How to Have a 'Berry-Licious' Summer!

Strawberry fields forever? Maybe, but don't count out blueberry and raspberry as this season's favorites for a quick snack.

Quonset View Farm sets the stage for a delicious and simple strawberry tart to share with friends and family, but as berry season continues here in New England, don't rule out blueberries and raspberries. Below is the easiest and most rewarding recipe to make after an afternoon of picking your favorite fruit, and all you need is a quart of berries and a handful of ingredients to savor the tastes and make some memories of a favorite summertime pastime. Fruit Tart (insert seasonal berry!) Serves 6 Ingredients: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thaw and roll out one sheet puff pastry crust, being careful to flour surface and rolling pin so dough does not stick. Trim 3, 1in. pieces from either end of pastry sheet. Using milk as a binder, use …

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'Sweet' Summer Concerts Bring Out Blanket-to-Blanket Fans

See highlights from Sweet Berry Farm's Summer Concert Series kickoff, with a look ahead to the weekly summer lineup.

Sweet Berry Farm’s Summer Concert series took off in full swing Tuesday night with the Big Jump Band from Connecticut, a rhythm and blues neo-soul group that kept children to adults dancing barefoot on the grass throughout the evening right up until sunset. Now in its third year, the free weekly Tuesday night concerts have become a favorite among Middletowners, as well as a cornerstone in Sweet Berry Farm's growing agritourism business. Tuesday’s highly anticipated return of the series brought out a crowd of about two hundred people, who spread out blankets and lawn chairs. Some picnicked while others dined on prepared meals from the Sweet Berry Farm Café or the optional outdoor cookout prepared by SBF Chefs Scott Amaral and Tim Emery. For…

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Land Ethics Addressed at ALT Forum

Buddy Huffaker, successor to the "Father of Conservation" Aldo Leopold, discussed land ethics and his recent books with locals Thursday night at Sweet Berry Farm, part of the Aquidneck Land Trust's 2010 Conservation Speaker Series.

The Aquidneck Land Trust (ALT) opens every staff meeting with a reading from one of Aldo Leopold's visionary writings on conservation, so to have Leopold's direct successor talk shop on land ethics, among other hot-button issues to locals, was quite an honor for the two dozen ALT supporters who gathered Thursday night. The event, part of an ALT speaker series that featured Buddy Huffaker, executive director of the The Aldo Leopold Foundation, took place on the back lawn at Sweet Berry Farm, an ALT conserved property. His lecture was followed by a lively audience participation discussion on land ethics. "At The Leopold Foundation, we've been working to interweave Leopold's thinking about a land ethic throughout our society," said Huffaker…

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Our Local Harvest

Sweet Berry Farm Blueberries: This Week's Top Pick

If you think scones, desserts and salads are the only way to enjoy blueberries, think again. Jessica's soup suggestion may just surprise you.

This week's market share… It is easy to forget just how good local, in-season blueberries really are.  I bought my first fresh pint from Sweet Berry Farm at the Aquidneck Growers Market this past Saturday.  After that first irresistible taste (in the parking lot, of course) I wasn't sure that any of the berries would actually make it home.  They were so good, in fact, that I was inspired to do something I haven't done since I was a kid—go pick my own blueberries.  Sweet Berry Farm is one of Middletown's hidden gems—100 acres of farmland nestled, unpresuming, just off Third Beach Road.  Strolling into the farm's market to purchase my "pick your own" container, I was impressed to find it packed with local produce, cheese, and meat, as well …

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Fiesta Verde

The Aquidneck Land Trust kicks off its annual Fiesta Verde (Green Party) by going "Down on the Farm."

If the rusty red farm truck didn't give it away, then the bartenders in cowboys hats and buckles must have led to the conclusion of this year's country-themed party. On July 24, the Aquidneck Land Trust (ALT) held its annual Fiesta Verde with the theme "Down on the Farm," complete with a Texas-style barbecue. However, with "friends" tickets starting at $100 a plate, this was no ribs only barbecue. Honey harvest mojitos, a raw bar and chilled avocado soup were just a few of the edible offerings at this year's fundraiser. Other sweats and treats, served by Blackstone Catering, included grilled watermelon, Texas-style pecan squares, native peach cobbler, an Aquidneck blackberry buckle and old-fashioned, mile-high lemon meringue pie. Howard …

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