As UMass Dining sources from more local meat farms, our staff has increased its ability to butcher on site. While processing meat on site requires more time and labor, it also allows the chefs to get the cuts they need to be creative with their dishes. For example, Hampshire Dining Commons grinds its own beef, sourced […]
Interview with Chef de Cuisine, Bob Bankert Read More »
University of Massachusetts Amherst Auxiliary Enterprises has been awarded a $3,500 grant from the Women for UMass Amherst Fund (WFUM) that will be used for a permaculture garden project at Stefanik Elementary School in Chicopee. The award will fund maintenance for the garden and provide educational programming both at the garden and in classrooms at
One goal of the Local, Healthy UMass Food System Initiative is to increase the amount of lean animal proteins purchased locally, which would yield a plethora of benefits from plate to farm to region: In pursuit of this goal, our team has begun to research the meat farms in New England, beginning with poultry farms.
On the Ground Update- Sourcing Poultry from Local Farms Read More »
We are revisiting a local farm that we originally featured in our Farmer of the Week program over fifteen months ago – Diemand Farm in Wendell, MA – to find out what’s new on the farm! The farm continues to be operated by siblings Anne, Faith, and Pete Diemand. While their range of products —
With common lows of 10 degrees Fahrenheit during Massachusetts winters, it’s hard to believe that people can eat New England regional foods from November to April. When a foot or two of snow separates farmers from the soil, that possibility seems to shrink even further. Can we eat locally and seasonally right through our frigid
Building Resilient Systems-Eating Local during Massachusetts Winters Read More »
Xochiquetzal Salazar here, first-year transfer student and Junior in the Sustainable Food and Farming program, reporting to you on our awesome Fall 2014 semester in the UMass Permaculture gardens. With winter approaching and the garden prepared for a chilly slumber, I cannot think of a better time to reflect on all the fun, engaging, and
Fall Reflections From the Garden Crew Read More »
When Joe Boisvert was ten years old, he and his older brother John began working on their parents’ farm. They tapped trees, boiled the sap, and learned how to produce maple syrup. Later on, Joe would create the North Hadley Sugar Shack which has now been in operation for over twenty years! Joe and his wife
To call someone “crunchy” or a “crunchy granola” type of person is to say that he or she doesn’t accept the mainstream way of doing things; they aspire to live a more holistic, natural life; and they tend to be environmentally and socially conscious. Nat and Aaron of GrandyOats are a good example of crunchy
While the American Dream can sometimes be a fuzzy concept, especially given the hardship that Jorge Sosa and Dora Saravia have endured, it’s hard to deny that their path fulfills it. Jorge, who had moved from Mexico City in 1992, saved up enough through odd jobs to open a small grocery store in Springfield in 2001.
Gleaning is a term originating from biblical times used to describe the act of redistributing the surplus of a harvest. In doing this, volunteers collect leftover crops from farmers fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it may not be economically profitable to harvest. Two weeks ago, the UMass Permaculture Initiative
On the Ground Update-Gleaning Butternut Squash Read More »
Lilly began her farming journey as a UMass student walking by the Franklin Dining Commons one day. At the time, work was underway to start creating what would become the Franklin Permaculture Garden. As she walked by one day, she became curious as to what was to become of the land that had previously been
“A national event. Real food, just food.” Every October 24th, thousands of Food Day events are held across the nation, but why? What is Food Day, anyway, and why does it bring so many people together? Just 5 years ago, there was no such thing as a national “Food Day” in America – no food labor conferences,
What is Food, Anyway Read More »
John Kokoski of Mapleline Farm is our Farmer of the Week. John, who is a UMass alumnus, and his team at Mapleline provide their local milk wholesale to large institutions like UMass Dining but also to small markets and cafes around the Pioneer Valley. Mapleline has been a part of the Hadley community for over a
The UMass Dining Sustainability team poses for a photo with Rob Litch at Misty Knoll Farm. This week we are featuring Misty Knoll Farm, a poultry farm in New Haven, VT, for our first Farmer of the Week for the Fall 2015 semester! Misty Knoll has been a family-owned business and an integral part of
This week, we are featuring a farm that you might have heard of before. You can find Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs in grocery stores all across New England. That fact might make you pause; aren’t we supposed to be supporting small, family farms instead of commercial, large-scale growers? Actually, that’s exactly what we’re doing. Pete and
