Join us for a Brunch & Conversation with Dan Barber
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Flavor: a Brunch and Conversation with Dan Barber
A Benefit for Berkshire Grown
Sunday, August 18, 11 am – 1 pm
a private farm setting in Sheffield, MA
Don't miss this delicious brunch and opportunity to hear from one of the leaders of the culinary world.
Dan Barber is the chef and co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and the author of
The Third Plate
. Barber also co-founded Row 7 Seed Company, a seed company bringing together chefs and plant breeders in the development of new varieties of vegetables and grains. His opinions on food and agricultural policy have appeared in the New York Times, along with many other publications.
Appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, Dan continues the work that he began as a member of Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture's board of directors: to blur the line between the dining experience and the educational, bringing the principles of good farming directly to the table.
Barber has received multiple James Beard awards including Best Chef: New York City (2006) and the country's Outstanding Chef (2009). In 2009 he was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.
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State Officials Visited Berkshire Farms on Tuesday
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Massachusetts Agricultural Commissioner John Lebeaux, Representative John Barrett, representatives from Senator Adam Hind's district office, along with several staffers from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources joined Berkshire Grown on a series
of farm visits throughout the north county on Tuesday, July 16.
The visitors got to see the amazing progress at Broadlawn Farm in Adams, where a fire in November 2018 nearly destroyed their entire dairy operation.
At Caretaker Farm in Williamstown the visitors walked through fields, across creeks, into greenhouses, and witnessed firsthand as the CSA members helped out on the farm and carried home their bounty of vegetable shares. Finally, Jim Schultz at Red Shirt Farm in Lanesborough gave them insight into how small-scale farmers innovate solutions to everyday, extraordinary, and long-term challenges to farming in the Northeast.
Click
here
for more about the visit.
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Berkshire Grown Welcomes Summer with Lamb Jam
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Lamb Jam was a glorious event - guests of all ages celebrated local food and farms at Indian Line Farm in Egremont. Chef Steve Browning of Prairie Whale worked with farmers from Indian Line, Markristo, Mayflower and Brattle farms to create a delicious seasonal menu of locally grown food. As music by the Lucky 5 filled the air, lambs roasted on a spit, families toured the farm and played games in the fields, and friends toasted each other's company and the celebrated the summer season.
The event highlighted much of what makes the Berkshires a special place, and we are grateful to everyone who helped make this community-building event a success. Many thanks to the American Lamb Board, Berkshire Bank, Berkshire Mountain Bakery, Big Elm Brewing, Blue Q, the Old Inn on the Green, the Prairie Whale, our dedicated roster of volunteers, and all the farmers and community members who shared in the pleasure and pride of eating local.
Check out the beautiful pictures from Lamb Jam on Sunday, June 30, by clicking
here
.
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High Lawn Farm's Annual Open House this Saturday
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High Lawn Farm
is hosting an open house this Saturday, July 20, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 535 Summer Street.
Visitors can take a walking tour of the farm museum, meet the cows, and check out the state-of-the-art robotic milking station.
Admission is free and High Lawn dairy products and merchandise will be available for purchase.
Click
here
for more about the open house.
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Summer Eats at the Pittsfield Farmers Market
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Part of the federally-funded Summer Food Service Program, Summer Eats allows youth who rely on free and reduced-price school meals to also have access to food during the summer.
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What We Are Reading:
Homecoming: Big Elm Brewing is putting the focus back on local clients after expansion plans falter
By: Stephanie Gravalese for
The Berkshire Eagle
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Big Elm is a great example of a local business that invests and reinvests in the local community. After realizing that a third party distributor wasn't a good fit for them, Bill and Christina have resumed the responsibility of delivering their beer to local stores and establishments.
They demonstrate their commitment to local food and farms in many ways - not the least of which is by participating in and donating to Berkshire Grown events throughout the year. This article and their story are a great example of why it is important to #BuyLocal, #EatLocal, and (of course) #DrinkLocal.
Click
here
to read the article.
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Berkshire Trendsetter Award Finalists Announced
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Congratulations to Berkshire Grown members and friends on making the list!
- Heirloom Fire - Creative Economy Standout
- Jennifer Trainer Thompson from Hancock Shaker Village - Entrepreneur/Visionary of the year
- Roots Rising & Northern Berkshire Community Coalition - Nonprofit Impact
- and Rachel Moriarty from BerkShares - Under 40 Change Maker
Thanks to each of these finalists for #SupportingLocalFoodAndFarms #InTheBerkshires.
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Big stores like Walmart have a history of driving their competitors out of business. The stakes are even higher when it comes to food production and supply chains. Walmart represents one in every four dollars spent on groceries (even more in particular markets) and shoppers and farmers are paying the price for their market dominance
"
Walmart has an enormous amount of power to dictate what foods are available in these communities, shaping what people eat but also what food is produced, how, and by whom. It also means communities may be paying more for groceries in the long run."
Read the entire article
here
.
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Get to Your Farmers Market!
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It has been a fantastic year so far for area farmers markets and the fun is just getting started.
We'll see you at the market!
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Save the Date for Harvest Supper!
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Harvest Supper will be here before we know it and it's not too early to get it on your calendar.
We hope you can join us at Ski Butternut on the evening of Monday, September 23, 2019.
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While this year's Lamb Jam would not have been possible without the support of sponsors and donors, the fun event would not have been conceivable without the team of volunteers (not to mention half as much fun).
If you are interested in volunteering at future Berkshire Grown events, let us know!
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Support Berkshire Grown, local food, and our farmers.
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Berkshire Grown's e-newsletter comes out monthly.
Margaret Moulton, Executive Director
Jess Camp, Program Manager
Alicia Rossie, Communications Director
Join Berkshire Grown
here
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