Category Archives: farmer’s markets

Connecticut, farmer's markets, farms, locavore, politics

At last-new food laws that are good for us

Looks like we may be seeing more fresh, local chicken in CT!!! According to this article at HartfordBusiness.com:

The “farms, foods and jobs” law Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed Tuesday immediately allows certain growers to sell dressed poultry and other poultry products directly to consumers, restaurants and hotels. The law covers Connecticut farms that produce fewer than 5,000 turkeys and 20,000 other poultry a year.

There’s a few more bennies for the local food front. Go check out the whole article. Thanks Jodi, heck of a nice going away present!

H/T to Patti Popp at Sport Hill Farm.

challenge, farmer's markets, farms, locavore

The dish with no name

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I don’t know what to call my Dark Days Challenge meal #4.

I had a bunch of disparate items in my refrigerator with no foraging trips to find something to tie them all together. Saturday was Christmas and the Farmers Market was closed. So I made this:

nameless_dish

My nameless dish was constituted and sourced as follows:

  • cabbage wedges (from Sport Hill Farm), roasted with pancetta (from Rowland Farm via Butcher’s Best) and a little olive oil based on this recipe. She was absolutely right—The high-heat roasting gets rid of any cabbage funk and makes the cabbage sweet and flavorful.
  • covered with roasted beets (from Riverbank Farm) following this distantly inspired method. I usually toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper and wrap them in foil to roast them, but I liked the oil-free idea (since I already had the oil and pancetta thing going on with the cabbage). Thanks Anita—it worked out really well.
  • covered with homemade ricotta (using Stone Wall dairy raw milk), following the Cheese Queens instructions. I let mine drain a little longer than usual so I could “crumble” it on my creation. (H/T to Kaela for reminding me how simple this exquisite pleasure is to make.)
  • topped off with that pancetta.

Any ideas about what I could call this?

Connecticut, farmer's markets, farms, locavore

Thanksgiving 2010

I love Thanksgiving! A couple of years ago, an acquaintance said, “I hope the meaning of the holiday doesn’t get lost behind the food.” Sorry–I think the food is the meaning of the holiday. I love having a holiday that celebrates human skill at coaxing food from the soil. For me, Thanksgiving is a holiday between eaters and our farmers, each of us giving thanks for the other and sharing the bounty with friends and family. A local Thanksgiving makes it personal.

This year’s menu:

Appetizers:

  • Spicy pickled carrots, and hot cherry peppers, and pickled jalapenos from my canning adventure.
  • Womanchego and Vivace Bambino cheeses from Cato Corner via Artisan Food Store.
  • North Fork chips (Long Island potato chips), white and sweet, via Holbrook
  • Crudites, with carrots from Sport Hill Farm, other fresh vegetables from elsewhere in the country, and a ranch dip made with Arethusa yogurt.
  • Non-local chips and breads.

Soup

Chicken soup made from Holbrook Farm and Stuarts Family Farm chickens with carrots from Riverbank Farm, celeriac and parsnips from Yale Farm, and onions from Newtown Cedar Hill Farm.

Main Course

Dessert

Beverages

The Connecticut bounty was spectacular this year. I had a lot more food that didn’t find its way to the table—seriously, how much can you really eat and enjoy?  Not to worry—it will find its way to the freezer and get me through the dark days ahead.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Sincere apologies for the lack of pictures—too much going on. Since it’s a tradition, you can look at last year’s and get a good idea of how this year looked!

Connecticut, farmer's markets, farms, locavore

2010 Farmers Markets

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The 2010 Summer Farmers Market season is starting to swing! Several markets are already opening, and within the next month, the rest will follow suit. Here’s a directory of sorts, highlighting the markets in my near circle, far circle, and some links to more market information so you can draw your own circles. I also give a bit of advice about markets.

Markets in my near circle that I frequent regularly:

Markets in my far circle, compelling enough to make the trek periodically:

Directories, maps, and listings for even more Farmers Markets:

Market Advice

Farmers markets are an excellent way to know your farmer and know your food. Realize that not every vendor selling food at the market is a farmer.

Sometimes farmers send friends and family members in their place, particularly when a small family farm has to cover several markets on a Saturday. Sometimes farmers partner with other farmers for the same reassons. Often, these proxies won’t be able to answer your questions (regarding varieties, how to cook something, how it was grown). Still, the products are local.

Other vendors are really only produce dealers, who buy wholesale and sell at the farmers markets for the better return. The food they sell may not be local to your region. It might not even be from your country! The produce dealers compete against the real local farmers for your dollars.

You may willing to purchase an item regardless of its origin or growing style. Even some local foodie purists are willing to make exceptions for some reason or another. Since you are paying a premium when you shop at a farmers market, the minimum you should be given for your premium is the truth so you can make your own informed decisions. Otherwise, there’s no difference between the farmers market and Stop & Shop. Ask the vendors to label their offerings.

How can you tell the difference between a produce dealer and a real farm? It’s not always easy.

  • Ask specific questions about growing practices and varieties. It’s not a guaranteed method, because, as mentioned, the booth could be staffed by a farmer’s proxy. Still, a real farmer will be able to answer questions about farming practices in great detail. In fact, they will be enthusiastic! If the vendor rolls their eyeballs at your questions, move on!
  • Consider their offerings. Are there items out-of-season for your region? Are they selling items that don’t even grow in your region? Are their items vastly different from most of the other vendors?
  • Ask the market master. Some markets have rules for product origin.

If you are not satisfied with the interaction or are feeling uncomfortable about a particular vendor, move on. You are under no obligation to buy from anyone simply because they have a booth at the market. Much of the local food movement is built on trust and it makes no sense to reward those who don’t honor it.

Why can’t everyone be like John Holbrook? His farm stand offers a variety of products in addition to his own produce. Practically everything in his farm stand is labeled with information such as: conventionally grown, organic, the name of the farm, and whatever other information may be of value to a consumer. If you have a question and he doesn’t readily know the answer (rare, but it happens), he says he’ll look into it. And he does! Sure enough, next time you walk in, he has your answer. Often, he makes the phone call on the spot. Granted, Holbrook’s is not a Farmers Market. It is his farm stand, bearing his name.