Good morning, everyone. It’s a fresh new Monday, and I’m feeling pretty chipper despite the gray skies and frigid temperatures, maybe because I just finished developing a handful of photos from this weekend’s Winter Fare farmers’ market in Greenfield. The place was packed — utterly slammed with produce-purchasing local food fanatics. It was awesome, but so much humanity made it hard to get a good picture. Before I share the few shots I did take, I wanted to remind you to stop by the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food event in North Adams tonight.

Finally, I was pretty excited to log into WordPress this morning and see that this is my 100th post here at Plate to Plate. Small change to some, for sure, but a nice little milestone. Later this week I’d like to share with you some photos I took of our last CSA distribution from the root cellar at Caretaker Farm, but for now, let’s take a peek at the Winter Fare farmers’ market.

Hanging in the window of a vacant storefront in downtown North Adams was a small, white sign. It said:

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food

This is not the sort of sign that usually hangs in a shop window in North Adams. I did a double-take. And then I promptly whipped out my phone and entered the time and date for this event. I sure as heck wanted to know my farmer. (Well, I do know my farmer; he’s Don at Caretaker Farm. But certainly there are others, and I don’t know them…yet.)

News travels slow here in the Berkshires — at least it does for me — so it took me some digging to find out what this event was all about. Headed up by the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and inspired by the USDA’s recent Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food campaign, our very own local KYF event will be an opportunity to discover where you can get locally grown or raised food here in the Berkshires year-round. Local growers, producers, and purveyors will provide samples, and local author Amy Cotler will be around to sign copies of her book, The Locavore Way, whose cover illustration is so wonderfully, cutely appealing, I want to get it printed on a little button to wear on my jacket.

Now, I probably don’t have to tell you that food grown in your own community tastes better, is better for you, and helps to support an industry that — especially here in Berkshire County — is as vital as it is invaluable. Please join me at this event.

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food

Monday, February 8 2010, 5 – 7 PM
49 Main Street, North Adams

Contact Kim McMann at kimm (at) foodbankwma (dot) org for more information.