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Fort Hill Farm


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FARM NEWS ~ August 18, 2026



Harvests are heavy this week as the fruits of summer take center stage and demand much of our attention.   We are at peak tomato, and they are coming in from greenhouses, from high tunnels, and from the field.  It’s time for salsa and gazpacho and fresh pasta sauces (see cherry tomato tart recipe below). The pepper harvest has kicked in, and we have green bells added to our sweet red and orange pointy peppers.  We’ve started bringing in the potato crop, and the storage red and yellow onions needed an emergency evacuation from the field to protect them from what seemed like a daily dose of rain last week.

 

Becca, Madison, and Aiden bring in the pepper and eggplant haul, which is picking up speed now that we're in mid-August.

We’ve had up and down years with these crops, but generally we do pretty well.  Then there are the wild card crops.   Chief among them is sweet corn.  Our plan is to have sweet corn every week from mid-July through Labor Day, but there are so many things can go wrong along the way.  For example, heat waves and droughts can cause the undeveloped kernels, resulting in misshapen ears.  But the biggest challenge we face is from blackbirds.  They come in for breakfast every day and often never leave.  Last week it got so bad we lost half the week’s corn.  We’ve got a long list of defenses that we deploy, including scare balloons, lasers, distress call machines, and last week we even added a 20 ft tall inflatable “balloon guy,” prompting the crew to ask me if I was going to start selling used cars.   But the most effective thing we find is just getting the pesky birds full on old corn, so almost every day we go into the patch and shuck ears they have damaged in a previous weeks planting to allow them access to the full ear.  It’s a lot of work for them to get through the husks on the current corn, and I guess their little bellies can only hold so much.  Often it gets them full enough to deter them from the current week’s corn. 

 

Last week Natalie B. and Luca got their hands on the first potato of the season...Red Gold...Make way for Blue Gold this week!

 

The other unpredictable summer favorite is melons. Unlike melons from the store, we let them go to full ripeness, so there is a little bit of gambling involved.  We have cues we take to know when they are ripe, but if you aren’t super satisfied with your melon let us know so we can replace or refund it.  On Monday, we picked out most of the cantaloupes and a good number of watermelons, and we will have them while they last.   The watermelons are the survivors of a crow invasion that took out a fair number of melons with some concentrated pecking.  Cantaloupes are the crop that breaks my heart the most often, but we have a good pick this week, get them while you can.  And in the trial patch, for the first time ever we successfully harvested a Fort Hill Farm honeydew melon.  We will try for a commercial size planting next year and hope to add them to the Fort Hill Farm Summer treats menu in 2027!


We hope you enjoy the farm and the harvest,


Paul, Rebecca, and the Fort Hill Farm crew

Featured this week:


Sungold Cherry Tomatoes:  The Sungolds have really ramped up in the last week, and we are able to put them on SALE! Sungolds are always a favorite, and it’s been hard to get enough of these saffron-colored rubies to everyone who wants them. Enjoy the sweet taste of summer while it lasts! (see recipe below).  

 

Blue gold potatoes: This potato, also known as Peter Wilcox, has become a personal favorite. Blue Gold’s high-density (and creamy) starch content is perfect for frying, baking, holding up in soups, and they are flavorful enough for roasting too. Plus, pretty, deep blue outside, moist yellow inside … what’s not to love? Store in a cool, dark place, but not in the fridge. Try them in the yummy recipe below.

 

Also available:


Sweet Corn

Edamame

German Extra Hardy garlic

zucchini

zephyr and patty pan squash (limited)

Asian cucumbers

Slicing cucumbers

carrots

head lettuce (at the farmstand)

salad mix (at the farmstand)

pea shoots (as available)

curly and lacinato kale

rainbow chard

red radish

French Breakfast radish

Baby bok choy

basil

cilantro

dill

parsley, Italian and curly

oregano, sage, thyme, and chives

Tendersweet cabbage (limited)

red cabbage

sprouting broccoli/broccolini

red beets

chioggia beets

dandelion greens

scallions

Artisanal, red and Sungold cherry tomatoes (Sungolds on SALE!)

slicing heirloom and beefsteak tomatoes (on SALE!)

Cipollini onions

Ailsa Craig fresh onions

Red Torpedo fresh onions

garlic scapes

watermelon (limited)

cantaloupe (limited)

green bell peppers

mixed eggplant (limited)

sweet Italian peppers (limited)

orange snacking peppers (limited)

shishito peppers (limited)

jalapeño peppers (limited)

Coming soon:

Satina potatoes


Pick Your Own:


Blueberries: are done for the season. We hope you enjoyed the 6-week run!


Sunflowers: Different shapes, colors, and sizes! Sold by the stem: small $.75 and large $1.


Flowers: The patch is in full swing. Pick your own bouquets; please pick up a bunching ring at the barn for bouquet sizing.


Perennial Herbs: Chives, Oregano, Sage, and Thyme. Please use the Herb rings for the bunch size.


Recipes:

Suggested by Rebecca Batchie

– Not into this particular recipe? For more recipes arranged by crop, check out the Fort Hill Farm Recipe Database.


Sungold and Tomato Tart with Smashed Potato Crust

Adapted from Serious Eats and Food 52


INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds (680 g) baby gold or yellow potatoes, halved (or larger medium-starch yellow potatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

8 cups (1.9 L) water

5 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided; for table salt use half as much by volume

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter


FILLING

1/2 cup (113 grams/4 ounces) mascarpone

1/2 cup (113 grams/4 ounces) ricotta

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon chopped basil, plus more for garnish

1 garlic clove, grated

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large or 2 small tomatoes, thinly sliced

2 (8-ounce) containers Sungold tomatoes, halved (or use heirloom or regular cherry tomatoes instead)

4 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Flaky sea salt, to taste


DIRECTIONS

Adjust oven rack to bottom position and preheat oven to 425℉ (220℃).


In a large pot, add potatoes, water, 4 teaspoons salt, and baking soda, and heat over high heat until boiling. Add potatoes and cook, lowering heat to maintain simmer, until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork or knife, 12 to 16 minutes. Drain potatoes then return to pot and heat over medium heat, gently tossing occasionally, until potatoes are dry, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes.


While potatoes cool, in a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat until butter is melted and no longer foams, about 2 minutes. In a 9-inch tart pan use a spatula to scrape melted butter and oil into pan and use a pastry brush to brush evenly on the bottom and sides of pan. Add warm potatoes in an even layer. Use the back of a greased measuring cup or bottom of a mug to smash potatoes into an even layer, being sure to press potatoes up the sides of tart pan; make sure there are no gaps in the potato layer (use your fingers if needed). Transfer tart pan to a baking sheet. Brush 1 tablespoon oil evenly over top of potato crust and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bake until golden brown and slightly crispy, about 40 minutes.


While the crust parbakes, in a medium bowl, combine the cheese, eggs, basil, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.


Toss the sliced tomatoes in a medium bowl with half of the olive oil and a pinch of salt.


Add the cheese and egg mixture to the crust. Layer on the seasoned sliced tomatoes (it’s okay if they overlap). Bake for 40 minutes, then cool to room temperature on the counter.


Toss the Sungold tomatoes in the remaining olive oil and flaky salt. Layer on top with basil. Slice and serve.

You can also find us at the

Westport Farmers' Market

 Thursdays* from 10 AM - 2 PM 

50 Imperial Avenue, Westport, CT


We will not be attending the New Milford this season, but you can come see us at the farm on Saturdays from 8 - 12:30.


FARMSTAND SUMMER SCHEDULE:


Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 2 - 6:30 PM

Saturday: 8 am - 12:30 pm


A few notes about coming to the farm:


  • Please do not bring pets to the farm, as there is no shade in the parking lot.
  • Drive slowly and carefully while at the farm; watch for pedestrians, vehicles, and tractors.

See our Visiting page for details.

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