What did you do for you summer vacation? Beach and Nantucket or mountains and Wyoming? We usually use our two-week hiatus to do a deep dive into the paper and how we can improve the content for you, our readers.
You will notice, beginning with this issue, we are bringing education front and center. There will be regular columns from representatives of our public and independent schools. They will talk about topics from across the spectrum from early childhood education to high school and beyond. We are excited to bring this content to you and look forward to your feedback.
We also took a little time for ourselves and did some exploring of places in Greenwich that we have wanted to visit but had not had the chance yet. One, was an absolute delight. Nestled in the northwestern corner of town is Versaille Farms. Yes, we said “farm”.
It is a gem hidden away in the back country that is increasingly making its’ self known for the incredible food they are producing. They grow a variety of crops for flavor, nutrition and good digestion, using French intensive methods. This means working with nature to foster healthy, vibrant plants using smaller space and less water than more traditional gardening. The result is an abundance locally grown crops. You cannot get much more “farm to table” than Versaille Farms.
We stopped by their farm stand on a sultry Sunday afternoon eager to see what was available. We were pleasantly surprised by the diverse selection of vegetables and fruits (blueberries are a fruit, we checked), flowers and even honey products – all produced just steps from where we stood.
Ingrid Delson, owner of Versaille Farms along with her husband Stephen McMenamin, encouraged us to walk around the farm and explore it for ourselves. We did, being mindful to keep to the pathways and wandered over an acre and a half. Your first impression is how neat and tidy the farming operation is. And then you start to see the rows and rows of lettuce, basil and tomatoes. More tomatoes than we have ever seen grown in one place. One thousand pounds were harvested just that morning, with many more on the way.
Past the tomatoes and squash you come across their beehives surrounded by beautiful wildflowers. Further, in a stand of trees, is where they are growing Shiitake mushrooms. They will be the largest producer of this sought-after variety in the state. That is something you would not think Greenwich would be known for, but it will be.
By the time we had made our way back up to the farm stand Stephen appeared. In talking with them both you can see how happy they are with the growing success of their agricultural venture. They share their story about the farm in such an enthusiastic way that it puts a smile on the listener’s face. Both had successful prior careers and have chosen to create the first new commercial farm in Greenwich in what we can only imagine is decades.
Of course, the real test is in the taste – as they say. The cherry tomatoes we purchased almost did not make into town as we popped one after another all the way down John Street. They had that just picked taste and smell that reminded of us our childhood. The beats, when roasted, were the best we have had in a long time.
Others think so as well. In addition to the farm stand, Versaille Farms is supplying fresh produce to some of the most discerning country club kitchens in the area.
Now that we have found our way to 56 Locust Road, where the Farm Stand is located, we plan on returning often before they close in October. We will need to buy more tomatoes next time and cannot wait for the Shiitake mushrooms to be available. We should have bought the fresh blueberries last Sunday as well, hopefully they will be available this weekend. The end of August mean fresh blueberry pie. We hope you visit as well.
