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10/26/2017 12:01 AMIt’s a sad day in the fall when farmer’s markets close for season.
But then, the corn crib at Maple Breeze Farm, 563 East Pond Meadow Road, Westbrook, opens for those interested in buying Connecticut-grown goodness through the fall and winter.
Maple Breeze offers what it calls a New Concept CSA/Farm to Fork program, where customers can place an order one weekend and pick it up the next.
The farm’s corn crib, a cute little building warmed with a old timey wood-fired stove, opened on Saturdays earlier this month. It is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The first pick up for the Farm to Fork program is Saturday, Nov. 4. The program runs through May.
Samples and Stories
The corn crib is not only a place to get great food, it also is a fun place to meet and get to know other locals who love great food. Bonnie and John Hall, who own the farm, often offer samples of some of the food offered for sale. Customers are welcome to sit down, enjoy the samples, and stay for a bit. If you get the Halls going, they are pretty good storytellers as well and have lots of stories to tell. They raise a rare heritage breed of American Milking Devons, and the family has been working the farm since it settled there in the early 1700s. That’s a lot of years and a lot of stories.
Those who got hooked on the granola from Katey’s Kitchen—sold by the Halls at their stall at several farmers markets during the summer—will be happy to find that it is being offered through the Farm to Fork program. The ingredients include raw organic pumpkin seeds, honey, almonds, pecans, and sunflower seeds, with organic unsweetened shredded coconut, coconut oil, cinnamon, and sea salt. And, it also is sweetened with maple syrup from local producers including Maple Breeze Farm itself.
The granola goes perfectly with both cow and goat milk yogurt, both of which will be stocked at the corn crib. There will also be cheese, all from Sweet Pea Cheese in North Granby.
From Pasta to Pigs
Also available will be a wide range of pork and beef from Maple Breeze.
Customers also can order stuffed breads from Sanremo Bakery in Kensington, and garlic from Essex Garlic. Jon Fish will be providing fish including cod, haddock, fresh salmon, smoked salmon spread, smoked salmon pâté, six kinds of smoked salmon, smoked mussels, and chowder specials.
There will be pasta from Dough On Main in Deep River, and some amazing ice cream from Tulmeadow Farm in West Simsbury, including its red raspberry chocolate chip and toasted almond crunch.
New this year is honey from Stonewall Apiary in Hanover, along with honey butter, and there will be biscotti from Biscotti and Beyond in Middletown.
Bonnie Hall says they also have customers interested in roasting pigs for holiday dinners, and so they will be offering 15- to 18-pound roasting pigs on a limited basis. Thanksgiving orders need to be in by Saturday, Nov. 4, and Christmas orders must be in by Friday, Dec. 1. Hall says they are USDA-inspected pigs. She says when customers ask how they should be cooked, she recommends considering a Cuban marinade with lemons and limes, or one with apple cider vinegar. They can be cooked on a spit, or on indirect heat on a barbecue grill or Green Egg grill. They also can be cut in half and roasted in sections.