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Berkshire Tidbits: Gather-In Celebration, Farmers Markets
By Judith Lerner, Special to iBerkshires
04:06PM / Thursday, July 21, 2016
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A girl somersaults at last year's Gather-In in Pittsfield. This year's event is Saturday at Durant Park.

More scenes from last year's Gather-In.

Celia Rock, then head of Pittsfield's Civil Right Commission, getting some barbecue lunch.


This Saturday, July 23, from noon to 7, the Berkshire branch of the NAACP, with the lead sponsorship of Greylock Federal Credit Union, hosts the free annual Gather-In Festival in Rev. Willard & Rosemary Durant Park, formerly Pitt Park, on Columbus Avenue in Pittsfield.

Last year, the day was so hot and sunny. I even enjoyed getting my blood pressure taken by Berkshire Health Systems because I could go into a cool trailer for a few minutes. They gave me a nice, blue tote bag as a memento and to carry around my day's stuff in.

The weather is predicted to be in the mid-80s with sun and clouds for this afternoon of barbecue and other homemade foods, a basketball tournament, a stage with live music and vendors like Grampy's Dog House selling all sorts of items promoting family-friendly fun.

The NAACP cites Pittsfield's Gather-In as "the first and only traditionally African-American neighborhood festival in the Berkshires!"

The organization invites everyone to join them.

Even in the face of global, national and our own local tensions and sadness, the Gather-In is meant to be and hoped to be a day of old-fashioned relaxation and coming together to have an easy, good time.

 
Even though it is the midst of summer and driving through Great Barrington is not something most people would prefer on a Saturday, cheesemonger Matt Rubiner is offering one of his wine and cheese seminars this Saturday, July 23, from 3 to 5 p.m. at his shop, Rubiner's Cheesemongers & Grocers, 245 Main St., Great Barrington, 413-528-0488.
 
This will be another of Matt's cheese and natural/organic wine pairings. This time, the organic, unfiltered wines will be the ones on the wine list of Rubi's Café, Matt's across the alley eatery and bar. Register by phone on online.

 

The UltraWellness Center, 55 Pittsfield Road, way at the back of the complex that used to be known as the Lenox House Shops in Lenox, 413-637-9991, Ext. 0, which practices functional medicine, is holding a free open house next Thursday evening from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
 
The center, under the direction of Dr. Mark Hyman, focuses on practicing patient-centered rather than disease-centered medicine. They have a garden behind their offices, built and maintained by Greenagers, a Berkshire organization that "provides employment and volunteer opportunities for youth in conservation, sustainable farming and environmental leadership."
 
People interested in learning about functional medicine are invited to come and to ask the team questions about how it might benefit them and their families.
 
The UltraWellness Center is "dedicated to supporting our local community." Nutrition director Maggie Ward said they "work closely with Greenagers and other Berkshire organizations who provide people with access to fresh, local, organic food."
 
Greenagers make raised-bed gardens and help people learn to grow their own food. Maggie is very proud of the garden and the work Greenagers have done in it.
 
This open house and tour is the event The UltraWellness Center has been planning in order to "highlight our garden, the importance of gardens and local produce, show people how to use their produce and demonstrate just how much produce you can grow in your very own back yard."
 
Maggie wants to spread the word.
 
She said, "People don’t have to notify if they are coming. It’s a casual stop by and stay for a few minutes or for the whole thing."
 
With delicious food samples prepared by The UltraWellness staff.

 

They may be just coming along, but the weather has been hot so we all know we'll be rolling in local tomatoes very soon.

To help us take advantage of this lovely abundance, on Tuesday, July 26 at 7 p.m., Wild Oats Co-op Market, 320 Main St./Route 2 in Williamstown, 413-458-8060, is offering a free event, "Simple Ways to Preserve Tomatoes," at which everyone is welcome, not only co-op members.

Williamstown gardener Margie March will demonstrate how to oven-dry and to cook tomatoes in order to freeze them.

Wild Oats will also provide tomato samples and recipes.

 


Chef Michael Ballon teaching a cooking class at The Chef's Shop last fall.

The Chef's Shop, 31 Railroad St., Great Barrington, will be presenting two more summer cooking classes.

On Thursday, July 28, from 6 to 8 p.m., chef Julie Gale, owner of At the Kitchen Table Cooking School in Hillsdale, N.Y., will hold the next in her seasonal Asian classes. She will focus on Japanese summer foods. She will be making chilled tofu with dipping sauce, vegetable sushi and chicken yakitori.

Then, on  Saturday, July 30, from 10 to noon, Michael Ballon, chef and owner of Castle Street Café in Great Barrington, will be presenting a cooking class about making summer fruit desserts. He will teach blueberry cobbler, easy scratch pie dough and peach pie.

Class size is limited to 12 students to encourage everyone to participate. After cooking, the class eats what they've made. There will be a wine selection courtesy of Domaney's Fine Wines of Great Barrington.

Both classes cost $40 each. Payment is required in advance with a 48-hour cancellation policy. The Chef's Shop offers students a 10 percent discount on purchases made on a class day and for a couple of days after. Contact The Chef's Shop: 413-528-0135 or email@thechefsshop.com.

 

On Saturday, July 30, from 1 to 4 p.m., Wild Oats Co-op Market, 320 Main St./Route 2 in Williamstown, 413-458-8060, will hold its annual ice cream social at which everyone, not only members, is welcome.

The ice cream sundaes are not free. They cost $3 for children 12 and under, $5 for everyone else.

But, they will be build-your-own sundaes with ice creams and sorbets donated by first rate premium and super premium local creameries like Bart's Homemade from Greenfield, High Lawn Farm from Lee and SoCo Creamery in Great Barrington. With real whipped cream, fresh, local fruits, maple, chocolate and other syrup, locally roasted nuts and other crunchy, creamy, crispy and gooey toppings.

"We will have hot fudge, salted caramel and berry sauce — all made in-house — and whipped cream, granola, almonds, walnuts, candy-coated chocolate, organic blueberries, organic strawberries, organic raspberries, bananas."
 
Maybe, more.

All the proceeds from this social will be used to benefit Louison House's Family Life Support Center in Adams which was damaged by a fire and the water from the sprinkler system late in June.

 

All our area farmers' markets are in full swing. Here's the list arranged by days of the week and hours of the day. Saturdays have the preponderance of markets but, if you need local leeks or arugula, cilantro and grass-fed beef Wednesday through Friday, you can find a market.

Monday & Tuesday: no area markets I know of; try a nearby farmstand or Berkshire Organics on the Dalton/Pittsfield border

Wednesday:

  • Berkshire Mall, Sears parking lot, off Route 8 in Lanesborough, 8 a.m. to 2 p. m. through October.
  • Hancock Farmer's Market, 3210 Hancock Road, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Oct. 12
  • Canaan, Conn., Stadium Systems parking lot, 4 to 7 p.m.

Thursday:

  • Great Barrington, CHP, 442 Stockbridge Road/Route 7, 2 to 5 p.m.
  • West Stockbridge, on the Green in the Village Center, 3 to 7 p.m. through Oct. 6

Friday:

  • Lenox, in front of Roche Reading Park beside the library, 18 Main St., 1 to 5 p.m. through Sept.
  • Sheffield, Old Parish Church parking lot, 125 Main St., 3 to 6:30 p.m. through Oct. 7
  • Chatham, N.Y., at Real Food Market, 15 Church St., 4 to 7 p.m.
  • Gedney Farm near the village green on Route 57 in New Marlborough, 5 to 7 p.m.

Saturday:

  • Berkshire Mall, Sears parking lot, off Route 8 in Lanesborough, 8 a.m. to 2 p. m. through late November
  • Cornwall, Conn., 413 Sharon-Goshen Turnpike, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through October.
  • Copake-Hillsdale, N.Y., in Roe Jan Park, 9140 Route 22, Hillsdale, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through October
  • Great Barrington, 18 Church St., 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through October
  • Millerton, N.Y., Millerton Methodist Church, 6 Dutchess Ave., 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through October.
  • North Adams, St. Anthony Municipal Parking Lot, St. Anthony Drive, 9 a.m to 1 p.m.
  • Otis, at Papas Healthy Food and Fuel, 2000 East Otis Road, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Oct. 8
  • Downtown Pittsfield, Pittsfield Common, First Street, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Oct. 15.
  • Williamstown, base of Spring Street, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Oct. 8
  • Bennington, Vt., on Depot Street through Nov. 21.
  • Norfolk, Conn., Town Hall, 19 Maple Ave., 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Oct. 8; also Nov. 19 and Dec. 3
  • Amenia, N.Y., Town Hall parking lot on Route 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. year round
  • Lee, Congregational Church Park, 25 Park Place/Route 20, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Sept. 10

Sunday:

  • Hancock, 3210 Hancock Road, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Oct. 8
  • New Lebanon, N.Y., at Windswept Farm, 36 Old Route 20 through Oct. 16

     

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