I met this little princess on my trip out East. While farming is probably not in her near future, she’s certainly got what it takes to be a farmgirl.
Besides being smart as a whip, she seems as comfortable outdoors as she does in. And one of her favorite things to do at home (besides puzzles) is forage for chives and chew on the stalks.
This photo was taken at the Westport Sunday Farmers Market. The bigger market is on Thursdays at the famed Westport Country Playhouse. It’s an absolutely brilliant pairing: farm-fresh food and high-brow culture.
That’s also where you’re more likely to see the Newmans since Paul’s farmgirl daughter Nell is a founding board member of the market. Joanne Woodward (who my hostess has often seen about town) is credited with helping to restore the playhouse and put it back on the map.
But I digress…back to the Sunday market. It’s still early in the season, so there were just a few vendors at the market we visited. But it was good to see what the locals are growing and selling. Not too much different from the markets I see in downtown Chicago or Oak Park, except there are more salad greens.
Lots of different varieties of lettuce and herbs, plus cucumbers, asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries and some great looking tomatoes. No heirlooms though. Maybe later in the season. 
I failed to bring enough cash or I would have purchased the pesto I had a chance to taste at one of the bakery tents. That combined with fresh mozzarella on fresh whole-grain bread was like a little bite of heaven.
I did buy some Fire Roasted Mirasol Chiles from Rose’s Berry Farm. There were loads of great canned items (including candied jalapenos) on that table, but I couldn’t justify carting them all back to Chicago. I did have some on a salad and am going to fry some up with an egg this morning before I head into the city.
Speaking of eggs…there were a couple vendors with fresh eggs for sale: $6 a dozen for XL; $5 for L and $4 for M, discounted to $3 while we were there.
My host bought a bunch of plants, including a couple blueberry bushes from Rose’s (which does U-Pick strawberries, blueberries, apples and raspberries in Glastonbury). Now that’s something I’d like to try. I’ll be eager to hear how he does with those.
When I bring the family back, I’ll definitely want to check out Rose’s, which has Sunday brunch and in the winter has Christmas trees. I like how they post a Harvest Calendar and Current Conditions report for visitors.
Virtual Farmgirl 