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Rubicon Seven Foundation, Inc., based in New Canaan, Conn., is pleased to announce the Blacktop Film Series, which will feature movie nights in downtown New Canaan from July 29 to September 25, 2010.
Residents from throughout Fairfield County and beyond are invited to spend an evening under the stars enjoying a diverse lineup of thought provoking films. The first two screenings will include a Q&A session with the films’ directors. Films will begin at sunset. Audiences are encouraged to come early and bring their own lawn chairs, blankets, pillows, and/or picnics. The Blacktop Film Series is free and open to the public.
“We’re excited to not only give folks an enjoyable evening out but also to help people begin to think about how this kind of open space may be used for so much more than parking,” explained J. Tedrowe Bonner, founder, Rubicon Seven Foundation, Inc. “We hope people from up and down the coast will take the train and make a whole night of it!”
The Blacktop Film Series will take place at the Bank of America parking lot, near the corner of Cherry Street and South Avenue. Given the close proximity to the New Canaan train station, patrons are encouraged to take the train or bicycle. Those who do will be rewarded with a free bag of popcorn. Some local merchants will be open late to provide movie goers with everything they may need. Filling Station Company will offer a delicious take-out menu featuring organically raised beef burgers and hot dogs from local farms, while Mackenzie’s is known for being the ideal mom and pop shop, ready to meet a wide variety of last minute needs.
Thursday, July 29: “Going Nomad” followed by a discussion with Writer, Director, and Producer Art Jones
Thursday, August 12: “Pin Gods” followed by a discussion with Director Larry Locke, a Westport resident
Thursday, August 26: “Once”
Saturday, September 11: “A Touch of Greatness”
Saturday, September 25: “The Story of Anvill”
Rubicon Seven Foundation, Inc. was formed in 2009 out of the stark realization that our global effort to reach sustainable life solutions is largely impossible without engaging everyone in the process. The Foundation’s Blacktop Film Series was created to do just that: engage audiences to begin thinking about how to unlock regenerative solutions to heal our planet. Converting a parking lot by day into a people-friendly entertainment venue is one way of helping people to think about how public places may be transformed into shared spaces everyone can enjoy.
To learn more, visit their website & and for weather related updates, follow the Blacktop Film Series on Facebook and Twitter.
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Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa in Groton, CT will host a 5-Course Farmer's Dinner using local food from local farms in Connecticut.
Executive Chef Steve Rosen of the award-winning Octagon Steakhouse - a AAA 4 Diamond Award Winner in Connecticut - is a former Food & Wine Magazine top ten new chef, bringing 22 years of culinary experience in upscale dining to the Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa. And with all of that expertise at numerous upscale restaurants around the country, there is something special Chef Rosen finds in Connecticut. He's jumping into the local and sustainable food movement.
"Using local food is a no brainer. The quality and the flavor of local food is hands-down superior." More importantly though, Chef Steve touches on another point, "I drive by some of these farms every day. I like to know where my food comes from and have a connection to our farmers and producers. As a Chef, this brings us back to the inherent art of cooking." Reflecting on his two boys, "The future of our food is based in our local economy. Quality food is dependent on the survival of our local farmers. We NEED local farms, and the future will be brighter for all of our children because of them."
Chef Steve Rosen's Farmer's Dinner will forever change how you view Hotel Food!
The inaugural Farmer's Dinner will be held on June 28th at the Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa in Groton and will feature a reception, with speakers from some of the local farms, followed by a five course menu featuring locally grown produced and harvested items from this region's best source of sustainable foods. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Connecticut Farmland Trust, whose sole mission is to permanently protect Connecticut's farmland.
June 28th, 2010
Reception at 6:00pm
Dinner at 7:00pm
$89 per Person/Includes Tax and Gratuity
Download the Press Release
FOR RESERVATIONS call: 860-326-0360
And if preserving farmland doesn't get your attention, check out this Locally Sourced Menu!
Supporting Farmers, Preserving Farmland
The beneficiary of the Mystic Marriott's Farm Dinner benefits Connecticut Farmland Trust. According to Henry Talmage, Executive Director, "Connecticut's farmland is disappearing at an alarming rate of over 8,000 acres a year - one of the fastest rates in the entire country." His passion and dedication are infectious and palpable. "Everyone in Connecticut reaps the benefits of farmland," and Henry is quick to point out that CT farms contribute $2 billion dollars annually to our local economy. Help them preserve Lebanon family farms!
What an amazing way to support the Connecticut Farmland Trust - a local dinner by a progressive chef and hotel group!
Pure, Savory Delight from New London County's Local Farms
Your palate may have never had it so good! Revel in the amazing flavor of sweet Peas from White Gate Farm, Cornmeal and green garlic from Century Farm & Stanton- Davis Homestead, lamb from Sankow's Beaverbrook Farm, Dutch Farmstead Cheese from Cato Corners, Eggs from Groton Family Farm, Spinach, arugula, and sunflower shoots from Aki Farms, Juniper Bacon from Nodine's Smokehouse, smoked poultry from Studio Farm Products, scallops from Bomster Scallops and much, MUCH more. These local farmers and producers offer the very best of gastronomic perfection.
Here's just a sampling . . .
John Whitman "Whit" Davis has been named ‘Farmer of the Century' and has been a strong advocate for conservation by preserving his family's history and possessions and serving on the Stonington Conservation and Wetland Commission for two decades, as well as, donating a portion of the farm to the Abalonia Land Trust. The Stanton-Davis Homestead is in lower Pawcatuck in the southeastern corner of Southeastern Connecticut. This is where Whit Davis and eleven generations of family lived and earned a living. The Homestead began in 1654, when Pequot Plantation, in an array of land grants, gave Thomas Stanton 300 acres at "Pawkatuck."
Farmer Whit made his point with passion, "You people better realize that once it's gone, it's gone! They're not making any more land. If you want to keep developing it for condominiums and fancy houses, etc., you won't have it to survive on. It will be destroyed!"
Mark & Elizabeth McAlister of Cato Corner Farm Farmstead Cheese in Colechester
Cato Corner Farm is a small family farm in Colchester, Connecticut, where the mother-son team of Elizabeth and Mark raises 40 free-range Jersey cows without the use of hormones or subtherapeutic antibiotics. This is a truly symbiotic mother-son partnership. Elizabeth MacAlister has owned the farm for more than 25 years. She began milking cows and making cheese in 1997 as a way to keep her farm sustainable.
Nowadays, Mark makes most of the cheese and oversees its aging, while Elizabeth manages the farm operations including milking and caring for the cows. The rest of the Cato Corner family includes several full time and part time workers and a pair of diligent and attentive border collies named Flute and Harp.
Gregg Wershoven is not your typical Old MacDonald. He is a grower of fungi and his farm is located within an old mill an an industrial section of Waterbury. Gregg is a longtime mushroom lover and fungi have fascinated him for decades! Until recently, mushroom growing was simply a hobby. Not now! Mountaintop Mushroom will soon be producing over 100lb per day supplying restaurants and selling retail.
Urban Oaks is an Organic Farm in the city of New Britain. Part of the New Britain Neighborhood Revitalization Zone, their farm stand is open year-round and they specialize in specialty and heirloom organic crops.
A true neighborhood farm, volunteers are welcome and participate in just about every facet of organic farming; and they are offered discounts at the Farmstand. If you love working with plants, enjoy the exercise that gardening or farm work offers (doctors say it's the most versatile and the best exercise program), you just want to work outside, or your just plain hungry for fresh organic produce, Urban Oaks Organic Farm is a success story.
Beaver Brook Farm has been home to the Sankow family since 1917. Situated on one hundred and seventy-five acres in Lyme, CT, it was originally worked as a dairy farm. In 1984, Stan and Suzanne Sankow introduced their first sheep, Sherry and Ding, to the farm. In 2002, they re-introduced cattle to the farm. It is now a sheep and cow dairy farm producing goods of the highest quality. Suzanne spins and weaves the wool from the sheep. Now, the farm is home to a dozen nut-brown Jersey Cows alongside 600 sheep.
At Beaver Brook Farm, they are committed to preserving the environment. They are proud to bring their products directly from the farm to you, from sweaters and vests, to farm-fresh sheep and cow's milk cheeses.
The Groton Family Farm is a small farm right in the center of the town of Groton, CT. They sell free range, pasture raised eggs, a variety of fruits and vegetables and wool from a small flock of registered Shetland sheep. To be brief, the Groton Family Farm was started by happenstance. Warren's family, or rather his five brothers and sisters, brought their ailing and failing parents down from their big house in Brookline, MA to the old homestead in Groton, CT where Warren's father was born.
This was the house in which his father was actually born in 1918, and in which his father's father was born in the late 1800's, and where his father's father's father moved after the Civil war, when he bought it from a relative who's family owned since it was built in 1784. The farm now has grown to 400 free range, pasture raised eggs laying hens, nine Shetland sheep, and a 3/4 acre vegetable garden.
Gazy Brothers Farm is going on its fourth generation of farming. Established in 1918, Grandma and Grandpa Gazsi purchased their farm in Oxford. At that time, they raised the freshest vegetables sold at local grocery stores and delis in the Naugatuck Valley area. The Gazsi cousins owned a butcher shop and would sell Grandma Gazsi's homemade pickles and sauerkraut from the cucumbers and cabbage raised on the farm.
Today, Joe Gazy owns the 80 acre farm and his son Ed runs it with the help of his wife, Alexis; his brothers, Pete and Tony; and his four children, Dominic, Roseanne, Nicholas, and Albert. Neighbors tend to give a helping hand during the busy hay season, too.
Mr. Bomster and his wife, Venna Jo, own Stonington Seafood Harvesters with their three grown sons, Bill Jr., Mike and Joe. The scallops they bring back from 10- to 12-day trips out into the Atlantic are so good and so fresh that the Bomsters have built a cultlike following through word of mouth over the last 30 years. Unlike bay scallops, which are harvested from October through April in the waters around New York, sea scallops are harvested year round. The Bomsters search for them from Newfoundland to North Carolina in their twin 90-foot scallop trawlers.
Not totally familiar with the Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa?
The Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa is located in the beautiful Mystic region of Coastal Connecticut. An architecturally stunning property with a resort feel, the Mystic Marriott welcomes business and leisure travelers alike. Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa, along with Octagon steakhouse, are AAA Four-Diamond rated facilities. Octagon, a recipient of the Prestigious Wine Spectator Award and a Zagat rating, is recognized as one of the most unique and well established steakhouses in Connecticut whose wine room offers more than 250 unique and recognized wines from regions all over the world. The renowned, newly renovated, Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa, offers head to toe pampering with discounts available to overnight hotel guests. A wonderful venue for weddings, conferences or board meetings, a well appointed 20,000 square feet of function space can be found at this property which has made AAA's prestigious list of four-diamond properties for 9 consecutive years.
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Meet Matthew & Theresa Freund of Freund's Dairy Farm and Freund's Farm Market!
Home of the CowPots! You've probably seen them on television, having been featured on the Discovery Channel's popular series "Dirty Jobs", on CNN and a variety of national and local television shows.
Created by Matt & Ben Freund, CowPots are a revolutionary pot made with 100% renewable composted cow manure from the Freund's Dairy Farm. CowPots are manure-fiber based seed starter pots, which allow for unrestricted root growth creating stronger, healthier plants. These earth-friendly "pots you plant" are an exciting high-performing alternative to plastic and peat pots.
The CowPot manufacturing process removes all weeds, pathogens and odor. All that's left is the natural fiber and goodness of manure: the perfectly plantable pot!
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Looking for a catering company who believes in using local and sustainably produced foods? Meet Chef Michael Bick of Something Fishing Catering, one of our Elite Chefs & Restaurants on Shared Harvest Connecticut.
About the Company:
Some Things Fishy Catering, Ltd. is a full service off premises catering company. Founded by its chef-owner Michael Bick in 1991, they organize and provide all the accoutrements for a successful event. Working closely with you to create the perfect menu...arrange for beverages, rentals, decor, valet parking, entertainment, whatever is necessary to make the event special for you, it is their goal to offer you exquisite food, exceptional service and attention to details so that your affair is unique and memorable.
This catering company reflects a philosophy that cooking is an art, imitative as well as creative, and more play than work. Michael's belief that a recipe is not a rigid formula but a guide to respect and experiment on results in dishes that are both familiar and exotic, and delightfully satisfying as well.
Their foods are essentially a natural blending of ingredients and techniques from Asia, the Mediterranean, and America. Using the freshest locally grown ingredients whenever they can, Chef Michael does not attempt to imitate a particular dish, but simply explores food's inherent possibilities and extends its potentialities. His mantra has become, "local, sustainable, and delicious."
Chef Michael is passionate about the act of creation using fresh, local foods through cooking, and also the act of creation by developing relationships with those farmers and producers who commune so directly with our land.
About the Chef:
There are two things Michael Bick is most passionate about: using fresh, healthy, and locally produced foods and his children. It is Skyler, 11, and Ian, 15, who are the reason this Chef gets up in the morning. Ian is a freshman in high school and is finding his voice on stage in theatre. He just passed along his scooter to Skyler who is enjoying finding the next big adventure in an attempt to live each day to the fullest. Michael says "Local, healthy foods help make my family strong. Using these ingredients at work help make this world a better place, not only for my clients, but for my children as they grow up."
In 1982 Michael began his culinary journey from restaurant school, to fish chef at the River Cafe in NYC, to Executive Chef jobs at several prestigious catering companies. This journey helped to inspire him to create his own company. He is a supporting member of Chefs Collaborative , Local Harvest, and Shared Harvest Connecticut.
Since creating his own company Michael has had the privilege of preparing meals for former President Clinton, former Vice- President Gore, Senator Lieberman, as well as, radio personality Rush Limbaugh, late night television talk show host Conan O'Brien, many celebrities including The Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow, Lance Armstrong, Robert De Niro, and CEO's of Estee Lauder, Christies, and First Republic Bank. In addition, he has created the food for the Frick Ball (2006), The Tribeca Film Festival (2005 & 2006), The Mark Twain Library Fundraiser (2006), The Connecticut Film Festival (2008 and 2009) and Colin Cowie (2009). Currently, the company provides all the food for Mary Giuliani Catering and Events in New York City, whose founder was just named one of Brides Magazine Top 25 Trend Setters for 2009.
Superb food - LOCALLY PRODUCED FOOD -- can nurture one's spirit and gratify the soul.
Something Fishing Catering is devoted to making your event a truly gratifying experience.
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Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation is the nation's premier culinary benefit dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America.
According to Chef Timothy Cipriano at New Haven Public Schools "In New Haven there are too many children who rely on school meals as their ONLY nutrition of the day. When schools are closed for vacation or the summer these children lack access to nutritious foods! New Haven is not alone in this predicament. Every town in the State of Connecticut has children that are HUNGRY."
Taste of The Nation, New Haven, 2010 was simply amazing!
What a wonderful way to participate in ending childhood hunger!
Grant Recipients (Beneficiaries):
CITYSEED
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY ACTION
CONNECTICUT FOOD BANK
END HUNGER CT
2010 Local Sponsors:
Head Chef
Seedlings Foundation
Sous Chef
Lindley Food Service
Maitre d'
A.J. Letizio Sales & Marketing
Barnum Financial Group
FreshPoint Connecticut
Knights of Columbus - Supreme Council
Schwan's Food Service, Inc.
W.C. Graustein Memorial Fund
Epicurean Patron
Apple & Eve, LLC
BYK, USA, Inc
Eastern Bag & Paper Group
General Mills Bakeries & Foodservice
Guida's Milk and Ice Cream
New Haven CRU (Pfizer Clinical Research Unit)
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Meet Ed & Lexi Gazy of Gazy Brothers Farm.
Gazy Brothers Farm is going on its fourth generation of farming. Established in 1918, Grandma and Grandpa Gazsi purchased their farm in Oxford. At that time, they raised the freshest vegetables sold at local grocery stores and delis in the Naugatuck Valley area. The Gazsi cousins owned a butcher shop and would sell Grandma Gazsi's homemade pickles and sauerkraut from the cucumbers and cabbage raised on the farm.
Today, Joe Gazy owns the 80 acre farm and his son Ed runs it with the help of his wife, Alexis; his brothers, Pete and Tony; and his four children, Dominic, Roseanne, Nicholas, and Albert. Neighbors tend to give a helping hand during the busy hay season, too.
The Gazys currently produce approximately 25 acres of vegetables, herbs, flowers, and plants on the farm and on neighboring properties. Ed and the family also keep busy by working up to 200 acres of hay each year. Besides the farm stand, the Gazys sell produce at a roadside stand on Route 67 in Oxford, several farmer's markets, and a few grocery stores when extra produce is available and through a Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA). Produce is not organic, however, it is grown using an integrated pest management program, which reduces the amount of pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals to ensure healthy plants and flavorful produce.
Gazy Brothers Farm is successful at what they do: running a thriving CSA program - with over 250 customers this year (and our summer season doesn't start for over a month), and participating in 11 farmers' markets this year, with the possibility of starting several more. They have a small, but vibrant stand at the farm, as well as a weekly stand on Route 67 in Oxford.
If you keep eating, they'll keep growing!
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Did you know that your neighbors are hungry? According to statistics, Connecticut is the richest state in the nation AND YET we rank:
- FIRST in increase of working families raising children in poverty,
- FIRST in loss of income among poorest population,
- FIFTH in change of ration of incomes from poorest to richest, and
- 23rd in Child Poverty Rate at an ASTOUNDING 17% and growing exponentially.
Here? In Connecticut? Where the per capita income is highest in the nation? You'd be surprised to know that 9.5% of Connecticut's population is living in poverty, 24% of our school children are living in poverty, 8.8% of households are food insecure, and 3.8% of households are food INSECURE and HUNGRY. And THAT was in 1998. After the recession?
We need help. Serious help.
In 2009 the need for food increased by 20% mostly due to economic factors such as rising unemployment rates. Many people now facing food insecurity challenges are the very same people who were donating to Foodshare just a few years ago. According to Foodshare's latest press release, many suburban families are now the ones finding it difficult to make ends meet. No longer an "urban city" issue, hunger is creeping across our state in swift silence. Nobody stands up to announce that they're hungry, but they are.
And that's where Shared Harvest Connecticut is going to help. We're partnering with Food Gleaners.
Shared Harvest Connecticut is a communications portal to unite those with extra food to those who need it.
Shared Harvest Connecticut is a GIVING platform and nonprofits benefit when Nutmeggers shop according to their values. How? Shared Harvest Connecticut allows for the donation of locally produced food and products. Just like our farmers and producers are posting their wares for sale, any organization can post food for donation. ANY organization! If you have fields that could be gleaned, or leftovers from the kitchen, or breads that are one day old . . . . . please consider joining forces with Shared Harvest Connecticut, Foodshare, and Food Runners CT.
That's step ONE. Step TWO? Moving this extra food around the state.
Meet Stephen Slipchinsky of Foodshare whose volunteers will glean farm fields in Hartford and Tolland Counties
Foodshare is the heart of greater Hartford's fight against hunger, bringing together individuals and organizations to create effective solutions to end hunger in all 42 towns of Hartford and Tolland counties. Serving as our region's food bank, we distribute 16 tons of food each day to a network of nearly 350 local agencies that feed our hungry neighbors. This vital safety net helps more than 128,000 people in our region who are at risk including 10,000 seniors, the working poor, and 50,000 children.
Since 1982, Foodshare has sought to end hunger in our region. Working in partnership with other community leaders such as the United Way, End Hunger Connecticut! and 211 Infoline, Foodshare has the experience and is building the networks necessary to help make this vision a reality. But ending hunger requires more than just distribution of food. Reducing the number of people in need by increasing their self-sufficiency helps to address the chronic underlying reasons why people are hungry. These stem from poverty, not just the immediate lack of food. And engaging members of the greater community to increase understanding of these real causes and solutions to hunger is crucial. Our goal is to inspire community members to become personally involved in effective hunger solutions.
Those in need of assistance should visit http://www.foodshare.org/ or call 860-286-9999. Searching for a meal is NOTHING to be ashamed of and you will be referred back to a local program right in your neighborhood (community kitchens, food pantries, etc.).
CALLING ALL FARMERS: If you live in Tolland or Hartford Counties and have an opportunity to allow volunteers to safely glean your fields, please post your donations or opportunities on Shared Harvest Connecticut. Farmers & Market Masters can also find Foodshare at these two locations: 450 Woodland Ave. Bloomfield 860-286-9999 and 101 Reserve Rd. Hartford (in the Regional Market) 860-286-9999 X 134.
Meet Andy Geremia of Food Runners CT whose volunteers will pick up excess perishable food from farm markets and businesses such as farms, restaurants and bakeries from across the state.
Andy started the nonprofit Food Runners CT after heard a story on WPNR about a volunteer organization in San Francisco called Food Runners that pickups excess perishable foods and delivers it to nonprofit organizations in their community. The concept sounded so simple and effective, Andy wondered why there wasn't something like this in CT! When he arrived at work, he called Food Runners founder, Mary Risely, to learn how she got started. Originally from CT, Mary owns and runs the Tante Marie Cooking School and has a cookbook by the same name.
According to Andy, Food Runners CT's mission "is to help alleviate hunger in Connecticut, prevent food waste, and create community. We want to be an additional source of food for all the wonderful organizations in CT that support families in need. We do that by offering a convenient method for farmers and retail business to donate their excess perishable food which may otherwise be disposed of because there is no easy way to get the food to organizations that can use it. That's were Food Runners come in, our volunteers pick up and deliver the food in a timely, safe, and convenient manner."
How can YOU get involved with Food Runners CT?
Most people today want to make a difference in their community but many times it is difficult to find a volunteering opportunity that fits into their schedules. Food Runner volunteers can select the most convenient time and day to volunteer their time. Simply visit http://www.foodrunnersct.org/ and contact Andy by phone or email. I believe people will find volunteering for Food Runners a very enjoyable, rewarding volunteering experience (and their mileage is considered a tax deductible donation!). Andy only asks volunteers to commit to only one pick and delivery per month, and best of all their efforts directly impact their community - the food they deliver to a soup kitchen one day is in the mouths of children and families the next day.
As famers' markets start their seasons this May/June, Andy plans to have Food Runner volunteers there to gather their donations at the end of the day (foods that can't be resold) and deliver them to local organizations that they have made arrangements with. To do so, they'll need volunteers from all around the state that are willing to pickup and deliver food locally within their community.
Have something you want Food Runners CT to pick up? Post your donations or opportunities on Shared Harvest Connecticut.
Tap YOUR organization into Shared Harvest Connecticut
Are you a food bank or a nonprofit specializing in meeting the food security needs of Connecticut residents? Please visit our website to learn more about how to participate as a nonprofit.
Are you an organization with occasional excess perishable food? Please visit our website to learn more about how to register as a consumer and post items for donation.
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Meet John Morosani of Laurel Ridge Grass-Fed Beef in Litchfield, CT.
How do YOU buy your beef? You'll learn a lot by talking to John.
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Last night I had the great pleasure of attending the inaugural Farmhouse Cooking Class at Shadle Farm in Durham, CT at the home of Chef Mark & Ami Shadle.
Their new dinner series includes a tour of the Shadle Farm property and their 1730's Farmhouse. The cooking classes occur by the fire in the main dining room.
Our select menu last night?
* Wilted Watercress, Daikon & Cabbage Roll with a spicy horseradish sauce .
( wild harvested ingredients from property)
* Creamy Cauliflower Bisque with four flavors
Caramelized red onion, Curried tofu, barley & apple
*Cornmeal Crusted Tempeh
with a yellow pepper glaze & starlight spinach
* Raw Live Cacao Truffles & Coconut Tapioca
with fresh fruit
(oh, and BTW . . . for those of you who are wondering why I took the video down and then put it back up again . . . . Well, let's just say that I hadn't quite had enough coffee yet this morning. My T's and H's were all over the place. Or not)
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Shared Harvest Connecticut is partnering with the brilliantly passionate Deb Marsden of CT Farm Fresh Express as a value-added delivery option for the bounty of CT's local food supply!
CT Farm Fresh Express believes in eating local. They deliver locally grown products, CSA shares, prepared dinners from elite chefs, and much, much more directly to your door - whether it's your home, or to a restaurant or school or institutional establishment who wants to serve local and fresh food.
Growing, one step at a time
One of the wonderful things about Shared Harvest Connecticut is that it is an evolutionary system. I'll explain that. There is a software base that exists - it includes all of the wobbly-gook (well, wobbly-gook in MY understanding) digital programming, site functionality, and web portal tools that you see now.
Being an "evolutionary system" means that on top of the software base which you are currently experiencing, the Edibles Advocate Alliance can identify specific needs for CT and then add programming to the site to accomplish our collective goals of preserving farms and supporting producers.
We PASSIONATELY believe in collaboration! How are we helping Deb Marsden?
We're taking small steps, finding and understanding best options for collaboration. One potential option for the future: it will cost the EA Alliance about $4,000 to fully integrate (on a digital level) CT Farm Fresh Express into Shared Harvest CT on the PayPal interface. We will study all of our options as the system grows, investing wisely to best meet our customer needs and our agricultural growth.
How would we pay for that? That is where your advertising sales come in. From our perspective we know that there are companies and organizations out there who will be thrilled to know that their marketing dollars for exposure to our 2,000+ visitors a day will go directly back into supporting the Sustainable Food Alliance that we are building in Connecticut.
YOUR MARKETING dollars go DIRECTLY back into supporting organizations like CT Farm Fresh Express. As Deb grows, our farmers grow. As our farmers grow, more farmland can be preserved. You get the picture!
How Shared Harvest CT will grow over the next two months
Shared Harvest Connecticut is scheduled to expand in the following ways:
- Google map integration - you can see producers directly in your area
- PayPal integration - you will be able to buy/sell - trade dollars directly over the site
- Directory expansion - you will have easier access to searching for products by DIRECTORY, such as by "Certified Organic Farmers", and in other ways
- Integration of CT Farm Fresh Express into the check-out process. When you wish to purchase something, you will have the option of clicking YES or NO to having Deb bring you your products. If you select NO, then you will be instructed to contact the listing to coordinate your own options.
How CT Farm Fresh Express can service you: Now and in the Future
Deb has warehouse space available. If you are a producer who will be selling often through Shared Harvest Connecticut or through CT Farm Fresh Express then you should contact Deb so she can have some sort of supply on hand on your behalf. This is a time and cost savings.
While we are waiting for our PayPal integration to come online, you will need to contact Deb directly for delivery options. When our PayPal integration becomes available, you will be able to select CT Farm Fresh Delivery at check out, and we will verify if Deb is able to assist you.
Buy Local Connecticut: CT Farm Fresh DELIVERY
Please be patient while we grow! Deb amasses all of her delivery orders by Tuesday noon. If you are a producer, Deb will pick up your products on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, and if you are a consumer, household, restaurant, or institution Deb will deliver your order on Thursday or Friday.
There are no guarantees that CT Farm Fresh Express can deliver every order. If you live in Fairfield County and you ordered one box of raspberries from Windham County, we may be in contact with you to assist you in finding a local producer closer to you and help you contact your farmer/producer to arrange options with them unless CTFFE has a pick up or delivery in that area. You may also choose from many items available on CTFFE's website where delivery fees are adjusted accordingly.
CT Farm Fresh Express Delivery fees to the following counties are:
Litchfield $18*
Fairfield $15*
New Haven $15*
Middlesex $12*
Hartford $15*
Windham $18*
Tolland $18*
New London $15*
*(plus surcharge for farm pick-up)
As the producer listings and the consumer purchasing grows, CT Farm Fresh Express' delivery service gets wider and perhaps eventually, more frequent.
How fast Deb can grow in her CT Farm Fresh Express service offerings depend directly on how much we utilize her services.
Participate in our growth
Throughout this process, and throughout your transactions with local food & agriculture in Connecticut, please let us know how Shared Harvest Connecticut can serve you better. What's missing? What can we fix? Talk to us! Want to collaborate? Participate in the process! We're here to serve you!
BUY LOCAL CONNECTICUT!!!!
Call Deb & CT Farm Fresh Express: 860-917-7627
or email: ctffe1@me.com
or web: www.ctffe.com
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