It's Time to Plan for Your Holiday Meals that Include Local Foods

Storrs Farmers Market is Your Stop for Fall Produce, Baked Goods and Meats Throughout the Winter

What's on your menu for the holidays this year?  There are many locally grown fall crops to discover at the Storrs Farmers Market!  Brighten up your turkey, ham, or brisket plate with the nutritious colors of vegetables.  Think Brussels sprouts.  All kinds of winter squash!  Maybe beets for a little bright red or gold?  

Storrs Farmers Market concluded its outdoor markets at Town Hall for the season. However, the Winter Market goes on at the Buchanan Auditorium at the Mansfield Public Library at the same time, 3 to 5 PM, on the first and third Saturdays of each month from December to April!  The next market is Saturday, December 17, so get your shopping list ready!

Here is the update from the Storrs Farmers Market weekly newsletter--they'll let you know what farmers and producers will be on hand each week.

Want to order a pie, or perhaps you're looking for some eggnog ice cream?  Contact the Red Barn Creamery & Stearns Farm Stand or call 860.382.2303.

Connecticut Foodshare is also holding free food distributions on December 15, and 29 (all Thursdays) from 11:30 AM to 12 noon at the Mansfield Senior Center, 303 Maple Rd., Mansfield.  No proof of need or residency is required, but please bring your own bags or boxes to take your food home.  Along with Mansfield Farms to Families, this is one of the food programs coordinated by the Mansfield Human Services Department.

Give the Gift of Locally Sourced Food This Holiday Season

Still searching for the perfect holiday gift for that one friend or family member? Why not surprise them with something locally grown? Grown Connected is a regional group of our small farms and the farmers who raise super fresh and flavorful foods in Northeastern CT.  Although the region has a vibrant farming community, research showed that residents in this region of the state were not utilizing small farms as a consistent source for their shopping.  UConn Extension joined a team of community leaders and local farmers to help residents reconsider those shopping habits. Check out the Grown ConNECTed Winter Gift Guide to learn where in Mansfield, and throughout our area, you can find everything from meats and cheeses to honey and maple syrup: https://media.cahnr.uconn.edu/extension/ag-food/winter-gift-guide/

Of course, there are many retailers who feature local maple syrup, honey, hand-made soap and other products right here in Mansfield, including Mansfield Supply, Lisa's Chocolates and Thompson & Sons.  

Take Good Care of that Freshly Cut Tree

Thinking of getting a locally grown Christmas tree to "spruce" up your home this holiday season? UConn Today has you covered with this guide to choosing and caring for a pine, spruce, or fir 

Your family may have a favorite source for locally grown trees and greenery (like Taste of Mansfield Champion Award-winning Tri-County Greenhouse for wreaths and poinsettias!). Christmas Tree growers work hard all year to replant, cultivate, prune and harvest the best tree for you, including J.C. Tree Farm and Cedar Ledge Tree Farm here in Mansfield. These farms are so popular, their trees can sell out fast.  

If you're looking for more choices, the Connecticut Christmas Tree Growers provide this online resource.

CRUNCH Time in New England--Mansfield School Grade 3 Students Take the Apple Crunch Challenge 

Mansfield Public Schools Grade 3 students were challenged by Food Services Director Maraiah Popeleski-Tilley to take the Apple Crunch Challenge, part of a statewide initiative hosted by UConn Extension to put local produce on the trays of classrooms across Connecticut.

Some of these young students barely left the core as they crunched their way through the apples grown at Horse Listener's Orchards in nearby Ashford, CT.  Check out more photos on the Mansfield Public Schools Facebook page.

Horse Listener's Orchard has been supplying apples to Mansfield Public Schools all fall.  See a great video about them, and other great local farms, on our Taste of Mansfield website!

Think it's Time to Put the Garden to Bed?  Now is a GREAT Time to Have Your Soils Tested and Make Improvements for Next Season!

Before the ground freezes and the snow flies, you should take soil samples from your vegetable and flower beds to the UConn Home & Garden Education Center for testing!  UConn's Soil Nutrient Analysis Lab will test your soil for pH, nutrient analysis, and make limestone and fertilizer recommendations.  Some of these improvements you can implement this fall to help your garden next spring! 

You know these folks--the UConn Home & Garden Education Center also brings us the UConn Master Gardener and Composter Programs, and the UConn Plant Diagnostic Lab.  We are so lucky to have them as our neighbors here in Mansfield!  For information on how to collect and drop off soil samples, visit www.soiltest.uconn.edu.

About the Taste of Mansfield

The Taste of Mansfield aims to strengthen our community through events and promotions highlighting locally grown and produced foods.  Supporting local farmers and food producers benefits our community in so many ways! Learn more at:   https://www.tasteofmansfieldct.org/

Taste of Mansfield is made possible by these community partners:  Mansfield Advocates for Children, Mansfield Agriculture Committee, Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Mansfield Department of Human Services, Mansfield Economic Development Commission, Mansfield Parks and Recreation, Mansfield Public Library, Mansfield Public Schools, Mansfield Senior Center, Storrs Farmers Market and UConn CAHNR Extension.