Photography by Kerry Michaels.
Sometimes a distant but well-loved place is even better than you remember.
Weston, Connecticut has reached mythical status with the younger members of my family since we were uprooted to live in London, England, signaling the end of long summers, muggy evenings, and the sounds of crickets (and mosquitos).
A grapevine shelters the kitchen patio of chef and farmer Phoebe Cole-Smith in Weston, Connecticut. Like many residents of Weston (and Westport, where commuters got off the train), Phoebe found Connecticut by way of New York, needing more space for her family.
A sturdy pergola supports the grapevines. The ratio has changed but this is one farm that has been added, not subtracted, having achieved farm status in 2011.
The dining room, in the garden. Well situated on a slope, a purpose-built barn is furnished mainly with a large table for eating around.
Garden to table, with homemade crackers and dips. Part of the business of the farm is producing maple syrup, while another key element is Phoebe’s culinary business, Picnic.
The kitchen garden, fenced against deer if not chipmunks. A wooden tunnel structure at the entrance to the vegetable garden supports butternut squash, flanked by scarlet runner beans and snap beans.
Ornamental lilies and edible herbs and vegetables are companion plants in the garden.
Free-range chickens enjoy protection in an insulated hen house, lined with denim. Phoebe also relies on the expertise of Dina Brewster of The Hickories CSA (Community Assisted Agriculture).
Naturally, Dirt Road Farm is no stranger to honey, preserves, and syrups. As well as preserves, there are sheepskins, wool blankets, and meat from The Hickories, plus bee products and floral decorations.
The property is a former homestead, built in 1830 by Squire Adams, Esq.
The other enfilade, leading from the back of the house to the front, directing the eye through the barn, to the woods on the hill.