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Berkshire Tidbits: Lobster Days, Sundae Highlights
By Judith Lerner, Special to iBerkshires
02:55PM / Wednesday, August 10, 2016
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South Lee Fire Department annual chicken barbecue in 2012. The BBQ is set for Saturday, Aug. 13.

The price for the BBQ is the same as last year; $15 for adults, $10 for children.

Maitake/hen of the woods wild mushroom. John Wheeler gives a talk on local mushrooms at Bascom Lodge on Sunday, Aug. 14.



Macrobiotic chef Chris Jenkins teaches cooking with student helper at Kushi's Summer Conference 2014.
The Kushi Institute/KI Annual Summer Conference 2016: "Towards a Sustainable Future", is now in progress through Saturday, Aug. 13. This event brings together macrobiotic teachers and practitioners to share their experience and lifestyle interest in two weeks of lectures, workshops, cooking classes, eating and celebration, all day and into the night.
 
For the last few years, this conference takes place on the KI campus, 198 Leland Road, North Becket, 413-623-5741.
Berkshire residents may attend the conference for a discounted price of $157 per day, which includes three meals and all the day's and evening's activities, from 7 a.m. to about 9ish at night. Saturday, Aug. 13 is the Gala Day with a special Berkshire price of $250 per person.
 
For daily schedules are posted here. Call to register or for more information.
 
 
Berkshire Highlanders will be filling the air around Bascom Lodge, at the top of Mount Greylock in Adams, with their incomparable bagpipe music in a free outdoor concert in front of the Lodge at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 10.
What is there to say about a Highlanders' performance. The perfect place for it.
 
Evening events at Mount Greylock are always followed with a 7 p.m. prix fixe 3-course dinner by reservation with main course choices in the $34-$36 price range. This evening's entrée choices are pork chop, crab-stuffed flounder fillet or eggplant involtini (thin slices of eggplant wrapped around a filling of ricotta, chickpeas, roasted peppers, spinach, onion, garlic and lemon).
 
Call the Lodge, 413 743-1591, or chef John Dudek, 917-680-0079, for dinner reservations.
 
Or, you could come up early for a Lodge-made soup, salad and sandwich lunch between 11 and 4:30 and make an afternoon of it.
 
Or, sit on the glassed-in porch of the Lodge for Sunset Beverage Hour between 5 and 7.
 
 
 
Rachel Alves, the registered dietician and nutritionist for Guido's Fresh Marketplace, 760 South Main St./Route 7 in Great Barrington and 1020 South St./Routes 7 and 20 in Pittsfield, offers free quick one-on-one nutritional counseling and tastings of seasonal foods, most Thursdays and Fridays at both stores.
 
She is in Great Barrington on Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. with tastings at the demo cart between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. She is in Pittsfield on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with tastings between 11 and 2 at the demo station.
 
This month, she will be presenting summer recipes on Aug. 11 and 12 (farro salad with summer fruit) and on Aug. 18 and 19 (roasted summer tomato soup).
 
 
 
Perhaps some of my readers will make their way over to the Pioneer Valley to take part in the Northeast Organic Farming Association's (NOFA's) Summer Conference 2016: Cultivating The Grassroots Organic Movement.
 
Here's what NOFA says about itself:
 
"The Northeast Organic Farming Association is a non-profit organization of over 5,000 farmers, gardeners, landscape professionals and consumers working to advocate for and educate about healthy food, organic growing practices, agricultural justice, and a cleaner environment."
 
They have chapters in every New England state except Maine as well as in New York and New Jersey. Here's who to contact with any questions.
 
The conference fills the entire weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday Aug. 12, 13 and 14, with more than 200 workshops, seminars and intensives about organic growing that will be exciting and accessible. It takes place at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and includes a youth conference and a fair. And plenty of time to schmooze, network, connect during breakfast, lunch and dinner.
 
Registration opens Thursday, Aug. 11, at 4 p.m. Breakfast on Saturday and Sunday starts at 6:30 a. m. Friday and Saturday evenings end with film screenings from 9:15 to 11 p. m. Sunday afternoon, after lunch and a choice of 14 workshops — which include animal welfare practices, vegetable fermentation, the value of natural animal fats, selling branding and marketing your products, no-till cultivation — ends the conference with an auction.
This is total immersion.
 
 
It's another weekend for cooking classes at The Chef's Shop, 31 Railroad St., Great Barrington, 413-528-0135, email@thechefsshop.com. One exotic yet simple, one seasonal gourmet, also simple.
 
Private chef and caterer Marco Belli will share his expertise cooking fish on Friday evening, Aug. 12 from 6 p. m. This meal will pan roasted Moroccan salmon with a citrus salsa, fried saffron rice and a light and quick summer chocolate mousse.
 
The next morning, Saturday, Aug. 13, from 10 to noon, Michael Ballon, chef and owner of Castle Street Café in Great Barrington, will feature grilled summer vegetables. He will show students how to stuff a patty pan squash with couscous, how to grill eggplant and squash and how to build an heirloom tomato Napoleon using Berkshire chevre.
Class size is limited to 12 students to encourage everyone to participate. Once the meal is prepared, the class eats what they've made. There will be a wine selection courtesy of Domaney's Fine Wines of Great Barrington. Chef's Shop partner Guido's Fresh Marketplace donates the ingredients used to present the classes.
 
Chef Marco's class costs $35. Chef Michael's costs $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.
 
Call or email for reservations.
 
 
Another firefighters' food fest. Part of summer's delights.
 
This Saturday, Aug. 13, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. the South Lee Fire Department will hold its annual chicken barbecue fundraiser at the playground across the street from the South Lee firehouse, 1380 Pleasant St./Route 102.
 
They will be serving half a chicken with their own special rub, fresh corn-on-the-cob, a tossed salad, bread and butter and "a great variety of homemade-from-scratch desserts plus soft drinks and coffee.
 
The price is the same as last year; $15 for adults, $10 for children, I was told.
 
Tickets can be purchased at RW's, Inc. auto repairs, 32 Run Way off Route 102, 413-243-0946; or from South Lee firefighters. Or at the barbecue itself.
 
Images from last year's Lenox VFW lobster dinner, and a Berkshire National Fish Hatchery picture of a giant lobster (left) from its annual Lobsterfest.
Summer brings out the lobster in us or, at least, for us.
 
Chef Frank LaRagione gave us a lobster dinner fundraiser at First Baptist Church of Pittsfield last Saturday — complete with 400 homemade cookies he and his wife always bake fresh — which I failed to note for you. It does take place every summer.
 
This Saturday, Aug. 13, Lenox VFW Post 12079 puts on its 7th annual lobster extravaganza starting a 5 p.m. at St. Ann's parish house, 134 Main St. A pulled pork dinner is available for those who don't like lobster. The guys boil a couple hundred ears of corn, bake huge Russet potatoes, make the cole slaw and get their best-baking wives and family to come up with home made desserts. And lots of butter and a roll and bottled water or a soft drink.
 
Tickets for the lobster are $25. For the pulled pork, $15. For those who don't want either but still want to come, hot dogs and hamburgers will be on the grill.
 
Get your ticket from any VFW member or call Lou Fortune at 413-347-6016. I have seen tickets sold at the door but better to be sure .... There is plenty of parking at St. Ann's. And room to eat indoors or under the tent.
 
The dinner goes until 9 but I wouldn't wait too long — the lobsters have run out before the end at least one year.
 
 
And, then, next week, Sunday, Aug. 21, Darryl Sawin, principal of Other Brother Darryl's in Otis, will be catering Lobsterfest, the huge annual fundraiser for the Berkshire National Fish Hatchery, Hatchery Road in Monterey (off Route 23), 413-528-9761.
 
He said he'll start with a raw bar of clams and oysters with all the fixings including his Mignonette sauce of cracked pepper, shallots, vinegar and whatever secret spices Darryl uses.
 
Then he'll serve New England clam chowder, steamed littleneck clams, 1 1/4 pound lobsters, grilled herbed new potatoes and green beans almondine.
 
And there are hot dogs and hamburgers for those who want them.
Sawin said the hatchery takes care of the dessert, usually watermelon, and coffee.
 
The fest takes place under a tent, rain or shine.
 
Ed Domaney, of Domaney's Discount Liquors in Great Barrington, donates bottles of liquors, wines and beers for the Hatchery to sell at the Lobsterfest.
 
"For a good cause," he said.
 
"It's always nice. I've been going for 15 years running. It's a nice family atmosphere. If you've got kids, they'll give them a tour of the tanks. It's fun."
 
He said a raffle ticket is part of the event's ticket price although people can buy more raffle tickets.
 
"I always like to stay through the end. They raffle off some lobsters. Carr Hardware and other businesses donate things to raffle," Domaney said.
 
Tickets are $65. Call the hatchery to reserve.
 
Sawin said, "It's one of my favorite events to do. 180 to 250 people from all walks of life show up. It's an eclectic mix of people. They come every year to support the Hatchery."
 
"It's a blast," he said. "A good time is had by all!"
 
 
Here's a family-friendly something to do on Sunday, Aug. 13, in the middle of the day, after brunch between 11 a. m. and 3 p. m. — especially if it is a rainy weekend day, or hot and humid.
 
The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle St. in Great Barrington, will be hosting the Massachusetts debut of the Dog Film Festival, with a portion of the ticket sale price going to the Berkshire Humane Society. The Humane Society is, naturally, very enthusiastic about this festival.
 
There are two separate, different programs made up of short films combined into two continuous films, one showing at 11 a.m. and one showing at 1:30 p.m. The 1:30 showing includes some films with subtitles.
 
The Humane Society is bringing adoptable dogs to the showing and, also, creating time and space for photo ops.
 
Tickets are $15 per screening. So that would be $30 to see both films. And for a good cause. For all those furred friends we love so much.
 
 
On Sunday, Aug. 14, from 12 to 6 p. m., TRUSIC Music, LLC and EL'evations will present what they hope will become an annual Hudson Valley Vegan Food Festival will be held at Newburgh Recreation Football Field at Delano-Hitch Park, 401 Washington St. in Newburgh, N.Y.
 
Promoters say that the goal of this event is to promote health awareness, nutrition, and overall wellness through various eco-friendly vegan and vegetarian options.
 
There will be what the city of Newburgh hopes are the best vegan and vegetarian food vendors, a vegan burger, appetizer and dessert competition, live music, yoga, artisanal vendors, events for kids and more.
 
Adult admission is $5, children are free. For more information: 845-702-4053 or ky.elevations@gmail.com. The rain date will be Saturday, Aug. 20.
 
 
John Wheeler, president of the Berkshire Mycological Society will bring his delight in and ever-expanding storehouse of knowledge of the wild funghi of the Berkshires to the great room inside Bascom Lodge, at the top of Mount Greylock in Lanesborough and North Adams, in his free talk and display, "Mushrooms, Mushrooms, Mushrooms!" at 6 p.m. this Sunday, Aug. 14.
 
Lunch, Sunset Beverage Hour and prix fixe dinner with choices as above. Sunday's dinner entrées will be sea scallops in herb butter, cider-braised half chicken with apples, shallots, and bacon or a zucchini and cauliflower cutlet in mushroom sauce with crème fraiche. Call as above for dinner reservations.
 
And there is much more music coming to Bascom Lodge for the rest of the month of August — all concerts at 6 p.m. inside the Lodge.
 
Robert Oakes and Katherine Smith, acoustic folk-pop duo Oakes & Smith, will perform on Sunday, Aug. 21. Alice and Larry Spatz and Jared Polens, the trio Wintergreen who perform their own as well as music of America and the British Isles, will be at the Lodge on Wednesday, Aug. 17. Sunday, Aug. 28, Moonshine Hollar, the American roots music band/duo of Paula Bradley and Bill Dillof will perform.
 
Also, Sunday, Aug. 21, will feature a Jazz Dinner with the Wes Brown Trio — Wes Brown bass, Andy Jaffe piano and Jill Connolly jazz stylist. The trio will perform during dinner.
 
Entrée choices will be braised beef short ribs, sautéed sea scallops or quinoa and vegetable stuffed red bell pepper. Call for reservations.
 
 
Berkshire Co-op Market, 42 Bridge St. in Great Barrington, 413 528-9697 Ext. 40, szepeda@berkshire.coop for owner services, will hold its monthly Co-op Convo cooperative conversation on Tuesday, Aug. 16, from 6 to 8 p. m. in the Co-op café.
 
Co-op leaders entice owners and any other interested customers to come listen to and take part in discussions on topics of interest and to enjoy "delicious snacks"  while so doing.
 
The talk will be "about what is going on in and out of the store while giving you an opportunity to share your ideas,
concerns and inquiries," said the Co-op staff.
 
People are welcome to come any time between 6 and 8.
 
 
On Thursday, Aug. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m., chef Julie Gale, owner of At the Kitchen Table Cooking School in Hillsdale, N. Y., will present the last in her seasonal Asian summer cooking series at The Chef's Shop, 31 Railroad St. in Great Barrington, 413 528-0135, email@thechefsshop.com, www.thechefsshop.com. She will focus on Vietnamese summer foods. She will be prepare summer shrimp rolls, grilled pork meatballs and a peach-lime fool.
 
I'm not sure how Vietnamese a peach-lime fool is but it does sound very good. Fool is an ancient English dessert that mixes or swirls pureed fruit into custard or very heavy whipped cream. Who'd complain?
 
Gale's classes are hands-on and 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 and Guido's Fresh Marketplace, The Chef's Shop partner, donates all the ingredients for the meal.
The class will cost $40.
 
Payment for classes 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.
 
 
 
 
This month's Third Thursday theme in Pittsfield will be touch-a-truck. On Thursday, Aug. 18, from 5 to 8 p.m., North Street will array more than a dozen military, construction and emergency vehicles up and down its curbsides between Bradford and Linden Streets.
 
I was disappointed not to find a food truck among these. I would way more wish to touch a food truck than a police car, a fire truck, an ambulance, a jeep or tank or tractor.
 
Just to let you know, I've been seeing the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes poster announcing the central focus of September's Third Thursday, the 15th, all over Lenox Dale. It is probably scattered around other neighborhoods, as well. Encouraging/reminding us in the Berkshires to stop the violence.
 
Get your red spiked heels ready to stroll up North Street in a few weeks, guys particularly.
 
 
The Sheffield Farmers' Market, in the Old Parish Church parking lot at 125 Main St., will celebrate its annual Cornfest on Friday, Aug. 19, from 3 to 6:30 p. m. during their regular market hours.
 
The market will feature corn-y jokes, tastings, corn silk tea, popcorn and corn-related games. And, probably, more.
 
 

The experts at the Repair Cafe may be able to make your old dusty thing good as new.
This month's free Repair Café will take place on Saturday, Aug. 20, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the social hall, downstairs, at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 67 East St. Use the side door on Allen Street across from the Berkshire Bank parking lot (a good place to park on a Saturday afternoon) in Pittsfield.
 
Founder and original coordinator Janet Henderson has moved out of state but the Repair Café volunteer team has regrouped and continues this much-appreciated service.
 
Skilled volunteers await those in need of repairs to vacuum cleaners, wooden items, lamps and other electrical and electronic pieces, bicycles and other mechanical devices, buttons, hems and other small sewing needs, often upholstery repairs.
 
Volunteer Bruce Henry said, "We now, again, have a grinder with aluminum oxide wheel and are equipped to sharpen garden tools as well as scissors, knives and the like."
 
There is always a free giveaway table, light snacks and refreshments and, usually, a musician playing live music. Everything is free.
 
The Repair Café has a very pleasant atmosphere.
 
Bring one or two repair-worthy items. It does not cost anything to have the repair people try to fix or actually fix your broken chair or fan or toaster oven. But, I always leave a donation because I appreciate that anything gets repaired, these days.
 
 
This year's annual Greek Fest 2016 at St. George Greek Orthodox Church of the Berkshires, 73 Bradford St., Pittsfield, 413-443-8113, will fill the neighborhood with rich meaty and lemony grilling aromas and live Greek music for the weekend of Saturday, Aug. 20 from 11 a. m. to 8 p. m. and Sunday, Aug. 21 from noon to 6 p.m.
 
The festival will take place no matter the weather because it will be under a tent in the parking lot of the church. Parishioners, many of whom are professional chefs, will be there making the food to sit down and eat of takeaway with you. They will have been baking for a while so you can get baklava and other Greek pastries.
 
Attendance is free. You just spend money on the irresistible foods and gifts imported from Greece. And these church members really encourage you to get up and join them in dance.
All the better to make it possible to eat those pastries. And grape leaves and souvlaki…
 
 
Wild Oats Co-op Market in Williamstown thanks everyone who came for a sundae during their ice cream social Saturday, July 30.
 
Serving ice creams and sorbets from Bart's Homemade in Greenfield, Blue Moon Sorbet in Quechee, Vt., High Lawn Farm in Lee and SoCo Creamery in Great Barrington with house-made sauces, whipped cream, crunchies and organic fruits, Wild Oats raised $639 for Louison House's Family Life Support Center in Adams that was damaged by a fire and the water from the sprinkler system late in June.
 
 
Speaking of ice cream socials and raising money …
 

The annual Trinity Church ice cream social to benefit Thelma's Little Fund in Lenox.
When I got home at the end of my day last Monday, Aug. 1, I was lucky enough to be in time for the 25th anniversary ice cream social (from 6 to 8 p.m. on the first Monday in August annually) to benefit Thelma's Little Fund at Trinity Episcopal Church in Lenox. In its quarter-century existence, the ice cream social has raised more than $50,000 for any Lenox child in need.
 
Most years, 50 or 60 residents come to eat ice cream. This year, more outreach and publicity was done, the Rev. Michael Tuck, pastor of Trinity, said. More than 100 people showed up, including at least 20 children.
 
I never knew this event existed until I saw the notice in the town's senior paper that same evening.
 
The fund was named for longtime Trinity organist and choir director Thelma Dengler who taught music at Morris Elementary School in Lenox. Inspired by her commitment to the children of Lenox, Trinity established the fund to honor and continue her work in the community after her death in 1990.
 
Tuck explained that fund requests come through the Lenox public schools and other extra-church entities, "So, we never know who recipients are and no one is personally embarrassed. The school nurse may call and say, 'We have a child who needs a pair of shoes,' or a town housing department worker lets Trinity know that some child needs the costs of camp. We just give them the money — no questions asked."
 
Martha Joyner, executive director of the Lenox Housing Authority, said, "In a small town like Lenox, it can be difficult to ask for help. People need their dignity, and it can be hard for parents even to ask for the things they need for their children. By working with other service providers in Lenox, the Fund is able to get money to those who need it quickly, quietly and discretely."
 
Tuck told me SoCo sold them the ice cream at cost. But the church had to buy the jarred sauces, the cans of spray whipped cream, the walnuts, the gummy somethings and all the other toppings.
 
It would be nice if some local businesses participated in this sweet event by donating, say, some gallons of maple syrup or restaurant-made caramel syrup, hot fudge sauce or house-baked cookies or local berries, fruits, nuts and chocolate topping candies. What about local whipped cream? All these donations would benefit Lenox children.
 
When I came in, silver balloon bouquets tied with curly ribbons and sparkly silver table decorations filled the room. A few people were already spooning their whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles off their bowls of ice cream.
 
There is no fee for the ice cream social. Attendees make a free-will offering for their made-to-order sundae.
 
"I've seen some people put $100 in the jar. That's a pretty expensive dish of ice cream," Tuck laughed.

 

 

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