The Food Security Infrastructure Grant Program seeks to ensure local food producers are better connected to a robust and resilient food supply system in order to mitigate future food supply and distribution issues.
Tag: Berkshire Grown
Berkshire Grown: Where to find local food and farms
The Berkshire Edge Magazine is happy to present Berkshire Grown’s annual guide to food and farms. Keep Farmers Farming! Find their products in this guide.
Local schools to provide access to food during summer months
When county schools closed March 13, Jenny Schwartz quickly became a liaison of sorts between schools and community partners, with representatives from about 15 groups who have been meeting regularly via Zoom to gain traction on the myriad challenges surrounding food insecurity.
Berkshire Grown introduces new resources to connect farmers during pandemic
Over the past two weeks, a series of podcasts have taken shape with hope of engaging those tasked with raising our food.
New style of masks, designed and built in Housatonic
Local firm pivots to save business and help the community.
Heightened food insecurity spreads amid COVID-19 outbreak
A growing sea of similar stories that swell amid these trying times – when kids are out of school, parents are out of work, and the infrastructure of community that so many rely upon in order to survive feels tenuous at best.
It’s Not That Simple: Food doesn’t grow in grocery stores
We thought at the beginning of a new year, we should give thanks for the food we eat, and acknowledge the hard work it takes to produce that food.
Share the Bounty helps farmers contribute fresh offerings to local food pantries
In Berkshire County, roughly 10 percent of residents are food insecure, which means they do not have reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.
Business Briefs: E2E showcase; ‘Green Inspiration’ check presentation; homebuying workshop; Hawthorne Valley acquires Oliva Provisions; nonprofit Census preparation
On Nov. 14, Davis Gregory Art presented a check to the Friends of the Great Barrington Libraries and Berkshire Grown for over $2,000.
Business Briefs: Appeal letter party; Donoyan joins Main Street Hospitality; human resources workshop; Jewish Women’s Foundation grants; Stockbridge Chamber annual meeting
Main Street Hospitality Group CEO Sarah Eustis has announced the appointment of H. Jackson Donoyan as vice president of operations.
Celebrating the bounty at Berkshire Grown’s 21st annual Harvest Supper
Regardless of what chef Josh Irwin makes for the Harvest Supper, it will utilize in-season produce grown on the premises of his restaurant or gleaned from a cache of about five local farmers he tries to support as much as possible.
Bits & Bytes: Yo-Yo Ma’s Day of Action; ‘Green Inspiration’ art exhibit; ‘Bouquet of Baroque Concertos’; Laurel Hill Day; ‘A Movable Feast’ art tour
Bach Project’s Day of Action to be held at First Street Common Pittsfield — Yo-Yo Ma’s Bach Project, in partnership with Hancock Shaker Village, will present a Day of Action with the world-famous cellist Saturday, Aug, 10, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the First Street Common. The event will feature a giant table-building
2019 Berkshire International Film Festival ‘the best year yet’
Great Barrington — “This will be the best year yet,” Kelley Vickery, founder and artistic director of the Berkshire International Film Festival, stated during her recent chat on WAMC’s “The Roundtable.” “We want to bring a light to independent films from near and far.” Just perusing the catalogue and reading about the different films we can
BOOK REVIEW: ‘Smoke House Handbook’ focuses on simple, classic elements of food preservation
Jake Levin is passionate about educating others, in particular about the merits of having respect for farmers, where your food came from, and how it got onto the dinner plate.
Berkshire Grown’s Winter Farmers Market finds the sweet spot
“The markets are where the life is, where the future connections are, and where I find others who are like-minded.” –Dori Pollinger of H.R. Zeppelin Fine Handmade Chocolates
You can go home again
When I walk out side and look up to the sky I realize: If you want to change your life, just try to find a way to do it. Life is short and the stars are bright, you just have to be looking up from the right spot.
Wintertime produce: Mill River Farm extends the growing season with right combination of conditions, plants
Feb. 2 marked the return to 10 hours of daylight; as a result, Johnson’s seed house is currently brimming with all varieties of microgreens that are lush, healthy and being consumed at a rapid clip at the myriad local restaurants for which she is the supplier.
Bits & Bytes: ‘Forgotten Farms’ screening; animal and nature songs for kids; 2019 Community Read; rabies clinic
“Songs about Fantastic Beasts: Very old music about animals on ancient instruments” will feature lively songs from Spain, Italy and England during which kids of all ages will learn about unusual early instruments and singing, as well as hear music that includes chickens clucking, bees buzzing and crickets chirping.
Annette Grant: A remembrance
She had worked at the New York Times, having been the editor of the Living section, then editor of the Weekend section and, finally, art editor of the Arts & Leisure section.
Local food businesses rely on community, creativity to weather the unpredictable Berkshire off-season
So the next time your family (or belly) asks what’s for dinner, fear not: Creative, local options abound, which means you can think outside the kitchen—and the box—and make it through March well-fed and ready to tackle the long-awaited spring.
Business Briefs: Money Matters mentors sought; Brewer joins CDCSB; Local Farmer Awards applications open; Balance Rock moves; BTCF grant deadlines
To be eligible for an award, a farm must have gross sales of $10,000 or above, and be a member of either Berkshire Grown or Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture or located in one the four counties of Western Massachusetts.
Bits & Bytes: Holiday farmers’ markets; ‘Pride and Prejudice’ at Shake & Co.; Unsilent Night; ‘Real People, Real Stories’; ‘The Supernatural World in the 1700s’
‘Real People, Real Stories’ draws storytellers from the local community and is performed twice each year.
Bits & Bytes: ‘Troika: An Evening of Faerietale Dream Music;’ ‘Songs and Sayings’ benefit; ‘Shakespeare at the Moment’; vegan Thanksgiving
The People’s Pantry is located at Saint James Place and distributes food to all those in South County who feel they need help feeding themselves and their families.
Margaret Moulton takes the helm at Berkshire Grown
And at the center of this work is connecting people who are already interested in local food and farm-to-table ideas but don’t have on the ground experience; getting folks on the farms and in the field.
Business Briefs: Lenox seeks cultural district designation; Jewish Women’s Foundation grants; new Barrington Stage board member; William Pitt Sotheby’s names brokerage manager; BTCF grant deadlines
A cultural district must be a walkable, compact area centered on existing amenities, but the benefits of the designation extend beyond formal downtown borders.
Business Briefs: Berkshire Trendsetter winners; Moulton joins Berkshire Grown; CHP welcomes Strickler; gift for GB Rotary Club; Arts Integrative Initiative
Berkshire Grown’s board of trustees is pleased to announce that Margaret Moulton has assumed the role of executive director.
SUSTAINABLE BERKSHIRES: The Berry Patch and Wyomanock Farm ‘Celebrate Stephentown’
The Berry Patch is an amazing farm. The owners are innovators. The farm is the leader in pesticide-free berry production in the nation.
Bits & Bytes: ‘Live from the Guthrie Center: The Talkin’ Series’; ‘Tarzan’ at Berkshire Theatre Group; ‘Heirloom by Design’; ‘Boundaries’ art show
‘Heirloom by Design’ will feature Berkshire artisans and be complemented by a lineup of local food vendors, acoustic musicians and poets, kid-friendly activities, and a full day of delicious workshops in the Greylock WORKS kitchen.
Berkshire Grown farm tour shows collaboration among area farmers is alive and well
“Our day is about collaborating — in particular the collaboration of farmers,” said Barbara Zheutlin, executive director of Berkshire Grown, to an impressive group of participants who gathered at Sky View Farm in Sheffield to kick off the day-long farm tour.
SUSTAINABLE BERKSHIRES: Beyond the pretty picture: Challenges facing dairy farmers in the Berkshires deepen
May marked the 42nd consecutive month that Northeast farms have earned less for their milk than it costs to produce it. That’s 42 straight months of operating at a loss. The New England dairy farmer may well be an endangered species.
SUSTAINABLE BERKSHIRES: In Cheshire, Whitney’s Farm Market & Garden Center is a thriving example of local agriculture
At the helm of the operation are Eric and Michelle Whitney.
Bits & Bytes: ‘Love Triangles’ at the Mahaiwe; Jacob’s Pillow Fellowship; Berkshire Grown Spring Supper; Morgan Jerkins at Bennington College
Berkshire Grown’s Spring Supper features the talents of chefs from around the world who have made their homes in the Berkshire region.