Hi everyone! I'm starting this newsletter on a somber note before we give you the details about our favorite weekend of the year... the fall changeover!
Last week we mentioned our friend Will at Cecarelli Farms in Northford who lost his entire 125 acre farm in a hail storm in August. He's been talking with state leaders hoping for some relief funding, but we'd like to help, too. This weekend through next week we're setting up a jar out front if you'd like to give some spare change to provide him and his staff with relief. He can't farm for the rest of the year because the crops were ruined and his greenhouses are filled with holes and need to be replaced for the future.
Will has been a huge asset to Randy over the last year. Not only is he the farmer who lent Randy the Farmall Cub he needed to cultivate strawberries this year, but he's also been a coach and mentor when it comes to learning about food safety and other legislation. He's also a mental lifeline for Randy (and so many other farmers) as they chat while they work so often. Can we come together to help Will a little bit?
P.S. If you'd like to donate directly, there is a GoFundMe. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-who-helps-us
Otherwise, we will gather up your pocket change over the next week to make one big donation from our own Laurel Glen Farm community.
This weekend, we're launching our fall changeover! We've ordered a ton of fall-inspired products, harvested a TON of our own, and decorated to get into the spirit.
Let's start by talking about all of the new products you can find in the store...
First up, tea blends from Seasonal Catering.
Other new flavors include throat therapy, smoky mountain sunrise, candy apple, elderberry bliss and more! You'll want to stock up on these to comfort you during the inevitable cold and flu season. (It's already hit our house, how about you?)
We've also got apple maple jam and pumpkin butter from Twin Pines Farm.
Plus, maple sugar and maple candy, and all of Sugar Maple Farms' usual maple syrup and honey offerings to go along with your autumn pancakes and cups of tea. Maple sugar is really awesome when sprinkled on oatmeal, cereal, coffee, or plain yogurt, by the way!
Guardians Farm lip balm flavors like pear, as well as soaps and lotions in fall scents like pumpkin will be available, and their beeswax deodorant is back in stock. (Yes, it works!)
We picked up a freshly roasted batch of coffee from Redding Roasters, including pumpkin spice. We'll be offering FREE cups of hot coffee in the store on Saturday and Sunday for you to enjoy while you shop.
We're expecting a ravioli restock this week, including Durante's porcini mushroom variety.
Plus, the shelves are stocked with Savor cookie flavors like "Naugatuck" with birch, maple, and cranberry, and "hot" chocolate (which has hot pepper in it but is not spicy - it just gives a warmth!)
And the only produce that we supplement in our store is apples from our friends at Hindinger Farm in Hamden. This week we picked up the first round of ready varieties which are ginger gold and Paula Red (similar to McIntosh). These varieties change as the fall goes on!
Our trees aren't bearing yet, but should within the next couple of years.
We've also ordered a fresh delivery of apple turnovers and cinnamon monkey bread from Wave Hill Breads in Norwalk, so come hungry on Saturday morning!
We can't forget our OWN new offerings!
Like mums in four different colors: red, gold, orange, and purple.
Check the tags to see what color they'll be - they're not blooming yet so that you can enjoy them for the entirety of their life span. Mum pots are $10 each or 2 for $18.
They look like this when they bloom.
The first of the pumpkins will be out front. And we'll have our gourds available for decorating, too.
We also harvested the first of the winter squashes: spaghetti, butternut, delicata, honeynut, and acorn. Potatoes, onions, carrots, garlic, and kale are also available now. Next week, we'll have an even greater abundance of greens and root crops as they come back into season.
And if you're like me, and you're a summer lover, we're still in full summer harvest mode. Tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, peppers, eggplant, green beans, and so many other delicious warm weather options aren't going anywhere until the first frost. So, grab some of these for the grill now, and stock up on the heartier veggies for the weeks to come.
25 lb. boxes of plum tomato ($45) and tomato "seconds" bulk boxes ($35) are available this weekend on a more limited basis. Simply walk into the store to pick one up when you're ready - we pack them daily in advance. You can message us to check availability if you'd like the security.
Build-a-Bouquet in its traditional form has ended for the year, but we're keeping the spirit alive. This weekend, we're harvesting buckets of dahlias which you can arrange into your own small bouquet ($10) or we'll have a few $7 pre-made mini bouquets available for purchase this weekend.
And just a little bit of bad news...
Remember our ornamental corn from last season?
We had a really fun event where we put all of the ears of corn on tables in our barn and let you bundle your own for decoration. We were looking forward to holding this event this season from the moment the last one ended.
Randy purchased some beautiful corn seed this season... and guess what? It never germinated! Brand new seed, and it never even came up.
He rushed to order some new seed and it did come up, but it'll never yield corn in time. So, we regret to tell you that we won't be able to have this awesome event this year. Such is farming.
More weekend special events!
Saturday, September 7th through Friday, September 13th, drop your name into the jar for a chance to win a FREE sample vegetable subscription share. If you're one of five people selected, you'll join in to our program for one week and pick up a free small share on Wednesday, September 18th during our open hours. You'll get access to our newsletter with recipes, our Facebook group to chat about what we're cooking, and an assortment of veggies valued at $20!
Introducing our fall cooking contest...
We're looking for LGF's "SECRET VEGGIE SNEAK"! Do you have the creativity and stealth to win the 2024 title? How do you hide an extra helping of veggies into what you're cooking? This could be how you hide it from your kids or significant other, or just how you integrate it into your own meal for a little extra veggie boost. Think of recipes such as zucchini bread - you might never know that this sweet dessert has a veggie inside! We're looking for your most creative ideas to share with our community. Submit them to us by email at laurelglenfarm@gmail.com, through social media @laurelglenfarmllc, or by posting them in our members' Facebook group. You do not have to provide a recipe! Simply submit a photo with a caption of what it is and we'll reshare it. Submit by September 21st and we'll choose a winner on Sunday, September 22nd. You know we already ordered the commemorative prize!
And finally...
Introducing two new special products!
A couple of weeks ago, we sent 1,000 lbs. of tomatoes off to New Haven to be made into a special product. Behind the scenes, Randy's cousin Amanda worked furiously to make us a custom label for the product in order to do it justice. The tomatoes peaked sooner than we thought, and she worked overtime to meet the really fast deadline so we could give the labels to the processor in time. And now, the product is ready! This weekend, we're so excited to introduce to you...
LAUREL GLEN FARM'S SUNDAY SAUCE!
You all, the ingredients don't get simpler than this. Our fresh, hand-selected tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, and salt & pepper. Jars are $8 each and we'll be doing a tasting this weekend so you can try it for yourself. We got 650 jars back from the processor and we expect these jars to carry us all through the winter. Stock up now because we won't be restocking!
AND...
Amanda has also been working behind the scenes on another incredible handmade project. We've seen your love for our beautiful hens (and Richard the rooster!) You've become invested the story of the Vickies (and their escape acts). You love to sit with them and watch them when you visit...
And now, you can take them home!
Reba, Vicky, Betty, Sasha, Stella, Dolly, and Richard are $30 each, so soft, so cute, and so lovable. Amanda's been contributing to the success of Laurel Glen Farm for years. In her younger years, you could find her in the store or at the farmers' markets, or decorating our chalkboards. She's now a successful graphic designer and fiber artist who has designed our t-shirts, labels, makes us reels, and harvests flowers when she can. We're so grateful for the ways she continues to add to the aesthetic and appeal of the farm.
Heading into peak season on the farm means we have lots of "firsts" and "seconds." Seconds are veggies that aren't quite our highest quality, but are still safe to eat. Think of a soft spot, a crack, or other physical blemishes.
We donate excess or "seconds" produce when we can, but we also want to pass the opportunity to save money onto you. So, we're selling $5 bags of "seconds" - these are discounted bags of produce such as tomatoes, onions, squash, peppers, and eggplant that are perfectly good to eat, but of lesser quality than our typical produce. These will be available in our veggie display cooler as inventory allows, already pre-packed in certain quantities.
This is two $5 "seconds" bags' worth of peppers, which I quickly sauteed for the freezer. You can find plenty of pepper seconds in our display cooler now!
WHAT'S IN STORE
Here is the fresh produce we plan to have in stock while supplies last (through Friday, 9/13):
Acorn Squash
Bell peppers
Butternut Squash
Cabbage
Carrots
Collard greens
Cucumbers (slicing and pickling)
Delicata Squash
Eggplant
Fresh herbs (sage, thyme, parsley, rosemary, mint, and basil)
Garlic
Grape tomatoes
Green & wax beans
Honeynut Squash
Hot peppers (assorted)
Husk cherries
Kale
Leeks
Lunchbox peppers
Onions
Potatoes (red and gold)
Scallions
Shishito peppers
Spaghetti Squash
Tomatillos
Tomatoes
Yellow squash
Zucchini
STORE HOURS
Monday: 10:30 to 6
Tuesday: 10:30 to 6
Wednesday: 10:30 to 6
Thursday: 10:30 to 6
Friday: 10:30 to 5
Saturday: 9 to 4
Sunday: 10 to 3
So sorry, but we can't accommodate early or late arrivals even if we are around. Our staff is scheduled to work on prepping the store with the freshest products right up until we open. We also try to honor personal lives by closing promptly.
** Vegetable subscription pickup occurs during all open hours on members' scheduled pickup day and we hold shares for 24 hours afterward.
MARKET HOURS
Shelton Farmers' Market - Saturdays from 9 to 12 at 100 Canal Street.
Monroe Farmers' Market - Fridays from 3 to 6 at 7 Fan Hill Road.
THIS WEEK'S VEGGIE SUBSCRIPTIONS
MAIN SEASON WEEK 14 OF 20
(Tuesday, September 10th through Saturday, September 14th)
Biweekly pickup occurs on all odd-numbered weeks - 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19.
Share Contents (Listed approximately from shortest shelf life to longest)
Large:
1 lb. of cucumbers
1 head of bok choy
1 bunch of scallions
2 pints of shishitos
1 lb. of sweet peppers
1-2 onions
2 small free choices: yellow squash, tomatoes, husk cherries, basil, tomatillos, carrots, grape tomatoes
Small:
1 lb. of cucumbers
1 head of bok choy
1 pint of shishitos
1 lb. of sweet peppers
1-2 onions
1 small free choice: yellow squash, tomatoes, husk cherries, basil, tomatillos, carrots, grape tomatoes
Caring For Your Share (All of this information, plus long-term storage info, can also be found in our Vegetable Library of Resources).
Store peppers in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Set the crisper drawer to low humidity to allow some of the ethylene gas that results from decomposition to escape. Ethylene gas will cause the peppers to rot sooner.
Store bok choy in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Wash and pat dry when ready to use (within the week).
Store your cucumbers in the crisper drawer in the refrigerator.
Store dry onions in a cool, dark, dry place, such as a pantry, cabinet, or cellar. Ensure that they have plenty of airflow; you can store them in a mesh bag. Keep them away from potatoes.
Store scallions roots-down in a glass of water in the fridge, like a bouquet. Cover the greens with a plastic bag. Or, store in a plastic bag in the fridge and use within the week.
The LGF Cooking Club (Recipes to try in addition to those in the Library of Resources!)
How to Change Your Vegetable Subscription Pickup Day
If you need to skip your share for the week, or change your pickup day, you must provide us with 48 hours notice for any of the options below. This is because we pack shares the day before pickup. Once your share has been harvested and packed, we can not cancel your pickup.
For Tuesday pickups being changed, we need to know by Sunday.
Wednesday pickups, we need to know by Monday.
Saturday pickups, we need to know by Thursday.
You have the option to choose another of those pickup days in a given week: Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday.
You can skip a pickup and receive a double the following week.
If you miss your pickup, we will hold your share for 24 hours after your pickup day, and then it will be donated to a local food pantry. With more members than ever before, we don't have the cooler space to hold onto shares longer than this. This is a great option if you accidentally miss your pickup - just come the next day.
You can always send a guest to pick up in your place by simply notifying us of their name.
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