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CAPTURE CREATIVE CONNECTICUT FOOD AND FARM PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY FOR THE AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD SERVICE INDUSTRIES
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ut O t u ho ecommends S f e ChJason Welch R izza P & y Chef r ke a B s ’ a Nan
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@chefjasonwelch
Been dreaming of the hot Sourdough Doughnuts that I had a week or so ago from @nanasmystic One of the best D-nuts I have ever had, we almost turned around and went back to get a dozen more. Light and fresh and damn near perfect for a true doughnut geek like myself, paired with my new favorite coffee drink the “Oaxacan” which in itself is worth the drive down to Mystic. Chili and Chocolate notes sing when paired with that freshy freshy doughnut magic. The sourdough pizza I had the week prior is equally mind-blowing for the Sicilian Slice junkies out there!
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in this issue
THE EARTH
ERIK OFGANG
THE QUINTESSENTIAL HOST
MARY ELLEN FILLO
WILDFLOWER SEED PAPER VALENTINES
WITNER CAPLANSON
LAYERS OF LOVE
ERICA BUEHLER
A CUPPA GOOD HEALTH
TEA RECIPES FROM BLACK SUN FARM
AMELIA KELLNER
THE FORTUNE OF BLACK SUN FARM
REBECCA TOMS
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WINTER 2022 | VOLUME 26
KNOW YOUR FARMER FAIR
JENNIFER LAVOIE
A CHEF’S NOTES ON BLACK GARLIC
CHEF JASON WELCH
GIVE ME THAT STICKY, SWEET,
UMAMI YUM-YUM
KRISTEN ROBERTS
DIY SUET + SEED
JULI MANCINI
USING TRUFFLES AT HOME
KRISTIN L. WOLFE
DIAMONDS OF
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The
Fortune of
Black Sun Far by Rebecca Toms Winter Caplanson photos
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rm
At Black Sun Farm, a chatty flock of chickens and ducks meanders around the farmstead, foraged and preserved foods jockey for position on overfull shelves, and the smell of homemade incense wafts through the house where you sit sipping herbal tea crafted and grown by Amelia Kellner…the woman that leaves this trail of wealth in her wake. Amelia didn’t always have this bounty. Before her one acre Killingly farm came into being, she had fallen on hard times. Her bank account was almost empty, she was about to lose her housing, and had no job. She needed a way to uplift herself and make sure she was never in such a position again. As she saw it, either she could grind away at a job she wasn’t passionate about, or become self-sufficient. So, she took an apprenticeship at a Connecticut farm that provided housing, learned to grow her own food, and bring useful plants to life from the soil.
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She was fortunate that the farm she landed on was an organic farm. There she learned about growing vegetables from seed to harvest. If the farmers didn’t have a tool they needed, they improvised. If there were pests attacking the crop of beans, they looked at homemade remedies and things one can do by hand to solve the problem. Broken equipment was repaired, not replaced. Though all these efforts were borne from necessity, it meant less waste, a longer life for tools, and savings for the owners. She began to contemplate what else was at her disposal that could replace the buying of things… something she still didn’t have the luxury to do. Amelia gathered valuable skills over time: medicine making with herbs grown and found in nature, organic land care practices, foraging and preservation techniques that fed her family throughout the year, seed saving, even making products that aided her spiritual practice. Through study, books, and trial and error, she discovered a world of abundance. She tells it plainly, “I believe all those things about caring for the planet and being eco-conscious, but honestly, being organic and foraging and everything- it’s free!” All this is reflected in the farmstead business she runs now. You pull into the driveway and your first clue that this is not your normal suburban house is the gaggle of ducks, geese, and chickens gathering around the driveway waiting for their mid-day treat of seeds.
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“...your first clue that this is not your normal subu and chickens gathering around
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urban house is the gaggle of ducks, geese,
the driveway waiting for their mid-day treat of seeds.”
Once you wade through the fowl, your eye wanders to vines, bushes- green jumbling over green. It may look like a mish mash of plants…what some folks might call weeds. But if you are lucky enough to join Amelia in one of the many classes she offers, she will point out mullein, thriving among her raised beds, which she will turn into tea for winter coughs. She guides your eyes to a plant that she has let go to flower so she can collect seeds to continue growing a unique crop. Or perhaps she
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“Amelia gathered valuable s
medicine making with h
organic land care practices, foraging an
that fed her family thr would walk you through the woods as she forages and shows you the different mushrooms sprouting from old logs, and the bark and berries from trees remarking on what they can be made into. Everything has a use and is welcome, even what some would consider unwanted, Amelia trains them up and gives them space so that they too can perform some nurturing task that she relies upon and teaches to her students. Amelia seems like a druidic mother, idyllically living off what the land provides and making much with its plenty. But reality is a bit more laborious. For now, she has to work off the farm, too, to help pay her mortgage and bills. The tasks of finding foraged food and preserving the harvest during the high season is full time work- processing peaches and grapes into jams, canning beets that are exploding from her garden. Meanwhile she is teaching these skills
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skills over time:
herbs grown and found in nature,
nd preservation techniques
roughout the year, seed saving...” to others and running her farm business. And yes, she does get stressed just like everybody else. But unlike everybody else, she has a remedy for that toohand rolled herbal incense and smudges. As she rolls fresh leaves or grinds away with her mortar and pestle, she connects to the power and groundedness that comes from each plant she adds. When it burns, it is not a heavily perfumed smoke that overwhelms, but a subtle homage to the plants it is drawn from- the smokey, rich practice of generations of spiritualists calling on the plants themselves to heal, calm, and center the one who lights them. It is the same with the teas she blends. The power of the plant is studied, harnessed, and
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respected. The combinations she crafts are not just for a simple blast of flavor, but have nuances revealed with each sip and are made to help you sleep, to boost your immunity, or soothe an aching throat. They are drawn from the knowledge she gleaned when she didn’t have health insurance and had to care for her ailments without rushing to the drugstore to buy the first pill she saw on the shelf.
As I enjoy her tea, she asks me about my health and wellness. Amelia does not hoard the gifts that she has been given. Rather she shares them in the form of tea to help me sleep and incense to help balance my day. With all clients that seek her individual consultations, she looks at the whole person. What are their ailments, how might those be connected to lifestyles, what is the individual
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“...it’s a subtle homage it is drawn fro rich practice of the plants them
the o
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to the plants om- the smokey, generations of spiritualists calling on mselves to heal, calm, and center
one who lights them.” CT FOODANDFARM.COM
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approach that nature can craft for their wellness? Her favorite phrase “there is no magic pill” becomes a mantra as she dives in with you to understand what foods to eat, how to cook them, what herbs heal you and help you enjoy your food. Perhaps one client will be sent home with recipes and Gut Heal Tea as a tasty remedy for their digestive problems. Another is given a witch hazel tincture and incense to help with acne that comes from a stressful work environment. Each prescription is propelling the person on their own path to self-made prosperity.
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Whatever cures or tastes you leave Black Sun Farm with, it is bound to be special and filled with the riches that Amelia has gathered and crafted. That is the joy of buying from Amelia, and supporting her work. When you crack a free range egg, slice an heirloom pepper, or open up a jar of salsa made from her organic tomatoes, a little bit of the richness of her life conveys to you. And for a moment you might feel as if you have stumbled onto some secret that few millionaires know- the secret of bounty that has come from a little farm in Killingly.
REBECCA TOMS is Communications Coordinator at Grown ConNECTed, an initiative to promote Northeastern Connecticut farms within the Quiet Corner community. She knows that connecting with a local farm brings so much more than the yummy food they provide, but also the possibility of deeper relationships with farmers, your community, and the land it all comes from.
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A Cuppa Good Health: Tea Recipes from Black Sun Farm
by Amelia Kellner Winter Caplanson photos
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With the cold, wet, sometimes snowy days of winter here, you’re likely indoors more than usual, and probably in the company of other people. That means exposure to their germs, and an abundance of shared germs can lead to getting sick. If you want to be prepared to beat the cold that’s going around the office, or the cough your kids brought home from school, there are a few important steps you can take in your daily life during these chilly months. The first thing you can do is make some immuneboosting Bone Broth. I give my method and recipe in this blog post on my website. I also will be teaching an online class in making bone broth in mid-January 2022. Bone broth can be used to cook your rice or pasta, made into soups, or just sipped to support your immune system, heal your gut lining, and fight inflammation in your body. If you start to feel the sniffles coming on, taking a dose of Fire Cider can give the germs a kick in the pants! I have also been known to eat a clove of raw garlic straight if I start to feel those little lymph glands under my neck get sore, or gargle with some raw apple cider vinegar if my throat is scratchy and causing a cough.
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Here at Black Sun Farm,
I offer many different tea blends crafted from herbs I either grew or wild-foraged myself. You don’t always have to buy a tea from me or the store, though; you can make a cup for yourself out of simple, easy-to-find ingredients. There are lots of herbs and mushrooms that help strengthen the immune system, and others that can be taken to naturally combat the effects of a cold, flu, fever, or other wintery illness. If you’d like to learn how to forage for some of your own medicinal herbs, keep an eye on our class offerings or contact me to arrange a private foraging tour! Making a tea to support your immune system during the winter is easier than it sounds! There are tons of people who swear by elderberry and echinacea, and both those plants are excellent remedies in their own right. But in the interest of showing you something a little different (and still tasty!) I give you these tea recipes:
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Simple Cupboard Throat Tea 22
1-2 slices fresh, organic lemon 1 Tb raw apple cider vinegar 1 thumb of ginger, peeled and chopped Raw honey to taste (at least one tablespoon) Mix all ingredients except honey in a tea mug and pour hot water over the top. Stir well and let set 3 minutes. Add honey, stir, and let sit another minute or two until flavors incorporate. This tea is especially helpful when you have a sinus infection or flu-like symptoms! The addition of the raw apple cider vinegar helps kill bacteria and viruses lurking in that mucous that’s all backed up in your throat. The ginger helps soothe stomach ache (whether from the flu or from swallowing so much excess mucous) and the lemon gives you a Vitamin C boost to help your immune system to fight off pathogens.
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Vitamin C Booster Tea
1 tsp organic dried lemon peel 1 ½ tsp dried rosehips 1 tsp marshmallow leaf ½ tsp dried thyme Blend thyme leaves, lemon peel, and marshmallow leaves well in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Do not grind or crush the rosehips, as the seeds are covered in hairs that may irritate the throat. Mix all herbs together in a small bowl. Fill a tea ball or reusable tea sachet and put in your mug, then pour boiling water over all and cover with a small plate to keep the steam in. Steep for 10-15 minutes, then add honey to your taste and drink. The marshmallow leaves are a demulcent, meaning they help soothe your mucous membranes. The thyme is anti-viral and antibacterial, and the rosehips and lemon peel are chock full of Vitamin C.
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e y a L
V O L BY ERICA
WINTER CAPLA
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ers of
VE BUEHLER
ANSON PHOTOS
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This is a story of the saving grace that is
lasagna. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t agree that this warm, home-cooked food can mend nearly any ailment of the mind or heart. A sauce recipe handed down through generations, tender pasta, and soft cheese that melts in your mouth just right—such are the makings of lasagna—a cure for all. But beyond the obvious comforts of a delicious dish are the sentiments of enjoying a meal truly made with love; a meal made with every intention of making someone’s day a little bit better. When Lasagna Love founder Rhiannon Menn considered the impact that these intentions could have, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, it begged the question, “How has no one thought of this yet?”
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The premise is simple: a network of volunteers offering a little bit of time to make something special for someone who needs it. A gesture of neighborly love or a helping hand during tough times—or just a “thinking of
“A sauce recipe handed down through
generations...” you” moment—comes delivered to your door in the form of a fresh lasagna made locally, free of charge, and adjusted to your dietary needs and allergies.
Taylor Korenkiewicz is a Connecticut volunteer who got involved with Lasagna Love after seeing a post about it on Facebook. “I’ve been doing it for a little over a month now,” she says. “You can pick your own hours, how many lasagnas you want to make per week or per month, and also set your delivery radius.”
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Korenkiewicz details the logistics of the operation, which is now global, saying every region is divided up and has a leader, and the matchmaking process between lasagna chef—the official term of those volunteering their time—and recipients is pretty seamless. “You can sign up to volunteer on the website and then you’ll get a notification that you’ve been matched,” she says. “You’ll receive information about [the recipient], including the necessary contact information for deliveries, allergy information, and any other special requests.” From there, it’s a piece of cake—er, lasagna. The chef coordinates a good time to drop off the freshly made lasagna, cooks it, and delivers it to the person in need. But for volunteers like Korenkiewicz, adding some personal touches
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“The quick and easy process of
requesting a lasagna for yourself —or someone else—is made for anyone that might need a little pick-me-up.”
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“It’s just nice to be able to deliver somet
to m
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thing
my community.”
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“By visiting LasagnaLove.org,
you can volunteer to
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be a lasagna chef in your area... ” makes the delivery that much more special. “I sign up for two lasagnas a week and make one big sauce ahead of time. It only takes about two hours but I always make little notes to personalize [the delivery],” she says. “The expectation is just lasagna, but you can always add sides like Italian bread, salad, brownies, stuff like that. I recently made a lasagna for a single dad with five kids, so I also made some brownies that I knew the kids would like.” Korenkiewicz clarifies that a lasagna delivery request isn’t restricted to only those suffering financial hardship. The quick and easy process of requesting a lasagna for yourself—or someone else—is made for anyone that might need a little pick-me-up. “It could be that someone just got home from the hospital and can’t cook, or parents are busy and just need a little help, or a loved one has passed. That was the major reason I was drawn to it,” she says. “It’s just nice to be able to deliver something to my community.” By visiting LasagnaLove.org, you can volunteer to be a lasagna chef in your area, sponsor a local chef if you don’t have the time to cook yourself, or sign the kindness pledge to help spread the word about the cause. There are several ways to get involved and give back to your community—sauce or no sauce.
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WiLD r e W e o l F Seed Paper a P ale
V
ntiNes by
Winter Caplanson CT FOODANDFARM.COM
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h it w y a D s ’ e n i t n e l a V is h t e v lo r u o y hare
S
th wi r pe pa de ma nd ha r, pe pa ed se g in ak M
embe
In springtime, the paper can be planted in garden, and the seeds will sprout. Here’s how to make tiny plantable paper hearts from recycled materials! 40
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! s r e w o l f d l i w y t t e r p w o r g t a h st
h card
edded seeds, is easy and fun!
the
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: d e e n l l u o at y ’
Wh
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Non-glossy
scrap paper
(recycled paper, newspaper, tissue, or construction paper work well)
Wildflower seeds
for your growing zone Dried flower petals (optional)
A
blender or
food processor Mesh screen
(a splatter screen or piece of window screen)
card making materials: pencils/crayons/markers
glue cardstock or blank cards
Bath towels Cookie cutters Paper towel Rolling pin
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1. Tear scrap paper
into small pieces.
2. Add paper to blender, cover with warm water, and blend for 30 seconds to a pulp consistency.
3. Pour pulp into a bowl, gently stir in some seeds and optional flower petals.
4. Lay screen on top of a folded bath towel, place cookie cutters on top
of screen.
5. Spoon pulp into cookie cutters, spreading to
create a thin, even layer.
6. Gently (so as not to crush the seeds) press water out with
7. Remove cookie
your fingertips.
cutters.
8. Lay paper towel over the pulp, gently press
with fingers or a rolling pin to remove more water and flatten.
9. Let seed paper dry in a warm place for
24 hours or until completely dry.
10. Punch a hole and add string to make a gift tag, or use your seed paper and card-making materials
to create your own Valentine! tions
struc n I g n i w o r tine G
len
Va Wildflower
11.
Include growing instructions:
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under ¼” t r a e h r e p the seed pa t u p , e t and again n n u la J p f u o o y g in n he inn er lightly w At the beg t a W . t o p s . sunny oil dries out s e h t of soil in a r e v e ks! when in 3-4 wee r a e p p a ld u Sprouts sho 49
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THE
QUINTES 52
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SSENTIAL
HOST BY MARY ELLEN FILLO
WINTER CAPLANSON PHOTOS
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V
iron Rondos strides through the back door of his Cheshire restaurant in a perfectly pressed, Italian dress shirt, impeccable jeans and designer sneakers with a cell phone that seems permanently attached to the palm of his left hand. He picks up the pace as he heads into his award-winning place, simultaneously surveying the activity in the kitchen, the service going on in a string of dining rooms and the New York City- style bar with a clearly critical eye, all while greeting the already growing crowd of guests with a genuinely appreciative smile. As if by clockwork, two or three double espressos with two sugars each are put within his reach by one of his servers and he shoots the first one down in a gulp. His day has begun.
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Rondos is the master of what has become one of Connecticut’s most popular restaurants, Viron Rondo Osteria. Located on Route 10 on the Cheshire/Southington town line, the 15,000+ square-foot restaurant boasts a jaw-dropping, Mediterranean-inspired wrap-around, lushly landscaped stone patio; vintage 40-foot chandeliercrowned bar; and a main dining room that includes an Italian stone fireplace, original fine art, and impressive glassed wine room. Humongous glass vases are filled with magazine-shoot ready, fresh flower arrangements, mirrors sparkle, tables gleam. The vibe is active, fun, city hip, engaged… the kind of atmosphere many, especially in these socially deprived COVID days, embrace. Ask the affable veteran restaurateur what is most important when it comes to his business, and he doesn’t blink an eyelash as he replies “perfection.”
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“When it comes to business I don’t play” said the 47-year-old father of three who is one of the state’s most well-known restaurateurs. “When I hire someone, I have serious expectations. When I shop for produce and meats and seafood, I have serious expectations,” he continues. “The job, whether it is in the kitchen, serving the meal, taking care of the grounds, cleaning, bartending, all of it, my job is to make sure that our guests are happy from beginning to end,” he explains. “My goal is, and has always been, that any guest is never to leave here unhappy.” And ask most anyone, Rondos is a businessman who ‘walks that walk,’ never just ‘talking the talk.’ Establishing a reputation as the quintessential host when he owned restaurants in Litchfield and the Farmington Valley, Rondos did not go to culinary or hospitality school to learn CT FOOD & FARM / WINT ER 2022
his trade. He calls it second-nature, a commitment, a desire to learn more, a philosophy, an expectation and a refined taste he credits to his mother, Katarina. Life lessons learned as a child have jettisoned him forward both personally and professionally. “My mother had incredible gardens, fresh produce everywhere, she knew how to grow so much and then turn it not the most wonderful meals,” he says grinning. “When we were children she would send us out to the gardens to pick whatever it was she making that day using tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, herbs. “She grew enough in season to keep us in food all year long,” he explained. “She is passionate about food.” And while first and foremost is his menu, boasting fan favorites like the paper-thin fried zucchini and eggplant “My Mother’s Chips,” his famed Greek CT FOODANDFARM.COM
salad with tomatoes from March Farm in Bethlehem, cheeses from Arethusa, seafood from Stonington and Port Judith, Bell & Evans chicken dishes, steaks, pasta and pizza from a specially built imported pizza oven, Rondos also learned from his mother, that food is just part of a dining experience. “She was the most amazing hostess,” he says as he savors memories of the days when his mother, Katarina, who still lives in Greece, was in her heyday. “Every Saturday and Sunday there were be huge dinners and everyone would come and she would make these wonderful dishes from the produce from her gardens and be so welcoming. It’s such good memories but it was such a good lesson for me,” he continues. “When it comes to enjoying a meal, food is foremost but the welcome is so important too.”
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“The vibe is
active, fun, city h
engaged…
the kind of atmosphere many, especially in these socially deprived COVID days, embrace.
”
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hip,
…
” CT FOODANDFARM.COM
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“As if by clockwork, His day
two or three d with two sugars each are put within his reach b and he shoots the first one down in a gulp.
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double espressos by one of his servers
y has begun.”
Those lessons learned at his mother’s side is what whetted the 47-year-old’s appetite for the hospitality business. “I think it was just what I always dreamed of doing,” he said, taking an unusual few minutes off the restaurant floor to sit and talk. “I can’t remember wanting to ever do anything else but be in the hospitality business. It was my path.” The career path began when, as a teenager, he began bussing tables at a 40-table restaurant in Greece. There he cut his teeth on the degree of hard work only those in the industry can understand, while learning all he could from others in the business. “I worked with a gentleman named George who was a waiter in New York City and came back to Crete,” Rondos says smiling. “We used to call him ’pappous,’ grandfather, because he seemed so old to us.” Rondos said George was a taskmaster and no matter how fast the then 17-year Rondos worked, George kept wanting more, and better. “George would say ‘you have to do it faster, work faster,’ and I would keep saying ‘I can’t go any faster’ but I did,” he fondly reminisces. “I think that is still why I ran around so much to get things done,” he jokes. “I hear George in my head” Eventually, Rondos found his way to New York City where he began earnestly building a resume by working at some of New York City’s most well-known restaurants including Avra and Patsy’s Pizzeria.
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“I was young and dreaming,” Rondos says. “I knew I wanted to work in an exclusive place, not because of money but because I wanted to learn and you learn from the places that are very, very good at what they do,” he said “Even today I look for people who are smarter and better than me. That is how you learn and get better.” In New York he crafted a lifelong friendship and a
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business relationship with Katarina Karavasilli. The two planned a restaurant in Pennsylvania together, a dream that never materialized because a fire destroyed the building days before their
restaurant was slated to open. It didn’t stop Rondos’ dream. “Difficulties for Viron are not a reason to him to die,” said Karavasilli who eventually reunited with Rondos in the restaurant business in Connecticut and now owns her own ice cream store, Peaches and Cream in Litchfield. “Challenging times make Viron think.”
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And while his outward appearance is warm, welcoming, grateful and carefree, the man has had his share of challenges, personally and professionally, sadness, friends agree, he hides well. The unexpected death of his dearest friend and business partner, Niko Lymperopoulos
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in 2010, and then the pending threat of deportation of his wife, Denada, in 2017, were strains Rondos called the worst nightmares of his life. After investing $7 million in an expansion of his restaurants a couple of years later, COVID hit, and Rondos, like so many others in the industry, watched business
come to a halt, a game changer that had him not only worried about his own livelihood, but that of his staff and his community. “We had to do what we could to keep the business going and the community was so supportive. I am so grateful,” said Rondos, in his trademark, unassuming way. “We had just put all this money
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“
When it comes to enjoying a
food is fore but the welcome is so imp into the restaurant and now we couldn’t serve anyone,” he said recalling how he had to pivot the business to accommodate the virus restrictions. “But our guests supported us and we managed thanks to our outdoor dining and takeout,” said Rondos, who in the warm weather, does 6,000 to 7,000 meals a week, and about half in the winter months when the patio closes.
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Rondos, who is equally well-known for giving, is the first to say ‘yes’ when approached by a nonprofit or altruistic effort looking for donations or help. During the height of the pandemic, Rondos provided at- cost meals to frontline workers, donated free meals to hospital and care center staff, helped his staff with groceries. His mantra: giving is better than getting.
“It is how we were raised, you do good, you help. You repay kindness,” he says. Rarely if ever out of sight during restaurant hours, his longtime fans and friends say he throws off an energy that makes people want to be with him and that is part of the appeal of Viron Rondo Osteria. “He genuinely wants to make his customers happy and feel
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a meal,
emost portant too.”
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welcome,” said retired Connecticut Appellate Court Judge Anne Dranginis, now an attorney with Pullman & Comley. A longtime customer and friend, Dranginis describes Rondos’ enthusiasm for his craft as “hallmark.” “He is a keen observer of people and their preferences, she said. “He has great instincts and follows through on his observations,” she continued. “That spirit of him make its always exciting to be at his restaurant.” Rondos is quick to dismiss his positive personal and professional traits, and what he brings to the table in terms of his success, instead rattling off the names of staff and what they have contributed including executive chefs Tom Crawford and Tim Demers, general manager Heidi Heidkamp, pizza master Nick Mexhuani and bar manager Dimitrios Zahariadis. Many of his staff have been with him for years, and have an even better insight into what makes Rondos tick. “Nobody likes bosses,” said longtime server Beta Dzafer. “Once you understand how fussy he is, you understand why” she said. “Along with his expectations comes kindness, but you have to know where the boundary is, work is work,” she continued. “But he has a wonderful sense of humor and if I had to say what his biggest drawback is it’s that he doesn’t listen to me sometimes and then I just say fine, do it your way,” she laughs. “I have learned so much from him, and I am so happy to have worked for him all these years.”
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Rondos says his now seven-year-old osteria will be his one and only restaurant, emphatically stating that a human being can only give so much to a business without compromising quality, and can only be at one place all the time as he continues to make his business and himself better. “You learn over the years, I wish I had more patience when I get frustrated and I work every day to learn to let something go,” he said, explaining that COVID-related staff shortages and procurement issues have made it more and more difficult to keep customers as happy as he would want them to be.
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“I can
an
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n’t remember wanting to ever do nything else but be
in the hospitality
business. It was my path.” In terms of his hosting style and attention to detail, Rondos is quick to say he does not think he is special or part of any dying breed as a restaurateur, but rather a person committed to his profession. “I think I am just someone who is willing to do the job I do, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, because I want it the way I want and I am a perfectionist,” he said. “It is better for me to be here all the time and see everything is done as perfect as possible,” he explains. “I am very old fashioned. I will never take a shortcut, never do it halfway,” he insists. “Doing it right takes the same amount of work as doing it wrong. So why not do it right and be proud of your product? It’s the way I was raised.”
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Truffles are the hidden treasure of the culinary world.
ALESSANDRO PELLICCIARI
The “diamonds of the earth” grow underground near the roots of old trees and are sought by veritable armes of truffle hunters, a dying breed of aging seekers who work with dogs trained to recognize the aroma of this prized ingredient, some varieties of which regularly sell for thousands per pound. Though the most sought-after truffles still grow in Europe and
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budding U.S. truffle production is centered on the West Coast and Appalachia, the epicenter of the North American truffle world might just be Connecticut. This isn’t because sought after truffles are found here — they’re not — it’s because the state is home to Sabatino Truffles’ North American production facility, the largest such facility in the world.
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best selling truffle seasoning in the world, is made with black summer truffles in West Haven. These products are a favorite of Oprah Winfrey, who reportedly travels with them. Sabatino Truffles was founded 1911 in Italy and opened its West Haven location more than a decade ago, and the majority of the company’s truffles still come from Italy. “In our ancestral home in Umbria we have about 800 acres of what we call truffle plantation forests that we’ve planted or inoculated with black truffle spores,” Persaud says. However, farming truffles is not like farming other foods. “They live in a symbiotic relationship with the trees that they grow on. So they grew along the roots of trees throughout Italy, Spain, France. There are actually hundreds of different types of truffles that exist in the world, but there are only a handful, really four or five types of “We have about 60,000 square feet, here in West Haven, and we’re expanding to 100,000 square feet in the next few months,” says Dave Persaud, vice president of marketing at the company. “We ship fresh truffles when they’re in season daily into the facility here, and then distribute them to our satellite offices across the country.”
Workers at the facility use flavors extracted from fresh truffles to power a variety of oils, sauces, salts and other truffle products. The company’s flagship Truffle Zest, the
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Fresh truffles are also used to create a variety of truffle products in West Haven. “Anything that is not a fresh truffle product, we will then process into another product here,” Persaud says.
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truffle species that are prized for their fragrance, their aroma, their flavor, and those are the types of truffles that we focus on,” Persaud says.
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Black truffles have been successfully cultivated over the years but remain an unwieldy crop. “We have a large number of forests or plantations in Italy, where the soil is perfect, conditions are perfect for truffles, and yet, it’s still a sporadic occurrence of finding truffles. So every tree gets inoculated and planted, and has been for the last 50, 60, 110 years, but year-to-year, you just don’t know exactly how many truffles you’ll find, or where you’ll find them. It can take up to seven years for a truffle to really grow to a point where it’s ripe and ready for harvest.”
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And actually finding these truffles, even on a truffle farm, is not easy. “We rely heavily on our truffle hunting dogs and experienced truffle hunters,” Persaud says. “Whenever they find a truffle, they have to quickly assess whether it is ripe or not ripe. If it’s not ripe, then they’ll cover it up, maybe leave a little marker to come back and check on it in a few weeks.” Sabatino Truffles has a dedicated team of truffle hunters but will also contract with outside teams during peak seasons. “When truffles are growing, because they’re fungal entities, they can really blossom very quickly. So when the season is upon us, from week to week a spot that
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has already been covered by a truffle hunting team could actually yield a number of new truffles,” Persaud says. “On a good hunting day, a truffle hunter may find a kilo or so of truffles, on a poor day, you know, he may strike out completely.” White truffles, which have only been experimentally cultivated, are the rarest variety and regularly sell for more than 84
$1,000 per pound. In 2014, a truffle hunter employed by Sabatino found the largest white truffle ever, a 4.16 pounder nearly the size of a football. The company sold it at auction at Sotheby’s a week later for $61,250. Given their enormous price tag, it’s no wonder truffles have an air of mystique about them and can seem a food fit only for royalty and the ultra wealthy.
But that’s a perception Persaud hopes to overcome. “A large part of my role is not only helping consumers understand truffles better, where they come from and what they are, but also helping them understand how to use them and how it can fit into their daily lives,” he says.
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While white truffles may be too expensive for many to buy for home use, Sabatino products make these flavors more attainable. For instance, the company’s new White Truffle infused Avocado Oil sells for $14.99 per 3.4-ounce bottle. And even whole truffles are not something to fear. CT FOODANDFARM.COM
“Folks are more than happy to let a chef shave truffles on a dish for them, but get a fresh truffle in the hands of a consumer and they instantly are just afraid of screwing it up,” Persaud says. He adds, this is a mistake as truffles are not hard to cook with. However, he does offer one piece of advice: a little goes a long way. “Not only are truffles very expensive, they’re also very potent in
terms of flavors and aromas,” Persaud says. “All it takes is a few grams shaved on a dish to really dress it up and make it ultra luxurious, and when it comes to some of the ingredients and products we make like truffle oil or truffle salt, the same holds true. You don’t need a lot because the flavors and aromas are so intense.”
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BY KRISTIN L. WOLFE LISA NICHOLS PHOTOS
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Like a sow to her boar, I am apparently one of the thirty-five percent who are wildly attracted to the musky, earthy smell of truffles. To me, they are truly intoxicating, and yet, to many, they are downright offensive. They are mysterious, they are rare, they are VERY expensive, and definitely under the umbrella of FANCY THINGS, but if you are one of the sniffers drawn to or intrigued by them, it is possible to bring the little fungi treasures into your home-cooking repertoire. Although they have been found across the globe, the white truffles (considered white diamonds) of Italy and black ones from France are the most sought after. And surprisingly, you can order them online. With companies like Sabatino Truffles, in our backyard, you could order by the ounce and give the earthy diamonds a try.
Chef tip:
Truffles need to be kept dry. One way to store them, according to Perez’s right hand man, Ignazio Alferi, is in rice, within an air-tight container, in the fridge. You could also store them in sand or on a paper towel, just change the towel daily. The benefit of storing your truffles in rice, is you could then use the rice for a robust, aromatic risotto. 88
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Like everything else, however, the price of them during Covid, has gone up. When learning a bit more about them from CT’s beloved and recent CRAZIES Award recipient, Carlos Perez, he explained that pre-pandemic, already they were tres chere. “You could get a pound for $1,500,” Perez said. “Now, that same pound is $4,500!” Most of us, however, attempting to add a little flare or flavor to our home cooking will not need that much, perhaps an ounce or two, but they are still pricey in the hundreds. When you are ready to splurge and give them a try in your own kitchen, keep it simple and less is more. Since their flavor can be intense and take over whatever you accompany them with, try using them with blank canvases like pasta, eggs, meat, and green veggies.
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Here are a few recipes, from the acclaimed Litchfield Executive Chef, Carlos Perez, of At the Corner and now the new ATC South Street:
INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
Beef of choice
Sear steak of choice in cast iron or heavy weight sauté pan leaving drippings in pan. Add butter, deglaze with cognac then flambé. Sprinkle in flour and toast roux. Whisk in beef stock and shaved truffle, reduce and thicken. Adjust seasoning to taste. Finished with fresh truffle shavings.
2 tbsp butter 1 tbsp flour 1/2 cup cognac 1 cup beef stock 1/2 tsp shaved truffle Salt pepper to taste
Chef tip:
Unlike wine or George Clooney, Truffles do not get better with age; they actually begin to lose their strength and aroma, as soon as they are removed from the ground. White truffles last about five days, and black truffles last about a week.
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INGREDIENTS
3 egg yolks
Pinch salt and pepper
1 stick butter, melted
2 poached eggs
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 avocado, half smashed, half sliced
1 tbsp water
1/4 cup roasted mushrooms
1/2 tsp shaved truffle plus more for garnish
1 piece grilled focaccia Maldon sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Place egg yolks in a mixing bowl along with lemon juice, water, truffle shavings, salt and pepper. Using an immersion blender, stream in melted butter until consistency coats the back of a spoon. Spoon smashed half avocado onto grilled focaccia. Top with poached eggs and roasted mushrooms, then spoon over truffle hollandaise. Top with more shaved truffles and a sprinkle of Malden sea salt.
Did You Know:
One of the reasons Truffle Oil gets such a bad rap is, for one, the oils used are often of the lowest quality, and more importantly, they use a synthetic compound to mimic the smell of truffle with no actual truffle in sight. That said, you could use a higher quality oil, like olive oil, and actually skewer the truffle-with a clean nail-to the lid, so the aroma, in fact, infuses the oil. If the truffle makes contact with the oil, it will likely go rancid.
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INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp butter 1/2 tsp minced garlic 1/2 tbsp shaved truffle or peelings, plus more for garnish 8 oz cooked pasta of choice 2 tbsp pasta water 1/2 cup grated pecorino 1 tsp finely chopped parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
In a sauté pan add butter and garlic, cook over medium heat until butter begins to brown. Add shaved truffle then pasta, tossing to coat. Add pasta water, pecorino, and chopped parsley. Toss once more then salt and pepper to taste. Finish with shavings of fresh truffles and sprigs of fresh parsley. Callouts for Rita
Salt and pepper to taste
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e u S Y I D
Bir d Fe
eding Bl iss
by Juli M ancini
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As we New Englanders hunker down for a fireside winter,
those brief moments of connecting with outdoor life is liberating. Catching glimpses of jewel toned birds sustains our soul and piques our interest through the winter months. Bird feeding has been a cherished pastime since first noted in 1845, when Henry David Thoreau in Walden Pond wrote of his penchant for corn feeding birds with the hopes of drawing them in and keeping them around his cabin just a little longer. Fast forward 176 years later, an estimated 50 million people enjoy supplemental bird feeding. Good news - we love our wild birds. You can find myriad bird feeders, seed mix and suet at every feed and hardware store across the country.
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But making your own is rewarding and even more beautiful when using perishable fruits and vegetables for feeders - an assembly you can’t buy in any store. Fully edible and biodegradable, all the feeder ingredients are readily available at the grocery store and some can even be wild harvested if you’re feeling adventurous. Once hung on a favorite tree, your feeders fill the monochromatic winter landscape with vibrant earthy colors and draw birds from woodpeckers and blue jays to cardinals, robins and everything in between. After a couple weeks’ time, you’ll find the entire installation has disappeared - making it a veritable feast for birds, finished off by other hungry animals. It’s the perfect hobby for bird lovers to get crafty all winter long.
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“But making your o CT FOOD & FARM / WINT ER 2022
own is rewarding and even more beautiful when using perishable fruits and vegetables for feeders...” CT FOODANDFARM.COM
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Suet + Seed Feeders
Prep time: 30 minutes EQUIPMENT:
Small Sauce Pan Measuring Cup Scissors Knife Small Spoon Thread + Needle INGREDIENTS:
Rendered Beef Tallow or Pre-packaged Lard Organic Millet Raw Black Oil Sunflower Seeds for Birds Organic Shelled Raw Peanuts - Unsalted Organic Unsulphered Dried Cranberries - No Additives Fresh Cranberries, Blueberries or Pomegranate VESSELS/FEEDERS FOR SUET:
Apples Pomegranate Artichoke Oranges
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Note about Ingredients: Be mindful that your ingredients don’t contain added sugar, sodium, or preservatives. Do your research on what is safe for birds so you can custom mix your own seed blends. Local ingredients such as wild harvested autumn olives, crab apples, and rose hips are also perfect ingredients for our feathered friends.
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“Once hung on a favorite tree , your
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r e t n i w c e monochromati
Instructions 1. Heat rendered tallow or lard until liquid and set aside.
2. To make the feeder, gather fruit and vegetables of choice. Hollow out the centers to create a bowl. Make sure to hollow out about 60% of the content to make plenty of space for seeds and fat. 3. Double thread your needle and sew in 3 equidistant strings (each about 15 inches long) to your vessel. They should be at least 3/4 of an inch from the edge, to prevent tearing the fruit. These threads will ultimately be gathered at the ends and tied to the tree to secure your feeder.
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4. Fill feeder 2/3 of the way with a mix of seeds, dried fruit, and nuts and top off with tallow. 5. Follow by decorating with seeds, pine cones and fresh berries. 6. Tie the three strings to your branch of choice and enjoy the show.
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I'm king l ta t u o ab black gar(BliGc) CT FOODANDFARM.COM
the fermented version of the fresh culinary workhorse you are so well acquainted with. As a hobbyist home chef and Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP), I am always looking to create a meal that is not only satisfying and attractive, but also supports optimal well-being. Digestion begins in the brain and this particular ingredient really gets all of your senses involved. Complete transparency, I always have a bag of BG on hand and, sometimes, I just like to open it up to take a big whiff. If you know, you know! Chances are pretty good that you haven’t come across the aged black goodness at a standard grocer, though you may have seen it at an Asian market or threaded into a menu or two. To be honest, you wouldn’t necessarily slow your stroll for what appeared to be a sad, off-color, deflated bulb without knowing what magic was waiting inside. Unless you were the uber-curious type, that is. BG is a fun one to unpack, so let’s get to it, shall we? BG gets its striking glossy black color, tacky, date-like consistency, and sweet (yet earthy) taste by being heated at a consistent temperature under high humidity for a period of time. Nothing is added, so is it truly a ferment?! Loosely, yes. The garlic, simply put, goes through the maillard reaction (a nonenzymatic reaction between amino acids and sugars that happens under heat) just like when you caramelize onions or brown meat. The duration of the ferment differs depending on cultures, makers, and uses, but typically you can expect this aging process to take 3-4 weeks. All good things come with time! Interestingly, because BG has been chemically altered through this thermal process, it is said to offer some enhanced health benefits compared to its fresh counterpart. Most notably, BG has a higher concentration of antioxidants. We like that!
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The exact origins of BG are a bit murky, but we do know that it has been a functional food staple for centuries in countries like South Korea, Thailand, and Japan. Of course, right? These birthplaces of umami and eastern medicine love BG not only for its flavor, but more so for its medicinal purposes. BG shares some of its health benefits with traditional fresh raw garlic, but not all. BG is anti-inflammatory, neuro-protective, liverprotective, higher in antioxidants, supports healthy blood sugar balance, contains anti-cancer properties, and reduces the risk of heart disease. Fresh raw garlic is anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic, promotes healthy blood pressure, supports healthy cholesterol, and has been studied for its ability to reduce the risk of some cancers as part of a nutrient-dense and diverse whole-food diet. Nature, without human intervention, has provided us with a powerful little package that just so happens to also be incredibly versatile in the culinary world. You cannot confuse the unmistakable aroma and sharp flavor of raw garlic thanks to an organosulfur compound called alliin. If you want to take full advantage of its health benefits, it is suggested that you allow your minced, chopped, grated (etc.) garlic to rest for at least 10 minutes before cooking to allow the phytochemical allicin to develop. In other words, allicin develops from converted alliin over those tenplus minutes. This is what makes fresh raw garlic a “functional food.” Fresh or fermented, you can’t go wrong.
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You’re probably wondering what you can make with BG at home. Well, home chefs use BG like a AAA five-diamond chef might use a truffle to elevate a dish (but without taking out a small loan). So shave away! It’s incredibly versatile and can be used anywhere you might use roasted garlic. Just start with half of the amount you’d use of the roasted stuff and work your palette up. If you’re like me and love to play in the kitchen, consider buzzing some into a dressing, marinate meats, make it the hero ingredient in a hummus, pull it into a sauce to pair with fish, dehydrate a few cloves and toss them into a coffee grinder to make a powder for an interesting spice blend, stud some home baked bread, or get wild and work it into a dessert, picking up on its sweeter notes. Umami bomb, incoming! Where you can get your hands on some? My go-to source for BG is The Spice House, where I get the majority of my dried herbs and spices. At time of print, a sealed bag contains 2 organic Wisconsingrown bulbs for $9.49. They are perfect every time and can be stored for up to a year. More of a DIYer? Check out this article by Amelia Rampe on The Kitchn, she tests three common methods and prevails with one clear winner.
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If you tend to stay away from fresh raw garlic, either because it upsets your stomach or because you can’t stand it seeping out of your pores for a couple of days, then you’ll be pleased to know that BG won’t do you dirty like that. The allicin content is markedly reduced during the aging process, converting into antioxidants like alkaloids and bioflavonoids so it takes on an entirely different persona…one I think you’ll fall in love with.
The crew over at Nana’s Mystic is dabbling in house-made BG right now, so keep an eye on their specials to see what they come up with!
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A CHEF’S NOTES ON
BLACK GARLIC
ed by h p a r g photo & n elch e W n o Writt s Ja Chef
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BLACK GARLIC…
once you taste this umami ingredient, you will find yourself wanting to put it in everything! Black garlic is a regular head of garlic that has been aged. Traditionally, it’s been kept in a consistently warm and humid environment over a long period of time. This results in dark, rich cloves, slightly jelly-like in consistency, which are capable of adding a serious punch of umami to any dish. Undergoing the Maillard reaction—a chemical reaction between the amino acids and sugars of food resulting in the browning of that food—black garlic transforms from a pungent, spicy allium to a mild, sweet, and tangy ingredient, similar to the flavor of balsamic vinegar or tamarind, so what’s not to love!
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To make homemade black garlic, please refer to the recipe in The Noma Guide to Fermentation as it is the most consistent one I have found. Don’t be misled by the fermentation in the title, black garlic is not really fermented but succumbs to the Maillard reaction described above. But for all intents and purposes it is garlic that is slowly cooked at low temperatures until the cloves literally turn black in all the best ways possible. All ya need is a rice cooker, some plastic ziplock bags, and most importantly TIME. Patience is a virtue in cooking!
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this ll wi ou to ing ! hing
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Here are some of my favorite recipes incorporating black garlic: Black Garlic Aioli is a sweet and salty mayonnaise-like sauce that literally goes with just about anything, from grilled fish to grilled vegetables, to eggs, or to spread on your favorite sandwich. I most recently found it to be the perfect complement on my lobster toast. INGREDIENTS: • 4 cloves black garlic • 1 clove raw garlic • 1 organic egg yolk • 1/2 tsp lemon juice • 1/2 c extra virgin Spanish olive oil • sea salt METHOD: 1. Finely mince 4 cloves of black garlic and finely dice 1 raw clove of garlic, add both minced garlics to a mortar and using a pestle pound down on the garlics until you form a paste. 2. Then add 1 organic egg yolk at room temperature, season with sea salt and add about 1/2 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. 3. Start slowly pouring in 1/2 cup of extra virgin Spanish olive oil while you mix all the ingredients together in a circular motion. Once all the olive oil has been added, you should have a mayonnaise like consistency (it’s very important that you don´t stop stirring the mixture while you pour in the oil). 4. Cover the mortar with Saranwrap and add to the fridge for at least 1 hour to let all the flavors develop. The aioli should keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.
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BLACK GARLIC AIOLI
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WILD MUSHROOM & BLACK GARLIC BROTH
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Wild Mushroom and Black Garlic Broth delivers umami madness! This recipe also utilizes soy sauce and do not skimp on the quality of it. I like using the soy from Moromi made here in CT. I like to use this broth in many fish and braised meat dishes, but it is amazing as a compliment to my homemade Potato and Local Cheese Pierogis, pictured. INGREDIENTS: • 1/2 Spanish onion, thinly sliced • 8 cloves of black garlic, chopped • 1/4 c olive oil • 1/2 c dry white wine • 1 oz. dried wild mushrooms • 2 pounds cremini mushrooms • 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms • 1 sprig thyme • 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns • 1/2 c quality soy sauce • 3 quarts cold water
METHOD: 1. Gently sauté onion with black garlic in olive oil over medium heat in a large sauce pot just until the onion is translucent. Deglaze with white wine. 2. Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a large pot over medium low heat. Simmer for 2 hours and strain. You will notice the broth reduces in quantity after simmering. 3. Strain the broth. It will keep for up to one week in the refrigerator or up to two months in the freezer.
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Black Garlic Chim The garlic adds m delicious sauce m real, you can put For a photo, I sea mainly because I Chimmi would b skills to the next l to use it on.
Take your Chimmi skills to the next and grab your favorite cuts of
BLACK
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michurri offers a fun play on tradition. more depth and character to an already made especially for meats. But let’s be it on anything and I definitely DO. ared off a nice piece of Aged Ribeye, was starving and I knew that the BG be crazy good on it. Take your Chimmi level and grab your favorite cuts of meat
INGREDIENTS: • • • • •
2 bunches parsley finely chopped 1 bunch cilantro finely chopped 6 cloves black garlic finely minced 2 scallions finely chopped 1/2 jalapeno finely diced, or better yet brunoise cut • 1/4 cup sherry vinegar or to taste • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or as needed. Should be little more than covering the herb mix
METHOD: Finely chop all ingredients and mix together thoroughly in a small bowl. Add olive oil to your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
level meat to use it on.
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by jennifer LaVoie
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winter caplanson photos
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H
umans crave connections - a place to belong and share experiences. The Know Your Farmer Fair is now in its 7th season bringing local produce and goods to the community, while fostering a sense of camaraderie amongst both the farmers and their customers. The Know Your Farmer Fair (KYFF) will be back in-person in Willimantic this year on Saturday, February 26th from 10:00am to 1:00pm (snow date is Sunday, February 27th). The exact location has not been set at the time of this publication, but it will most certainly be in Willimantic. Please check their Facebook page or Instagram for updated information. Sydney Clements, Coordinator at the Windham Community Food Network explained that in the past it has been at the Willimantic Town Hall and hopes that they can continue there, emphasizing the great partnership with the town and the beautiful space. The Victorian style building boasts soaring ceilings, large windows, and plenty of room for perusing all that’s offered at the fair. Libby Tarleton of Russo’s Roots farm in Canterbury, CT is one of the organizers. Libby explained as brand new farmers to the region with no friends or family nearby she needed a way to connect with customers. Libby said, “Helping organize the Know Your Farmers Fair provided more than just a farmers’ market where you’re just there to pick up vegetables or soap, but a way that makes customers recognize a business as part of the community with face-toface connections. A place where there is a ‘Cheers’ mentality, where everyone knows your name.”
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The Know Your Farmer Fair is a project of the Windham Community Food Network (WCFN) showcasing area merchants, farmers, the community, and other organizations to help promote local resources. Susan Mitchell from Cloverleigh Farm located in Columbia, CT spoke to me at the 2020 KYFF. Susan is part of the organizing team for the fair. She has a quick smile and limitless energy, qualities that are ideal for organizing an event! Susan explained that creating this event in late
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winter going into spring is a perfect way to connect farmers and consumers. She said, “We have a lot of farms here and often times people don’t know how or where to get local food. Events like this boost our agriculture economy, supporting small business and that’s what farms are.” In 2020, there were 25 vendors participating in the fair from Windham, Tolland, and New London County. Susan explained that this is a wide geographic region and farms are spread-
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out, so putting consumers together with the farmers and setting up Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) options from local farms is a boon for both the farmer and the consumer. “We want farmers to succeed, to make this a career and an occupation and make a living doing this. For a lot of us, we farm, this is our chosen careers. We want to see food available, that’s grown here – not shipped in from thousands of miles away.” On a side note, national CSA week is February 21-28, 2021. The Know Your Farmer Fair is a great opportunity to talk about what CSAs are offered!
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By taking on the task of marketing themselves, the Know Your Farmer’s Fair has been a remarkable success. Many of the farmers participating in the event are beginning farmers and these farmers get a lot of support from the local and federal level. Susan said, “Congressmen Joe Courtney has supported programs that help local farms, and he really understands the needs of the dairy farmer. Congressmen Courtney comes every year in support as well as many of the local politicians in this area. These farms are in their district, from Mansfield, Windham, Danielson, Killingly and they care.”
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Other suport comes from the variety of programs available for food insecurity. Susan explained that “Windham has programs here for urban growing and food access, with farmers coming in from more rural areas. In CT, every major city, or big town has an agency that focuses on food insecurity, and it’s growing - Grow Hartford, Fresh New London, and City Seed in New Haven all support each other.” And what are the farmers saying about the fair? The event is bolstering all of agriculture by making the farmers more visible and providing an opportunity for community
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building. The farmers I talked to felt that this was an opportunity for them to be with likeminded people. By joining with other farmers during the Know Your Farmer Fair offers an intangible, non-monetary benefit. Willimantic is a great place, a sort of nexus for the three counties and the space is gorgeous to boot. Many of the farmers felt that being at the fair helped to support the history and heritage of the local farms, but as Susan pointed out, “It’s really about creating a more vibrant local food system.”
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In 2021, the Know Your Farmer Fair had to reinvent themselves. The in-person event was canceled, and a virtual tour of the participating farms were produced. Check out the virtual tours on the Know Your Farmer’s Facebook page. Sydney Clements said that last year’s virtual fair provided the farmers the chance to tell their stories in a slower paced environment, providing an opportunity for viewers to get to know the farmers a bit more intimately. Engagement was robust with
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hundreds of shares and over thousand views. Sidney added that going virtual pushed their creativity in editing and they were quite proud of the end product. As this year’s Know Your Farmer Fair returns to an in-person event, it’s the perfect opportunity to support the region’s farmers and make connections with the people that grow your food!
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