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News & Events Early Summer 2010
Pick Your Own Berries!

THIS SEASON IS UNUSUALLY EARLY, SO CALL FIRST!
Jasper Hill Farm VT
Taste the difference of farm fresh and local! 

Here are Berkshire Grown farmers who are growing berries:





The Berry Patch, Stephentown, NY (518) 733-1234
Pick your own strawberries, closing soon, call first
Thursday - Sunday, 9 AM - 3 PM

Green River Farm, Williamstown  (413) 458-2470

Ioka Valley Farm, Hancock (413) 738-5915
Pick your own strawberries
Saturday - Sunday, 9 AM - 3 PM
Monday - Friday, 9 AM - 12:30 PM
Tuesday & Thursday, 4 - 5:30 PM
Strawberries will be done after this weekend - but get ready for blueberries!

Lakeview Orchard, Lanesboro (413) 448-6009
Pick your own raspberries, currants and sweet and tart cherries beginning on
Friday, June 25
Open Tuesday - Sunday 9 - 4

Noble's Tweenbrook Farm, Pittsfield (413) 443-2210

Windy Hill Farm, Great Barrington (413) 298-3217
Pick your own blueberries will begin within the next two weeks - call for information!
Monday - Sunday, 9 AM - 4 PM

Harvest is weather dependent, so always call ahead for picking details.


Wild Oats Market Hosts Ice Cream Social
June 26 from 1-4 pm     


Jasper Hill Farm VTVisit Wild Oats Market in Williamstown for a dish of delicious local ice cream topped with your choice of local berries, granolas and other goodies. 

 $5 for adults - $3 for children age 12 and under, with all proceeds going to the Williamstown Youth Center.

 "Local strawberries and raspberries are in season, and Wild Oats' selection of local ice creams and sorbets is growing." said the store's General Manager Michael Faber. "We offer a wide choice of locally produced nuts and other healthy toppings in our bulk department.

"And for the chocolate lovers who come, we'll have organic chocolate sauce. We hope that many in Williamstown and our surrounding communities will stop by on June 26 to enjoy a sweet treat with friends and family, while they support a worthy local cause."

Ice cream and toppings for the social are being donated by Blue Moon Sorbet of Quechee, Vermont; Tierra Farm of Valatie, New York; and other local food producers.

What we are reading:

Michael Pollan's new website here:

Michael Pollan "If you're looking for a cookbook or college program recommendations, have questions about the health benefits of grass fed meat, want to know how to get involved in the food movement, wonder why I'm not a vegetarian, want to reform school lunches or any number of other questions, I encourage you to spend some time on the resources pages." writes Pollan about his new website.

"Almost every day, a notable article, post, study, or document crosses my desk so I've started posting things I think readers will find most provocative or useful under Today's Link. You can also sign up for RSS feeds, watch videos, read and print all my articles and find out where I'll be speaking next."



Quick Bites


Jasper Hill Farm VTEnjoy a slide show of Farmed & Foraged at EnlightenNext! 

See the Farmed + Foraged Dinner here




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"Best Farm Stand in CT" says YANKEE MAGAZINE

Whippoorwill Farm

Whippoorwill Farm

Berkshire Grown member
Whippoorwill Farm on the web here
189 Salmon Kill Road
Lakeville,  Connecticut 06039


 


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Locavore Way Book Cover "The Locavore Way"
 Cooking Classes with Chef/Author Amy Cotle
r
 
CLASS #1: JUMP START THE SEASON
Spring Celebration: Greens and Strawberry Workshop
Friday, June 25, 5:00-9:00 p.m.
 
More information here
 
Hawthorne Valley Farm in Ghent, New York


 

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Discover Berkshire Food Journal here

Wonderful stories about farms, food producers and more.

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WANTED!
 
Donations of vegetable starts, compost and straw (unseeded) for Project Native!
Project Native, the native plant nursery in Housatonic, MA, is starting its own community vegetable garden. If you can help with donations, please contact Abby or Bridghe at 413-274-3433, or email Bridghe at [email protected]


Meet Our Farmers



Meet Berkshire Grown member Bascom Lodge:

Bascom LodgeBascom Lodge is a rustic stone and wood Lodge that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's to provide accommodations for hikers, vacationers, and nature enthusiasts. It has private and group rooms available for overnight stay.

The large dining room with its high ceiling and hand-cut oak beams provides an ideal atmosphere for a meal.

The restaurant serves a varied and changing menu inspired by the ethnic diversity of regional American cuisine and emphasizing fresh, organic, locally produced foods.

Daily Hours for dining:
Breakfast: 8am - 10am (reservations required for parties of six or more).
Lunch: 11:30am - 4pm (no reservations needed).
Dinner: 7pm (6pm in the fall) reservations required.

Please call 413-743-1591 to inquire about reservations.
 
Events at Bascom Lodge:

June 30: "The Civilian Conservation Corps and Bascom Lodge"
Alec Gillman, presents a talk about the CCC on Greylock and the building of Bascom Lodge.

July 7: "Honeybees on the Mountain"
They're here! A discussion about all things bees. Learn about the fundamentals of beekeeping.Presented by Northern Berkshire Beekeepers Association.

July 14:"Music by Wintergreen"
Wintergreen, a folk trio, performs a mixture of traditional and contemporary music from the British Isles and America.

July 21: "Hoosac Harvest and Community Supported Agriculture"
Filmmaker Sharon Wyrrick will talk about community supported agriculture, including the just opened Hoosac Harvest CSA,  and show footage from "Food Matters: From the Ground Up" the film she is making about the local food system in northern Berkshire County.

July 28: "What you always wanted to know about home-brewing"
Kevin Andrews of Berkshire County Homebrew Supply discusses the how to and pleasures of home-brewing.


Berkshire Grown highlighted by
The New England Farmers Union


Barbara w  BG posterRead an interview with Berkshire Grown Director Barbara Zheutlin and get to know The New England Farmers Union, a member of the National Farmers Union.

The interview is by Annie Cheatham, former Executive Director of CISA,  Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, who is President of The New England Farmers Union.  If you care about farming, consider joining the New England Farmers Union here!

Read the profile here

The New England Farmers Union's mission:
-  to increase the economic viability of family farms and fishing operations
-  to foster the development of sustainable food production in New England
-  to invest in nutrition education and increase connections between farmers and consumers

 NEFU also supports the development of renewable energy resources for farm use, and from farm and forest sources. NEFU's goals for the next three years are to bring together policy makers in Washington with leaders and consumers in six states to fashion a food policy and a 2012 Farm Bill that benefits the farmers, foresters and fishermen in this diverse and resourceful region.

BG logoStay In touch!

Berkshire  Grown e-newsletter will come out twice a month, around the 1st & 15th, during the growing season.  Please send information to [email protected], thanks!

Barbara Zheutlin, Director
Sheryl Lechner, Outreach Coordinator
413-528-0041