Fall Hours Begin Today:

CLOSED FRIDAYS

with reduced hours on the remaining open days:

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Fall PYO & Farmstand Hours:

Tuesday & Thursday: 2 - 5:30 PM (closing 1 hr. earlier)

Saturday: 9 am - 12:30 PM (opening 1 hr. later)

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FARM NEWS ~ September 29, 2026

September flew past us.  While we were concentrating on the extended summer harvest, the fall harvest got pushed to the background. While the changing tree colors are a beautiful sign that fall is here, they are also a warning that a frost is likely around the corner.  Time to say goodbye to corn and cucumbers, and hello to collards and winter squash.  

Michael makes quick work of cleaning out the greenhouse cukes by "tumble weeding" them to the end of the house– impressive!

We have a half-acre of squash ready to pick up and are hoping to get the job done this week.  The bigger squash like butternut and Koginut need some time in a warm greenhouse to sweeten up, but we do have delicata, spaghetti, and acorn ready to go. Rebecca spotted a cool down in the forecast early next week which has us extra motivated to pick up the pace on these projects.  We’ll start digging the sweet potatoes this week and get them warming up right next to the winter squash in a greenhouse. Once they sweeten up we will have them available, likely in a few weeks.  We do have a great variety of potatoes available and will continue digging those once the more cold-sensitive crops are out of the ground.

Kolade celebrates the fall return of abundant salad mix!

We’ve got a large planting of fall carrots and beets.  They are much happier in the cooler fall weather than the heat of late summer and are even improved by a frost.  In the greens department, salad mix, lettuce, kale, leeks, and Swiss chard are all enjoying the cool down as well.  We’re also sorting and cleaning thousands of pounds garlic and yellow and red onions we pulled up in July and August. 

Sending love from the greenhouse – in tomato form, of course.

The later dawn and earlier sunset, along with a season’s worth of physical work, has added a feeling of cumulative fatigue, but we aren’t able to slow down yet.  The approaching frost means we must get all the cold sensitive crops out of the field and get frost protection ready to go on the remaining crops.  Time to get back at it!

We hope you enjoy the farm and the harvest,

Paul, Rebecca, and the Fort Hill Farm crew

Featured this week:

Shallots: this is the first time we are featuring shallots, as we have stepped up our production due to popular demand. The shallots you'll see today are traditional French shallots, grown for their flavor, vigor, and long-term storage potential. Later, we'll clean and bring out our "banana shallots," or eschalion type, which are prized by chefs for their easy-to-peel and cut elongated bulbs. How to describe the flavor of shallots compared to onions is a mystery to me, but I definitely partake when a dish calls for it!

Hot Peppers: A spicy, end-of-summer affair from the pepper patch. There are plenty of Jalapeno, which you may have noticed are considerably larger this year after many, many years of trialing; the popular, Easiest Side Dish Ever award winner, Shishito, which are mild (except that 1 in 10 or 20 might light your mouth on fire!); Poblano ("Ancho" when dried) (again, much larger this season…), which have a richly flavored, mild spiciness - perfect for a pot of beans or the classic Chile Rellenos; and you may even see some Cayenne, the Chile-shaped, deep red, hottest pepper we grow. Dehydrate or oven dry for a bit of spice all winter long. If you prefer a mild heat simply de-seed the pepper and be sure to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling hot peppers (better yet, since the capsaicin doesn’t wash off completely, wear gloves!).  

Also available:

Fresh ginger

leeks

fennel

collard greens

German Extra Hardy garlic

zucchini (limited)

Asian cucumbers (limited)

carrots

head lettuce

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

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 (limited)

Acorn squash

Coming soon:

more winter squash

Pick Your Own:

Flowers: DAHLIAS are on fire, get out there and make a bouquet! 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.

Artichoke, Shallot and Smoked Bacon Tart

Recipe from the Olive

flour for dusting 

10 or 11oz. all-butter short crust pastry

3.5 T butter

olive oil

1lb 12oz. shallots peeled and finely sliced

7 oz.  (or 12 rashers smoked streaky bacon) chopped

10 oz. double cream

2 large eggs lightly beaten

9 or 10 oz. jar artichoke hearts drained of oil

Method

Step 1

Put a rectangular, shallow tart tin approximately 8" by 12" on a baking sheet. Dust the worktop with flour and roll the pastry into a large rectangle, a bit bigger than the tin. Lift up the pastry and lay over tin. press it into the corners and ridges, but don’t trim off the overhang. Prick the bottom with a fork and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Step 2

Melt the butter with 1 tbsp oil in a large pan. Tip in the shallots and season. Cook over a low heat for 30 minutes, until completely soft and tinged golden brown. Fry the bacon until crisp in a separate non-stick pan. Drain on kitchen paper.

Step 3

Heat the oven to 400F. Line pastry case with some baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes then take out the beans and paper and cook for another 10 minutes, or until cooked and lightly golden. Trim off the excess pastry with a sharp knife.

Step 4

Mix the cream, eggs, bacon and artichoke hearts with the softened shallots. Season and spoon into the pastry case. Turn down the oven to 375F and bake for around 30-35 minutes until set and lightly golden. Leave for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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.