• bottles of CT maple syrup
    Photo by Molly Deegan

heart C T grown logo in color

What is #heartCTgrown?

Coming out of the UConn CAHNR Extension , #heartCTgrown is an initiative to promote farms, Farmer's Markets, CSA's, and pick-your-own operations throughout the state of Connecticut.  We believe that local food is an important venue for making meaningful connections to each other and to building strong, resilient, healthy communities that are ready to tackle challenges together. We hope to share the stories of these connections, and that it will encourage you to tell your stories too.

Want #heartctgrown in your inbox?  Sign up for our seasonal newsletter that explores some of the great agricultural traditions, and new practices, that make CT grown products and people worth getting to know and sharing with your community.

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heartCTgrown is an initiative of UConn Extension with the goal to connect communities to local food. Use our hashtag: #heartctgrown

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heartctgrown

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Oct 31

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Hope you're staying safe and healthy with your car Hope you're staying safe and healthy with your carved #CTgrown pumpkins this Halloween!

Hope you're staying safe and healthy with your carved #CTgrown pumpkins this Halloween! ...

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heartctgrown

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Oct 29

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Fall doesn't mean farms are shutting down for the Fall doesn't mean farms are shutting down for the winter, for some, they are getting their crops ready for next spring. That includes Aquaculture! Our friends over at Copps Island Oysters aren't getting rid of this “pile of shells,” they're getting ready to plant natural seed oysters! ⠀ Photo by @coppsislandoysters ⠀ #oyster #oysters #oysterfarming #aquaculture #seafood #oysterlover #shellfish #sustainablefarm #regenerativefarming #familyfarm #Aquaculture_ct #Farming #ctshellfish #boattotable #tidetotable #longislandsound #shellfishing #sealife #supportlocal #ctgrown #heartctgrown

Fall doesn't mean farms are shutting down for the winter, for some, they are getting their crops ready for next spring. That includes Aquaculture! Our friends over at Copps Island Oysters aren't getting rid of this “pile of shells,” they're getting ready to plant natural seed oysters! ⠀

Photo by @coppsislandoysters
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#oyster #oysters #oysterfarming #aquaculture #seafood #oysterlover #shellfish #sustainablefarm #regenerativefarming #familyfarm #Aquaculture_ct #Farming #ctshellfish #boattotable #tidetotable #longislandsound #shellfishing #sealife #supportlocal #ctgrown #heartctgrown ...

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heartctgrown

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Oct 28

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Not only do farms make food for us to consume that Not only do farms make food for us to consume that's healthy for our community, they also provide jobs as small businesses that contribute to the economy. Agriculture is the nation's largest employer providing more than 23 million jobs related to agriculture. (Source National FFA Organization). So thank a farmer not just for your meal, but for the jobs they help provide for the community!⠀ ⠀ Photo by @holcombfarmcsa of some of their awesome farm crew!⠀ ⠀ #farmjobs #smallbusinesses #farmers #farmer #CTfarmers #CTfarms #smallbusiness #work #hardwork #feedingpeople #agriculture #farmlife #farming #agmorethanever #localbusiness #jobs #supportlocal #buylocal #eatlocal #CTgrown #heartctgrown

Not only do farms make food for us to consume that's healthy for our community, they also provide jobs as small businesses that contribute to the economy. Agriculture is the nation's largest employer providing more than 23 million jobs related to agriculture. (Source National FFA Organization). So thank a farmer not just for your meal, but for the jobs they help provide for the community!⠀
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Photo by @holcombfarmcsa of some of their awesome farm crew!⠀
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#farmjobs #smallbusinesses #farmers #farmer #CTfarmers #CTfarms #smallbusiness #work #hardwork #feedingpeople #agriculture #farmlife #farming #agmorethanever #localbusiness #jobs #supportlocal #buylocal #eatlocal #CTgrown #heartctgrown ...

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Oct 26

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Did you know that Ben and Tim Learned, owners of V Did you know that Ben and Tim Learned, owners of Valley View Farm in North Stonington, CT, were recognized as the 2020 Outstanding Connecticut Dairy Farmers for the New England Green Pastures Award Program. We love celebrating these local family farms and all they are contributing!⠀ ⠀ "Tim and Ben enjoy working together in all aspects of the dairy farm and they genuinely believe that having fun should be a component of dairy farming. It is truly a family farm with help from family members. Ben’s wife, Catherine, who helps out on weekends and before her full time job as a physical therapist and Catherine’s sister, Liz, as well as Ben and Tim’s sister, Marcia. In addition, they open their farm to students from the University of Rhode Island so that students can gain hands-on education on dairy farming. Tim and Ben, along with their mother, also have a grass-fed beef operation that yields 24 steers per year.⠀ ⠀ Together, Ben and Tim have built a dairy farm that is an excellent representation of the viability and sustainability of the New England dairy industry "⠀ ⠀ Read the article about it at ctdairy.org⠀ ⠀ Photo by Dairy Farmers of America⠀ ⠀ #ctmilk #gotmilk #ctfarms #cows #ctdairy #dairyfarmers #dairyfarming #dairyfarm #undeniablydairy #ilovemilk #localfood #localdairy #localfarms #allthingsdairy #farmersareessential #supportfarms #smallbusiness #supportlocalbusiness #dairybusiness #CTfarms #CTfarmers #raisedhere #CTgrown #heartctgrown

Did you know that Ben and Tim Learned, owners of Valley View Farm in North Stonington, CT, were recognized as the 2020 Outstanding Connecticut Dairy Farmers for the New England Green Pastures Award Program. We love celebrating these local family farms and all they are contributing!⠀
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"Tim and Ben enjoy working together in all aspects of the dairy farm and they genuinely believe that having fun should be a component of dairy farming. It is truly a family farm with help from family members. Ben’s wife, Catherine, who helps out on weekends and before her full time job as a physical therapist and Catherine’s sister, Liz, as well as Ben and Tim’s sister, Marcia. In addition, they open their farm to students from the University of Rhode Island so that students can gain hands-on education on dairy farming. Tim and Ben, along with their mother, also have a grass-fed beef operation that yields 24 steers per year.⠀
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Together, Ben and Tim have built a dairy farm that is an excellent representation of the viability and sustainability of the New England dairy industry "⠀
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Read the article about it at ctdairy.org⠀
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Photo by Dairy Farmers of America⠀
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#ctmilk #gotmilk #ctfarms #cows #ctdairy #dairyfarmers #dairyfarming #dairyfarm #undeniablydairy #ilovemilk #localfood #localdairy #localfarms #allthingsdairy #farmersareessential #supportfarms #smallbusiness #supportlocalbusiness #dairybusiness #CTfarms #CTfarmers #raisedhere #CTgrown #heartctgrown ...

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Oct 24

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A short #weekendread, but an important one nonethe A short #weekendread, but an important one nonetheless. Though some of us have gotten some rain recently, it's not enough for farms to recover from the drought we have been facing in the state. ⠀ ⠀ "Don Fish has owned his namesake family farm since 1981 and 2020 has provided its share of challenges beyond the pandemic -- 2020 has also been the year of the drought.⠀ “It’s just a domino effect for us,” Fish said.⠀ Since May, the Fish Family Farm has been forced to truck in water – about 18 thousand gallons a week – to keep the grass growing and the hay plentiful for the scores of Jersey Cows on the 211 acre farm."⠀ ⠀ Learn more about what your local farmer is dealing with by reading the full article "Enduring months of drought, some help for CT farmers" at https://buff.ly/2VCA3e5 and then continue to support your local farms!⠀ ⠀ photo by Fox61⠀ ⠀ #drought #droughconditions #norain #prayforrain #raindance #agriculture #water #farmlife #wateriseverything #helpafarmer #CTfarms #CTfarmers #farms #irrigation #localfarms #localfood #smallbusinesses #supportlocal #supportlocalbusiness #savewater #nofarmsnofood #CTgrown #heartCTgrown

A short #weekendread, but an important one nonetheless. Though some of us have gotten some rain recently, it's not enough for farms to recover from the drought we have been facing in the state. ⠀
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"Don Fish has owned his namesake family farm since 1981 and 2020 has provided its share of challenges beyond the pandemic -- 2020 has also been the year of the drought.⠀
“It’s just a domino effect for us,” Fish said.⠀
Since May, the Fish Family Farm has been forced to truck in water – about 18 thousand gallons a week – to keep the grass growing and the hay plentiful for the scores of Jersey Cows on the 211 acre farm."⠀
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Learn more about what your local farmer is dealing with by reading the full article "Enduring months of drought, some help for CT farmers" at https://buff.ly/2VCA3e5 and then continue to support your local farms!⠀
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photo by Fox61⠀
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#drought #droughconditions #norain #prayforrain #raindance #agriculture #water #farmlife #wateriseverything #helpafarmer #CTfarms #CTfarmers #farms #irrigation #localfarms #localfood #smallbusinesses #supportlocal #supportlocalbusiness #savewater #nofarmsnofood #CTgrown #heartCTgrown ...

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