FARM NEWS ~ August 4, 2026



We aren’t great at keeping track of how much it rains in any given event.  Most of the rain gauges we have put out over the years have either been run over with a lawnmower or we forget to empty them after each storm.  So mostly we just watch the puddles on the farm.  And when we have puddles, we usually don’t have to irrigate and the crops are happy.  But sometimes a bucket or a barrel left out in a storm becomes an impromptu rain gauge, and I was a bit shocked to see that we had received over 3 inches of rain by the end of the day Monday.  Adding that to the nearly 13 inches we saw in the last few weeks effectively smooths the rain totals for the year in a way that makes it look like we are getting our normal 40 inches of rain in a year.  The problem is that as the planet has heated, the atmosphere holds ever increasing amounts of moisture.  This causes droughts (for us, all of April, May, and June) and floods (the last 3 weeks) that are making crop production increasingly more difficult across the globe.   Most troubling are excessive rainfall events, which encourage plant disease and leach our sandy soil of valuable plant nutrients.    We do our best to keep plenty of organic matter in our soil to act as a sponge to mop up plenty of nutrients and water, but 16 inches of rain in a few weeks is something that’s hard to cope with.

The Edamame Bunching Brigade from Monday morning: Julia H, Julia KM, Nick, and Neko

Even with the weather extremes, the farm has shown resilience.   Our corn crop continues to look good, though the blackbirds have found our patch and are taking their share.  We try to deter them from the currently ripe patch with scare ballons (moderately effective) and encourage them to feed on old ears in an older patch by stripping down the husks and making an easily accessible corn buffet for them.   This gets us by, but corn continues to simultaneously be a customer favorite and a farmer pain in the butt!   Despite the birds, bugs, storms and a hundred other things that can go wrong, we continue to have some truly delectable corn.

Jim and Aiden harvest lettuce on the first sunny morning in what seems like weeks.

After a bit of lull in production, the next round of tomatoes has picked up and we should have plenty of tasty fruit just in time for the August peak.   Blueberries continue to ripen and we should have good picking through this week, tapering down next week.  We are starting to clip the garlic in earnest, and it is largely cured and ready for all of your recipes.  Potatoes are ready to dig and as soon as we can get the old digger fired up we will have some Red Golds to go.  Cukes and squash looking good for the time being.  Peak summertime at the farm!

We hope you enjoy the farm and the harvest,

Paul, Rebecca, and the Fort Hill Farm crew

Featured this week:

Edamame:  Fresh Edamame is not something you see every day, and these are extra early from our high tunnel planting. I’m not sure we’ll continue growing them this early again, as the time-consuming tangle of foliage that results from indoor growing is counterproductive. To prepare, simply pluck the pods from the stems, steam them for five minutes, salt and squeeze the beans from the pods into your mouth. It’s fun and delicious! Store in the fridge for up to a week (you can also blanch, cool and freeze the pods).

Heirloom and Beefsteak Tomatoes: have bounced back after a midsummer slump. The greenhouse tomatoes were exhausted and the high tunnel tomatoes hadn't yet come online. Fear not! – gazpacho, tabouli, salsa, and Caprese are here to stay.

Also available:

Sweet Corn

German Extra Hardy garlic

zucchini, zephyr and patty pan squash

Asian cucumbers

Slicing cucumbers (on SALE!)

bunched carrots

bunched rainbow carrots (limited)

head lettuce

salad mix

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

red cabbage

sprouting broccoli/broccolini

red beets

chioggia beets

scallions

celery

radicchio

red and Sungold cherry tomatoes (limited)

slicing heirloom and beefsteak tomatoes (we're back!)

Cipollini onions

Ailsa Craig fresh onions

Red Torpedo fresh onions

garlic scapes

Blueberries!

Trickling in: eggplant, sweet Italian peppers, orange snacking peppers, shishito peppers, jalapeño peppers

Coming soon:

blue and red gold potatoes

Pick Your Own:

Blueberries: We are past-peak but there are still plenty of easy-to-pick berries in the open lanes. PYO into QUARTS, $12 each or 4 or more $10 each!

Flowers: The patch is really picking up now. 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.

High-Protein Sesame Edamame Salad

Author Monique Volz of AmbitiousKitchen.com

Ingredients

Salad

• 3 cups shelled edamame beans, cooked and cooled
• 2 to 3 cups shredded red cabbage
• 2 Persian cucumbers, quartered and sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 1 jalapeño or fresno chile pepper, thinly sliced or diced (optional)
• 
  

For the dressing

• 2 to 3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• To garnish
• ¼ cup toasted sliced almonds
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

• Combine edamame, cabbage, cucumber, diced bell peppers, carrots, cilantro and scallions in a large bowl.
• To make your dressing, in a small bowl whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, olive oil, maple syrup, ginger and garlic. Add dressing mixture to edamame salad and toss to combine until salad is fully coated.
• Sprinkle toasted almonds and sesame seeds on top. Enjoy immediately or place in fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.

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.