Workshop: The Cooperative Business Model
2016-09-19 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Halifax) | Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, 80 Locust Street, Northampton
In this 2-hour introductory class, the participant will learn the fundamentals of a cooperative business. What is a co-op, what are the various types of co-ops, history of co-ops in the U.S., the international cooperative principles, how to use the cooperative model for any business, and learn why some say that cooperatives are a better way to do business. Come to the class because you are curious, thinking of starting a cooperative business, or wondering how you can support economic democracy in our communities.
This class is being taught by Dorian Gregory, CPA and Loan Officer for the Cooperative Fund of New England (CFNE), and a member-owner and board president of River Valley Coop. Since 1975, CFNE has been financing the cooperative economy in New England.
Location: Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School Cost: $25
Sign up at smithace.org or call 413-587-1414 x3530 for more information.

Workshop: Cheese-Making
2016-09-22 09:00 - 11:00 | Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road, Stockbridge, MA 01262
There is a 10% discount if you register also for Farmhouse Cider-Making on October 22 from 11am – 2pm. Call 413-298-3926 to register if you are taking both workshops.
Learn how to make a simple, delicious cheese in your own kitchen. BBG’s own Chris Wellens will cover equipment, supplies, and basic techniques used in making most types of cheese. Each participant will make a batch of fresh mozzarella from start to finish, as well as take home instructions and a set of ingredients to make a batch or two at home. This workshop is for beginners, and participants will learn by doing.
$5 materials cost paid to the instructor

Honey Bee Hive Education Day at the State Apiary
2016-09-24 10:00 - 12:00 | Food for All Garden, 911 North Pleasant St, Amherst, MA, United States
Are you interested in honey bees, their health and honey production? Join bee experts from the Department of Agricultural Resources and UMass Amherst at the state’s first working apiary. These events are opened to the public and beekeepers by providing education on the basics of honey bee biology, hive management and disease/parasite prevention. This session will be beekeeper focused on deal mostly with fall hive management, winter hive prep, and general hive questions. State Apiary Inspectors will be present to give attendees a tour of a live working honey bee hive and answer any questions on topics related to honey bee health and hive husbandry. Participants must bring protective clothing (i.e. bee suit and/or bee veil/long pants) as it will not be provided and is necessary before entering the apiary and are also asked to wear closed toe shoes. Contact Kim Skyrm with questions.

18th Annual North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival
2016-09-24 10:00 - 2016-09-25 17:00 | Forster’s Farm, 60 Chestnut Hill Road, Orange
The scent-sational 18th Annual North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival takes place September 24th and 25th in Orange Massachusetts. There is something for everyone at this family-friendly fall event, held on a beautiful historic farm amidst autumn foliage. Kindness, community and inspiration are always in style at this popular destination that attracts lovers of art and alliums from throughout New England.
Meander among 100 bountiful booths featuring regional artists, farmers, community organizations and garlic cuisine; strengthen community and economy by purchasing locally crafted and grown products. Celebrate and relax with great bands, spoken word, and performance on three stages- including a solar-powered music stage – and throughout the rolling fields and forest. Be inspired by exhibitor demos and ample activities for kids and families. Get silly with garlic games galore including the famous raw garlic-eating contest. Soothe the soul with healing arts exhibitors. Travel the garlic globe with celebrated chef demos, and fill your belly with farm fresh and savory cuisine as you relax in the food courts. There are over eighty engaging workshops, activities and performances scheduled throughout the weekend! Orange is the New Green: trash free (well, only three bags for 10,000 people) with everything else recycled or transformed into fertile compost to make gardens not garbage.
New this Year! The North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival is a great way to spend a fun-filled day or full weekend in the present. But it is also a ‘Portal to the Future.’ So many of the large-scale systems that support our modern lives are stretched thin, breaking, or already broken. Creating a more just and sustainable future asks us to live in very different ways. The 2016 festival features a new ‘Portal to the Future’ area that highlights ways that art, food, small-scale farming, renewable energy, care for the land, and hand skills all contribute to community-building and local resilience. You can even experience electric vehicles and test drive one from the festival shuttle lot in collaboration with Plug in America.
Family friendly admission: Still only $5.00 per day for adults, weekend pass $8.00, kids 12 and under free. On-site parking for accessible tags and carpools of 3 or more; free nearby shuttle lot for all others. No pets allowed. Festival proceeds keep the event sustainable and affordable, and support the festival’s community grant program for local art, agriculture, health and energy projects.
Get the whole bulb at garlicandarts.org including the complete 2016 schedule of exhibitors, music and entertainment, chef demos, renewable energy, local living workshops and activities for all ages. Find out why this event was awarded 2nd best festival out of hundreds across the region by the Valley Advocate Reader’s Poll.

Workshop: Beyond Sustainability - Beef in a New Agricultural Model
2016-09-24 13:00 - 15:00 | All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 399 Main Street, Greenfield, 01301
Join us for this workshop with farmer-presenter Ridge Shinn to learn more about the grass-fed beef program that Ridge is now developing with Northeast farmers.
Although industrial meat production practices can be bad for the environment and human health, Ridge will explain how new breeds and new ways of grazing cattle and managing farmland can take carbon out of the atmosphere and concentrate it in the soil, which in turn can restore soil fertility and water-carrying capacity, helping grasses survive drought and providing healthy food for humans.
A report published in the journal “Sustainability” on September 30, 2015 compared the net climate effect of various strategies for grazing beef cattle in the Southern Great Plains, where one-third of the U.S cow-calf operations are located. The study, conducted by scientists from South Dakota University and Texas A&M, calculated both the emissions of methane from the animals’ digestive tracts and also the carbon sequestration occurring under the respective grazing scenarios as carbon is taken from the air and stored deep in the ground via photosynthesis and the action of soil microbes. Previous studies on beef production had generally omitted the carbon sequestration factor, which mitigates the greenhouse gas emissions impact. The report concluded that rotational grazing was the best option and farms employing this grazing strategy would likely be carbon sinks for decades.
The church where the workshop is being held is located on Route 2A at the Corner of Hope Street and Main Street, across from the public library and a public parking lot. Email administrator@uugreenfield.org to register for the workshop, or call Pam Kelly at 413-475-3605 for more information.

Workshop: Beyond Sustainability - Beef in a New Agricultural Model
2016-09-24 13:00 - 15:00 | All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 399 Main Street, Greenfield, 01301
Presenter: Ridge Shinn, Farmer
Saturday, September 24; 1:00-3:00 PM
at All Souls UU Church, Greenfield,
399 Main Street (Rte 2A—Corner of Hope & Main, Across from the Public Library and Public Parking Lot, ( Exit 26 off I-91 )
Learn more about the grass-fed beef program Ridge is now developing
with Northeast farmers.
Although industrial meat production practices can be bad for the environment and human health, Ridge explains how new ways of grazing cattle and managing farmland will take carbon out of the atmosphere, concentrate it in the soil, restoring soil fertility and water-carrying capacity which can help grasses survive drought,
and provide healthy food for humans.
A report published on Sept. 30, 2015 compares the net climate effect of various strategies for grazing beef cattle in the Southern Great Plains, where one-third of the U.S cow-calf operations are located. The study, conducted by scientists from South Dakota University and Texas A&M, calculated both the emissions of methane from the animals’ digestive tracts and also the carbon sequestration occurring under the respective grazing scenarios as carbon is taken from the air and stored deep in the ground via photosynthesis and the action of soil microbes. Previous studies on beef production have generally omitted the carbon sequestration factor ,which mitigates the GHG emissions impact. The report concludes that rotational grazing, is the best option and farms employing this grazing strategy will likely be carbon sinks for decades.
Register administrator@uugreenfield.org
More info? Pam Kelly 413-475-3605

Monthly Plant Swap
2016-09-28 18:00 | Forbes Library, 210 Main Street, Northampton, MA, 01060
This monthly plant swap is free and open to the public to encourage the exchange of plants and other garden related items. You many bring as few or as many of the following items as you like:

Perennials
Annuals
Edibles
Seeds
Garden produce
Tools
Any other garden related items

Please arrive on time, as each “trader” will describe their plants prior to swapping.

This is the last plant swap of the season!

If you have any questions please contact Jessica Gifford jessica@growingwellness.life. This event is sponsored by Valley Time Trade.

Better Life Whole Foods Anniversary Celebration
2016-10-01 10:00 - 16:00 | Better Life Whole Foods, 1500 Allen St, Springfield, MA, 01118, United States
The public is invited to join us in celebrating our 32nd Anniversary on Saturday, October 1st from 10am and 4pm. We are so proud to have had the pleasure of providing the community with the most complete health food store in the Springfield area dating back to when we started in 1984. Join us for free food, raffle, music, vendor tables, jewelry making and more!

Mount Grace Land Trust 30th Annual Meeting Celebration
2016-10-01 10:00 - 16:00 | Feldman Property, 586 Briggs Road, Athol, MA, 01331, United States
Celebrate 30 years of leadership in land conservation at Mount Grace’s 2016 Annual Meeting–held on Saturday, October 1, in the open air at the recently conserved Feldman Property in Athol…and Petersham…and Phillipston!
Join us at 586 Briggs Road, Athol, to learn about Mount Grace’s recent conservation success, and bring the family for games, trail tours, and live music. Our featured speaker will be Carlos Uriona, actor and artistic director at Double Edge Theater. Featured musicians will be: Trailer Park and The Green Sisters.
Find more information and register here

Old 78 Farm Festival
2016-10-01 11:00 - 23:30 | Old 78 Farm, 823 Orange Road, Warwick, MA, 01378, United States
October 1, 2016 is the seventh installment of the Old 78 Farm Fall Festival at the Old 78 Farm property at 823 Orange Road in Warwick, MA. Gates open at 11 AM and entertainment starts at 12 noon and lasts until around 11 PM. Check out the lineup page to get acquainted with the bands and artists performing this year.
There will be craft and veggie vendors, championship barbecue, balloon creations, face painting, comedy, bands playing all day on two stages, and lots of great fun.
Advance tickets: $10
Gate: $15
Locals: $10
Tickets can be purchased at:
Orange Innovation Center
Simon Says Booking
131 West Main St #208, Orange, MA
The Old 78 Property
823 Orange Rd, Warwick, MA
*Please, no pets. This is a working farm and we do not want to compromise the health and safety of our animals. Thank you.*

Foraging Workshop
2016-10-01 13:00 - 15:00 | TBD
Nutrient dense wild foods are everywhere! Edible plants abound in our heavily trafficked human spaces, offering us a grand opportunity to seek vitality and sound health on highly accessible, already well trodden paths.
Together we will approach wild food as an elemental piece of being connected creatures rather than a last ditch survival trick.
Learn the brilliance and simplicity of incorporating wild foods in your diet using simple recipes and preservation techniques. Meet and learn to identify common edible plants growing prolifically and abundantly in New England and discover their medicinal actions, processing techniques, nutritional profiles, and more!
We will discuss a variety of easy and effective ways to preserve wild bounty, prioritizing nutrient preservation and flavor, stretching the green world’s gifts through the depths of winter.
Students will become more confident and literate engaging with the green world in a respectful way. Informative handouts and a light wild food snack will be provided.
Location TBD
Plants we may meet: Acorns, Autumn Olives, Black Walnuts, Kousa Dogwood, Rosehips, Plantain Seeds, Burdock Root
Special Topics: Acorn flour making, medicine making, preservation techniques, nut trees, plant I.D., hazards, medicine and nutrition, seasonal rhythms & recipes
Preparations: Acorn Bread with Wild Onion Butter, Black Walnut Shortbread & Autumn Olive Juice
Register here

Workshop: The Art and Science of Pickling
2016-10-01 13:00 - 16:00 | Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road, Stockbridge, MA 01262
Food preservation can be a challenge, and before refrigeration, pickling was an essential strategy for safe food storage. In this illustrated talk and demonstration, participants will investigate the origins of vinegar, the alchemy of fermentation, and the anti-microbial properties of herbs and spices that are at the center of the art of pickling. Noted ethnobotanist and historian Judith Sumner will share modern pickling recipes and methods (and the science behind them), ranging from fresh pack dill pickles in crocks to bread and butter pickles processed in a hot water bath, and enjoy a tasting of pickle recipes and analysis of recipes from various historic sources. The workshop will also include making some quick pickled onions to be taken home by participants.
Judith Sumner is a botanist who specializes in ethnobotany, flowering plants, plant adaptations, and garden history. She has taught extensively both at the college level and at botanical gardens, including the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and Garden in the Woods. She has been a guest on the Martha Stewart Living television show, the PBS program Cultivating Life, the Annenberg Channel, and various other PBS and educational programs.

Workshop: Pig to Pork Chop - Hands-On Processing and Butchering
2016-10-02 10:00 - 16:00 | Frohloff Farm, 236 Church Street, Ware, MA, 01082, United States
Do you raise your own pigs, goats, sheep? Want to gain independence from the slaughterhouse while learning how to humanely and skillfully harvest your own livestock? Come learn with The Roving Butcher, aka Jake Levin, as he leads us through whole hog processing. Starting with dispatching, bleeding, scalding, evisceration, Jake will then break down the pig into various pork cuts along with your help. He will also share tips and tricks on how to use the odd bits and respectfully make best use of the entire animal.
Click here to register or for more information!

CISA Day at Mike's Maze!
2016-10-02 11:00 - 13:00 | Mike’s Maze, 23 South Main Street, Sunderland, MA, 01375, United States
Every year, Mike’s Maze at Warner Warm in Sunderland amazes the crowds with a creative and beautifully rendered corn maze, packed with games and fun! This year, the theme is “See America,” in honor of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. This is a destination that is not to be missed, and on October 2nd, all proceeds from maze visitors between 11am-1pm will be donated to CISA! Maze details are here.

Breakfast at the Bank
2016-10-06 08:30 - 10:30 | The Food Bank of Western MA, 97 North Hatfield Road, Hatfield, MA, 01038
The Food Bank invites everyone to a new and unique opportunity to learn about the impact that hunger has on our community and what we’re doing to prevent it. Join us for an engaging and informative hour, where you’ll get a tour of our warehouse in Hatfield. A light breakfast will be provided and open conversation will be encouraged.
Breakfast at The Bank is held on the first Thursday of every month, beginning at 8:30 a.m. The free event is open to everyone 18 and over. Space is limited, so reservations are required.
Register here

Berkshire Botanical Gardens Harvest Festival
2016-10-08 - 2016-10-09 | Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road, Stockbridge, MA 01262
For generations the Harvest Festival has been a cherished tradition in the Berkshires. It is one of the largest and longest running events of its kind in the county and 2015 event had the largest attendance ever with more than 12,000 visitors to the event. Proceeds from the event support educational programs at the Garden.
The Festival is a family-friendly celebration of community, showcasing local crafters & artists, non-stop entertainment, artisan food producers and food trucks. (See listing at the links below.)
It also features a silent auction and giant tag sales including — Housewares, the Opportunity Clothing Shop, Country Bazaar, Accessorize!, a Jewelry Boutique, and a Plant, Bulb a and Garden Accessory Sale — as well as a farmers market and zillions of kids activities, including a haunted house.
And don’t forget to check our new Botanical Garden section with the Educational Workshops and Demos, the Garden’s own Farm Camp, Hall of Pumpkins and much more.
If interested in being a vendor an entertainer, or providing an activity for kids. please contact Dana Audia, the Festival producer atdaudia@berkshirebotanical.org., or call the Office: 413 298 3926.
Become a Festival Volunteer. Visit the volunteer page for available job descriptions and to learn how you can help. To volunteer, contact Cynthia Grippaldi at 413 298 3926.
Below are links to some of last year’s fun!
Stage Entertainment (And More)
Kids Activity List
Educational Workshops Schedule
Complete Vendor List (With Links)
Harvest Festival Map

Prepping Garden for Fall/Winter
2016-10-08 10:00 - 11:30 | Central Street Garden, 488 Central Street, Springfield, MA, 01105, United States
The Springfield Food Policy Council will host a series of workshops focused on community gardens and gardening. This one will focus on preparing your garden for the fall and winter. For more information and to register, contact: Anna Muhammad – 413-214-1237.

Clarkdale Harvest Festival
2016-10-09 10:00 - 16:00 | Clarkdale Fruit Farms, 303 Upper Rd, , Deerfield, MA, 01342, United States
This Sunday is Clarkdale Fruit Farms’ annual Harvest Festival, from 10am-4pm! Morris Dancers kick off the day at 10, and we will have free sampling of apples, pears, and cider. Sample Thomas Farm goat cheese as well. Pick-your-own Cortlands are available 10-4 through Monday. And we have plenty of our own fresh-pressed apple cider, in our traditional gallon & half-gallon, or new pint jugs! Keep an eye out for the return of Pumpkin Man…
We have Concord grapes for eating, juice, jelly or pies. For apples we have Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Macoun, Cortland, Jonagold, Gala, Mutsu, Empire, Baldwin, Northern Spy, & Pound Sweet. We also offer a mixed bag of eating apples, and plenty of utility-grade apples for applesauce or baking needs. For pears we have Bartlett, Magness, Bosc, Seckel, Comice, Harrow’s Sweet and crunchy Asian pears, as well as a mixed pear box. We have a great assortment of Fall favorites, including hardy mums, decorative corn, and our own pumpkins, squash, and gourds!
We also have Diemand Farms frozen pot pies and soups, Chase Hill Farm cheese, Thomas Goat Cheese, Bart’s Ice Cream, Warm Colors Apiary Honey, Kitchen Garden Salsa and Williams Farm Maple Syrup and maple candies

Cabot Open Farm Sunday
2016-10-09 11:00 - 14:00 | MA
Spend the afternoon on a farm—take in the sights, the sounds, and the unmistakable smells of the farm this fall at Cabot’s Open Farm Sunday.
Participating farms will open their gates to welcome visitors on Sunday, October 9th from 11am-2pm. Enjoy free activities for all ages: hayrides, scavenger hunts, meet the farm animals and more. Best of all, you can sample Cabot’s award-winning cheeses and meet the dairy cows and farm families of Cabot. Find more details here.
Participating Farms in Massachusetts:

Fletcher Family Farm – Southampton, MA
Great Brook Farm – Carlisle, MA
Lolans Farm – Middleboro, MA
Barstow’s Longview Farm – Hadley, MA
Tully Farms Inc. – Dunstable, MA
Turner Farms, Inc. – South Egremont, MA
Whittier Farms – Sutton, MA

Feast in the Fields at Brookfield Farm
2016-10-09 15:30 - 18:00 | Brookfield Farm, Hulst Rd, Amherst, MA
Brookfield Farm and Wheelhouse (started by former Brookfield apprentices!) are thrilled to host our second annual On Farm Dinner: an afternoon of community, celebration & food.
From first hand experience, we know how incredible it is to be eating on the farm where your food is grown. There is a purity, simplicity and wholeness on the farm. It is our greatest pleasure to bring people on a journey into the fields, where they will hear from the farmers about growing the food, listen to chefs share their inspiration and have the opportunity to taste, appreciate and be nourished by the harvest. It is our goal to curate a wholesome and holistic experience with the Pioneer Valley’s food system.
We hope you and your friends can join us for a sit-down, multi-course meal featuring Brookfield’s own food, served in the very fields where it was grown. Allow Farmer Dan and Farmer Karen to tour you around the farm, ending in a fallow field fully set with tables and chairs, where we’ll share a multi-course feast of October bounty with community members, shareholders, and farmers.
SCHEDULE

3:30 PM – Arrive and gather.
3:45 PM – Snack and field walk with Dan/Karen.
4:15 PM – First course served.
6:00 PM – Full bellies, departures.
MENU
Coming soon!
BYOB. Please let us know well in advance if you have any food allergies, and we’ll do our best to accommodate
ATTIRE
Farm casual. Dress appropriately to be outside in a farm field.
KIDS
Kids are welcome. Half-priced tickets for children 12 and under.
RAIN PLAN
If the weather looks threatening, we’ll move dinner into the barn.
Find Tickets Here

Workshop: Growing Garlic
2016-10-12 10:00 - 12:00 | Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road, Stockbridge, MA 01262
This lecture on growing garlic by local garden guru Ron Kujawski—comes just in time for planting a garlic crop. Ron will inspire, entertain, and inform gardeners about how to grow the best garlic in town. Each student will go home with a selection of cloves of Ron’s favorite picks for Berkshire County and the local environs. Ron will cover the subject from clove to scape, from selecting varieties and optimal growing conditions, to planting and cultivation, as well as curing and storage. Attendees will be given insight into growing other allium species, including shallots, leeks and onions.
Ron Kujawski is the former Landscape and Nursery Specialist for UMass Cooperative Extension. He is a garden writer, educator, and researcher in IPM, plant nutrition, and soil science. He teaches for the horticultural industry throughout New England.

The Realm of Fire
2016-10-14 - 2016-10-16 | Valley View Farm, 16 Walpole Road, Haydenville, MA, 01039, United States
A unique Halloween adventure! One weekend only! Find tickets here
Free the world from the great dragon! Be a hero and traveler, interacting with elves, dwarves and fairies along candlelit trails through forest and meadow.
Departs every 15 minutes for a 45 minute dramatic arts production. This will be a Halloween adventure that you and your family will always remember. Please arrive ready to travel 1/2 mile through Valley View Farm’s grounds. Written by
Jessica & James Gelter.
All ages will enjoy this unique experience!
Food trucks: Holyoke Hummus, Wheelhouse, Beets & Barley, GoBerry, Mission Cantina!
Tickets: $15
12 and Under: $10
3 and Under: Free
Matinee & Rain Date Sunday, October 16, 2-5

From Woods to Home
2016-10-15 09:00 - 12:00 | Bascom Hollow Farm, 75 Bascom Road, Gill, MA, 01354, United States
Celebrating the connections between woodland management, wildlife habitat and the local economy
Brian Donahue and Faith Rand, co-owners of the conserved Bascom Hollow Farm in Gill, will host a woods walk and a tour of their beautiful farm house built using lumber harvested from their own woods. Working with local foresters, harvesters and builders, the house is an extension of the “slow food” or local agricultural product movement.
The walk will feature discussion by the forestry professionals who made this local building project possible and will be followed by refreshments, discussion and a tour of the Bascom Hollow farm house.
To RSVP and to get directions email melissa@masswoodlands.org, or call (413) 625-9151
Sponsored by the Massachusetts Woodlands Institute, Franklin Land Trust and Bascom Hollow Farm, with support from the Gill and Montague Cultural Councils, Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Ashfield Farmers' Market Customer Appreciation Day
2016-10-15 09:00 - 13:00 | Ashfield Town Common, Main Street, Ashfield, MA, 01330, United States
We’ll have free apple cider, pumpkin decorating, and storytelling from 10 to 12. There will be market specials offered by individual vendors. The Ashfield Farmer’s Market is on the Ashfield Town Commons and runs from 9 AM to 1 PM every Saturday thru the end of October.

Just Roots Community Potluck
2016-10-15 11:00 - 17:00 | Just Roots Farm, 34 Glenbrook Drive, Greenfield, MA, 01301, United States
Come on out to the farm on Saturday, October 15th to celebrate the season with the Just Roots and fellow CSA members, Community Gardeners, workshop participants, supporters, neighbors and friends! There will be workshops, an art activity, a farm project for those feeling the desire to put their hands to use and, most importantly, a collaborative potluck feast. Come for an hour, the entire afternoon, to eat, to learn. Whatever your motives, we hope to share an afternoon with you. Details below, see you on the farm!
To bring:

A dish to share
Dishware to minimize waste (not required, we’ll have some!)
Warm clothes
The desire to get to know your neighbors!
An instrument for impromptu music making by the campfire!
A dog on a leash

To leave at home:

A dog not on a leash
High heels
A dislike of the outdoors

THE DAY’S SCHEDULE

11am-12pm – Beekeeping Workshop
Explore the beehives here on the farm with beekeeper Daniel Berry. Get a close-up look at the inner workings of the hives and what kinds of activities are happening inside at this time of the year.
12pm – Potluck begins!!
We’ll have some steaming pots of Just Soup and a few sides prepared. Looking forward to celebrating the harvest season with everyone’s contributions to the feast.
1-2pm – People’s Medicine Project Workshop
Dig up some medicinal roots, tour these medicinal herb gardens and about growing an herb garden that supports your health
2-2:40pm – Tour the Just Roots Community Garden
Celebrate the phenomenal work of this year’s gardeners and have time for Q&A about garden participation.
2:30-3pm: Raising Pigs Workshop
Our in-house pig expert and Executive Director, Jessica Van Steensburg, will show off the pigs here at Just Roots and discuss the work of breeding and raising heritage breed pigs.
3-4pm: Birding Workshop
Explore the amazingly diverse birdlife that calls Just Roots home with expert birder Josh Rose. In a walk we did earlier this season with Josh, we identified over 40 species!
ONGOING:
Food sharing, Campfire (for warmth and song!), Rock Love art project (appropriate for ALL ages!), farm work (could get your pants and hands dirty – you’ve been warned!)

Local Craft Spirits Festival
2016-10-15 16:00 - 19:00 | Landsdowne Street Quad, Cambridge
Come taste, discover, socialize and network with dozens of local distilleries, cideries, meaderies, breweries, artisan beverage brewers, and local food producers in Central Square, Cambridge, all while savoring local music and celebrating local spirits!
The festival will be held at the Landsdowne Street Quad (between Franklin and Pilgrim Streets), next to University Park, Cambridge, MA. Hosted by SBN, Local Craft Spirits Festival will gather hundreds of local spirits fans to celebrate together with dozens of local vendors and hundreds of products.

Women in Meat Northeast Gathering
2016-10-16 - 2016-10-18 | Harvard Forest, 324 North Main Street, Petersham, MA, 01366, United States
The gathering of Women in Meat Northeast is focused on developing the skills, knowledge, and network of women in meat industries and in supporting their endeavors as agents in those industries, as business leaders and as entrepreneurs.
Women in Meat includes those in agriculture, aquaculture and seafood, for those involved in farming, butchering, processing, and product development and for those in the restaurant and food service industries.
Register here
SUNDAY, October 16, 2016
12:00-1:00PM Lunch at Harvard Forest
Afternoon Session
1:30-4:30PM Master Class in Butchery: Show Me The Beef!
Kari Underly, Range Meat Academy
In this session Kari will guide participants through the side of beef, teaching them how to fabricate the side of beef into primals and it’s unique subprimals. We will discuss raising practices, beef quality and merchandising & menuing options.
Students will then break in to groups and process the subprimals in to popular steaks and roasts under the instruction of Kari. You will understand how to best match cuts with cooking methods.
Sponsored by: Beef Checkoff, Range Meat Academy, and Stillman’s Quality Meats
Dinner
6:30PM Taste Testing Beef: Grass finished, grain finished, and aged. What’s the difference?
Sponsored by: Beef Checkoff and Stillman’s Quality Meats
MONDAY, October 17, 2016
8:00-8:45AM Breakfast at Harvard Forest
Morning Session
9:00-10:30AM
What do you need to know before developing a product HACCP planning, FSMA, and labeling requirements?
Amanda Kinchla, Food Science Extension Specialist, University of Massachusetts Amherst
11:00-12:00PM Developing Products: Charcuterie & Bone Broth
12:00-1:00PM Lunch at Harvard Forest
Afternoon Session
1:30-4:30PM Master Class in Butchery: Let’s Talk Pork!
Kari Underly, Range Meat Academy
In this session Kari will guide participants through the whole hog, teaching them how to fabricate hog into into primals and subprimals. We will discuss raising practices, pork quality and merchandising & menuing options. Students will then break in to groups and process the subprimals in to popular chops and roasts under the instruction of Kari. You will understand how to best match cuts with cooking methods, and have an opportunity to create cuts popular in many charcuterie applications.
Sponsored by: Northeast Pork Association, Range Meat Academy and Stillman’s Quality Meats
Dinner
6:30PM Taste testing pork: Does breed matter?
Sponsored by: Northeast Pork Association and Stillman’s Quality Meats
TUESDAY, October 18, 2016
8:00-8:45PM Breakfast at Harvard Forest
Morning Sessions
9:00- 10:00AM Financing your project (Part 1)
Loans, Grants, Kickstarter Campaigns, & Direct Public Offerings
Samantha Stoddard Farm Credit East
Joanne Demars USDA Rural Development
Rebecca Busansky PV Grows Fund Coordinator
10:30-11:30AM Financing your project (Part 2) Case Studies
Loans, Grants, Kickstarter Campaigns, & Direct Public Offerings
Lor Holmes, CERO Cooperative
Kate Stillman, Stillman’s Quality Meats
12:00-1:00PM Lunch at Harvard Forest
Afternoon Sessions
1:30-3:00PM Afternoon Roundtable:
What resources do we need to develop in the Northeast so that we can grow the industry?

Feast in the Fields at Simple Gifts Farm
2016-10-16 15:30 - 18:00 | Simple Gifts Farm, 1089 North Pleasant St, Amherst, MA, 01002, United States
Simple Gifts Farm is teaming up with Wheelhouse for an evening of community, celebration & delicious food.
From first hand experience, we know how incredible it is to be eating on the farm where your food is grown. There is a purity, simplicity and wholeness on the farm. It is our greatest pleasure to bring people on a journey into the fields, where they will hear from the farmers about growing the food, listen to chefs share their inspiration and have the opportunity to taste, appreciate and be nourished by the harvest. It is our goal to curate a wholesome and holistic experience with the Pioneer Valley’s food system.
We hope you and your friends can join us for a sit-down, multi-course meal featuring Simple Gifts’ own food, served in the very fields where the food was grown. Allow Farmer Jeremy to tour you around the farm, ending in a fallow field fully set with tables and chairs, where we’ll share a multi-course feast of October bounty with community members, shareholders, and farmers.
Schedule
3:30 PM – Arrive and gather.
3:45 PM – Snack and field walk with Jeremy.
4:15 PM – First course served. Family-style dinner.
6:00 PM – Full bellies, departures.
Menu
Coming soon!
BYOB
Please let us know well in advance if you have any food allergies, and we’ll do our best to accommodate.
Attire
Farm casual. Dress appropriately to be outside in a farm field.
Kids
Kids are welcome. Half-priced tickets for children 12 and under.
Rain Plan
If the weather looks threatening, we’ll move dinner into the barn.

Find more info and tickets here

Slow Money Pioneer Valley Entrepreneur Showcase
2016-10-20 17:00 - 20:00 | Smith College Conference Center, 49 College Lane, Northampton, MA, 01063
Slow Money Pioneer Valley organizes an Entrepreneur Showcase each year to bring investors together with farm and food businesses interested in their support. The Showcase is an opportunity to forge relationships that will be useful as these businesses grow and need support, including financing.
The six entrepreneurs who will be presenting at this year’s Showcase:
Bree-Z-Knoll Farm
Big Picture Beef
Nutwood Farm
Stoneman Brewery
Serio’s Market
Simple Gifts Farm
The Slow Money Pioneer Valley Entrepreneur Showcase aims to convene and connect local farm and food businesses, individuals, food system folks, and investors interested in building a sustainable local and regional food system and to catalyze new investment opportunities in the people, businesses and communities that contribute to a sustainable food economy. Slow Money Pioneer Valley is organized by the PVGrows Investment Fund, PVGrows Network, and the Franklin County CDC — organizations working to strengthen the local food system. Light dinner catered by Great Falls Harvest.
Registration here.

Gardening the Community's Volunteer Impact Days
2016-10-22 10:30 - 13:00 | MA
Come on out for one of our last Volunteer Impact Days! We’ve got a lot going on at our Walnut St. Farm and would love more volunteers to come out and dig in with us! We’ll be working on winter-proofing our new greenhouse and starting to put our vegetable beds to sleep.
If you plan to bring a big group, call Ibrahim at 413-693-5340.
