Fall 2012 – Edible Berkshires

THE LAST BITE: The Chicken Who Wasn’t!

October 22, 2012 by Laura Field

Rogue rooster’s tale reveals an unlikely hero

James B. was his name. He was blond and beautiful, a rooster with eyes the color of a sunrise and a tail that went on for miles. I was 20 years old and, having raised chickens my entire life, I’d never met one I didn’t like. He was a Buff Orpington, a favorite breed of mine, which I’d often lovingly refer to as the Golden Retrievers of the chicken world.

Unfortunately, James B. was more like the Rottweiler of the chicken world. The B in his name stood for badass, a term which he faithfully lived up to each morning when I would open the gate, pour him his grain and change his muddied water. Throughout the process, he would jump at me, thrashing and flapping until he dug his spurs into my pant leg as hard as he could. Each time I … Read the rest

Edible Education

October 22, 2012 by Edible Berkshires

Upcoming workshops turn kitchens into classrooms

Throughout the Fall

Hancock Shaker Village offers a variety of workshops on photography, woodworking and crafts. hancockshakervillage.org/events
/calendar

October Weekend (TBD): Protecting Your Landscape from Winter Pests

Learn what steps you should take to protect valuable landscape trees, shrubs and perennials from pests—be they meadow voles, turkeys or deer—all through the winter. Call for date and time; free; Ward’s Nursery, Great Barrington; call for day & time 528.0166, WardsNursery.com

Oct. 5: Apple Preserving for Kids

Berkshire Co-op Market, Great Barrington; contact Jenny Schwartz, jschwartz@berkshire.coop, 413.528.9697 x33

Oct 7: Bulbs

Fall is the time to plant spring-blooming bulbs. Learn about the variety now available: when they bloom, how to plant them and how to keep pests away! 11am; free; Wards Nursery, Great Barrington; WardsNursery.com

Oct. 11: “Risen and Punched, from Black to White and Back Again: Bread and 20th Century Germany”

Ursula Heinzelmann will

… Read the rest

Taking Root

October 22, 2012October 22, 2012 by Berkshire Botanical Garden

A Guide to Root Cellars

Cellar at the residence of Robin and Barbara Norris, owners of Campo de Fiori, Sheffield, MA. This vaulted brick-ceiling root cellar, approximately 15 years old, was constructed into the side of a hill with gathered fieldstones from their property.

All summer we chop, marinate, grill and roast our way through the seasons’ produce—a frantic attempt to get our fill while barrels and baskets are piled high. Some of us go further: jamming, pickling, freezing and drying to carry the bounty through the short days and long winter ahead of us.

But there’s yet another way to preserve the fruits of our labor, a technique especially suited for the time-pressed home gardener or eager farm stand frequenter.

Root cellars are the ancient remedy for our busy modern lives. They save time and money and are, for the anxious among us, an efficient way to stockpile food … Read the rest

Gourd Almighty

October 22, 2012 by Jake Levin and Silka Glanzman

Ubiquitous pumpkin more versatile in the kitchen than on the porch

Proudly lined up outside grocery stores and farm stands, pumpkins are practically synonymous with autumn—especially here in New England. Most will go the way of the jack-o’-lantern, but don’t overlook the flavor and versatility of this rich winter squash.

This season, put a couple extra in your cart. With a little experimentation and a big knife, the pumpkin will quickly become a staple at your fall table—and not just on Thanksgiving.

You know how to pick the perfect carving pumpkin, but cooking pumpkins are a bit different. Smaller pumpkins—anything under three pounds—have the best flavor. You’ll want to make sure it doesn’t have any bruises, soft spots or punctures and, if possible, pick one with a bit of stem left in place.

Like any vegetable, there are plenty of varieties to choose from, each with its own flavor profile. … Read the rest

Choosing the Uncommon by Going a ‘Little’ Native

October 22, 2012 by Jodi Cahillane

with help from the Staff of Ward’s Nursery & Garden Center

October offers a great opportunity to plant trees and shrubs because soils are warm and fall rains are usually abundant. Then by spring, the plant can break dormancy and be ready to fully “move in” to its new home. The time is right, so your next task is choosing the right plant.

Here at Ward’s, we have seen the popularity of certain trees and shrubs come and go, like so much fashion. For example, Burning Bush and Barberry, which we grew up with, were wildly popular landscape plants because they offered great color accents, were easy to care for (didn’t die) and were long-lasting property improvements.

Unfortunately, they were too successful. They flowered in all conditions. They produced thousands of viable seeds. Birds enjoyed the berries and spread them far and wide. Ultimately, these and other invasive plants have … Read the rest

My mom makes the best apple pie!

October 22, 2012October 22, 2012 by Carole Murko

Quest for That Perfect Apple Dessert

Jo’s Apple Torte (Courtesy of Carole Murko)

“My mom makes the best apple pie!” “I bet her crust isn’t the perfect flaky consistency of my grandmother’s.”

“Oh, but you haven’t had my mom’s apple torte—it’s heaven!”

Have you heard or been part of that conversation? There’s something visceral about our connections to our food memories. And there’s no chance you can sway an opinion. After all, I too believe my grandmother made the best apple pie. Dare you disagree with me?

With fall in full swing and apple season upon us, apple pie is the quintessential dessert. There are probably as many apple pie recipes as there are varieties of apples. In fact, when I searched AllRecipes.com for “apple pie,” 508 recipes popped up. Can there really be that many iterations?

The answer is, decidedly, yes. It’s what I call similar, yet different. The … Read the rest

Life Lessons From Brisket

October 22, 2012October 22, 2012 by Edible Berkshires

It seems my wife and I are not alone in our love of brisket. As I set out to edit this article for edible Berkshires readers, I happened upon a whole book on the subject: The Brisket Book: A Love Story With Recipes, by Stephanie Pierson. With that book in hand, I then started a conversation with Jake Levin, the meat cutter at The Meat Market in Great Barrington and his girlfriend Silka Glanzman, a contributor to edible Berkshires. The combined wisdom from these experts is collected here, along with the results of a home cooking experiment that compares brisket from grass-fed and corn-fed cattle.

—Bruce Firger

Life Lessons from Brisket

By Stephanie Pierson,
author of The Brisket Book: A Love Story With Recipes
(Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2011)

The book began to simmer in my creative subconscious the day that I had an epiphany about three essential brisket-related truths:

Brisket

… Read the rest

History on the Hoof

October 22, 2012 by Caroline Alexander

Milking Devon arrived with Pilgrims, lovingly bred in Berkshires

It’s all connected … the landscape, the farms, the cows and the food. It’s all right here in the Berkshires, and the customer base is smart and eager to support what’s locally grown. They’re getting less timid about buying meat farmed in the Berkshires, as well as the traditional staples of vegetables and artisanal breads.

Jen and Phil Leahey raise heritage cows and pigs on their farm in Lee, and they attend the farmers’ market in Great Barrington each week, selling pasture-raised beef and pork, all hormone- and antibiotic- free. Jen and Phil manage the Leahey Farm full-time. The farm has been owned and operated by Phil’s family since 1889, and they’re committed to making it work for the long-term future.

The extended Leahey family has held onto the farm for generations, and even while many in the family work in … Read the rest

“I might have the right to remain silent, but … I lack the capacity.”

October 22, 2012 by Morgan Hartman

Photo By Morgan E. Hartman

Over the next few issues of Edible Berkshires I anticipate a conversation with you, our readers. I hope to challenge some or all of you at times. Maybe I won’t be up to the task, but it won’t be for lack of trying. I’ll discuss what goes on at Black Queen Angus Farm in Berlin, NY, and my musings on the state of affairs in the political arena as it pertains to farming and agriculture—not just on that farm, which I lease, but in the broader sense of the Berkshire region and nationally too. After all, if we are thinking globally and acting locally, we should keep an eye on the big picture.

Close to home, we run a family farm (Black Queen Angus Farm) and a landscape design/build business (Hartland Designs Inc.). When the economy tanked in 2008– 2009, I suddenly had a tremendous … Read the rest

Directory

THE LAST BITE: The Chicken Who Wasn’t!

Edible Education

Taking Root

Gourd Almighty

Choosing the Uncommon by Going a ‘Little’ Native

My mom makes the best apple pie!

Life Lessons From Brisket

History on the Hoof

“I might have the right to remain silent, but … I lack the capacity.”

OUR MISSION

A MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

EDIBLE POTLUCK PODCAST

©2019 Edible Berkshires

OUR MISSION

EDIBLE POTLUCK PODCAST

©2019 Edible Berkshires

Facebook

Twitter