FARM NEWS ~ September 22, 2026



With the return of cooler weather, we are enjoying some favorable weather for outdoor work.  The mosquitos are a bit less energetic and some rain over the weekend might just spell the end of irrigation season.  We’ve been busy filling our greenhouses with plantings of lettuce, spinach, radicchio, kale, radishes, salad turnips, celery, and fennel.  

Abi often takes on the task of putting fresh ginger through the Fort Hill Farm spa.

The summer crops are still hanging in there!  Peppers, eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes will be available all week.  We are now picking the last rows of sweet corn, but we won’t likely be able to make it to the end of the week, so carpe diem.  The corn made a good finish on the season.  For reasons only they know, the blackbirds abruptly moved onto other dinner items in late August and never returned, leaving us much more corn than we had earlier in the season.  

Faye, Michael, and Kolade ham it up in the collard patch....hmmm... ham and collards sound good together.

Surprisingly, we’ve got a great crop of basil, but basil is very cold sensitive so it won’t last much longer.  We’ve put it on sale this week so you can process some extra pesto to freeze for the winter.  That we have basil at all is a testament to the hard work of plant breeders in the Northeast.  When I started farming basil was super easy to grow.  Throw the seeds in the ground, cultivate a few times, come back in 2 months and bunch tons of basil.  Then ten years ago a devastating disease called downy mildew started taking down basil crops all over the Northeast.  For a few years we had total crop failures, and it seemed like the pesto days were over.  Fortunately, some folks at Rutgers University (the state university of New Jersey) selected resistant basil varieties, released them to growers and put basil back on the menu. Contrary to the current political propaganda about wasteful government sponsored research, these researchers performed an extremely valuable service to farmers and are worthy of more support, not less.

We got busy transplanting lettuce into the high tunnel yesterday.

The cool down has been a boon to leafy greens crops.  We’ve started bringing in the fall carrots and beets, and potato digging has begun in earnest.  We’ve got to make a big push to bring in the sweet potatoes and winter squash soon, but we could use some more help with these big projects.  We’re looking to add some energetic folks to our crew this fall, see   https://www.forthillfarm.com/field-crew for details on working with us at the farm.

We hope you enjoy the farm and the harvest,

Paul, Rebecca, and the Fort Hill Farm crew

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. Collards don't disappoint! 

Gold Fingerling potatoes: always a popular item, these are La Ratte fingerlings, which is a fancy French way of saying “the rat” ... a not so nice name for a very tasty spud. These are best roasted, steamed with butter and herbs, or made into a delicate potato salad.  Store like all potatoes in a cool (about 50F to 60F), dark place (not the fridge).  

Also available:

Fresh ginger

Sweet Corn (early in the week, possibly longer)

leeks

fennel

collard greens

German Extra Hardy garlic

zucchini

zephyr and patty pan squash (limited)

Asian cucumbers

carrots

head lettuce (2-for sale is back)

arugula

salad mix

spinach, cut leaf

pea shoots

curly and lacinato kale

rainbow chard

red radish

French Breakfast radish

baby bok choy

basil

cilantro

parsley, Italian and curly

oregano, sage & thyme

Red cabbage

Savoy cabbage

Chinese cabbage

sprouting broccoli/broccolini (limited)

red beets

chioggia beets

dandelion greens

scallions

escarole

radicchio

Artisanal, red and Sungold cherry tomatoes (limited)

heirloom, beefsteak and plum tomatoes (All on SALE!)

yellow storage onions

red storage onions

green bell peppers

Classic Italian and Rosa Bianca eggplant

Graffiti and Asian eggplant

sweet Italian red peppers

orange snacking peppers

yellow Italian peppers

shishito peppers

jalapeño peppers

poblano peppers

Satina Gold potatoes

Dark Red Norland potatoes

Gold fingerling potatoes

Spaghetti squash

Acorn squash

Coming soon:

Jester delicata squash

Pick Your Own:

Flowers: DAHLIAS making are coming into their own. There are plenty of other flowers to choose from. Pick your own bouquets; please pick up a bunching ring at the barn for bouquet sizing.

Perennial Herbs: 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.

Greek Collard Green Wraps with Tzatziki

Recipe by Bri Beaudoin

Servings: 2

Ingredients

Lemon Herb Quinoa

1½ cup cooked quinoa

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Black pepper (to taste)

For Assembly

1 bunch collard greens (about 8 medium leaves, see note 1)

¾ cup Vegan Tzatziki Sauce (homemade or store-bought)

½ English cucumber, cut into matchsticks

2 red, orange, or yellow bell peppers, cut into matchsticks

1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

¼ cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

¼ cup diced red onion

¼ cup chopped mint

Instructions

Lemon Herb Quinoa: In a medium bowl, stir together quinoa, lemon juice, and olive oil. Sprinkle in parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir to mix.

Trim collard greens (see note 2): Set a collard green face-down on a cutting board, with the stalk side facing up. Starting near the top (rounded) end, slide a knife down the stalk to shave off as much of the stalk as possible (careful not to cut the leaf!). Repeat with remaining leaves.

Assemble: Position a collard green with the back/stem side up. Generously spread tzatziki into the middle. Top with quinoa, cucumber, bell peppers, tomatoes, olives, red onion, and mint. Roll the wraps like a burrito: tuck in the short sides, then roll tightly. Refrigerate extras.

Notes

Collard greens: The number of wraps will vary based on the size of the collard green leaves and how much filling you add to each. Have a few extra leaves on hand in case you need them. Smaller leaves are harder to fill and roll, so opt for medium or large sized leaves for this recipe.

Trimming collard green stalks: For a visual example of this step, refer to post photos. Trimming the stalk makes the leaf more flexible for rolling. Be careful not to cut the leaf itself, because that'll allow the filling to fall out.

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.