy Soap (for my eternal collection)
• cilantro and spring garlic from Riverbank Farm
• bacon from Grayledge Farm (thanks to Riverbank Farm)
• and had a couple of apple cider donuts from Averill Farm

Lots of folks at this market were selling seedling starts for the garden.

At the Hopkins Vineyard Barrel Tasting (more on that in another post), I scored

• Womanchego cheese from Cato Corner Farm and Asiago chese Cherry Grove Farm, Lawrenceville, NJ and goat milk Feta from Beltane Farm, all provided by Artisan Made, Northeast of Southbury.
• Raspberry Peach jam from Twin Pines Farm, Thomaston, CT

At Chapel Hill Farm in Sherman, I scored blueberry and peach jam.

At Bluestone Farm, I scored

• Cavolo Nero starts (Tuscan Kale)
• Maple syrup (2010)

And at New Morning Natural Foods, I scored:

• Stone Wall Dairy raw milk
• Deerfield Farm yogurt

And that was it!

Holbrook Farm, where I scored:

• spinach
• arugula
• mustard greens
• ramps
• cilantro
• greenhouse tomatoes from March Farm
• Kenyon’s Rhode Island sea salt (Yay! It’s back!)
• Holbrook’s own bread and butter pickles
• Beltane Farm Goat milk
• Womanchego cheese from Cato Corner Farm
• Roma tomato starts

Then on to Opening Day at the New Milford Farmers Market. I arrived at the new Milford green at 12:20 PM but the market runs from 9-12. I’ll say this, they sure clean up well after themselves because there wasn’t a trace when I got there! I’ll just need to get started earlier next week.

Then on to Maple Bank Farm, where I scored:

• something that looks like long radishes from Riverbank Farm
• bok choy from Riverbank Farm
• bacon from Greyledge Farm
• organic potting soil from McEnroe in Millerton, NY

And winding up at New Morning Natural Foods, where I picked up these local items:

• arugula from Riverbank Farm
• raw milk from Stone Wall Dairy
• yogurt from Deerfield Farm
• Woodbury Farm eggs
• San Marzano tomato starts from Fort Hill Farm

And then to Rich Farm for a treat!

At Holbrook’s, a cheese tasting was in-progress. They’re carrying a larger selection of cheeses, including Cato Corner, Beltane, and Sprout Creek Farm from local sources, and the tasting was an opportunity to introduce their customers to these new offerings.

I scored:

• a couple of bunches of ramps (HT to Kaela—check out her post learn all about ramps)
• a big bag of loose spinach (obviously in need of morels)
• a big bag of mixed greens, mostly arugula, with a pick-my-own private lesson from John (who shied out of a video). Picking greens with John is more than an educational experience: Here, taste this. Now this. Whaddya think of that? Ever taste anything like that?! No charge for all the greens I consumed while picking!
• cheese: Womanchego and Vivace Bambino from Cato Corner and Ourey and Doe Re Me from Sprout Creek Farm

By the way, Holbrook’s is back to their regular season hours: 9 AM to 6 PM, Monday through Saturday.

Then on to New Morning where I scored:

• Stone Wall Dairy raw milk
• Deerfield yogurt

I missed the fiddleheads, but am now on a call list!

Then it was off to Rich Farm with the kids for the first ice cream of the season.

Today’s forage began at Redding Roasters for some peaberry and espresso beans. No, the coffee’s not local, but it is very locally roasted and as fair trade and organic as Bill can find.

Then on to Holbrook Farm where I scored spinach and red leaf lettuce.

Then on to the Fairfield Winter Market (seems weird to say that when the temperature was in the 80s!). The vendors were all outside. I scored:

• Nehantic Abby cheese from Sankow’s Beaver Brook
• Wasabi chive cheese spread from Ladies of Levita Road, Lebanon, CT
• garlic and sweet potatoes from Newgate Farms
• carola and red gold potatoes and carrots from Riverbank Farm
• stew beef and bacon from Eagle Wood Farms
• and yet a few more McIntosh apples from Daffodil Hill Growers

New Morning Natural Foods has my milk and yogurt put aside (they’re nice that way) since I’ll be over in their neck of the woods tomorrow. Might as well save some food miles.

Wild Hive Bakery Cafe

Don Lewis‘ Wild Hive is more than a Bakery Cafe; it’s a locavore haven. They micro-mill local organic grains for all of their breads. They raise their own chickens for their eggs. They sell products from other local farms, including an extensive dairy case. Their menu boasts a 10-mile hamburger! And the café food is delicious.

I first learned of Wild Hive in July 2008 at a NOFA-NY event at Lightning Tree Farm. I got to sample breads made from a variety of grains, baked in Don’s special oven. It was love at first sight (bite?) and I’ve been a fan ever since.

Wild Hive’s Micro Mill is rather popular with other locavore bloggers in my neck of the woods. Most of us have a story about how incredibly flexible and creative staff at Wild Hive is when it comes to delivering the goods. At our locavore pot luck, several of us shared our Wild Hive stories. One told of meeting Wild Hive employees at a halfway point to exchange white powder for money in parking lots! When I ordered several pounds of grains at once, they called to tell me that the postage would be significant and if I could wait a week, one of them was planning to run an errand in my neighborhood and could drop my order off at my home. Can you imagine? How many people have a miller that will do that? (For that matter, how many people have a miller?)

I brake for bread

The Wild Hive Café is also a community gathering space and an educational resource. Just chatting at the check-out, I picked up a valuable tip for storing garlic: clay pots in a dark, dry place.

You can keep up with their menu and seasonal offerings as they come in by following Amy’s Wild Hive blog.

I couldn’t help myself—I stopped back in on the return trip. On this fortuitous forage, I scored:

• several bags of a variety of milled grains
• Italian whole wheat bread
• sprouted wheat loaf
• garlic from a local farm
• Ronny Brook Creme Fraiche
• Ronny Brook butter
• homemade ravioli
• homemade spelt fettuccine

And for immediate (or soon thereafter) consumption: an entirely local egg and cheese sandwich, corn muffins, cinnamon biscuits, and Deans Beans coffee!

• Pleasant Son (cow) cheese from Sankow’s Beaver Brook
• yogurt from Deerfield Farm
• raw milk from Stone Wall Dairy
• spinach from Fort Hill Farm
• bread from Wave Hill Breads (not local grains, but local artisans)
• Tumbleweed cheese from 5 Spoke Creamery (not local milk, but local artisan)

Not a bad catch for the day. For the rest, there’s the freezer!

I scored:

• stew beef from New Boston Beef in N. Grosvenordale, CT
• cheeses from  Cato Corner Farm, Beltane Farm, and Ladies of Levita Road, Lebanon, CT
• celeriac, yellow and red onions, and bok choy from Wayne’s Organic Garden in Oneco, CT
• Can’t Beet It (a beet and horseradish condiment) that they assure me was made from local farmers market produce.
• Peregion and Jacob’s Cattle dried beans, butternut squash, and raspberry jam from Purity Farm in Moosup, CT
  
• cabbage from Highland Thistle Farm in Canturbury, CT
• arugula microgreens from Two Guys from Woodbridge

There were quite a few other vendors there and it was well worth the trip.

From New Morning Natural Foods, I scored these local items:

• beef short ribs from Laurel Ridge Farm
• spinach from Fort Hill Farm
• eggs from Greyledge Farm
• raw milk from both Foxfire and Stone Wall

Not a bad take for a low-market week!

It was great to be back at the Fairfield Winter Market, which is happily back indoors. (Although, truth be told, it was probably warmer outside than inside this week!) I scored:

• carrots, parsnips, and celeriac from Riverbank Farm
• veal shanks (for Osso Bucco) from Sankow’s Beaver Brook
• spinach from Starlight Farms
• Cortland and Macintosh apples provided by Daffodil Hill Growers (from a neighboring farm)
• ricotta salada cheese from Ladies of Levita Road, Lebanon, CT
• beets from Newgate Farms
• Bread from Wave Hill Breads

NOTE: No Fairfield Winter Market next week (1/30). The market will resume on Saturday, February 6, 2010.

Then on to New Morning Natural Foods where I scored these local items:

• raw milk from Stone Wall Dairy
• yogurt from Deerfield Farm

Good to be back in the groove.

• Holbrook Farm is closed until the day after Epiphany (1/7/2010).
• The Fairfield Winter Market is closed until 1/9/2010.
• The New Haven Wooster Street market is closed until 1/16/2010.
• Maple Bank Farm is closed for the season.
• Blue Jay Orchards is closed for the season.

Looks like I’ll be hitting up the freezer more than usual, visiting Stuarts Family Farm, and running to New Morning Natural Foods for their local fare.

I will miss my farmers. My Saturday forages are more than grocery shopping—they’re visits, educational opportunities, and often entertainment. This is not Stop and Shop!

Still, my farmers will be with me—I do think of them as I cook and eat my meals. It’s almost as if they’re there at the table. In a way, they are. I certainly don’t begrudge them this time off. They have more than earned it, especially this past year. I hope their break is restful and restorative and I look forward to seeing them when they return.

Happy Holidays to all of you!

I scored:

• Sea scallops from Rob of Seatuck Fish
  
• From Madura Farms, Goshen, NY (thank you Regan):
  • Shiitake, Baby Bella, and Portobella mushrooms
  • Cippolini onions
  • celeriac
  • popcorn on the cob (and a brown paper bag to pop it in the microwave)
    
• Peach tart from Dutch Desserts (all fruits come from local farms)
• Sweet Italian sausage from New England Farms, (Okay, it’s 134 mile from my home, but I really like how they farm.)
• Prepared curried cauliflower soup from Go-Go Pops, (all vegetables from Madura’s)
• Half-sour pickles from Picklelicious, (cucumbers come from local farmers, local in NJ, that is)
  
• Fresh (from this morning) mozzarella cheese and sesame seed cookies from The Farmer’s Daughter in Pine Island, NY. (OK, the cookies are not from local ingredients, but these are my favorite kind, so, I’m calling Marco Polo.)
• Red wine (Couer De Lion and Private Reserve Red) from Cascade Mountain Winery & Restaurant, Amenia, NY.
• Raspberry jam from Renee’s Homemade Jams and Jellies, Bedford Hills, NY

I really enjoyed this market and the diversity of foods.

Then on to Holbrook’s in Bethel, CT where I scored:

• a whole fresh chicken
• raw milk from Stone Wall dairy
• Mizuna greens
• cheddar cheese from a Cabot exile now going through a Canadian company. I have decided to add cheddar cheese to my Marco Polo list along with Parmigiano Reggiano until I can find a local maker.
• Macoun apples from Blue Hill in Wallingford (so excited to be still getting Macouns!)

Holbrook’s continues to be much more than a farm market; they’re a community gathering place and a learning center.

And serendipitously, Ferris Acres Creamery happened to be open, fulfilling holiday orders. (You had to pre-order. They were supposed to be closed to the general public for the season.) It turned out that they were selling the last of the unsold stock. I lucked out and got a quart of Cookies and Cream, Dark Chocolate Espresso, and Pistachio! (Sadly, there wasn’t any vanilla…)

Finally, I got my local Christmas tree at Maple Row Tree Farm, a Fraser Fir. It is currently in the stand and watered and relaxing. Christmas trees need to relax when they come inside from the cold.

I’m going to go relax myself.