Ambler Farm

Kevin Meehan

Gillian — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 04:12:25 +0000

Congratulations to Kevin Meehan, who was listed in Wilton Magazine’s 50 Most Influential People in Wilton article.

Kevin was acknowledged for his roles as the Cider Mill Science Resource Teacher and the property manager for Ambler Farm, for which he has spearheaded many educational programs, including student internships and the annual maple syrup project, which supports Ambler Farm’s mission to provide the community with a place to connect with the land and Wilton’s agrarian past. Click here for information about Ambler Farm’s maple syrup program .

Dan + Liz Riley

amblerfarm — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:59:36 +0000

Congratulations to long-time Ambler Farm supporters, Dan + Liz Riley, who were listed in Wilton Magazine’s 50 Most Influential People in Wilton article.

Co-chairs of Ambler Farm’s annual Greens Sale for six years running, this husband and wife team has been instrumental in making this event one of Wilton’s most beloved holiday activities, and one of the farm’s most successful fundraisers.

Photo courtesy Peggy Garbus Photography

At the Farmstand

amblerfarm — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 17:10:30 +0000

You can stew it, fry it, braise it, grill it, mash it with herbs and spices. You can stuff it, stew it, steam it or roast it. In India its versatility has earned it the title “king of vegetables.” At the Ambler Farm farmstand, we call it, simply, eggplant. Farmer Ben has grown two varieties this year: the larger and more familiar egg-shaped fruit, wonderful for slicing, painting with olive oil and grilling; and a slimmer, narrower Asian eggplant, great for frying. Actually, you can’t go wrong with either of these kingly eggplants no matter how you use them. And in case you can’t make up your mind, we are very pleased to offer two recipes provided by Sally Maraventano, who has been sharing her love and knowledge of Italian cuisine at her Cucina Casalinga cooking school right here in Wilton for the past 28 years. Meanwhile, don’t forget all the other members of the Ambler royal family:

Beans
Beets
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Chard
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Flowers
Garlic
Herbs
Kale
Mixed Lettuce Greens
Peppers
Radishs
Scallions
Summer Squash
Squash Blossoms (for a recipe, look here and scroll down a little)
Tomatoes
Zucchini (for a recipe, look here)

Do come early for the best selection. Bring the kids along to visit with Raymond + Betty (our goats), Nutmeg + Clover (our sheep) as well as the rabbits, chickens and baby chicks. Dogs are always welcome, too.

The Farm Stand is open on Saturdays from 10:30am to 5:00pm at the Farm at 257 Hurlbutt Street in Wilton, Connecticut. Friendly volunteers are always on hand to help you make your selection. You can also visit us at the Farmer’s Market at the Wilton Library on Wednesdays from noon to 4pm.

We look forward to seeing you. And as Sally likes to say,Buona Cucina!

Great day for the Farmstand

amblerfarm — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 13:36:56 +0000

Please mark your calendars for next Saturday, September 17, for the Honey Bee Jamboree, presented by the Backyard Beekeepers Association at Ambler Farm from 10 to 3. There’s more information about the Jamboree on the Calendar of Events on our website.

Our farmstand is open today from 10:30 to 5, and you’ll find all your fresh-picked, organic favorites including tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, basil, fennel, cucumbers, scallions, carrots, beets, lettuce mix, swiss chard and, with any luck, fresh soybeans that turn into delicious edamame after just 7 minutes of steaming. How about using fresh tomatoes to make a light, oven roasted ratatouille? Please see below for a recipe kindly provided by Michele Bennett.

For those of you visiting Ambler Farm in the late afternoon today, please note that our Field + Farmer + Fork event takes place this evening, which means there will be more cars parked at Ambler Farm than you’re accustomed to seeing. While we’re on the subject of traffic, be advised that tomorrow the annual CT United Ride, a 9/11 tribute motorcycle ride, comes through town. The ride begins in Norwalk at 11:30 am and is expected to enter Wilton via Rt. 33 (Westport Rd) around noon. The motorcycles will travel north on Rt. 33 to the junction with Rt. 7 where they will continue northbound until turning onto Rt. 107 in Georgetown. This ride attracts many motorcyclists and has the potential to cause some significant traffic delays.

We suggest you stay off the road tomorrow and try this recipe:

Traditional ratatouille is not only time-consuming to prepare, but also requires about a cup of olive oil just to sauté the vegetables! Here is a quicker, lighter version (based on a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen) that really lets the individual flavors of each veggie shine through.

Ingredients (serves 4 as a side. Easily doubled.)

1 large eggplant (a pound or so), peeled and cut into cubes
2 medium zucchini or summer squash (1 pound) cut into ½ inch cubes
1 red or Vidalia onion, halved and sliced ¼ inch thick
1 (28-ounce) can diced organic tomatoes, or fresh tomatoes combined with canned tomatoes, drained with ½ cup juice reserved
4-5 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme, or ¼ teaspoon dried. You may substitute fresh or dried basil per your preference.
Salt and pepper to taste
1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar (the recipe called for it to be drizzled after roasting the vegetables, but we poured it on them before, resulting in a sweeter flavor)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.
Spread onto a 9 x 13-inch baking dish (or two if doubling – the dish shouldn’t overflow)
Roast for about an hour, or until the vegetables are tender and browned in spots – give the vegetables a stir about halfway through cooking time and add the reserved tomato “juice”.

Excellent topped with freshly-grated parmesan and served with crusty bread. Freezes beautifully. Also great as a hearty pasta sauce, atop a baked potato, and room-temperature as a leftover.

We hope to see you at the Farmstand today. You are always welcome at Ambler Farm!

Open for Business after Irene

amblerfarm — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:54:49 +0000

Irene certainly roughed us up a bit, but for the most part we were fortunate. Indeed, there’s plenty to harvest in the garden this morning and we’ll have it ready for you at our farmstand (at 257 Hurlbutt Street) from 10.30 to 5. Our fresh-picked, all-organic offering will include tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, basil, fennel, cucumbers, scallions, carrots, beets, lettuce mix, swiss chard and more to make your Labor Day tasty and healthy. We hope your power is back on, or will be soon, and that you’ll stop by on what promises to be a sunny and comfortable September Saturday.

You are always welcome at Ambler Farm!

Regarding Irene

amblerfarm — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 17:00:08 +0000

In light of the fact that the hurricane that shares a name with the Greek Goddess of Peace is charging towards us so belligerently, we are going to cancel tomorrow’s farmstand. Though the forecasters say nothing is likely to happen until tomorrow afternoon or evening, we’ll make good use of the time to make sure that the animals, the gardens, the greenhouse and the rest of the property is safely battened down. With any luck, Irene will take after her namesake, and keep her visit brief.

See you Wednesday at the Farmers Market at the Historical Society, from 2 to 6, and a week from Saturday at the farmstand. In the meantime, please be careful and stay safe.

Feast in the Ambler Fields

amblerfarm — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 02:37:39 +0000

Written by Joan Lownds
Monday, 22 August 2011 16:00

Tim LaBant, chef and owner of the Schoolhouse at Cannondale restaurant, and Rebecca Thorpe, also of the Schoolhouse, visit Ambler Farm before the upcoming “Field + Farmer + Fork” fund-raiser on Saturday, Sept. 10. Mr. LaBant is in charge of preparing the meal, using Ambler’s fresh produce and local wines. —Joan Lownds photo

In the fields of Ambler Farm, the tables will be laden with an organic feast made from late summer bounty by noted chef and Wiltonian Tim LaBant. Ambler Farm’s first farm-to-table dinner, officially named “Field + Farmer + Fork,” is “a magnificent way to celebrate local agriculture,” said Mr. LaBant, owner and chef at the Schoolhouse at Cannondale.

The event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 4 to 7, and will serve as a fund-raiser for Ambler Farm. Mr. LaBant, fresh from an appearance on a Today Show cooking segment, will prepare a four-course meal using produce grown at Ambler Farm.

“It will be very fresh and super-flavorful,” said Mr. LaBant. The special focus will be on the vegetables, which is the Schoolhouse style, he said. “The meal will be elegant, simple and natural.”

For example, the first course is a salad of assorted fresh Ambler Farm tomatoes accompanied by cornbread, crème fraiche and grilled green onions.” The main course is “slow roasted Berkshire pork shoulder, summer succotash (zucchini, summer squash, pearl onions, bacon, peas and corn) and confit potatoes with nasturtium, fennel pollen, frisée with goat cheese dressing.”

For dessert, the al fresco diners will be served “pumpkin fritters with cider caramel and concord grape frozen yogurt” as they enjoy the Ambler Farm gardens.

Mr. LaBant said the courses will be paired with wines from Jonathan Edwards’ winery in Stonington. “It’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Mr. LaBant, who said he grew up “right down the street from Ambler Farm, which has always been a beautiful place.”

Alison Semple of the Friends of Ambler Farm said tours of the 22-acre, 200-year old farm — one of the oldest still in use in Fairfield County — will also be offered.

“The event is a major fund-raiser to support the agriculture and educational programs at Ambler Farm,” said Ms. Semple. The town purchased Ambler Farm in 1999 as part of the open-space initiative.

Ambler Farm now employs a full-time organic farmer, Ben Saunders, and operates a farm stand. The farm also offers summer programs for children, which include hayrides, planting, harvesting, cooking and activities with animals.

Cory Lee, Ambler’s program co-chair, said the farm will present a cooking series again this year, after the success of last year’s inaugural offerings. “There was a huge demand,” she said. Classes were taught by such noted chefs as Julia Deane, and include seasonal instruction in “harvest bounty” cooking or “soups and stews in the winter,” Ms. Lee said.

Ms. Semple said the mission of the all-volunteer Friends of Ambler Farm is “to celebrate Wilton’s agrarian roots through active learning programs, sustainable agriculture, responsible land stewardship and historic preservation.”

Jim Meinhold, also a member of the Friends of Ambler Farm, said they are “always looking for more volunteers.”

Information: jmeinhol@optonline.net ; amblerfarm@gmail.com , or call 203-834-1143.

Tickets are for “Field + Farmer + Fork,” are $250 per person.

http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/wiltonbulletin/news/localnews/101280-feast-in-the-ambler-fields.html

Carrots and Fennel for Sale at Ambler Farm

amblerfarm — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:47:21 +0000

Wilton’s Ambler Farm continues to enjoy a thriving growing season, despite pests and disease.

By Audra Carbone
August 22, 2011

It’s hard to believe, but in only four short weeks, we’ll be saying ‘hello’ to the autumnal equinox. Sure the summer thunderstorms persist and the heat and humidity don’t allude to orange leaves, but there’s a change in the way the wind blows, as the skies become darker earlier each evening.

As the days of summer go by, the ground continues to be fruitful for Ambler Farm on Hurlbutt Street, and each passing week brings new additions to the harvest, including fresh Fennel.

This past weekend, the popular end of summer, the early fall root vegetable, the carrot, made its debut at the farm stand despite a persistent pest and disease problem this year.

“I think the pest problem has to do with the insulation from the snow cover this past winter,” explained Ambler Farm Farming Manager Ben Saunders. “It was like a blanket and it kept the pests alive.”

Still, organically grown crops such as cucumbers and tomatoes will be for sale from Ambler Farm at this Wednesday’s upcoming Farmer’s Market at the Wilton Historical Society.

“And I have some nice fennel that will be at the market this week,” said Saunders.

Fennel, with its bright white bulb and spring green leaves, can be considered both herb and vegetable and is often used in early fall soups.

“You can prepare fennel like any other vegetable,” said Saunders. “You just heat it up and eat it. It’s also great raw.”

The bulb variety, which is different than the seed bearing variety, has celery-looking stalks and soft dill-ish leaves. The taste is often compared to licorice or anise. Some Thanksgiving roast-turkey recipes call for a whole fennel bulb in the cavity during roasting.

Fennel is a relatively easy crop to grow in your own personal garden and can last well into the colder temperatures of late fall. It’s also popular in butterfly gardens, as it is a favorite of the swallowtail butterfly.

So if you’re looking for some fresh fennel and carrots, head on over to the ever-friendly Ambler farm stand, and get some greens.

http://wilton.patch.com/articles/carrots-and-fennel-for-sale-from-ambler-farm

What’s Up Doc

amblerfarm — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 02:56:44 +0000

That very smart rabbit Bugs Bunny knew a thing or two about carrots. Loaded with beneficial nutrients, Bugs’s favorite snack has been said for decades to be good for your vision. More recent research makes clear that carrots also contain substances that are good for your heart and that can help your body fight cancer. No doubt these facts were important to the Warner Brothers icon, but he was probably even more interested in the fact that eaten raw or cooked, turned into juice, sprinkled into salads, or baked into cakes, to name just a few uses, they taste so good.

Question: does organic growing really make a difference for this humble and ubiquitous root vegetable? Answer: you bet it does. Carrots take up whatever is in the soil, including fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides — and you can taste it! Ambler Farm carrots grown in clean soil with organic matter and without toxic chemicals taste so much better, not to mention the fact they are only hours old when we sell them.

But don’t take our word for it, folks. See for yourselves! Try the recipe for carrot oatmeal scones that Farmer Ben’s wife Julia has so kindly shared (see below).

Meanwhile, please come to see us, rain or shine, at the farmstand on Saturday from 10.30 to 5 (257 Hurlbutt Street) and, this Sunday only, at the annual and not-to-be-missed Cannon Grange agricultural festival and fair, right across the road from the Cannondale train station. We’ll have garlic, onions, peppers, cukes, tomatoes, carrots, basil, scallions and more. You are always welcome at Ambler Farm — or wherever else we may happen to be.

Julia’s Carrot Oatmeal Scones

1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. healthy oil (veg. oil)
2 C. shredded carrots
2 eggs
2 C. whole-wheat flour
1 C. rolled oats
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 C. nuts (optional)
1/3 C. raisins (optional)

*Preheat oven to 375
*Grease cookie sheets
*Grate carrots
*Beat oil and sugar together until smooth
*In a separate bowl beat two eggs. Add to oil mix. Add carrots and vanilla.
*In a large bowl combine dry ingredients.
*Create a well in middle of dry ingredients and slowly add oil. Stir until combined.
Add nuts and raisins if you’re using them.
*Drop batter onto cookie sheets using large spoon.
*Bake 15-18 min or until golden brown
*Allow to cool & Enjoy

Weeds are organic, too

amblerfarm — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 02:59:39 +0000

They are remarkably well-adapted to hostile environments, they produce seeds prolifically and they spread with astonishing speed. Some, like lamb’s quarters and purslane, which we sell at our farmstand, are highly nutritious. We’re talking, of course, about weeds. While there is much to admire about the 8,000 or so varieties that fall into this category, it’s also true that they compete with other plants for water, nutrients and real estate. Due to a variety of factors (including loss of our roto-tiller, weed seed in our compost and the extreme heat we’ve experienced this summer), we are now enjoying, if that’s the right word, an abundance of weeds in the main garden.
So the time for action is at hand: we’re planning a major “landscape re-balancing” tomorrow, Sunday, and everyone is invited. Here are some of the underappreciated aspects of weeding:

it’s a great social activity for friends and families
it does not require a great deal of concentration
it is very simple to do
you can see the results of your work almost instantly
most of the work can be done with cutters, hoes, spades and other tools, so one need not spend time on hands & knees or bent over

We can use as many people as would like to come, for as much time as anyone can spare — even an hour will help. We plan to start early and work as long as friends care to stay. If you’d like more information, please stop by the farmstand. We’re open from 10.30 to 5. Today we proudly feature beets, carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, basil, lettuce mix, swiss chard, scallions, fennel.

You are always welcome at Ambler Farm, and that will be especially true tomorrow!