A Brief History of Fort Hill Farm
It occurred to me last week that many new shareholders may not know the story of how the CSA came to be. I first heard about a hay field for rent in New Milford when I was managing a big CSA in north central Connecticut. Fort Hill Farm is part of a collection of farms that is owned and managed by the Nature Conservancy’s Sunny Valley Preserve. Sunny Valley wanted to get an organic farm started so they put aside 20 acres of land on Fort Hill Rd. I put in a proposal, and was granted a five-year lease on the land in 2002. Figuring that I would be somewhat tied down for the rest of my life, I then proceeded to go on a six month walkabout that started in Denver and ended in Alaska by way of Belize. On the road trip back I sold my old Mazda in Minnesota and bought my buddies beat up van and a new trailer, and proceeded to blow my entire life savings in the Midwest on rusty old farm equipment. I plowed ground at Fort Hill and planted the first cover crops late in the summer of 02. Financially broke and somewhat dazed, I then set about looking for ways to pay the rent as winter set in. I ended up doing office temp work, which is about as far afield as an organic farmer can get. One positive outcome of temping was that while I was blowing the dust off old purchase records at Boehringer-Ingelheims’ corporate office in Danbury, I met Rachel Mazzerelli, a very energetic young lady who was then the head of the fitness center. I remember sitting down with Rachel and giving a 20 second description of what a CSA was. My plan was to do a farmers market or two in the first year of farming at Fort Hill and then start the CSA some years down the road. Rachel just looked at me and said “You HAVE to do the CSA this year!”, asked me how many people I needed to start, and proceeded to round up the first 20 shareholders for the CSA, many of who are still with the farm today. (Rachel coordinates the Fairfield East drop site).

That first year was a little rough. I planted four acres of veg with some family help. I packed the first 20 boxes by myself on a couple of picnic tables. We lugged harvested produce down (and back up) the stairs to my basement, all 20,000 lbs. of it. The only water source we had was the well from the house, which I routinely drained completely dry, more than once while Shad, my first apprentice, was in the middle of a shower. Almost every piece of the junky equipment I bought broke that year. But we got by, with a lot of help from friends and family and the good fortune of having one of the wettest summers in memory keep this sandy beach of a farm watered. Year Two started out pretty bleak financially, and by late winter I was out of money and maxed out on 2 credit cards. And then the CSA checks started coming in….it was a great feeling to know that people appreciated what I did, and humbling to know that those share down payments were floating my farm dream.

Now, in our third production year, it’s somewhat amazing to me to look around and see our two irrigation wells, 2,000 feet of irrigation pipe, 2 greenhouses up and a third on the way, a barn, coolers, and a packing area. These investments are improving the quality and quantity of our harvest, making life easier for the crew, and allowing us to serve the 225 shareholders now in the CSA, representing over 300 families that are connected to this farm. It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication of current and former apprentices, friends, family members, Sunny Valley Preserve, and the enthusiasm that shareholders have for the farm.

Hope you enjoy the harvest.

Your farmer,

Paul Bucciaglia, for Janine, John, Leah, Bob, and Jean.

New this week:

Fresh Garlic: Garlic is late this year but its making a very fine crop. We grow some great garlic on the farm, and when its fresh out of the ground its particularly pungent. Fresh garlic will store on the counter for a week or so, longer in the fridge. We’ll give out fresh garlic for another week or so, then pull the whole crop to dry until September, when we will distribute the bulk of the crop.

Tomatoes: We have been putting teaser amounts of ‘maters as they come out of our greenhouse, and they are now starting to pump out larger quantities of fruit. The weird looking ones are great tasting, old-time heirloom vairieties: Cherokee Purple (maroon colored, green on top), Brandywine (large, bright red/pink fruit) and Striped German (very large, yellow and red fruit). Always store tomatoes in a cool, dry, place out of direct sunlight.

Kale: very nutritious, try saute in olive oil, lemon and garlic.

Basil tops: first cut from our second planting, great for a tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad. Store dry in a loose bag and use quickly as it stores poorly.

Also in the box: lettuce, beets, broccoli, summer squash, and Farmers Choice (spinach or bok choy).

LAST NOTE ABOUT BOXES: Please fold your box when you return it to the drop site each week. Please do not rip the tabs!!! They bend back for easy unfolding. Ripped tabs=destroyed box, please be gentle! Thanks!

Recipes

Summer Beet Salad, by Janine Meyer

1 Bunch beets (you’ll need the beets and the greens!)

Spinach

Fresh berries in season

Toasted nuts (I like almonds or pecans, sunflower seeds are good too)

Root vegetable (turnips, carrots, or radishes)

Goat cheese (optional)

Chop up the beet greens and spinach, wash and toss together. Chop up your beets into preferred salad sized pieces and either steam or boil until tender. Let beets cool before adding them to your greens, then toss everything together (if berries are not available, I like to add plums or pears). Lightly dress with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar with fresh cracked black pepper, crumble on Goat Cheese and enjoy!

Zucchini Corn Fritters, by Elizabeth Fleming, Holcomb Farm CSA member and coordinator of the CT Farm-to-School Program, a project of the CT Department of Agriculture working to help school cafeterias source and serve locally grown food. For more information contact Elizabeth at (860) 296-9325 or efleming@hartfordfood.org

2 eggs

2 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 medium) 3/4 tsp salt

1 cup corn (cut from about 2 ears of corn) pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped scallions, onion, or leeks 1 cup grated extra sharp cheddar

1/2 cup flour oil for frying

Combine all ingredients, fry in oil on both sides until golden and crispy.

Kale Salad, by former apprentice Shad Bridges

1 bunch kale, stem removed, leaves chopped 1-2 teaspoons Braggs liquid Aminos, or lite soy sauce

¼ head red cabbage, cored and shredded 2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 red onion, sliced into half moons 2 tablespoons olive oil

Bring a large pot of water to a steady boil. Submerge greens and cabbage in water and return to boil. Immediately remove to a strainer and rinse with cold water. Meanwhile, sauté the onion in oil over medium heat until translucent. Turn heat to high, add cooled greens and stir fry 3-5 minutes until hot. Add Braggs and lemon, sauté two minutes more. Serve chilled.