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Join us next week at Taste the View, CISA's annual harvest supper and fundraiser!

Soulful Life Photography
Rub elbows with farmers, chefs, food-lovers, long-time CISA supporters, and CISA newbies. Relax on the patio and take in the view at beautiful Quonquont Farm in Whately. Bid on a fun range of auction items, from stays at vacation homes around the country to ten tons of Goshen Stone (or something much smaller ... ). And you know the food at a CISA event is going to be good! The team at The Lone Wolf is putting a Southern spin on dishes prepared with the best of the local harvest.

In addition to all the fun and deliciousness, Taste the View raises 5% of CISA's annual budget in just one night.

Don't want to miss it? Mark your calendar for Friday, September 18th and click here for tickets. We can't wait to see you!

Sincerely,

Alex Breiteneicher Schneeflock
Development Director
 
CISA NEWS
Center Square Grill. Photo credit: Jason Threlfall
Local Hero Restaurant Raffle
Dine at three Local Hero restaurants by September 30th and you can enter to win a wine dinner for six at Center Square Grill in East Longmeadow! Restaurateur Bill Collins will create a five-course menu based on what's in season, including pairings from Center Square Grill's wine cellar. This amazingly generous prize is valued at $1,000, and it promises to be a truly memorable night, so click here for details on how to enter!

Job Opening: Financial Manager
CISA is seeking a Financial Manager to perform all bookkeeping functions and grant management tasks for CISA. Resume review begins 9/15/15, and the position will remain open until filled. Find the full job description and submission details here.

Sign up now for the Clarkdale Cider Run!

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of Clarkdale Fruit Farms on November 15th with a 12K road race to support CISA. The race will be on a beautiful loop course on Upper & Lower Roads in Deerfield & Greenfield. T-shirts guaranteed for the first 100 entrants, so sign up now, and help us spread the word on Facebook!

A harvest of CISA Community Member benefits for the fall
CISA Community Membership offers a plethora of benefits! Not a member? Click here to join! 
  1. Free gardening consult with Lilian Jackman of Wilder Hill Gardens
    Stop by the end of season sale at Wilder Hill Gardens on September 19th from 9am-2pm for a free 15 minute consultation about your problematic garden site, and check out their permaculture favorites (gooseberries, currants, blueberries, and more!) at 30-50% off while you're there!
  2. Bulk discount at Red Fire Farm
    Red Fire Farm is offering a discount for CISA Community Members on all bulk orders. Receive $2 off any bulk order of organic tomatoes, cucumbers for pickles, corn, onions, peaches, and more. 
  3. Greens, Ginger, and More
    October through December, Old Friends Farm is offering 10% off at the Farmers' Markets on Saturdays in Northampton and Amherst. Show your Community Membership card and enjoy the taste of local at a discount.
WHAT'S IN SEASON NOW
In September, you can still find summery produce like eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes, and you'll start to see cooler-weather crops too, like cabbage, fennel, and spinach. Use our online database to search for specific products or businesses, or sort geographically.

Clarkdale Fruit Farms
We've been hearing that it's an especially great year for tree fruit, like peaches and apples. Time to make pies, applesauce, or just eat that juicy fruit over the sink!

It's back to school time! CISA staffer Devon went on Mass Appeal to demonstrate some fun ideas for local school lunches. Check it out and find the recipes here.

Our Daily Hampshire Gazette column often includes food preservation tips in addition to recipes and inspiration. Click to read our recent Valley Bounty columns with preservation tips for those juicy peaches and plums, zucchini and summer squash, and tomatoes.

LOCAL HERO NEWS
The Hofbräuhaus
 
Local Hero Restaurant Profile: The Hofbräuhaus 
Liz and Joe Stevens, owners of the German restaurant and long-standing West Springfield institution The Hofbräuhaus, discuss their motivation to buy local produce and their commitment to running a people-focused restaurant. "There's something for everyone here," says Liz.  "You get really nice service, and it's a very friendly, unpretentious place." Read all about them here

Visit our press room for recent news stories, including the grand opening of Atkins Farms new satellite location in North Amherst, Mike's Maze going viral, promising news about this year's apple crop, a new Chef de Cuisine at Bistro Les Gras, and more!

You can also listen to our weekly radio interview series on WRSI with Local Hero businesses. Featured this month: The Alvah Stone and K&L Organic Growers.  
  
GENERAL NEWS
Rep. McGovern tours area farms
Congressman McGovern came west last month for a tour of local farms and to learn more about the challenges and opportunities in local agriculture right now. The Gazette and The Recorder covered the tour and comments from the farmers who were featured.

State leads the way in getting local food to low-income families
The MA Department of Transitional Assistance has received a $3.4 million grant from the USDA to increase fruit and vegetable purchases via SNAP/Food Stamps at farmers' markets, CSAs, farm stands, and mobile markets. CISA, along with partners working throughout our food system and around the state, laid out what makes this such a win-win for our economy, farmers, and the community in a recent opinion piece in the Daily Hampshire Gazette. Read more!
  
UPCOMING EVENTS
CISA's events page is absolutely packed with farm tours, field days, festivals, and more! Here are a few highlights:  

Chilifest!
Saturday, September 12-Sunday, September 13
Mike's Maze, 23 South Main St, Sunderland
The Kitchen Garden's annual Chilifest is a weekend-long celebration of all things spicy. Sample dozens of exotic hot peppers grown on the farm in Sunderland and join thousands of spicy food lovers for a great lineup of bands, fabulous food, and local-ingredient beers. Chili cook-off on Saturday and hot sauce competition on Sunday, plus chef demos, local arts and crafts, and children's activities all weekend. The Kitchen Garden's farm-fresh sriracha is back by popular demand! For details, click here.

Artifact Cider's First Anniversary Block Party
Saturday, September 19, 12-7pm
250 Albany St, Springfield
Come celebrate Artifact Cider Project's first year of making locally sourced hard cider!
There will be food trucks, bands, lawn games, and of course a full draft line of Artifact's ciders featuring an exclusive anniversary cider release, only available on the 19th. This is an all ages, family friendly event with no cover charge, but remember to bring your ID if you're over 21 so we can serve you up some delicious cider.

CISA Day at Mike's Maze at Warner Farm
Saturday, October 3, 11am-1pm
Mike's Maze, 23 South Main St, Sunderland
Come on out to Mike's Maze to support CISA! This year, in honor of the 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland, the maze theme is Alice in Sunderland. Have fun navigating this local wonderland-in-corn. Shoot the potato cannon, listen to live music by MilkBottle, visit the petting zoo and mini-maze for kids, and enjoy tasty food at the Corn Café including strawberry slushies made with Warner Farm berries. If there is heavy rain, this special day to support CISA will be held on Sunday, October 4th. Maze fee is $10. For more information about the maze, click here.
 

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