Category Archives: markets

locavore, markets

Saturday’s Forage (3/21/09)

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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!

Connecticut, foraging, locavore, markets

Foraging 12/27/08

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The Fairfield Winter Market is going strong. It was good to get down there after missing last week—snow, and lots of it, closed the market down.  This week, I scored:

  • Veal scallopine, veal chops, and frozen prepared lamb curry stew from Sankow’s Beaver Brook
  • French country bread from Wave Hill Breads
  • Yogurt and butter (yes butter) from Smyth’s Trinity Farm in Enfield. (Now I don’t have to make my own!)
  • Carola potatoes and carrots from Riverbank Farm. (I met David today!)
  • Patchouli soap from Goatboy Soap (I was down to two bars in the cabinet and I was starting to get nervous!)

It turns out that the town of Fairfield has an ordinance against selling raw milk, so if you want Beaver Brook’s raw milk, you need to get it at the New Haven market. Whassup with that, Fairfield?!

On the loop back, I stopped at Silverman’s Farm for apples (Cortlands and Macintosh) and some cider. Yes, you can still get fresh apples—not Macouns, but several other varieties are available. Yes, the Cortlands still crunch when you bite into them! I’ve been eating the dried and sauced variety and drinking cider for a month and was completely delighted today to bite into a fresh apple. So much so, I ate two!

farmer's markets, farms, foraging, locavore, markets, raw milk

Foraging, Saturday 9/13/2008

Saturday was a fun forage…we went here, there and it seemed, everywhere!

We began at the Bethel Farmer’s Market where I picked up numerous items from Newtown Cedar Hill Farm,  Maple Bank Farm, Don Taylor’s Farm, and Goat Boy Soap:

We continued on to Blue Jay Orchards for some apples. (They don’t have Macouns yet.)

blue_jay

Next stop was Cherry Grove Farm in Newtown. And surprise–there were people there! In all the time I’ve been going to this farm, I had not seen a soul. This day, I met an employee and other customers. When it rains, it pours they say. They’re right. Anyway, Cherry Grove now has a video camera live feeding into the Newtown Police because they were robbed. I think there’s a special place in hell for anyone who’d rip off a farmer.

Then off to New Morning in Woodbury for raw milk and other indispensables.

And then to Pasta Fina (map) in Shelton, CT. Okay, so the homemade pasta, meatballs, ravioli, and vodka sauce are not local at all, but… (everything here is so very delicious).

On the way back, we stopped at Beardsley’s Cider Mill and Guy’s Eco Garden, next door.

Apologies for this post getting posted so far after the fact, but the bounty had to be put by first. This last week, I made yogurt and butter, froze some cooked kale, set out herbs and hot peppers to dry, canned beets, dried peaches, green beans, and zucchini, and more that I can’t even remember. Storing up for the winter (and the October Eat Local Challenge) is real work. I don’t know what I’m going to do next week when television season premieres compete for my time!

challenge, CSA, locavore, markets

CSA, Week 6

July 29 was the sixth week of our CSA (Waldingfield Farm, pick-up point Sandy Hook Organic Farmer’s Market). Our bounty included:
– mixed salad greens
– sugar snap peas
– green beans
– Swiss chard
– patty pan squash
– cucumbers
– green bell peppers
– Chinese eggplant
– sun gold cherry tomatoes

Our local dinner (no challenge) was:
– patty pan squash (from Waldingfield) stuffed with sauteed pork sausage from Ox Hollow farm, peppers, garlic, onions (from various farms), and cheese from Sankow’s Beaver Brook.