News from the Farm

(AKA Tomatoville)

July has almost come and gone! Read our (belated) monthly newsletter for notes on the flooding, a TON of tomato content and, to get to know our crew a bit better. Thanks for reading and eating with us!

July at Trillium Hill Farm

Thank you to everyone who reached out to check on us after the storm earlier this month. Our thoughts are with our neighbors in Hinesburg, Huntington, Richmond, Williston, and many in our farming community who were severely impacted.

Fortunately, our gardens weathered the storm fairly well, thanks to our farming practices: minimal tillage, high organic matter, cover cropping, and leaving roots in the ground after harvest. These methods help keep our soil healthy and stable, even during heavy rains. That is not to say that we didn't lose some crops. We did, and we are still seeing the impacts in the form of rot and water-logged plants.

Unfortunately, our farm roads were washed out again. This had only happened once in our first 15 years of farming, but in the past 13 months, it has happened four times. This disruption halts our harvest and requires time and money to repair. According to Hinesburg's town planner, we experienced a 500-year flood, and just a year ago, it was a 200-year flood.

Farming is becoming increasingly challenging due to climate change. We need long-term policy solutions to support farmers in cultivating healthy soils and producing nutritious foods. In the meantime, we'll rely on short-term measures like GoFundMe and grassroots fundraising to help farms recover.

We're raising funds at the farmstand for the NOFA-VT Farmer Emergency Fund. All tips in July and August will go to this crucial fund, which aids farmers in rebuilding after catastrophic events. We have benefited from these funds in the past and look forward to contributing with your help.

Welcome to TOMATO TOWN​
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I'm gonna tell you what to do with your extras.
And if you don't have extras, we do.

PICO DE GALLO // SALSA. We adore this fermented salsa recipe by Red Wagon Plants (join their newsletter while you're over there).

OVEN-ROASTED TOMATOES are our go-to tactic for storing summer. If you don't have the time or energy for canning or saucing, I highly recommend slicing up tomatoes, drizzling them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs and throwing them into your oven overnight at the lowest heat. You can then eat right away, refrigerate, or freeze. The result is intense tomato goodness compressed into chewy bites. Please execute this tomato move if you haven't yet. If my description on how to go about doing this is not enough, try this recipe.

TOMATO PIE. In our house this is basically a quiche with a TON of tomatoes in it (fresh ones AND the roasted ones if I have them). Also eggs, cheese, other veggies, and a potato crust if we're feeling fancy. But if you're more of the recipe type, try this because a recipe that calls for a whole bunch of 'maters and a whole bunch of garlic cloves is not to be missed.

TOMATO SALAD Last but not least...drum roll please... this is arguably the biggest bang-for-your buck tomato tip off you've ever gotten.... Alison Roman's "tomato salad" (its somewhat ridiculous she even calls it a salad) is not to be missed. It will take you seven seconds to make and your friends will think you actually know how to cook (mine did). Recipe is here.

Flats for Sale​
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Each flat comes with 15lbs of tomatoes for $30. You can reserve one for your saucing/canning/freezing needs! Email us to Reserve a Flat, or swing by the farmstand. We have them for sale now!

What are YOUR creative tomato creations? I want to know!

Meet the Crew

We have a great crew this year and just updated our team page. Check it out to learn a smidge about this stellar cast of farmers.

We hope July is treating you well and we hope to see you soon!

Sara, James, and the THF crew

10643 Route 116, Hinesburg, VT 05461
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