CT Green Scene

Markets Galore

By Chris Gallagher

Spring is nearly here, and it's time to get the garden ready.  Composting is key and here is a great resource from our fine state government.  For the stuff you can't grow on your own we are lucky enough to have a plethora of local farmers here in Connecticut and some great farmer's markets to choose from.

Fiddleheads in New London has a market every Saturday now, with another every Wednesday starting on March 26.  CitySeed in New Haven has kept their market open monthly throughout the winter and come May it's back to a weekly event.  On May 22 Billings Forge Farmer's Market will start up in Hartford and you will be able to find amazing produce and other local vendors on both Mondays and Thursdays. Fairfield Market is held every Saturday rain or shine, and often draws a few hundred people. Another cool market is the Oak Street Market in New Britain. It's urban and fun and has some of the best greens around. To locate the organic farmers markets near you, click here.

Of course the best thing about a market is the food: amazing greens, organic eggs, still-dirty potatoes and seafood dripping with salt water, all of which I want to rush home and devour.  There's more to it, though.  I love that it is such a neighborhoody event.  It is a great place to have random, interesting conversations, make new friends, learn a few things about what I'm eating, stroll the streets of my town, breathe the fresh air and reconnect with the community.

The dinner we craft in the evening is just the bonus.  We already feel great after a market day.

   

This week @ the market : music by Michael Greenberg Upon first hearing Michael Greenberg, we said "Wow!" Still an undergrad at the Berklee School of Music, Michael's songs display his talent for complex acoustic guitar work and thoughful lyrics. For a preview, visit Michael's site on myspace Ox Hollow Farm returns this week as does Woozie Wikfors from walkingwood (gads, that's a mouthful), for a schedule of vendors, you may download our March calendar by clicking here. Remember that the market is open rain or shine -and through snow too. Happy Saturday!

From Brownfield to Green Urban, Organic Farm

Oak Street in New Britain may seem a unique location for a working, organic farm that practices sustainable agriculture and produces fresh produce—and it is.

The nonprofit farm has been an urban revitalization success story since 1999, when organic farmers Tony Norris and Mike Kandefer made Urban Oaks Organic Farm a reality by mobilizing environmental clean-up funds, grants and volunteers to re-mediate the former Sandelli Greenhouse property and create a working city farm. The restoration of 15,000 square feet of greenhouses has allowed the farm to offer fresh greens and produce year-round.

Today, the presence of Urban Oaks is a positive force and a community place where city residents and students can learn about sustainable and environmentally friendly farming.

The farm supplies restaurants from Hartford to Stamford, and is open to the public on Fridays from 3 to 6 p.m. year-round, and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. through the end of October. Customers can pre-order via e-mail, or just stop by.

Contact:
225 Oak St. New Britain, CT
(860) 223-6200
Email: urbanoaks@earthlink.net

The Dressing Room's Michel Nischan

For those of you who attended the latest Green Drinks at the Westport Arts Center, you're familiar with this guy, Michel Nischan. We just wanted to extend a special thanks to him for his inspirational talk about sustainable living.

Quite a few of you know about Michel and his team's work, but in case you don't, here's a few details. Michel is the co-owner and operator of The Dressing Room in Westport, which is located next to the playhouse. He is also the author of two award-winning cookbooks, and he travels and speaks often and regularly about sustainable and culturally significant food.

Additionally, Michel is the founder of Wholesome Wave, a not-for-profit that currently is the home of two outstanding programs. The first is Wholesome Wave Farm Markets, or as you may know them, the Westport Farmers Market and the Fairfield Winter Market. These markets are run by Katherine Dyer, a regular at Green Drinks and a real inspiration to what one person can accomplish with a lot of patience and hard work.

Wholesome Wave also is home to the Green Wave Program, a farm-to-college, whole and natural food program run by Lila Gault, which is launching a movement to get real food, grown by local farmers and processed minimally, on the tables at major colleges and universities.

If you have any questions for Michel, you can contact him via his website at michelnischan.com

Get your fresh, local produce and support local commerce!

   

Over FOUR HUNDRED people showed up for this season's first farmers'
market! Don't miss out on getting those fresh fruits and veggies, while
mingling with the people who tend to the earth everyday to bring
them from the farm to your table!