Garden of Ideas
Ridgefield

This week, we’ll have root crops (turnips, carrots, beets) and leaf crops (spinach, salad mix, arugula, basil, cilantro) and fruit crops (plums, peaches, tomatoes maybe?, french beans) and dairy items (yogurt, milk, half&half) from Arethusa Fams.
Remember if you miss the market, we have a farm stand and lovely gardens open seven days a week right here in Ridgefield!

Stop by to visit us.   We believe in healthy soil.  Our crops are grown using beyond-organic methods.    We appreciate your continued support!    Terry, Joe & Ilsa
* CT NOFA Farmer’s Pledge

Remember our Farmstand is open

647 North Salem Road, Ridgefield, CT
203.431.9914
www.GardenofIdeas.com

Killam and Bassette
South Glastonbury

We just started picking Eggplant.  Delicious Blackberries & Our Own Field Grown Tomatoes!  Our Own Sweet & Delicious Butter & Sugar Corn – fresh picked Friday morning!  Pesticide Free Green Beans, Swiss Chard, Beets, Scallions, Radishes, Lettuce, & Blueberries!  Cabbage, Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Green Peppers, Cucumbers & Pickling Cucumbers!  We’ll also have Tart Methley Plums, Sweet Yellow Shiro Plums, Juicy & Sweet Freestone Peaches, & J-Mac Apples (first of the Macintosh Apples).  We’ll also have Belltown Hill Orchard’s Sweet Nectarine’s & delicious Applesauce (Regular, Sugar Free, & Berry Blend).  Our happy hens are glad to bring you their own Free Range Eggs – for your enjoyment and nutrition!  We’ve also been busy in the kitchen this week making our delicious Homemade Jams.  Our “Flavor of the Week” is “Peach” Jam (just made Wednesday)!  Follow us on Facebook & become a fan!  Looking forward to seeing you!
Mad Hatter
Falls Village

Marketmore Cucumbers, Pickling Cucumbers, Lemon Cucumbers, Zucchinis, a variety of specialty and heirloom tomatoes (Valencia, Moskovich, Rose De Berne, Prudens Purple, Green Zebra), Cherry Tomatoes, Green Beans, Beets, Walla Walla Onions, Green Peppers, Relleno Peppers, and more…All Pesticide-Free!  Free-range Eggs from Ruwet Farm in Torrington.  We are signers of the CT NOFA Farmers Pledge.
Riverbank Farm
Roxbury

“Certified” organic by Baystate Organic Certifiers.  Yellow squash, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, new potatoes, Salad mix, head lettuce, kale, chard, herbs, garlic scapes, beets, carrots, squash, sugar snap peas, purplette onions, and our vegetarian prepared foods made with our produce and other organic ingredients.

Ross’ Bread
Ridgefield Sweet Earth, Challah, Ridgefield Sourdough, Foccacia, Cookies,
Corn-Cheddar-Jalapeno mini-loaves…much more
*Everything made with 100% Organic Flour along with organic, local or natural ingredients.
www.rossbread.com
Stone’s Throw Farm
Bethel

Garlic Scape Pesto,  Fresh Garlic,  Patty Pan Squash,  Cherry Tomatoes,  Baby Beets and Tops,  Scallions, House Special Salad Mix,  Arugula

We are members of *CT NOFA Farmer’s Pledge.
Veronica’s Garden
Ridgefield

Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Bush Beans, French Green Beans, Romaine Lettuce, Arugula, Basil, Pesto,  Tomatoes – hot house & ours, Blueberries, Corn, Swiss Chard, Potatoes, Carrots, Beets..

Please stop by and visit our table.

Wave Hill Breads
Wilton

We will bring the salad recipes again – one for the Panzanella and also Tomato and Fennel with Wave Hill Breads’ Lemony-Thyme Croutons.  Wave Hill Breads’ Pain de Campagne is included in Jane & Michael Stern’s new book, 500 Things To Eat Before It’s Too Late.  ” There isn’t a more satisfying loaf of bread in America.”  Come taste it and see if you agree!

Wstport Aquaculture
Oysters, lobster, clams, lobster salad

Whistle Stop Bakery
Ridgefield

We will be bringing all our wonderful muffins, scones, breakfast cookies, lemon bars, crumb cake and new this year still warm from the oven  STICKY BUNS.  For Fresh Fruit Pies; Apple blueberry, Blueberry, Three Berry with crumb topping, Lemon meringue and Chocolate Truffle( Great with local strawberries on top)  As always the cooler will be packed with

our famous Chicken Pot Pies made with Bell and Evans Chicken, Tomato Basil Quiche and Traditional Chilean Beef  Empanadas  Take home a couple slices of Carrot Cake or our Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice Cake or a strawberry topped Chocolate Ganache Cupcake for some weekend treats.  See you at the Market

White Oak Apiary – Local Honey

109 Cheese Market- Featuring This Week The Amazing Real Life Food Company Camembert from Pine Plains NY

Let’s build some energy with all Ridgefield businesses who have started Facebook for Business Pages.  Send me your Facebook Page link (careers@ridgefieldctblog.com) and in an upcoming post I will list all of the Pages in a Ridgefield Online Business Directory.

A big part of success with these Pages is the support and cooperation of fellow business owners, customers, and friends.  Once we have a Directory put together, I’ll be back to post a suggestion per week that everyone in the Directory can choose to implement, and we can watch the results grow business sales and loyalty.   Super successes will be profiled on the Blog, creating another cool way to learn the lingo of Social Media.  Are you game?  I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

Friday

-Farmer’s Market

-Friday’s After Five (band in front of Town Hall)

-Ice Cream Social (Nature’s Temptations)

-The Unforgettable Whatshisname (at Ridgefield Theater Barn)

Saturday

-Branchville Green Market

-Chris Belden @ Ridgefield Library

-The Unforgettable Whatshisname (at Ridgefield Theater Barn)

Sunday

Can you believe it is August 1? Summer flies ~ Winter walks.

by Terri Woods Garlick

Twelve Ridgefield cyclists (who have individually raised a between $500 and $4200) will be riding throughout Massachusetts on August 7-8 in the  31th Annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC), raising money for cancer research and treatment through its Jimmy Fund for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

More than 5,000 cyclists are expected to participate in this fully supported bike-a-thon that offers ten unique routes (each with varied mileage and designed to cater to different abilities) through 46 towns.  Since 1980, this pioneer event in the athletic fundraising industry has raised over $270 million, and for the past 3 years, 100 percent of every-rider dollar raised has gone directly to the cause.

Who are some of these hard-pedaling, dedicated, volunteer fundraisers from Ridgefield?

One of the Ridgerfield’s cyclists is Eileen Segalman- a mother of three, co-founder of The Ridgefield Farmer’s Market, spin teacher, and kitchen and bath designer.

Eileen, a native of Massachusetts, is riding from Wellesley to Provincetown, or about 165 miles over two days, and her fundraising goal is $4,200.  In her seven years of involvement with PMC , she has raised over $27,000 for the Jimmy Fund.  This year, Eileen kicked-off her fundraising with a spin-a-thon at Elevation Spin and Personal Training in Georgetown where she teaches spin.  In three hours of spinning, she raised just over $2,000.  She is hoping to do another fundraiser with Cellar XV and No. 109 Cheese and Wine in the next few weeks.

As for her training, Eileen has spent the winter spinning, and in the spring and summer, she has been riding outside, and slowly building up her mileage to 80-100 per week.  As she says, “it’s fairly more difficult riding through this part of Connecticut and New York than the conditions in Massachusetts, so I don’t worry as much about getting in too many long rides(50 miles or more).”  Eileen has been focusing on 30 to 40 mile outings, and believes this year, the weather could be her biggest challenge, especially if the heat keeps up.  In the past, Eileen has also used Tri-Ridgefield , the Ridgefield Sprint Triathlon, as a kick-start to her training.

When asked her reasons for riding, Eileen’s heart-felt response is direct and to-the-point, “I feel like it’s one thing I can do, using something I love, to give back in a somewhat, significant way.  We have all been touched by cancer, directly or indirectly, and I believe that the work the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute does to advance the cures, treatment and research for cancer is significant, and helps not only with their facility, but advances the benefits, no matter where one might go to be treated.  Once one does the PMC, it’s difficult not to do it again. It’s a very emotional weekend.  You might ride by someone who’s wearing a shirt that reads, ”because of you, my son is 13 today,” and there are cancer-survivors riding.  As much as I don’t like soliciting people for money, and I sometimes wish that the training wasn’t “hanging over my head” most of the summer, it’s truly one of the most satisfying experiences, and one of my most favorite weekends of the year!”

Good Luck, Eileen!

Above photo: Left to right, Michelle Maturo (owner, Elevation Spin and Personal Training, Georgetown, CT), Jenn Kaplan (spin instructor) and Eileen Segalman.  All are wearing Eileen’s past PMC jerseys.

On Sunday, August 15, The Aldrich visit will be followed by a tour of The Garden of Ideas. Various annuals and tropicals find a home among a unique array of garden art on the approximately twelve acres of marsh, woodland, meadow, and vegetable plots. Besides selling its crops at a farm stand, The Garden of Ideas offers a Community Supported Agriculture program.

On Sunday, September 12, tour-goers will visit The Hickories after viewing The Aldrich’s gardens. The Hickories is certified organic under the USDA National Organic Program, with all vegetables sold at their stand free of synthetic pesticides and synthetic fertilizer. One of the few farms remaining in Ridgefield, it also raises chicken and pigs on natural antibiotic free grain and fresh pasture grass. Both tours will start at The Aldrich and take place from 11 am to 12:30 pm. Participants must provide their own transportation to the off-site locations. These visits are free. For more information please visit aldrichart.org or call 203.438.4519 during regular Museum hours.

by Barbara Poole, Business & Careers

Facebook Pages are taking on increasing importance as revenue channels for many businesses.   When Nordstrom posts a photo of a new item, I’ve seen more than 300 people express some kind of interest, from a “Thumbs Up” to a comment.   Or how about K-2 Skis, who have directed site visitors to their Facebook page, instead of their site?   What does this mean for small business?  A lot.  It proves the power of Community and how connecting with customers is a no-cost way to drive sales in a tough economy.   And, instead of pushing information out in an ad, getting people to talk about your business and what you offer is a great way to sell more.   Success in Social Media marketing applies to every business, large or small.

If you are a Ridgefield business owner who started a Facebook page, you are probably wondering how to get people to “Like” the Page.    This month, Social Media Examiner has an excellent blog post on their site containing ten ways to get people to “Like” your Page.

What’s working for you and your business?  If you are a Ridgefield business owner using Social Media, or are thinking about it, and are interested in having your company profiled on the Blog, please contact me at careers@ridgefieldctblog.com

The Ridgefield Playhouse together with The Ridgefield Library has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to host The Big Read in Ridgefield this fall. The book of choice is The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.  Book clubs, student groups and individuals are encouraged to read the book and will have the opportunity to couple their reading with enriching activities and discussions facilitated by The Ridgefield Library.

The NEA initiative has provided the grant money to make The Big Read possible in the hopes of  making reading priority one in the minds of all Americans. To encourage town-wide participation in The Big Read, Books on the Common will have copies of The Grapes of Wrath available at a discounted price, and Ridgefield Library will add copies to their collection in both bound and audio formats.

For more information about The Big Read, visit the library website.

Get 6 nail or spa treatments for the price of 4 1/2 ~ This great deal runs through August 31, 2010.