Where do we find local food in the Berkshires? We have a rich blend here of locally made and locally grown, and creative makers from around the country and the world. I wind up talking with families who run cafes, a local baker who learned pastry in France in her teens, and farmers who have kept a sugar shack going for generations.
If you’ve never had a chick a few days old walk around on your hair, and felt the tiny weight of down and feet smaller than the ball of your thumb, It’s worth trying.
Are you looking for a glass of wine at an outdoor table and a menu that changes with the seasons, or a diner that still serves turkey croquettes and chocolate malted milkshakes, or a cafe where the eggs come from the farm across the way? We can find them.
We have sweet corn stands and farmers markets, chefs parterning with local growers, farms making their own cheese and ice cream, co-op markets and more. You can explore local stories below.
Ben Gable Savories' ham and gruyere quiche highlights local ingredients.
Ruth Reichl relaxes at her desk. Photo courtesy of Berkshire Festival of Women Writers.
Farm fresh eggs fry for breakfast sandwiches at the Great Barrington Farmers Market. Press photo courtesy of the market.
A member of the Roots Rising farm crew touches a sweet snap pea on the vine.
A Berkshire farmer stokes his wood-fired boiler to condense sap into maple syrup.
Ripe plums glisten in late summer at the Pittsfield Farmers Market.
Z Estimé comes as a consultant to Roots Rising in summer 2020.
Where can we find local restaurants and local farms?
We like cooking from scratch in the Berkshires, and eating from scratch too. We have farm-to-table restaurants right on the land where the food grows, and we have food trucks that scramble fresh eggs for their breakfast sandwiches. We have food co-ops and farm markets, and makers and artisans in their own kitchens. You can find micro-brewers and coffee roasters … and even locally made chocolate.
We also have farmers markets north to south. You’ll find them weekly from May to October and monthly in the winter. And some farms welcome visitors to stop at their farm stands and meet this season’s calves, and maybe pick up an armful of sweet corn. Let me share some of my home places with you.
