Last chance to get tickets!
Dan Barber in Conversation
with Fred Rutberg
Don't miss your chance to join us at this very special event!
Flavor: a Brunch and Conversation
with Dan Barber and Fred Rutberg
A Benefit for Berkshire Grown

Sunday, August 18, 11 am – 1 pm
a private farm setting in Sheffield, MA

Berkshire Grown members: $125
General public: $150

Brunch by SoMa Catering


On Sunday, August 18, renowned chef and writer Dan Barber will speak at a Berkshire Grown event in Sheffield, MA. In conversation with Fred Rutberg, publisher of the Berkshire Eagle , Barber will talk about the importance of building community and how eating local food plays a vital role.

As Barber cultivates conversations around the globe about where food comes from, how it is prepared, and what it tastes like, he always circles back to the concept of eating local. Rutberg and Barber will discuss the importance of supporting a local community, the vital role healthy food systems plays in local economies, and about the forces at work for growing a locally-focused newspaper.

“Flavor: a Brunch and Conversation” will take place at a private farm setting in Sheffield on Sunday, August 18, 11:00am – 1:00pm.


For more information or to buy tickets, visit BerkshireGrown.org/ConversationWithDanBarber .
What We Are Reading:
Sheffield Farm Saviors

By: Evan Triantafilidis for Berkshire Record
Land access is an issue that all farmers will face. This summer, two Sheffield farmers, Warren Wilcox and Morven Allen, worked together to put 200 acres out of reach of commercial land developers and into Agricultural Preservation Restriction (more on APR here ).

Once in APR, Allen of Balsam Hill Farm was able to purchase the land for his dairy cows and ensure that the land will be kept in agriculture for future generations. Thanks to farmers like Allen and Wilcox, open farm land is being preserved for farmers to farm and us all to enjoy the beautiful, agrarian Berkshire landscape.

Read the entire article here or in the July 26 edition of the paper.
Farmers Market Week
Where you shop for food makes a difference for all of us. #SupportLocalFoodAndFarms by shopping at your local #FarmersMarket.

In celebration of National  Farmers Market Week , learn why your support of local farmers is needed more than ever, and why their success is important to you.

Did you know...

  • The US loses an acre of farmland a minute to development.
  • Most food eaten in the US travels approximately 1,500 miles.
  • Proximity to farmers markets is associated with lower body mass index.

Be sure to get out to market this week, and help us celebrate local food, farmers, and community!
What We Are Reading:
Opinion: Save Our Food. Free the Seed.

By: Dan Barber for The New York Times
Dan Barber thinks about food a lot - where it comes from, how it is prepared, and how much is wasted along the way. While "foodies" are familiar with his high-profile work at Blue Hill Restaurant and Stone Barns Center, the feature in Netflix's Chef's Table Episode 1, his TED talks, or numerous books and articles, Dan Barber is shining a light on a the most fundamental part of the food system - the seed.

As co-founder of a seed company, he's working to keep biodiversity alive in the seed banks and to raise awareness about policies, patent law, and lawsuits that have dramatically changed the food we eat in just a handful of years.

" We think that the behemoths of agribusiness known as Big Food control the food system from up high — distribution, processing and the marketplace muscling everything into position. But really it is the seed that determines the system, not the other way around."

Click here to read the article and don't miss your opportunity to hear Dan speak to a group of Berkshire Grown supporters on Sunday, August 18 - tickets available here .
A Visit to Off the Shelf Farm
Humans, chickens, sheep, and a farm dog named Opal live and work together at  Off the Shelf Farm .

Photographer Stephanie Zollshan visited the farm in June and joined farmers Anna Houston and Rob Perazzo as they tended their many animals.

Berkshire Grown encourages everyone to support local food and farms by buying and eating local food. Enjoy Off the Shelf eggs at home or at the Great Barrington Farmers Market on the delicious egg sandwich.

See more beautiful pictures of the visit here .
Green Inspiration at the Mason Library
Featuring and inspired by the beauty of the Berkshires, Green Inspiration is an art exhibition with sales benefiting Great Barrington Libraries and Berkshire Grown.

Aug 11-Oct 16, at the Mason Library, 231 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA

Opening Reception: Sunday, August 11, 4-6 pm  

 The exhibition will be complemented with related programs:
A panel discussion with artists on Aug 21
Two Saturday film screenings - Sept 7 and Oct 5
Informal gallery talks throughout the exhibition

A list of related events will be posted and updated at: www.gblibraries.org and www.davisgregoryart.com .
Eat Local Month
Local food is plentiful in August. Whether you are eating locally or while traveling, make it a priority to #EatLocal wherever you go.

Berkshire Grown and partner organizations all over Massachusetts have worked together to make finding the restaurants serving local food even easier.

Harvest Supper Tickets On Sale Now!
Berkshire Grown's 21 st Annual Harvest Supper
at Ski Butternut
Monday, September 23, 6-8pm

A tasting dinner from the area’s renowned chefs and silent auction to benefit Berkshire Grown.
Meet local chefs. Eat local food. Keep farmers farming.

Tickets are on sale now.

$75 Berkshire Grown Members
$100 Non-members
$40 for those under 40 years old

Go to BerkshireGrown.org/HarvestSupper for more info and to buy tickets.
Thank you, Market Managers!
Next time you are at the market, stop by the managers' table.

Say hello and thanks to these hard-working folks who work year-round to keep our Farmers Markets moving along.

We'll see you at the market!
Support Berkshire Grown, local food, and our farmers.
Stay in Touch
Berkshire Grown's e-newsletter comes out monthly. 
Please send information to  alicia@berkshiregrown.org

Margaret Moulton, Executive Director
Jess Camp, Program Manager
Alicia Rossie, Communications Director

Join Berkshire Grown  here .