On Saturday, Sept. 24, the Simsbury Land Trust will host its 2011 Townwide Celebration. The event will be held at Tulmeadow Farm Field at 255 Farms Village Road in West Simsbury.

Mums are coming into full blossom and pumpkins are ready for picking…

At 10:30 a.m., an Opening Ceremony will be held to celebrate the Simsbury Land Trust’s acquisition of the development rights to all 260 acres of Tulmeadow Farm, permanently protecting the land so it can maintain its natural, historic and scenic value. The ceremony also will signify completion of the organization’s 10-year "Campaign for Simsbury" fundraising effort. The annual celebration will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (In case of rain, all events will be held the next day on Sept. 25, with the ceremony starting at 11:30 a.m., followed by the membership celebration at noon.)

"This special ceremony and family friendly celebration will recognize our members’ tremendous support of the Simsbury Land Trust’s dedicated efforts to protect local and all over Simsbury," explains Amy Zeiner, Executive Director of the Simsbury Land Trust. "The event is free to all Simsbury residents and features a free barbecue lunch live entertainment and hands-on activities, with guided hikes through the woodlot, the pasture, and a grand tour of the entire farm at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m."

Hayrides will be provided from 11a.m. to 2 p.m. and there will be Pony Rides from 11 a.m. to 12 noon, courtesy of Flamig Farm. The Riverside Reptiles will host special reptile and amphibian presentations in the event’s large Kids’ Tent at noon and again at 12:30 p.m. Tulmeadow Ice Cream will be served to all attendees, while supplies last. Note: Dogs will not be permitted to enter this event.

Preserving the natural beauty of Tulmeadow Farm and other land in town has long been the goal of the Simsbury Land Trust. In 2005, the non-profit organization acquired the development rights from the Tuller family to permanently protect 167 acres of their property, which included the fields north and south of the barns and the farm store. In 2008, the Land Trust secured funds to protect an additional 20 acres that included hayfields, pastures and the triangle of land surrounded by Westledge Road, West Mountain Road and Sugarloaf Cut. With the recent acquisition of the Woodlot, the final parcel, the Simsbury Land Trust now has acquired the development rights to all 260 acres of Tulmeadow Farm, protecting the land from future residential construction forever.

Admission to the Simsbury Land Trust Opening Ceremony and Membership Celebration is free and no reservations are necessary.

For more information, call (860) 651-8773, or visit www.simsburylandtrust.org. Individual memberships in the Simsbury Land Trust begin at donations of $40 and family memberships begin at donations of $60. All memberships include a copy of “The Walkbook”

Submitted by Laura Soll – Simsbury Land Trust

Simsbury Connecticut restaurants Metro Bis, The Mill at 2T, and Tulmeadow Farm and brewer Farmington River Brewing Company will be among the participants in Connecticut’s largest and oldest event to raise funds to save the state’s dwindling amount of farmland. The Celebration of Connecticut Farms will take place Sunday, Sept. 11 from 12:30 to 4 p.m. at Jones Family Farms in Shelton. The event features some of the state’s best chefs preparing amazing dishes that highlight Connecticut grown ingredients. This year it will be co-hosted by Tony Award winning actress Christine Baranski, WNPR’s Two Time Peabody Award winner Faith Middleton, and celebrity TV chef and author Jacques Pepin.

“Since 2001, the Celebration has raised hundreds-of-thousands of dollars that have been used to help the Connecticut Farmland Trust continue its work to prevent farms from being lost to development.

We’re thrilled to have these three Simsbury restaurants and Farmington River Brewing participating this year,” said Dawn Adiletta, Interim Executive Director of the Connecticut Farmland Trust. “This is the must-attend event for anyone serious about wonderful cuisine and the freshness that only locally raised foods can provide.”

Don Tuller of Tulmeadow Farm along with a number of restaurants and a brewery in Simsbury, is taking part in the upcoming Celebration of Connecticut Farms this September.

“I am excited to once again be participating in the Celebration of Connecticut Farms,” said Don Tuller, owner of Tulmeadow Farm. “For many, it may be a surprise to find out how many different types of wonderful foods Connecticut farms produce. Once again we’ll be serving our award winning ice cream, which is always a big hit. This is an excellent opportunity to expose foodies around our state to our restaurant and help preserve our rich agricultural heritage at the same time.”

Tulmeadow Farm will bring its signature flavor, red raspberry-chocolate chip, to the celebration, Tuller said. Tulmeadow farm produces greenhouse vegetables, field vegetables and grass-fed beef on 265 acres in West Simsbury.

“This farm has been in my family since 1768,” Tuller said. “The only way it could pass (as a working farm) to another generation was through an easement from the trust, since the development value is so high.”

Tickets for the 2011 Celebration of Connecticut Farms are $150 per person ($75 is a tax-deductible donation). In addition to the delicious food and drink, the celebration will include musical entertainment by Bone Dry, a silent auction, and farm tours. To purchase tickets and for a list of participating chefs, restaurants, wineries, breweries and distilleries, visit www.CelebrationOfCTFarms.org.

Tulmeadow Farm – Hand packed Ice Cream Pints

For newcomers to the celebration, it might come as a surprise to find out how much Connecticut farms produce. There are many amazing items, from fresh vegetables to fruits, meats, seafood, dairy and wines. These farm-fresh products are then given to some of the state’s best chefs, who transform them into dishes that would be at home at any four-star restaurant. One can easily spend the entire afternoon grazing from table to table, eating samples of foods ranging from organic pizzas to goat cheeses, pork to beef dishes. Then they can walk over to another table for a glass of award-winning chardonnay, cabernet franc, or local craft-brewed beer to wash it all down.

“Although we move the event each year to a different farm in the state, and attract new friends, we continue to see familiar faces make the drive to wherever it takes place,” said Adiletta. “This year we’re delighted to be hosted by the Jones Family Farms in Shelton. They were our first home in 2001, and owner Terry Jones is a passionate voice for farmland preservation. His farm contributes to our state’s agricultural heritage by producing strawberries, blueberries, pumpkins, Christmas trees and fantastic wines and will be the perfect setting for this year’s event.”

In addition to the delicious food and drink, the celebration will include musical entertainment by Bone Dry, a silent auction, and farm tours. To purchase tickets and for a list of participating chefs, restaurants, wineries, breweries and distilleries, visit www.CelebrationOfCTFarms.org.

The Connecticut Farmland Trust is a non-profit organization formed to preserve and protect Connecticut’s working lands through the acquisition of farm property and easements. The group works with farmers, landowners, land trusts, town officials and state agencies to protect agricultural land. Since its start, CFT has protected nearly 2,100 acres of farmland on 26 family farms, assisted partners in the preservation of over 800 additional acres, and has become the state’s leading private resource on farmland conservation.

For more than ISO years, the Jones family has been working the lands on their farm in Shelton, Connecticut. Today their 400-acre farm offers one of the finest harvest-your-own picking experiences in the area. Generation after generation of farm guests visit the farm each year, not only to savor the delicious strawberries or to find the perfect Christmas tree, but to enjoy time with their families while experiencing the rustic beauty of the farm. For more information visit www.JonesFamilyFarms.com.

During a special meeting June13, residents voted in favor of accepting a federal grant to buy 73 acres of land known as the Tulmeadow Farm Woodlot.

The Simsbury Land Trust was awarded the $1.4 million Forest Legacy Grant to buy the parcel on Farms Village Road. Residents’ approval was required because the funds and the acquisition of the land are each in excess of one percent of the town’s annual town budget. The town is the official recipient of the grant, because the money must be accepted by a public entity.

The land trust is completing the final phase of a 10-year campaign to raise $2.83 million to protect the 260-acre Tulmeadow Farm through the creation of conservation easements.

The Valley Press – Thursday, May 19, 2011
The town of Simsbury has set a date for a Special Town Meeting on the purchase of a parcel of land at Tulmeadow Farm.

That meeting is scheduled for June 13 and will allow residents to weigh in on plans to preserve the 73-acre woodlot on the farm.

The parcel is the third and final purchase to protect the 260-acre farm, but plans for the purchase have changed slightly. Originally, the Simsbury Land Trust was to buy and protect the land.

Now – though it will not have to spend any additional cash to do so; the town must make the purchase and then enter an agreement with the Land Trust for the management of the area.

The reason for the alteration is due to a $1.4 million Forest Legacy Grant from the U.S. Forest Service toward the purchase. The Land Trust, which applied and received approval for the funds, recently learned the town must be the recipient, said director of Administrative Services Tom Cooke. Therefore, the town will officially own the property and the Land Trust will care for it.

Last year, the town agreed to contribute $280,000 toward the S2.8 million total. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection also gave $500,000 to the cause, and the Land Trust will contribute $630,000.

Tulmeadow Farm connects a 25-mile, approximately 6,000-acre national corridor that stretches from Simsbury all the way to the Massachusetts border.

The forested woodlot produces a marketable timber harvest every eight to 10 years and lies to the south and east of already preserved parcels of the farm. In addition, it is an integral link in a 4-mile walking trail used by hikers, dog walkers, joggers, horseback rider, cross-country skiers and nature viewers. There is a vernal pool on the western side of this parcel and another just beyond the southerly boundary.

“The Tulmeadow woodlot is just a treasure to preserve,” Land Trust President Chuck Howard has said.

To meet requirements set by the state for the DEP contribution to the purchase, once the town closes on the property it will enter into a conservation easement with the DEP and transfer one-half interest in the easement to the state.

The Land Trust will also get a separate right of way through the property.

At the Town Meeting, voters will be asked if the town should accept the easement and grant.

By Sloan Brewster

Ok… we’ve had our share of rainy, cloudy, cool weather this month. We actually did see the sun here at the farm yesterday, albeit a little brief. If this Spring weather is getting you down and you are getting the sniffles, have a scratchy throat, runny eyes maybe? You might have (as many of us do) a case of Springtime allergies. Even though all the rain we’ve had this past week has washed most of the yellow tint off the car and you think we’re in the clear; your eyes might still be a little runny. Maybe your nose isn’t as stuffy. But if you’re looking for a time-tested home remedy to your allergic symptoms, try some Local Honey.

Jones’ Apiaries ~ Local, Pure Honey in the Farm Store now ~ $9.75 for a 2 lb. jar. Click here for information and pricing on other sizes.

Cucumbers started in the greenhouses at Tulmeadow Farm

We’re gearing up here at the farm… planting outdoors has begun. Some sweet corn has been planted along with tomatoes and other crops we grown in the fields. Updates on what’s available from the greenhouses tomorrow. Stay tuned.