Valley Bounty: Plant Starts
It feels like the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world to a grinding halt. But nature is oblivious to national emergencies.
Nowhere is that more apparent[...]
Valley Bounty: Maple Syrup
When I spoke with Howard Boyden last week, he was in the midst of an all-out maple syrup sprint.
“This season is just killing us. It[...]
Valley Bounty: Sweet Potatoes
For years, Ryan Karb struggled to grow sweet potatoes. “I asked myself, ‘Am I not weeding them enough? Am I not watering them enough?” he[...]
Valley Bounty: Pesto
Jeremy Barker Plotkin has run Simple Gifts Farm on a 30-acre Amherst property with Dave Tepfer since 2006. The pair and their crew grow ten[...]
Valley Bounty: Ginger
Old Friends Farm has been a ginger-growing innovator in the region.
Casey Steinberg, who co-owns the Amherst business with Missy Bahret, explained that their experimentation with[...]
Valley Bounty: Hops
2019 was a great season for growing hops on Four Star Farms in Northfield. “Our yields were really good and the quality was exceptional,” Liz[...]
Valley Bounty: Lumber
Each winter, David Fisher sets out to harvest trees. “I just love being in the woods,” he explained during a recent conversation. “It’s a lot[...]
Valley Bounty: Flour
There aren’t many farmers who grow and mill their own grain in western Massachusetts. But Clifford Hatch isn’t your average grower. “He’s always been an[...]
Valley Bounty: Chicken Stock
You may be cursing the cold, but many farmers in the Valley are grateful for winter. “It’s relaxing,” Katie Bodzinski told me during a recent[...]
Valley Bounty: Wool
Cold and snow have blanketed the Valley. But locally-produced fiber can keep you warm during these wintery weeks. “Wool has innate properties for shedding water[...]
Valley Bounty: Shrub
We’re on the other side of the Winter Solstice and New Year’s, but we still have months ahead of us before the snow melts for[...]
Valley Bounty: Beef Pot Roast
For farmers who raise livestock, winter brings a shift in the rhythm of their work. I recently spoke with Mary Montague, who owns Bridgmont Farm[...]
