Plate to Plate

Where’s the beef?

That’s essentially the message I posted the other night to the new Berkshire Grown Online Farmers’ Market, a great concept developed by Berkshire Grown to connect local growers, restaurateurs, and other eaters via Facebook. I was seeking a locally-raised steak to cook up for Dan on his birthday, and while I could head over to the local co-op and peruse the shelves, I thought I’d give this new concept a try. Like a good old-fashioned community bulletin board, the Berkshire Grown Online Farmers’ Market is rife with short, deliciously tempting little notes, like the following from Mighty Food Farm in Pownal, VT:

Beets (red, gold chioggia), Carrots, Butternut Squash, Buttercup Squash, Carnival Squash, Kuri Squash, Garlic, Red and Green Cabbage, Russets, Gold Fingerlings, plus more beets and more squash.

Not bad for the dead of winter, eh?

I got a response to my query within minutes, it seemed, and the next day, an email: Angela Cardinali, a locavore neighbor and, as it turned out, the genius responsible for this whole enterprise, was willing to pick up some beef for me over at Black Queen Angus Farm, since she was headed that way already.

Later, via email, Angela told me that she created the page “at the suggestion of a local chef who is a big supporter of the farm-to-table movement in the Berkshires and as a follow up to the Holiday Farmers’ Markets where I heard lots of feedback about farmers and customers wanting a market throughout the winter months. The BGOFM is a ‘virtual winter farmers’ market’ and I’m hoping it can serve a purpose in the high season to help farmers sell off excess product.”

Now that is cool — Facebook fostering our community’s drive to keep its food dollars local. Who’d ever have guessed?