Boston Flora

Tag: Sunderland

  • Thursday, February 20, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Planning a Cook’s Kitchen Garden

    Do you love to cook? Wouldn’t you like to step out your door and pick the ingredients for your evening meal? Gardeners know that home-grown food tastes the best. Learn how to select the best tasting varieties for your kitchen garden and make a plan for successful harvests from spring to fall. Learn simple preservation techniques and strategies for eating from the garden all year long. On Thursday, February 20, from 7 – 8:30, vegetable grower Tim Wilcox will discuss growing techniques and how to make the most of limited space, at the gardens at Elm Bank in Wellesley.

    Tim Wilcox owns The Kitchen Garden farm in Sunderland, MA where he grows specialty vegetables for farmers markets, restaurant chefs and grocery stores throughout the Pioneer Valley. Tim started the farm in 2006 with his wife Caroline Pam and together they have grown from a 1-acre garden to a full-blown farm of 25 acres. His favorite crops are garlic, herbs, chili peppers and tomatoes, which inspire him to create amazing homegrown meals from cuisines as diverse as Italian and Thai.

    Lecture Fee $15 for Mass Hort members; $20 non-members.  Register at www.masshort.org, or call 617-933-4973.

    http://www.realtimefarms.com/pic/ahNzfnJlYWx0aW1lZmFybXMtaHJkcgwLEgNQaWMYg4ySBAw

  • Saturday, January 21, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – In the Kitchen Garden

    You’ll already be out in the Berkshires to hear Robert Herman, so stay around on Saturday, January 21 from 1 – 3 to hear the interesting lecture In The Kitchen Garden. We all know that home-grown food tastes the best. Foodie farmers Tim Wilcox and Caroline Pam will discuss how to select the best tasting varieties for your kitchen garden. Do heirloom vegetables taste better than hybrids? What are the best sources for seeds and supplies? And how will I ever narrow down the list of things I want to plant? Learn simple preservation techniques and strategies for eating from the garden all year long.

    Tim Wilcox and Caroline Pam run The Kitchen Garden Farm (CSA) in Sunderland, MA. They both have culinary experiences in France and Italy that informs and inspires what they grow. They have both worked at the Union Square Greenmarket in New York City and are foodies, italophiles, and farm geeks. Register on-line ($22 BBG members, $27 non-members) at www.berkshirebotanical.org.  Photo by Paul Frantz.

  • Thursdays, July 21 – August 25, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm – Beverage Confidential: The History of Libations

    This Berkshire Botanical Garden series covers history, lore, and practical know-how about some of life’s best indulgences. Learn about coffee, chocolate, beer and cider, how they have been used throughout history and are now celebrated in contemporary society. Consider the amazing artisan beer, cider, coffee and chocolate available in the Berkshires and learn tips and techniques from the experts for steeping, brewing, pressing and baking at home. Lectures will include demonstrations and participants will enjoy tasty samplings following the talks.

    The first of the series is entitled Sweet Perfection – Chocolate from Seed to Sweet.  Cacao (Theobroma cacao) known as chocolate, once considered only as a beverage, has a long delicious association with humans. Chocolate has been considered a delicacy for centuries, beginning with the pre-Columbian Mayan cultures, to the chocolatiers of Europe and is now ending as a mass produced commercial product of modern society. Learn about the natural history of this tropical plant, consider its culinary properties and learn about the art and craft of chocolate making from an expert. The talk will include some tasty samples. Instructor Joshua Needleman is creator and chocolatier of Chocolate Springs Café and has been fascinated with chocolate all of his life. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, has studied in France and had the opportunity to work at several prestigious establishments, including a stage with Maitre Chocolatier Michel Chaudun.

    Then, on Thursday July 28, hear Beyond the Buzz … All About Coffee. Enjoy a stimulating program on the history of coffee, and learn about its remarkable journey from ancient Ethiopia to the latte shops of modern society. Consider caffeine, the natural stimulant found in coffee, derived from shrubs in the coffea genus and explore the many different coffees available today. Instructor Barth Anderson will explain sustainable, organic as well as fair trade; what they mean and why it’s important. Learn how to brew a great cup of coffee, how to discern a good coffee from a great one and enjoy a delicious sample of the Barrington Coffee Roasting Company summer menu. Barth Anderson co-founded Barrington Coffee Roasting Company in 1993. He is an environmental scientist by education, was drawn to coffee at the age of 14 and clearly hasn’t shaken it since.

    Continue, on August 11, with Brewing Up a Storm: The Art & Science of Beer Making.   One of America’s most popular libations, beer, is enjoying a renaissance through artisan beers, microbreweries and home brewing. Join two brewmasters from The Barrington Brewery for an in-depth look at beer, beer making and the history and science of this popular drink! Learn about the essential ingredients of beer including the hops plant. This talk will cover the basic home brewing process, ingredients and equipment needed. Andrew Mankin is head brewer and co-owner of Barrington Brewery. He began as a home brewer twenty seven years ago and then completed an apprenticeship at the Vaux Brewery in Sunderland, England in 1989. Scott Craumer has been a home brewer for six years and is now a brewer at the Barrington Brewery.

    Finally, on August 25, join John Vittori of Hilltop Orchard for The Big Squeeze: Making Apple Cider, Hard & Sweet, for a look at the art and science of making cider both sweet and hard. This lecture/demonstration will cover the history, culture and lore of cider making. Practical information will include selecting apple varieties, cider making techniques, timing, and preserving of both sweet and hard cider. Following a demonstration with a beautiful two-bucket cider press (courtesy of Denis Mareb at Windy Hill Farm), enjoy a tasting of this local sweet (or hard) drink. John Vittori has owned and operated Hilltop Orchards and Furnace Brook Winery for the past twenty four years. His main interests are, sustainable agriculture, integrated pest management, and land preservation.

    To register for all four classes (BBG members $75, nonmembers $85), or for any individual class ($22), visit www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Sunday, September 20, 10 am – 3 pm – Fall Composites on Mt. Toby

    The Mt. Toby State Reservation, located in Sunderland, Massachusetts, in the Connecticut River Valley, is a popular destination for hiking and a fascinating place to botanize.  The diverse and unusual geological formations underlying the Reservation contribute to the well-known diversity and richness of its flora.  In addition to being an outstanding place to find ferns, it is also an excellent location in which to study fall composites.  With Arieh Tal and the New England Wild Flower Society, you will explore open, disturbed areas next to the scenic Cranberry Pond for a large variety of asters, goldenrods and Eupatoriums, and then follow trails and roads through the beautiful forest understory, beneath a high canopy of majestic age-old trees.  The terrain will be relatively easy.  Bring lunch, hand lens, field guides and hiking boots.  The date is Sunday, September 20, beginning at 10 am, and is limited to 15 participants.  Fee $40 members of NEWFS, $45 non members.  Register and get directions at www.newfs.org, or call 508-877-7630.

    http://www.remarc.com/craig/images/asters_and_goldenrod.jpg