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STAY TUNED FOR CHANGING FALL HOURS

STARTING NEXT WEEK!

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FARM NEWS ~ September 23, 2025

The current dry spell has burned up our lawn and dropped the rivers and brooks to some sad, low levels, so we are excited to see a rainy day or two in this week’s forecast.  We’ve been a little spoiled by the consistently sunny weather, and this week we need to strategize.  We’re saving anything we can do in a greenhouse for later in the week and trying to get the diggers into the ground to bring up potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots.  The sweet potato harvest has been particularly fun this year.  We have always struggled with the harvester we own, and this year we were very lucky to be able to borrow a different digger from a neighbor which has done a great job of bringing up the crop. And it’s a good crop this year!  We’ve got almost a ton of sweets warming up in a greenhouse with two tons left to harvest.  We hope to have them to you as soon as they sweeten up, likely by next week.

It's rare to catch Nat in a moment of stillness - she's mostly zooming around the farmstand to make things just right.

We’ve been irrigating all our greens through the dry spell and so far the fall crop looks great.  From plants that we set out in July and August, we are harvesting broccoli, kale, collards, cabbage, chard, escarole, and fennel, giving us a repeat of the harvests we had in June.  Add some apples from neighboring orchards and it’s really a great time of the year for small farms in New England.

Monty, Liz, and Tony offer friendly faces on open days (Elizabeth not pictured here). P.S. you may catch Liz at the Westport market and Tony in the field on off days.

This week we want to give a shout out to our hard-working farm stand crew.  Nat Mahan has been running the farm stand this season and has done a super job keeping everything going in the right direction.  She has a great crew of folks to help her, and when things get really busy, some of the field crew folks rush in to help the farm stand crew.  Liz, Tony, Monty, and Elizabeth do a great job of welcoming and helping customers. We get a lot of feedback about their friendly service, and we feel lucky to have them on our team.  We enjoy opening the farm up for folks to visit, it’s our way to share this very beautiful spot that we have been lucky to cultivate for 23 years.    

We hope you enjoy the farm,

Paul, Rebecca, and the Fort Hill Farm crew

This digger does a better job of fighting the weeds than the old one. Below, Sophie, Nick, James, and CJ fish sweet potatoes out of the foliage and soil.

Featured this week:

Collard greens: So humble, yet so delicious! These somehow manage to get both overlooked and yet garner a distinct cult following. We love them. Stir fry/braise with slow-cooked leeks for a real treat, try the recipe below, or even better, the Caldo Verde recipe from the 2018 newsletter. You won’t be disappointed! 

Pinto Gold Fingerling Potatoes: Just when you thought our lineup of fantastic spuds was full, enter Pinto Gold. Its whimsical aesthetic is matched by its delectable texture and flavor. It is wonderful for roasting, steaming, and frying. Don’t be shy about putting on your lazy-chef hat and making skillet spuds in your cast iron pan with this one– you won’t be disappointed. Store in a cool, dark place, but never in the fridge. 

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; broccoli; sprouting broccoli; romanesco (limited); artisanal, red and Sungold cherry tomatoes (limited), Beefsteak and heirloom slicing tomatoes; Chinese cabbage; Savoy cabbage; red cabbage; Asian cucumbers; garlic; jalapeño, shishito, cayenne, poblano, and cherry (last 2 are limited) hot peppers, red and green bell peppers, sweet red and yellow Italian peppers, sweet orange snacking peppers; eggplant: classic Italian, Graffiti, Rosa Bianca, and a bit of two Asian types ; red and yellow storage onions; shallots; Satina Gold, Dark Red Norland, LaRatte fingerling and Kennebec potatoes; the most beautiful zucchini from the greenhouse; sweet corn; spaghetti squash; acorn squash, Jester delicata squash ...

Coming soon:

sweet potatoes

Pick Your Own:

Flowers- The dahlias are thriving – ON SALE NOW!

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.

BLACKENED MUSHROOM TACOS WITH COLLARD GREEN SLAW

Recipe courtesy of Making Thyme for Health

yield: 8 TACOS 

prep time: 30 MINUTES 

cook time: 5 MINUTES 

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE BLACKENED MUSHROOM TACOS

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil)
• 1lb shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced (oyster mushrooms or portobello would also work)
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 corn tortillas, warmed
• rice and black beans, for serving

FOR THE AVOCADO CREAM

• 1 large ripe avocado, pitted
• juice of 1-2 limes (about 3 tablespoons)
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• water to thin

FOR THE COLLARD GREEN SLAW

• 2 cups thinly sliced collard greens (about 1 small bunch)
• 1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage (about 1/2 small head)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion (about 1/2 small)
• 1/2 cup radishes (about 4 radishes)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

For the Collard Green Slaw: In a large bowl, combine the collard greens, cabbage, red onion, radishes, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice and salt. Using your hands, massage the juice into the greens then stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the Avocado Cream: In a blender or food processor (I used a NutriBullet), combine the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, a pinch of salt and a few tablespoons of water. Blend until smooth. Add more water to thin, as needed. The texture should be thick and creamy.

For the Blackened Mushrooms: In a large skillet, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and the seasonings then stir until evenly coated. Cook for about 5 minutes, just until mushrooms are softened.

Spread each tortilla with avocado cream then top with cooked mushrooms and collard slaw. Serve warm and enjoy!

FARMSTAND & PYO SUMMER SCHEDULE:

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

Saturday: 8am - 12:30 pm

FARMERS' MARKETS

Come see us on Thursdays from 10-2 at the Westport Farmers' Market

50 Imperial Ave, Westport

and on the Green at the

New Milford Market,

Saturdays from 9 - Noon