Shop the Berkshire Grown Winter Farmers Markets this Weekend!

Local Food + Crafts in Great Barrington & North Adams

Berkshire Grown kicks off its 2023-2024 indoor Winter Farmers Market season this weekend in both North and South Berkshire County.

In Great Barrington, the first in the season of six indoor Winter Farmers Markets will take place on Saturday, November 18 from 10:00am to 2:00pm at the Housy Dome (Housatonic Community Center). These markets will run every third Saturday of the month through April 20, 2024. The Housy Dome is located at 1064 Main Street in Housatonic and is included on the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority BRTA route #21.

In North County, Winter Farmers Market will take place at Greylock WORKS in North Adams on Sunday, November 19 and Sunday, December 17, from 10:00am to 2:00pm. This year, Berkshire Grown is partnering with Greylock WORKS to offer a mini maker market within the Winter Farmers Market, featuring a curated gathering of local artisans. Greylock WORKS is located at 508 State Road, North Adams, MA.

Both market locations will showcase local musicians, performing across a variety of styles and genres.

Executive Director Margaret Moulton says “we look forward to bringing back some of the ‘extras’ that add sparkle to the Winter Farmers Markets including live music and the locally-produced, artisan crafts, especially the mini maker market at Greylock WORKS. Also, raising our SNAP match to $30, thanks to BAV’s Market Match program, is another highlight of the upcoming season.”

The Winter Farmers Markets host farmers and producers from Berkshire County and the surrounding region. Vendors offer an abundance of locally-grown food, including fresh greens, winter squash, root crops, apples, meats, cheeses, honey and maple syrup, baked goods, and more.

Admission to the Winter Farmers Markets is free. Shoppers using SNAP will receive a match up to $30, and the HIP incentive reimburses shoppers who spend SNAP funds on fresh fruits and vegetables. SNAP and HIP can be processed at the market manager’s table, as well as directly at many of the farmers’ booths.

Berkshire Grown abides by current local health regulations regarding COVID-19. Masks are welcomed but not required, and shoppers are encouraged to stay home if they feel ill. In accordance to building usage, only service dogs are allowed withing the market space.

The Winter Farmers Markets are made possible through the generosity of our sponsors and the ongoing support of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.

Your donation dollars help

Berkshire Grown present programs like the Winter Farmers Markets! DONATE HERE!

Inspired by local farms?

Use the Berkshire Grown Searchable Map to find unique farm products and locally-produced goods for all your holiday needs.

Find handmade goat's milk soaps & lotions, baked goods, exquisite textiles, delicious jams & jellies, fresh-cut greens, locally-grown seasonal plants.

Shop the (Winter) B erkshire Farmers Markets

Find fresh, local food all year long!

Farmers markets in Pittsfield, North Adams, Sheffield, Great Barrington, Bennington (VT), and Millerton (NY) are open over the winter months. Visit Berkshire Farmers Markets to find your local winter market.

Use SNAP or HIP, WIC or Senior Coupons? Many of the markets offer Market Match and other budget-boosting programs. Visit Berkshire Farmers Markets for dates, locations, and more information on where SNAP, HIP and other benefits are honored. Click here to learn about HIP program basics and frequently asked questions.

What we are reading:

Everything You Need to Know About Duck Eggs

1. Eat them. 2. Definitely eat them. 3. *words muffled because duck eggs are so delicious*

By Dan Nosowitz for Modern Farmer

The three major poultry products in the United States—chicken, chicken eggs, and turkey—so thoroughly dominate the economic landscape that the USDA doesn’t even bother tracking the market for ducks, let alone duck eggs.

And that’s a shame, because duck eggs are a phenomenal treat, a ramped-up version of a chicken egg that has a much bigger and richer yolk, a higher concentration of nutrients and more protein than the standard hen’s egg. Here’s everything you need to know about duck eggs.

Duck eggs are typically larger than chicken eggs; they vary a bit in size but are usually around 50 percent larger than your standard jumbo chicken egg. They can come in all sorts of colors, varying mostly by breed. The Cayuga duck, a popular blackish-green duck breed, tends to lay ash-colored eggs in shades of grey, right up to a nearly black egg. Other breeds will lay white eggs, light green eggs or brown eggs.

Read the full article here.

In November, proceeds from Hannaford’s Bloomin' 4 Good Bouquets benefit Berkshire Grown’s Share the Bounty food access program. $1 from each bouquet sold at the Hannaford store, 32 State Route 82, Hudson, NY, will go to support farmers and gives members in the community who otherwise may face challenges accessing fresh locally grown food.

Berkshire Grown's Share the Bounty program purchases CSA shares from farms in the winter months, tiding them over with funds to help purchase seeds and supplies. During the harvest season these farmers provide fresh, locally-grown food to community members experiencing food insecurity.

Find locally-grown food & products in the Guide to Local Food & Farms

The 2023 Guide to Local Food & Farms remains the region’s most comprehensive guide to local farms, farmers markets, and restaurants offering local foods.

Use it to find farm stands, CSA farms, pick-your-own farms and orchards, as well as locally sourced value-added products like charcuterie, preserves, and fermented foods and locations and hours of food pantries spread across the county.

Get ready for holiday cooking and look for farms selling pasture raised turkeys and meats and other favorite foods. You can also find the best in locally grown food and products near you by using Berkshire Grown's searchable map!