CISA – Community Involved In Sustaining Agriculture

Valley Bounty

CISA’s weekly Daily Hampshire Gazette column highlights a locally grown item each week.

Valley Bounty: Maple Syrup

March 15, 2020 Posted in: CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Press Room, Recipes and Cooking Tips, Maple, Valley Bounty

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.[...]

Valley Bounty: Sweet Potatoes

March 1, 2020 Posted in: CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Recipes and Cooking Tips, Sweet Potatoes, Valley Bounty

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

February 23, 2020 Posted in: CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Recipes and Cooking Tips, Pesto, Valley Bounty

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

February 16, 2020 Posted in: CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Recipes and Cooking Tips, Ginger, Valley Bounty

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[...]

Valley Bounty: Hops

February 10, 2020 Posted in: CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Hops, Valley Bounty

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

February 5, 2020 Posted in: CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Recipes and Cooking Tips, Valley Bounty

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

January 25, 2020 Posted in: CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Recipes and Cooking Tips, Flour, Valley Bounty

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

January 20, 2020 Posted in: CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Chicken Stock, Valley Bounty

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

January 13, 2020 Posted in: CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Press Room, 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

January 6, 2020 Posted in: CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Recipes and Cooking Tips, Shrub, Valley Bounty

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

December 23, 2019 Posted in: CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Beef, Recipes and Cooking Tips, Valley Bounty

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[...]

Valley Bounty: Popcorn

December 16, 2019 Posted in: CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Recipes and Cooking Tips, Popcorn, Valley Bounty

Aaron Stevens harvested his popcorn fields at the end of November. “The corn grew really well, and the kernels looked really good,” he explained during[...]

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Valley Bounty

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