CT Green Scene

Goats: Not Great Gardeners, But the Cheese Is Great

by James Simpkins

This past Sunday on route 2E about ten miles southeast of Hartford, I realized that I spend very little time in that part of the state. This was not exactly a revelation since I spend most of my time in Canton in the opposite corner, but it is rather beautiful out that way. However, I wasn’t just out for the colloquial “Sunday drive” (though I wouldn’t have minded); I was on a mission. For goat cheese. 

While attending a party in Simsbury at a colleague’s house, I met a Latin teacher named Mark. Though he insulted the French language (pronouncing it “badly spoken Latin”), which normally removes people from the Christmas card list, he quickly redeemed himself by sharing some of the goat cheese be had brought. There were four different kinds of fresh chevre on the plate—chive, herbes de Provence, black pepper, and dill—and all were delicious. When I inquired where he acquired such bon fromage, Mark further endeared himself to this gourmand when he said “we made them at our farm.”

The “we” Mark was speaking of includes his husband Paul, the main cheesemonger and their farm—already well-known to more local residents—is called Beltane Farm located in Lebanon, CT. Mark and Paul breed, raise, and milk their flock of Oberhasli and La Mancha goats twice a day to bring lucky Connecticut residents their fresh goat’s milk and cheeses. And from my own experience, the goats appear really happy to be there, too. And why shouldn’t they be?

What's In Season CT?

by Megan DiPerri

Had any cherries or strawberries lately? Bet they don't taste half as good as they did over the summer.  Chances are you didn't grab a bad bunch at the grocery store; they're just not in season.  Knowing which fruits and vegetables are in season will reduce future disappointment and actually start saving you some money.  Best of all, seasonal produce is much more nutritional because it requires less chemicals, pesticides to produce.  They also offer one more way to support the local economy.  Who knew buying in season would taste that good!

The Connecticuit Department of Agriculture has this fantastic guide that takes all the guess work out of knowing what to buy and most importantly, when.  Next up?  Apples, cauliflower, eggplant, lettuce, greens, pears, potatoes, herbs, carrots...the list goes on.  Just because we live in New England doesn't mean we're short on variety! Local farmers markets and pick your own facilities also take the guess work out of buying seasonal produce.  Ok, I agree, most of us aren't going to go pick our own fruits and vegetables once the snow comes, but that's where knowing what to buy from your local grocer comes in handy.

Spending extended time somewhere else?  The USDA offers an extensive list of local farmers markets and Field to Plate has plenty of links to help you find out what's in season and when across the entire country.  How great is that?

Hey, You Gonna Eat That?

Food waste composted into nutrient rich soil

By News Channel 8's Chris Velardi
Posted September 18, 2008
4:55 PM

Northford (WTNH) -- One company is collecting food waste and composting it into a nutrient rich soil to sell it to farmers around the state.

It's time for the weekly pick-up at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford. A truck is coming for a specific type of trash -- the 'food waste' from Choate's cafeteria.

"We measured it for a couple of meals and we said, okay, one meal was 170 pounds of food," Katrina Linthorst Homan, of Choate Rosemary Hall, said. "And what does that mean if it's all year long?"

It means the school throws out about a ton of food a week.

"For a lifetime, it's been trash," Andy Bozzuto, of Global Environmental Services, said. "But, to be quite honest with you, we could look at it as commodities in the mix -- that's all."

It is a commodity to Andy Bozzuto who's been in the trash business for 45 years.

His company -- Global Environmental Services -- picks up the food waste from schools like Choate, Yale University, and others. And, it takes it to a plant in New Milford where it's 'composted' -- turning the trash into a type of treasure.

It's becomes a nutrient-rich soil favored by organic farmers.

"Because of the food waste, that's composted and the process that they take to do it, it becomes high in nutrients," Bozzuto said.

So how does a guy who's been a lifelong trash hauler know so much about nutrient-rich soil? Why does he care so much? Well, it turns out that Bozzuto, and his brothers, also have a family farm.

Bozzuto says it's a better way of looking at trash -- recycling coming full-circle.

"We're pulling this food waste out of the waste stream. We're composting it into a product that's needed for the organic farming side of it," Bozzuto said. And, being a little more green in the process.

The New Milford company that composts the food waste is currently the only facility that is licensed to do that in Connecticut.

Take your spare room off-grid

Taking my house off-grid conjures up the most luscious words: independence, freedom, self sufficiency, intelligence.  Well, Off-Grid tells us how to start with just one room using a small PV system. Anyone out there tried something like this?

 

So, you want to go off-grid? Or maybe you want to find out what it’s like before taking the plunge? How about taking one room of your house off grid? It’s a less expensive way of learning the technology, before committing yourself.

We suggest starting with a bedroom. Look around your bedroom and see what devices you have that run on electric. As I look around my room, I see one table lamp, two floor lamps, wall lamp, digital TV, Stereo, satellite box, portable dvd player, vcr, and XBox. I also have a battery powered clock, powered by rechargeables, so I’ll add the battery charger to our list. There is also a curling iron, hair dryer, and ceiling fan with lights, but we will leave those items off our list for now.