Monday, May 24, 2010

The Red Lion Inn Local & Wild Edibles Dinner May 28


To extend the celebration of Farmed + Foraged, The Red Lion Inn will highlight a special al fresco communal dinner served on the intimate and historic porch, limited to 30 guests.

All ingredients will be farmed and foraged from the Berkshires, Hudson Valley and Vermont.

Local & Wild Edibles Dinner with Natural-Old World Wines
Friday May 28th, 2010

a multi-course family setting dinner welcoming the early harvests of our region paired with naturally made, organic & biodynamic wines of the “old world” regions.

menu to include…

shelburne farm cheddar & chipotle bisque with berle yogurt

“S.O.S”…creamed spinach gratin on grilled bmb flaxseed bread

braised wannabea farm rabbit with ramps & olives

himala salt & herb roasted punsit valley chicken

rawson brook goat cheese polenta cakes

roast “bacon on the side” pork & zehr farm shrooms

heritage breed poached egg with asparagus & inn smoked bacon

berkshire cheeses, radishes, almonds, quince & honeycomb

locally produced chocolates

some changes may occur due to Mother Nature!

seating is limited to 30 guests

$75 per person includes tax & gratuity

Call for reservations: 413.298.5545


brian j. alberg, executive chef

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Farmed & Foraged - May 21-23, 2010

Thanks to our generous co-sponsors:








DETAILS ON PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS

The dates, prices and menus for Farmed + Foraged vary dramatically. For example, some restaurants will be celebrating on Saturday night only. Please contact participating restaurants directly for accurate information on when they will be offering Farmed + Foraged, their menu options and pricing.





Allium Restaurant + Bar **
Great Barrington
413.528.2118
www.alliumberkshires.com

Mezze Restaurant Group will spotlight locally grown items with a Farmed + Foraged prix fixe dinner menu at Allium in Great Barrington. The restaurant will feature foraged edibles including spring ramps, nettles and the first of spring greens from Farm Girl Farm, Blue Hill Farm and The Berry Patch plus Berkshire Mountain Bakery breads and spirits from Berkshire Mountain Distillers.

From 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Sunday, Allium will offer its weekly brunch menu celebrating the bounty of the Berkshires. Dishes range from farm-fresh eggs, house-made breakfast sausage patties and wilted local greens to ricotta pancakes with local maple syrup and local sheep’s milk yogurt with house-made toasted almond and spiced date granola. Coffee is sourced from Barrington Coffee Roasters and milk/cream from High Lawn Farm. The brunch menu features Berkshire-grown ingredients from Farm Girl Farm, Rawson Brook Farm, Indian Line Farm, Cricket Creek Farm, Blue Hill Farm, Berkshire Mountain Bakery and more.

________________________________________

Baba Louie’s **
Great Barrington
413.528.8100
www.babalouiessourdoughpizzacompany.com

Baba Louie’s Sourdough Pizza in Great Barrington will feature a Farmed + Foraged menu including asparagus, parsnip and arugula salad served with toasted walnuts, hard-boiled eggs and ramp dressing; grilled garlic focaccia; White Queen pizza served with sautéed morels, fresh garlic, spinach, mozzarella and ricotta cheese topped with Parmesan and basil. The prix fixe menu is priced at $18 per person.

________________________________________

Berkshire Co-op Market
42 Bridge Street
Great Barrington, MA
413-528-9697

Hot Bar items on Saturday, 5/22: Local Beef Tacos and Local Bridge Tofu Tacos, Local Garlic Sautéed Fiddlehead Ferns, Chipotle Baked Beans and Brown Rice.

Salad Bar menu items will include Equinox Farm Mesclun and Spinach from Vermont Hydroponics, Chef's Tomatoes, Vermont Fresh Pasta Tri-colored Cheese Tortellini Salad, Maple Brook Farm Ciliegine (Baby Mozzarella Balls) and Vermont Feta.

Berkshire Co-op Market has been supporting local farmers and producers for almost 30 years… Be sure to look for the LOCAL signs throughout the store to find our over 200 local products!
berkshirecoop.org here

________________________________________
Brix Wine Bar
Pittsfield
413.236.9463
www.brixwinebar.com

All daily specials at Brix will be made from locally farmed and foraged ingredients.
________________________________________

Castle Street Café **
Great Barrington
413.528.5244
www.castlestreetcafe.com

Castle Street’s Sunday Brunch menu will feature local eggs and bacon. Plus, a Farmed + Foraged Prix Fixe Menu detailed below.

FARMED + FORAGED MENU
Three-course meal for $40 per person

First Course:
Mushroom Soup, Zehr Family Farm
Equinox Farm Mesclun Salad with Rawson Brook Farm Chevre
Equinox Farm Spinach Salad, North Plain Farm Sliced Egg
Stuffed Portabello Mushroom with Equinox Farm Spinach, & Monterey Chevre
Equinox Farm Arugula Salad with Shaved Fennel & Orange

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Second Course:
Hudson River Shad Roe with Hoiliday Farm Bacon & Onions and Schoolhouse Garden Jerusalem Artichokes
Penne with Equinox Farm Arugula, Portabello Mushroom, & Shaved Parmigiano
Fettuccine Bolognese (Traditional Meat Sauce, N.E Family Farm Grass Fed Natural Beef
Breast of Chicken Stuffed w/Cricket Creek Farm Maggie’s Round Cheese, wrapped w/Holiday Farm Bacon
Braised Beef Couscous, Ioka Valley Farm Grass-fed Beef served with
Swiss Chard, Mushroom & Cheese Souffle, Orzo Salad
Equinox Farm Chard, Blue Moon Shrooms, Rawson Brook Farm Chevre, North Plain Farm Eggs

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dessert:
Maple Walnut Tart, Turner Farms Maple Syrup
Warm Apple Crisp, Berkshire Vanilla Ice Cream
Warm Bread Pudding, Berkshire Mt Distillers Rum Sauce
Soco Sorbet

Plus Coffee, Tea

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Farmed + Foraged Libations (additional charge)
Mt.Washington Wild Birch Iced Tea $2
Barrington Brewery Brown Ale $4.50 (Pint)
Ginger Martini: Berkshire Mt Distillers Iced Glen Vodka & Canton Ginger Cognac, with Candied Ginger
Pomegranate Martini: Berkshire Mt Distillers Iced Glenn Vodka, Pomegranate Juice & Fresh Lime
Greylock Classic:Berkshire Mt Distillers Greylock Gin, Dash of Vermouth, served straight up

Michael Ballon, Chef Proprietor
Chris Johnson, Chef de Cuisine

________________________________________

EnlightenNext
Lenox, MA
Reservations at 413-637-6021 or e-mail kmiller@EnlightenNext.org

VIEW LAST YEAR'S DELICIOUS FARMED + FORAGED MEAL HERE

Join Chef Katherine of EnlightenNext for one night only on Saturday, May 22 for a sumptuous four-course vegetarian menu overflowing with the bounty of Berkshire County’s wild and cultivated produce.

FARMED + FORAGED MENU
Four-course meal with wines, $65 per person

First Course:
Creamy Wild Ramp and Celery Root Spread with Lovage served with Swirly Root Vegetable and Chive Crackers and Dehydrated Kale and Vegetable Chips

Second Course:
Warm Sprouted Lentil Salad on a bed of Baby Spinach with Oven-roasted Baby Potatoes and Garlicky Fiddleheads served with Home-grown Chive Dressing

Third Course:
Kasha Crepes filled with Mushroom-and-Ramp Ragout topped with Watercress-Cashew Cream and Smoky Walnuts served with Marinated Baby Radishes and Braised Cattails

Fourth Course:
Caramelized Apple and Rhubarb Slices served with Almond Cream
and Handmade Amaretti Crackers sprinkled with Violets

Organic and/or local wines


________________________________________

Gramercy Bistro@MASS MoCA
North Adams
413.663.5300
www.gramercybistro.com

Gramercy Bistro will feature a Farmed + Foraged three-course menu for $35 per person. Please note, Gramercy Bistro has moved to the MASS MoCA campus in North Adams, across the street from its original location.

FARMED + FORAGED MENU


First Course
Equinox Arugula Salad

Second Course
Grilled Cricket Creek Veal Chop with ramp butter and fiddleheads

Dessert
Goat Rising Mascarpone Cheesecake

________________________________________

Guido’s Fresh Marketplace **
Pittsfield & Great Barrington
413.442.9912
www.guidosfreshmarketplace.com

In their Great Barrington location, Guido's Fresh Marketplace will spotlight free samples of
 Farmed + Foraged favorites hand-crafted by their in-house chef Jim Gop from 3-6 pm Friday through 
Sunday.

Day 1: Chef Jim Gop will offer: Ricotta Gnocchi (made from Maple Hill Creamery milk and North Plain farms eggs) with fiddlehead ferns in lemon, butter and thyme. Followed by A Maple Custard Pie (Meade farms maple syrup, North Plain eggs, High Lawn cream, Maple Hill Creamery milk) with marinated blueberries and lemon cream.

Day 2: Chef Jim Gop will offer: Braised Plainville Turkey with Spring Vegetables. Followed by Breakfast for Dessert, Honey Pain Perdu (Berkshire Mountain Bakery Country Bread, Rulison Honey, North Plain eggs, Maple Hill Creamery Milk) with Jam and Yogurt Ice cream (Beth's Kitchen Jam, Hawthorne Valley yogurt, High Lawn cream and half and half.

Amy Cotler will be in the store Friday May 21, 2010 so sign her book The Locavore Way.
________________________________________

Gypsy Joynt
Great Barrington
413.644.8811

Gypsy Joint will offer a Farmed + Foraged wrap and a Farmed + Foraged pizza throughout the weekend.

________________________________________

Haven Café & Bakery
Lenox
413.637.8948
www.haven.berkshireculinary.com

Haven Café will offer a three-course Farmed + Foraged dinner featuring ramps for $27 per person.

FARMED + FORAGED MENU

First Course
Asparagus soup with ramp and morel custard

Second Course
Striped bass with ramp pasta and a shitake ramp ragout

Third Course
Pan-roasted sirloin with a ramp relish and potato ramp puree

Dessert

________________________________________
John Andrews Restaurant
Egremont
413.528.3469
www.jarestaurant.com

John Andrews will offer a three-course prix fixe Farmed + Foraged dinner for $40 per person.

Berkshire Grown
Farmed + Foraged Menu

Starters
Grilled Asparagus, Ramps, Tartuffatta
or
Confit of Lamb Shoulder, Field Greens, Baked Walnut Chevre

Entrées
Line Caught Fluke, Melting Leeks, Baby Spinach, Citronette
or
Grilled Leg of Lamb, Kennebec Potatoes, Baby Swiss Chard

Dessert
Rhubarb Compote Shortcake with Garden Mint Milk Sorbet


________________________________________

La Terrazza Restaurant at Gateways Inn
Lenox
413.637.2532
www.gatewaysinn.com/LaTerrazza.html

Farmed + Foraged menu items include:
Warm Asparagus with Prosciutto, Poached Quail Egg & Hollandaise
Hand-made Farfalle with Morels and Fiddleheads
Lasagna with Prosciutto, Spring Peas & Béchamel Sauce
Grilled Salmon Fillet with Roasted Fingerlings, Ramps & Morels
Roast Chicken Breast with Spring leeks and Peas on Polenta
Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients will be sourced from Rock Ridge Farm (eggs), High Lawn (milk & cream), The Berry Patch, Berkshire Mountain Bakery, River Valley Farm and Moon in the Pond Farm.

________________________________________

Mexican Radio
Hudson, NY
518.828.7770
www.mexrad.com

Mexican Radio will feature a three-course meal for lunch and dinner showcasing dishes prepared using local products based on the availability of the season.

________________________________________

Mezze Bistro + Bar **
Williamstown
413.458.0123
www.mezzeinc.com

Mezze Restaurant Group will spotlight locally grown items with a Farmed + Foraged prix fixe menu. Please call for more information as Mezze Bistro + Bar may be closed for a move to its new location at 777 Cold Spring Road (Route 7) in Williamstown.

________________________________________

Mission Bar + Tapas
Pittsfield
No phone number
www.missionbarandtapas.com

Mission is working on a three-course spring flavors tasting menu, which will include an appetizer, entrée and dessert. The main course will include a local meat, but will be structured as such so that it can be vegetarian.

________________________________________

Napa Wine Bar and Restaurant
Lenox
413.528.4311
www.napagb.com

Farmed + Foraged menu:
Warm Asparagus Salad w/ Fried Local Egg, Equinox Farms micro-arugula & bacon sherry vinaigrette
Handmade Gnocchi Primavera with locally foraged ramp pesto
Local Berry and High Lawn Farm Zabaglione

________________________________________

Nudel
Lenox
413.551.7183
www.nudelrestaurant.com

Due to the nature of Nudel reflecting the best of the weekly and daily ingredients available in the area, the menu will not be posted until the week of the event. Ingredients will be sourced from Farm Girl Farm, Overmeade Gardens, Taft Farm, Equinox Farm, Little Seeds and Indian Line Farm and more.

________________________________________

Perigee
Lee
413.394.4047
www.perigee-restaurant.com

Grilled Pelletier’s Organic Asparagus Salad with Frizzled Shallots and Housemade Creamy Tangerine Dressing

Forager’s Soup (a delightful emerald soup featuring Yukon Golds, Pelletier’s Organic Ramps and Chorizo) – can be prepared vegetarian upon request

Choice of:

Steak Au Poivre (grilled New York strip with crushed green and black peppercorn crust and a housemade brandy cream sauce) – served with sautéed Pelletier Organic Fiddleheads and Roasted Garlic and Chive Smashed Potatoes

or

Vegetarian Leek and Mushroom Strudel with Housemade Berkshire Blue Cream Sauce

Fresh Fig Compote with Medjool Dates, Almonds, Sesame and Chocolate Shavings in Hilltop Orchards 2008 Muscato – Vanilla Gastrique


________________________________________

Route 7 Grill
Great Barrington
413.528.5838
www.route7grill.com


As part of the Farmed + Foraged weekend, Route 7 Grill will feature local salad greens served with local, house-made maple-bacon dressing, local pork chops and steaks, foraged nettles and mushrooms (if available), local beets, local rhubarb for crisp and local cream.

________________________________________

Stagecoach Tavern
Sheffield
413.229.8585
www.stagecoachtavern.net

________________________________________

The Inn at Sweet Water Farm
North Egremont
413.528.2882
www.innsweetwater.com

________________________________________

The Old Inn on the Green
New Marlborough
413.229.7924 ext 0
www.oldinn.com

The Old Inn on the Green will feature a Farmed + Foraged dinner on Friday, Saturday and Sunday featuring locally grown and foraged ingredients.

________________________________________

The Red Lion Inn **
Stockbridge
413.298.5545
www.redlioninn.com

The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge will present a special Farmed + Foraged three-course dinner menu crafted from foraged items, local dairy, eggs, greens and locally sourced proteins. The prix fixe meal is priced at $45 per person (not including tax or gratuity.) Berkshire Grown will receive a contribution of $15 from each prix fixe dinner sold. In addition, several Farmed + Foraged items will be available a la carte. As has been the tradition for many years, The Red Lion Inn features sustainable dinner specials on Sundays and Mondays throughout the month of May.

To extend the celebration of Farmed + Foraged, The Red Lion Inn will also highlight a special al fresco dinner on Friday, May 28. A communal dinner served on the intimate and historic porch, limited to 30 guests, will be served as courses and family style. All ingredients will be farmed and foraged from the Berkshires, Hudson Valley and Vermont. The price for this special dinner menu is $75, not including tax or gratuity.

________________________________________
The Williamsville Inn
West Stockbridge
413.274.6118
www.williamsvilleinn.com

The Williamsville Inn will feature a three-course Farmed + Foraged menu for $35 per person on Friday, May 21 and Saturday, May 22 by advanced reservation. (Beverages, tax and gratuity are not included.)

Farmed + Foraged menu:

First Course
Tom Ball Mountain Ramp Soup with Herb Croutons

Second Course
Local, Free-range Chicken Fricassee with North Plain Farm Poached Egg,
Garden Herbs and Vegetable Home-made Fettuccini Pasta

Third Course
Home-made Woodruff Ice Cream with Rhubarb Compote


________________________________________


** Thanks to our sponsors for their support! **


BabaLouie's Sourdough Pizza, Castle Street Cafe, Guido's Fresh Marketplace, Mezze Restaurant Group, The Red Lion Inn and Williams College Dining Services & Zilkha Center

Monday, April 26, 2010


PLEASE CALL RESTAURANTS FOR DETAILS: DATES, MENUS, PRICES VARY

ALLIUM RESTAURANT + BAR
BABA LOUIE'S
BRIX
CASTLE STREET CAFE
ENLIGHTENNEXT
GRAMERCY BISTRO @ MASS MOCA
GUIDO'S FRESH MARKETPLACE
GYPSY JOYNT
HAVEN
JOHN ANDREWS RESTAURANT
LA TERRAZZA RESTAURANT AT GATEWAYS INN
MEXICAN RADIO
MEZZE BISTRO + BAR
MISSION BAR + TAPAS
NAPA WINE BAR AND RESTAURANT
NUDEL
PERIGEE
ROUTE 7 GRILL
STAGECOACH TAVERN
THE INN AT SWEET WATER FARM
THE OLD INN ON THE GREEN
THE RED LION INN
THE WILLIAMSVILLE INN

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

The Town that Food Saved: A Report from Hardwick, VT


We've borrowed the title from a new book by Ben Hewitt, just published by Rodale Press, about the growing local food economy in the region of Hardwick, VT.

Come Monday April 19th at 7 pm to the Congregational Church 251 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA to hear Cheryl Fischer describe the exciting developments in a food and agriculture experiment.

The book is here. The Center for an Agricultural Economy is here.


Friday, March 26, 2010

Berkshire Grown's March Maple Dinner in ruralintelligence.com

The annual Berkshire Grown Maple Dinner is an exercise in counterintuitive programming. Held in late March (when there are few local vegetables) on a Monday night (when weekenders can’t buy tickets), the dinner gets bigger every year, and more than locavores packed into the main dining room of the Red Lion Inn on March 22. They ate a five course feast that began with hors d’oeuvres (such as maple glazed smokey bacon donuts) by Katie Baldwin Catering; fennel-and-apple soup by John Dudek of Bascom Lodge; maple-glazed free-range chicken ballotine by Peter Platt of Old Inn on the Green; celeriac-and-arugula salad with maple cured Berkshire pig by Brian Alberg of the Red Lion and Daire Rooney of Brix Wine Bar; maple glazed crispy duck confit with Equinox Farm red mustard greens by Chris Bonniver of Gala Restaurant & Bar; Kombucha maple sugar cake with ginger-maple gelato by Dan Smith of John Andrews.
http://www.ruralintelligence.com/index.php/parties_section/parties_articles_parties/berkshire_growns_annual_maple_dinner_at_the_red_lion_inn/

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

March Maple Dinner March 22, 2010



Sat. March 6 Maple Sugar Tour at Ioka Valley Farm


Watch Ioka Valley farmers turn maple sap into maple syrup and taste the delicious results!
Children welcome!
413-738-5915

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food in North Adams, MA

Monday February 8th from 5 - 7 PM 49 Main Street, North Adams

"Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Expo," sponsored by Target:Hunger North Berkshires will feature local farmers, farmers markets, co-ops and restaurants that sell food in the North Berkshire area, information about Community Supported Agriculture CSAs, and a chance to meet the farmers growing our local food supply. For more information call 413-672-1167.



Winter no bar to local produce
By Judith Lerner Special to The Berkshire Eagle

NORTH ADAMS -- It may be midwinter, but local foods and local farmers will be out in abundance at a "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" event here on Monday.

"We’ve planned the event for February," said Kim McMann, director of Target Hunger North Berk-shire, "to remind everybody that there are value-added products -- meat and dairy products and even storable items like apples and winter squash -- available year round. Also, this is when people are buying their shares for next summer in local CSA farms."

CSAs are farms supported through customers buying shares in that year’s harvest and receiving, week by week, whatever grows and is available.

"It’s a time of year when we start to get down about the cold and long for summer and the fabulous local produce that summer will bring," she said.

The free event, which runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at 49 Main St., will offer free light refreshments, some free samples and a few local food items for sale.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Interview with Joel Salatin in the Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/31/food-industry-environment#zoomed-picture

Interview: Joel Salatin

Joel Salatin is America's most celebrated pioneer of chemical-free farming – but if you want to taste his beef or chicken you'll have to move to Virginia. He talks to Gaby Wood about why local is best and his role in the documentary Food, Inc which attacks the giants of industrialised food production

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Book Signing The Locavore Way with Amy Cotler


Saturday January 23, 2010 at 2 pm at The Bookloft in Great Barrington


Its easier than ever to eat food grown close to home, with great benefits to the health of your family, your local community, and the environment. And of course it tastes fantastic! Amy Cotler gives you all the information you need to become a satisfied locavore, addressing how and where to find local foods, how to eat locally on a tight budget, what questions to ask at the farmers market, and how to grow your own food in small spaces. She offers insider shopping tips, simple guides to preparing whats in season, ideas for bringing out the best flavors in farm-fresh foods, and strategies to make the harvest last. With Cotlers advice, eating locally is as simple as it is delicious.


http://www.amycotler.com/offerings/books/

Monday, January 4, 2010

Thanks to those who applied, we are no longer accepting applicants


Thanks to those who have applied, here's the job description, but we are no longer accepting applicants:

Manages community and professional (farmer, food buyer, retail and restaurant) member recruitment, renewal, fulfillment and outreach. Responsible for ensuring the office runs as smoothly as possible, a multi-tasker and problem solver who is responsible for database management, public inquiries, office support services, purchasing, facilities management and more. Responsible for updating the Farm to Table Directory and the Farm Map and Map-o-licious online. Actively involved in a variety of Events. Supports the Executive Director’s fund-raising, communication, and networking activities.

Please submit resume and references as soon as possible, preferably by January 22, 2010 to Barbara Zheutlin, Berkshire Grown, P.O. Box 983, Great Barrington, MA 01230 and/ or Barbara@berkshiregrown.org. Job will begin mid to late February.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

WESTERN MASS FARMER AND AG COMMISSION GATHERINGS - AGENDA
Saturday, Dec 12, 2009 – Deerfield Town Hall
Saturday, Jan 9, 2010 – Hancock Shaker Village
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. / $10 Fee Includes Lunch, Coffee, Materials
(free registration if you attend only afternoon session)

8:30 – 9:00 Registration and Coffee

9:00 – 9:15 Welcome and Overview – Commissioner Scott Soares

FOR AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONS AND FRIENDS

9:15 – 10:45 Roundtable for AgCom Members – Successful AgCom Projects, Excise Tax Waivers, Right to Farm Signs, Farm-Neighbor Disputes, Promotion of Farm Products, & How to Stay Up-to-date on Who is Doing What – Kathy Orlando, Sheffield Land Trust, Moderator (Hancock), Phil Korman, CISA, Moderator (Deerfield)

10:45 – 11:00 Break

FOR ALL FARMERS AND AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONS

11:00 – 12:30 Current Laws and Issues – Food Safety, Standard Farm Practices, Crop Insurance, Dairy Loan Program, Chapter 61A, & many others – MDAR General Counsel Bob Ritchie, Asst Commissioner Nathan L’Etoile, Rep. Denis Guyer, Cris Coffin, AFT

12:30 – 1:15 Buffet Lunch and Informal Discussion

FOR ALL FARMERS AND AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONS

1:15 – 3:30 Sources of Funding, Technical Assistance & Information for Farmers
Panel and Displays by Various Federal, State, and Private Agencies: Grant
Programs, Incentives, Loans, Farm Energy, Farmland Protection, Others.

Sponsors: MDAR, TTOR/Highland Communities Initiative, Berkshire Grown, CISA, Berkshire-Pioneer RC&D, Conservation Districts, Mass Farm Bureau, American Farmland Trust, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Sheffield Land Trust, Franklin Land Trust, Franklin Council of Governments, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation, Deerfield Agricultural Commission, Hancock Agricultural Commission, Pittsfield Agricultural Commission, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Monday, November 30, 2009

Make a Gingerbread House for Share the Bounty!


Help Share the Bounty by making a gingerbread house for Wheatleigh's 6th Annual Gingerbread Competition and Silent Auction.

The rules are simple:
1. All ingredients used in and around the house must be edible
2. Except lights. You can use lights if you'd like. We can't eat those.

Then, bring your house to the Lenox Community Center by 2:30 on Sunday, Dec. 6th. We will have a silent auction for the houses, and all of the proceeds will benefit Share the Bounty.

Share the Bounty raises money to buy shares in CSA farms, and then we donate those shares to soup kitchens, food pantries and WIC participants.

Here's a recipe for gingerbread houses from Holly Evans, the pastry chef at Wheatleigh.

Gingerbread For Houses

1 cup shortening
1 cup molasses
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tap baking soda
.5 tsp salt
5 cup AP flour(approx)

-combine shortening, sugar and molasses in a pot-bring to simmer
-remove from heat and add baking soda, salt and cinnamon
-graddually stir in flour 1 cup at a time(you may not need 5 cups)
-roll out to 1/4 inch thick-chill
-cut shapes
-bake cold dough @300 for 20 minutes until firm

Icing Glue (for putting the house together)

This recipe is for a single batch. You will probably need several, but if you make them all at once, keep them in separate bowls: it dries very quickly and is like cement. Keep it well covered: one piece of saran wrap touching the icing itself and another on the bowl.

3 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
3 - 3 1/2 cups icing sugar

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until they begin to foam. Add the cream of tartar and beat until the whites are stiff but not dry. Gradually beat in the icing sugar, beating for about 5 minutes until it reaches spreading consistency. Keep it covered and refrigerated until needed.

For more info on the event, please contact Wheatleigh at 413-637-0610

Join us! Dec. 6th from 3 to 5! Free, fun event for the whole family!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Holiday Farmers' Markets


Berkshire Grown hosted more than 60 regional farmers and food producers in the Berkshires reaching more than 2,000 community members at the first annual Holiday Farmers’ Markets on Saturday, November 21.

“The markets were an overwhelming success and we were thrilled to have seen such a turnout,” said Barbara Zheutlin, executive director of Berkshire Grown. “We had an impressive number of vendors at both locations and received very positive feedback from customers and vendors alike. Everyone wants to do it again next year,” she added.

In Great Barrington, more than 500 people shopped the 35-vendor Holiday Farmers’ Market at the old firehouse on Castle Street. The Williamstown Holiday Farmers’ Market, which took place at the Williams College Field House, attracted more than 1,400 community members. The two community markets helped extend the selling season of farmers while promoting the use of locally grown and produced food for the Thanksgiving season.

One vendor reported the Holiday Farmers’ Market was the highest-grossing farmers’ market on record for their farm. Every vendor said they would definitely do it again next year and community members requested a second market before the Christmas holiday.

“We could not believe the support we received for the Williamstown Holiday Farmers’ Market,” said Zheutlin. “We’re really energized by the demand for local food and for the creation of a community around our farms and food producers and are already talking about another holiday market (or two) for 2010,” she added.

In support of Berkshire Grown, this event was sponsored by Williams College (The Sustainable Food and Agriculture Program in conjunction with Dining Services), Mezze Restaurant Group and Slow Food of Western Massachusetts. Visit www.berkshiregrown.org for additional details.

Copy and paste in these links to see photos

http://picasaweb.google.com/barbro17/HarvestMarket?feat=directlink#


http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=williams+college+holiday+farmers+market&z=e

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Wheatleigh's Gingerbread House Competition and Silent Auction to benefit Share the Bounty






Join with Wheatleigh for its 6th annual afternoon of holiday fun and spirited competition!

Sunday December 6th, 2009, 3:00 - 5:00 pm at the Lenox Community Center, 65 Walker Street, Lenox, MA

Create a Gingerbread House for a good cause!

Call Wheatleigh 413-627-0610 for entry details.

Donations welcome, all proceeds go to benefit Share the Bounty, Berkshire Grown's project to support local farms and food pantries.

Thanksgiving Dinners


Café Reva
Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
238 Tyler St.
Pittsfield, MA

(413) 442-6161
_______________________________________________

Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club
Thanksgiving Dinner Buffet in the Mansion Ballroom
Thursday, November 26, 2009 from noon to 8 p.m.

For reservations, call (413) 637-1364, Ext. 0 or Ext. 605.

55 Lee Road, Lenox, MA
Tel: (413) 881-1663 | Fax: (413) 637-0571 | www.cranwell.com
________________________________________________
Gala Restaurant
Thanksgiving Dinner 11:30am-2:30pm
222 Adams Rd.
Williamstown, MA
413.458.9611

$39.95 Adult, $33.00 Seniors, $12.95 Children 6-12 yrs, FREE Children 5 and under.
___________________________________
Gramercy Bistro
Thanksgiving Dinner
24 Marshall Street
North Adams, MA
413-663-5300

___________________________________
Haven Café
Take out Thanksgiving
8 Franklin St.
Lenox, MA
413-637-8948

Please order by Sunday, November 22th.
All orders must be paid in full at time of order.
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The Interlaken Inn
Thanksgiving Buffet
74 Interlaken Rd.
Lakeville, CT

$29.95 for adults
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Perigree
Thanksgiving dinner
1575 Pleasant Street (Route 102)
South Lee, MA

413-528-5225
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The Red Lion Inn
Thanksgiving Dinner
30 Main St.
Stockbridge, MA

Served from Noon - 6:30 PM
$49 adults, $24.50 children 12 and under
Please call 413.298.1690 for reservations
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Rt 7 Grill
All you can eat buffet Thanksgiving
999 Main Street
Great Barrington, MA
413-528-3235

$30 per person - $15 per kid 12 & under
Noon -4
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Swiss Hutte
Thanksgiving Dinner
Route 23
Egremont, MA
(413) 528-6200

Served from 1pm to 6pm.
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La Terrazza
Thanksgiving dinner
51 Walker St.
Lenox, MA

$50.00 Per Person*
*Plus Tax & Gratuity*
Serving 12Noon-6PM
Reservations: 413-637-2532
www.gatewaysinn.com
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The Williams Inn
Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner
1090 Main St.
Williamstown, MA
Serving 12 noon to 4 p.m.

$29. per person * Children under 10 years $14.50
Children under 5 years variable
Plus Massachusetts 6.25% Meal Tax

RESERVATIONS A MUST - CALL 413-458-9371

18% gratuity added to parties of eight or more
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THE WILLIAMSVILLE INN
Festive All-Organic Thanksgiving Menu
The Williamsville Inn, 286 Great Barrington Road (Route 41)
West Stockbridge, MA

Thursday, November 26, 2009 1- 6 p.m. By advance reservation

3-course prix fix menu - $48 per person/ children under 10 half price
(beverages, tax & gratuity not included)
***Also available pre-ordered as take-out ***
**Early reservations are highly recommended**

For reservations, please call 413-274-6118
www.williamsvilleinn.com

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Popular Courses for Farmers

MDAR is once again planning to offer two very popular courses for both aspiring and experienced farmers during the coming winter months:

1) Exploring Your Small Farm Dream (Explorer)

The Explorer Program is intended for those who are considering farming as a small and likely part-time business. Its purpose is to help pre-venture, aspiring farmers learn what it will take to start and manage their own profitable agricultural enterprise, and to decide whether this is a path they really want to/can take. Explorer makes use of four guided group sessions, an acclaimed workbook, Instructors experienced in starting ag businesses, and extensive supporting resources. The goal of Explorer is to help you decide whether starting an agricultural business is right for you and, based on that decision, to help you plan practical next steps. It was created to help you articulate the clear vision and goals you will need to guide a new agricultural venture. Explorer meets four times (6-9 PM) over a six week window, usually beginning in January or February.

2) Tilling the Soil of Opportunity (TTS)

This innovative, farmer friendly course focuses on existing agricultural businesses that will benefit from an organized look at their current operation in order to plan for growth and change. Over 240 Massachusetts agricultural enterprises have completed TTS.

The course Instructor guides participants through creation of a business plan to improve decision making on the owner/operator’s farm. MDAR has enhanced the 35 hours of group meetings with additional individualized technical assistance and confidential one-on-one financial planning. The Instructor visits every participant’s farm/ag enterprise at least once during the course.

TTS is facilitated by a nationally certified and experienced Instructor, and is monitored by the Director of the MDAR Agricultural Business Training Program. Our local partner agencies and organizations contribute additional and ongoing regional resources for participants.

Guest speakers are drawn from local farm businesses and service providers to personalize the key concepts of many sessions

After the course ends, selected students receive additional individual technical assistance in topic areas most important to completing a working business plan. Basic costs for this service are included.

The TTS business plan can simplify eligibility for federal, state and local assistance programs

This course qualifies as a "Borrower Training Program" for the USDA Farm Service Agency, and can enhance efforts to secure funds from any lender

TTS meets 10 times (6-9 PM) on a once weekly basis over an 11 week window that begins in January.

***As usual, we locate Explorer and TTS courses according to demand in a region. We have tentative plans to offer a session of each in Amherst and a session of TTS in Southeastern Mass. The sooner you get information and register (see information below), the sooner we can get them scheduled!

3) NEW! In addition, we will be piloting one session (in Amherst) of a new offering for past Explorer graduates who are still working on taking the next steps but are not ready for TTS. We are calling this session Small Farm Planner. It will begin in December and will meet three times over three months, with extensive email interaction between. If you have completed Explorer – here in MA or elsewhere – and are familiar with the workbook for that course, please contact Rick Chandler (see below ASAP!

TO RECEIVE REGISTRATION INFORMATION OR TO TALK TO THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR CONTACT:

Rick Chandler

Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources

101 University Drive, Suite C-4

Amherst, MA 01002

Email: rick.chandler@state.ma.us

Phone: 413-548-1905

Sunday, September 27, 2009

'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food'

The United States Department of Agriculture -- yes, that's the USDA -- Launches 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' Initiative to Connect Consumers with Local Producers to Create New Economic Opportunities for Communities!

"An American people that is more engaged with their food supply will create new income opportunities for American agriculture," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "Reconnecting consumers and institutions with local producers will stimulate economies in rural communities, improve access to healthy, nutritious food for our families, and decrease the amount of resources to transport our food."

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/knowyourfarmer?navid=KNOWYOURFARMER