|
Fall Hours:
CLOSED FRIDAYS,
with reduced hours on the remaining open days:
FALL PYO & Farmstand Hours:
Tuesday & Thursday: 2 - 5:30 PM
Saturday: 9 am - 12:30 pm
******
FARM NEWS ~ September 30, 2025
This week’s Farm News comes to you from one of our farm managers, Faye Barry. While Faye takes on multiple roles throughout the season, including harvest management with Dana, her specialty is transferring her wealth of knowledge of dahlias into managing our dahlia patch, Dahlia Tuber Store, and the breadth of dahlia information on our website. Read below for intriguing explanation of plant breeding and a chance to weigh in for yourself! Faye writes …
Out of the well over 50,000 named dahlia cultivars that exist today, we grow about 80 on the farm each year. Right now, all of them are exploding with blooms and I, personally, am praying to any dahlia deity that will listen to let the killing frost be a long way off still, but I know it’s coming soon. For now though, the plants are still bubbling over with color and texture, and the pollinators are absolutely feasting.
| Margo has been coming to the farm from the very beginning. It's great to see her enjoying the flower patch! | The magic of pollination has always intrigued me, and few years ago, against my better time management judgement, I embarked on a little dahlia breeding adventure to get in on it. When a bee sips nectar from a flower, they dislodge little grains of pollen from the anthers of one flower, then move on and some of that pollen is deposited onto an open stigma of the next flower they visit. This is the first step in the creation of a brand new seed. In the case of dahlias, each individual flower can produce up to 50 viable seeds. And each seed, if it grows into a mature plant, will produce a new, totally unpredictable, unique dahlia flower! | Walking through the patch one is enveloped in a tunnel of riotous beauty and color. It's truly hard to choose just one bouquet. In fact, having to choose just one photo is ridiculous! Here are two ... | I had to see what treasures were hidden in our spent blooms. In 2022 I collected lots of dahlia seeds from our field and have been growing them every year since. Scattered around our field are some of the varieties from that first round. If you walk all the way to the end of the patch, you can see the next trials that grew from seeds saved last fall. | Jane and friends have beautified their tables with bouquets for holiday gatherings for the last two years. Think of how these dahlias can jazz up weddings and other special events ... | |
This laissez-faire method of letting nature lead the way is full of surprises and I’ve been delighted with what’s come from it. They’re vibrant plants brimming with wild, beautiful blooms. To see what grew from those first seeds I collected, click here: https://forms.gle/wCbdeopkBPp2FGHY9. It’s a Google form where you can see photos and rate your favorites!
A frost is likely coming this Thursday, but we think we can protect the plants through it and keep them going til a harder frost comes. Now’s the time to enjoy the flower patch!
Faye
| Butternut squash: We are pleased with the Buttnernut crop – a New England classic crop. We have a great crop this year, with plenty to go around. Check out the tasty recipe below. Or, like all winter squash, prepare by cutting in half, scooping out the seeds, oiling the cut edges, and putting face down on a sheet pan lined with parchment or in a baking pan with a quarter inch of water in it. Bake at 375F until a fork slides in easily, let cool a bit, and enjoy. Serve with butter. Or peel and cube, toss in olive oil, and roast in the oven with other fall roots. Don't forget to roast the seeds too! It should store for many weeks in a dry place between 55F and 65F. | Escarole: We have a stupendous fall crop of super-sized escarole heads. In my humble opinion, this lettuce cousin is one of the most underrated vegetables. It is bitter raw (love me once) and mellows to a deep flavor when cooked (love me twice), and is very nutritious (love me three times, baby!). It is essential for soups, and is fab in stir-fries or as a pizza topping when pre-sautéed in herbs. Try Ginny Bucciaglia’s classic escarole and beans recipe on our recipe database, or if you’re feeling adventurous, the yummy recipe below. Stores like lettuce. |
Also available:
Head lettuce; spinach; salad mix; arugula; pea shoots; curly and lacinato kale; rainbow chard; red, purple, and French Breakfast radish; basil; cilantro, parsley, oregano, chives, thyme, sage; red beets; chioggia beets; gold beets; baby bok choy; carrots; scallions; leeks; celeriac; radicchio; dandelion greens; escarole; fennel; broccoli; sprouting broccoli; romanesco; cherry tomatoes (limited), Beefsteak and heirloom slicing tomatoes; Chinese cabbage; Savoy and red cabbage; German Extra Hardy garlic; jalapeño, shishito, cayenne, poblano, and cherry hot peppers (limited); green bell peppers, sweet red and yellow (ON SALE!) Italian peppers, sweet orange snacking (ON SALE!) peppers; eggplant: classic Italian, Graffiti, Rosa Bianca, and a bit of two Asian types; red and yellow storage onions; Satina Gold, Dark Red Norland, LaRatte and Pinto Gold fingerling and Kennebec potatoes; zucchini; spaghetti squash; acorn squash; Jester delicata squash; Honeynut squash; Sugar pie pumpkins, Jack 'o lantern pumpkins; collard greens; sweet potatoes; fresh ginger; plus choice apple varieties from Hidden Gem Orchard, Maple Bank Farm, and Averill Farm!
| |
Coming soon:
Koginut squash
| |
Pick Your Own:
Flowers- The dahlias are still booming – Don't miss out on the experience!
Please pick up a flower ring at the barn to get the right size bouquet.
Perennial Herbs: oregano, sage, thyme, and chives
Please pick up an herb ring at the barn to get the right size bunch.
|
Recipes:
Suggested by Rebecca Batchie
– Not into this particular recipe? For more recipes arranged by crop, check out the Fort Hill Farm Recipe Database.
Escarole, Bacon and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Dried Apricots and Pepitas
Recipe by Heather Christo
Serves: 4
This is the best mix of salty, tart and sweet ever all rolled into a salad! It's rich autumnal flavors make it the perfect salad to accompany any dinner- this is a Thanksgiving table worthy salad for me!
Ingredients
Roasted Squash:
- 2-3 cups butternut squash (or pumpkin), peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- kosher salt
- Salad:
- 1 head escarole, roughly chopped
- 2-3 slices cooked bacon, chopped
- ½ cup dried apricots, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup roasted and salted pepitas
Vinaigrette:
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey or agave
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss the squash with the olive oil and sprinkle it with kosher salt. Roast the squash for 15-18 minutes until golden browned on the edges and fork tender. Set aside to cool.
- In a small bowl whisk together the vinaigrette and season to taste with kosher salt.
- In a large bowl combine the escarole, bacon, apricots and pepitas with the butternut squash. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the top and gently toss to coat. Season to taste with kosher salt and serve immediately.
|
FARMSTAND & PYO FALL SCHEDULE:
Tuesday & Thursday: 2 - 5:30 PM
Saturday: 9am - 12:30 pm
| |
FARMERS' MARKETS
Come see us on Thursdays from 10-2 at the Westport Farmers' Market
50 Imperial Ave, Westport
~Goes inside November 13
and on the Green at the
New Milford Market,
Saturdays from 9 - Noon
~Last market November 22
| |
