| DECEMBER 16, 2011 -- The Fairfield indoor winter farmers’ market at the Greenfield Hill Grange has grown from last year, making for a richer shopping experience. Organic vegetable grower Sport Hill Farm, local-sustainable baker Scratch Baking, and Greyledge Farm, a grower of pastured beef, pork and chicken, have joined as vendors for the season.
A recent visit yielded two excellent sources of holiday gifts – Moorefield Herb Farm and The Herb Basket – original market vendors whom you may recognize from last year. Moorefield Herb Farm sells a variety of herb gardens that will dress up a windowsill while providing fresh, organically-grown ingredients for the home cook.Moorefield’s large herb garden (plastic) contains 6-7 culinary herbs including creeping rosemary in bloom, parsley, lemon grass, Vietnamese coriander (milder than cilantro according to owner Richard Moore), pineapple sage and marjoram. Hypertufa herb gardens are aesthetically pleasing, yet still lightweight, and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The smallest square garden with 4 herbs sells for $25 while the largest oval, containing 8-9 herbs, costs $50. Custom and advance orders are welcome via moorefieldherbfarm@yahoo.com or 203-612-0530 for pick up at the market.
Last year I purchased a bay laurel plant from Moorefield Herb Farm and nestled it into my herb garden along with sage, parsley, oregano, tarragon and rosemary. The leaves grew bright and big, so I harvested them and dried them for use as bay leaves. I figured I’d get another crop next year. A quick consultation with Richard Moore revealed the error of my ways. Bay laurel is a Mediterranean plant and therefore unlikely to survive a Connececticut winter, so they should be brought inside during the colder months. He winced when I told him I’d stripped the leaves and dried them. “It will probably die. Just harvest the leaves as you need them and use them fresh” he recommended. Bay laurel plants are available in 4 inch plastic pots for $8 or 6 inch terracotta pots for $15. Just be sure to tell the recipient how to care for it.
In an earlier holiday gift guide installment covering Connecticut maple syrup, we mentioned gift-worthy bottles and where to find them. The Herb Basket has one we’ve never seen – a log cabin-themed bottle filled with maple syrup from Sugar Maple Farmsin Lebanon! It’s part of the $35 CT Sweetness Box, a boxed gift set that also includes wildflower honey and strawberry-cranberry holiday jam made with strawberries from Jones Family Farm in Shelton. Gift boxes of pickles and relishes are available in sets of two for $15 and sets of three for $20. The Herb Basket’s own adorable Tea Time Jam Samplers are available in snowflake or pine cone themed gift boxes as either a set of 6 for $18 or set of 9 for $25.
Fairfield Winter Farmers’ Market at the Greenfield Hill Grange
Saturdays from 10-1 pm -Closed Christmas weekend
1873 Hillside Road, Fairfield, CT
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