The first day of spring was a chilly forty something degrees. This week’s forage began at the Wholesome Wave (Westport Farmers Market) in Fairfield where I scored:

• a bouquet of kale from Two Guys from Woodbridge
• pork chops and stew beef from Ox Hollow Farm
• Veal for scallopini and Pleasant cow cheese from Sankow’s Beaver Brook
• several loaves from Wave Hill Breads
• yogurt, butter, and heavy cream from Trinity Dairy of Enfield
• fresh spinach from Starlight Farms
• carrots and onions from Riverbank Farm
• a bowl of clam chowder for Westport Aquaculture

Whilst completing my veal purchase, I overheard some women talking behind me, the one telling the other in a disparaging voice, “Don’t buy the veal–you know how they raise them.” Clearly, she didn’t realize that the Sankows aren’t them. Veal is a natural product of a dairy farm—it does not have to be the unnatural product of an industry. I agree that the CAFO method of raising veal is atrocious. In fact, I didn’t eat veal for many, many years because of it. But this veal is not that veal. This veal is from Beaver Brook, a family farm where the farmers and staff face their customers eye-to-eye, week after week and invites the public to come to their farm.

On the way back north, I stopped at Agway from some planting media.

Then on to New Morning Natural Foods, Woodbury, CT to round out my week’s groceries. Locally speaking, this included:

• raw milk from Stonewall Dairy
• mozzarella cheese from Nanuet, NY (who knew?)
• Christine’s Coconut Ding-Rings (wheat and gluten free) from Shayna B’s & the Pickle in Union, CT

And that was my fun and exciting forage!