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Community Corner

Cupola Hollow Farm: A Collinsville Farmers Market Profile

Hot Pepper Jelly & a Little Chocolate with Your Popcorn

Kathy Dunai was a part-time police officer and full-time Dispatcher in Suffield when word came that her father, a beef cattle farmer, had suddenly passed away. “I had to keep the farm going,” says Dunai. “Once you live on a farm, it’s hard to give it up.”

Dunai and her sister Donna are now the third generation of family to work the 59- acre farm. Whether or not Dunai’s two daughters, Ashley and Amanda, choose to be fourth-generation farmers will be their option. The land will be there for them. This is because Dunai worked with the Town of Suffield and the state of Connecticut, to get Cupola Hollow Farm designated under a farmland preservation program.

“A lot of former farms have been goggled up as housing developments. So, we made the decision to pursue the preservation program so that the farm will always be here for the girls, if they want to farm. It all depends on where your heart is.”

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Cupola Hollow Farm sells their produce and other local products through their CSA and farm stand in West Suffield. Visitors to the Collinsville Farmers Market will find a wide variety of the farm's baked and canned goods; homemade snacks and stuffed breads. There will even be goat milk soap. Everything is made from either products grown on the Farm or purchased from other local farmers.

About Town spoke with Kathy Dunai of Cupola Hollow Farm to discuss farming and the market.

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AT: I see where the Cupola part of your name comes from. What about the Hollow?        

The farm is divided in half with a high ridge in the middle; a stony knoll. The farm store sits in a hollow with the hill behind it.

AT: What trends are you seeing in farmers markets?

Farmers markets and locally grown products are in huge consumer demand. Consumers want to know who is growing their food and where it is coming from. Getting to know your customers is part of the farmers market experience. Another part of going to a farmers market is customer education; learning how the food is grown and the products are made.

AT: What’s your philosophy/practice re: using natural, organic or conventional products to protect your crops from pests?

We are not certified organic. That’s a very expensive process and we’d rather put the money into the products we are growing. Our products are all grown as naturally as possible. For example, we participate in a state of Connecticut integrated pest management program where good bugs - like honey bees - eat the bad bugs, but leave the crops. We also do some crop rotation which helps manage the bad bugs. We don’t spray harmful chemicals on our produce because we eat them too!

People can get misinformed about organic spraying of crops. Some of those sprays aren’t that good for you either.

AT: What’s new at Cupola Hollow Farm?

We’re doing some contract growing this year for a local distributor in Hartford. We have five acres of tomatoes set aside for the distributor, who will then sell them as locally grown produce in supermarkets.

We’ve also started putting candy coatings on our home grown popcorn. We have a strawberry coating and chocolate as well.

AT: What is the one ‘must taste’ item that you offer? 

Our trade market hot pepper jelly. It’s a blend of peppers that we grow. It’s hot, but sweet too.

AT: What’s the future look like for Cupola Hollow Farm?

We’d like to keep the farm running and offer more agri-tainment like, pick your own pumpkins and other family-oriented entertainment where people come to the Farm and learn about Connecticut agriculture.

AT: How about a recipe?

My sister is the chef of the family, so this salad comes courtesy of Donna.

Spinach Salad with Pepper Jelly Dressing

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons Cupola Hollow Farm Pepper Jelly
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 cups baby spinach leaves
  • 2 ounces goat cheese, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

Directions

Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the Pepper Jelly, olive oil, salt and mustard. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Let cool.

Place the spinach in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Top with slices of goat cheese and sprinkle with walnuts.

Variation: Replace the goat cheese with cooked chicken and the walnuts with dried cranberries.

Here’s the Deal:

Collinsville Farmers Market, Main Street, Collinsville; Sundays, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. June 12 to October 23, 2011: www.collinsvillefarmersmarket.org.

Cupola Hollow Farm, 1510 North Stone St. West Suffield; 860-668-0859: www.cupolahollowfarm.com, cupolahollowfarm@aol.com.

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