Recently, my mom and I were driving around in the country, and found ourselves in the northwest corner of Connecticut, in the town of Granby. It’s a sleepy little farm town with a handful of hidden culinary gems. Wilhelm Farm’s roadside stand is one of them. When we passed by, we knew had to stop and sniff around a little. Here’s a peek at the farmstand—plus a quick recipe for strawberries macerated in port wine.
The farmstand is on the side of a fairly main road.
It’s set on the edge of a large field.
You know what they say: Less is more. Since it’s the beginning of the season, the pickings were fairly lean—but what they did have out was clearly fresh from the field and looked utterly mouthwatering.
There were two rows of plump and rosy native strawberries.
We wound up taking 2 quarts home with us.
I can’t wait for the native strawberries to come out each year. The flavor is so much more intense and sweet than your run-of-the-mill supermarket berry.
They also had a handful of rhubarb stalks.
And a shelf with a few rows of jewel-toned, homemade jams.
This farmstand is like many in this area—charming, unmanned, and run on the honor system.
We dropped our money in, and went on our way. Before the day was done, we wound our way through the hills, by way of both a goat farm and a garlic farm. (More on both those to come soon.)
Oh! We also drove by the majestic Granby Oak, which has to be the most impressive tree I’ve ever seen in my life.
It’s more than 400 years old and spreads out over 130 feet.
Ah, strawberries
Now, I could have done any number of things with these berries—like make a Strawberry Brunch Tart with Thyme and Black Pepper…
…or a Strawberries and Cream Cake.
But I was struck with a serious—and rather urgent—case of berry greed. (I am, after all, a rather hungry mouse.) So I sliced them up and macerated them with a little bit of tawny port and sugar.
While it may sound like an unlikely pairing, the flavor of the port really brings out the sweetness in the berries.
Spoon these over vanilla ice cream or a thick slice of angel food cake. Or, you know, just eat them with a spoon.
Port Wine Macerated Strawberries
2 quarts strawberries, sliced
3 Tbls. sugar
3 Tbls. tawny port
Nip off the leaves and stems, then slice up your strawberries. Put them in a large bowl.
Toss in the sugar and the port.
Toss gently to combine.
Let the berries sit on the counter for maybe 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
As they sit, they’ll start to give off all sorts of lovely juice.
After about 20 minutes, your sliced berries will be soaking in gloriously fragrant syrup.
Serve over vanilla ice cream or thick slices of angel food cake. (Or just have at it with a spoon.)
Enjoy!
Passing through Northern Connecticut? Visit Wilhem Farm.
Here’s where to get your own berries. (I probably don’t have any left.) Wilhelm Farm is owned by Ann Wilhelm and Bill Bentley. It’s located at 329 North Granby Road, Granby, CT.
View 329 N Granby Rd in a larger map
Cheers!
