Pittsfield Farmers Market opens for business under cloudy skies

PITTSFIELD – Cheese, flowering plants, herbs, massages, music and information on the benefits of milk from Jersey cows could all be found on opening day of the Downtown Pittsfield Farmers Market.

[media-credit id=3 align=”aligncenter” width=”300″][/media-credit]If opening day is any indication, the city’s newest Saturday morning market will continue to be a smashing success.

It is  collaborated by the City of Pittsfield, Downtown Pittsfield, Inc., and Alchemy Initiative.

Jess Conzo is the market manager and executive director of Alchemy Initiative.

Open booths under beige, blue and white awnings, as well as visitors’ cars jammed the parking lot across from the Common on First Street.

Uncooperative weather failed to keep the curious away. They came to browse, buy and enjoy the excitement of a new farmers market despite dark gray skies that loomed above.

[media-credit id=3 align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Young families with little ones in tow, elderly customers and some teens all converged on the market and perused all there was to see.

Two guitarists played and sang under a beige awning while, under another booth nearby, a masseuse worked on a young woman stretched out on a table.

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Representatives of High Lawn Farm, located on 1,500 acres in Lee, distributed information on milk produced by their Jersey cows.

According to a brochure available under the farm’s blue awning, there are extra benefits to drinking milk from Jersey cows.

For instance, Jersey milk apparently has more than 18 percent protein and 29 percent more milkfat compared to other brands.

[media-credit id=3 align=”aligncenter” width=”300″][/media-credit]In addition, there’s more calcium and vitamins A and B1 in Jersey milk. In other words, Jersey milk is more nutritious and apparently even tastes better than other brands, according to the literature.

Windy Ridge Farm in Hawley raises organic vegetables, herbs, small fruits, flowers and plants. They distributed brochures about their CSA (community supported agriculture) operation.

With CSAs, customers select shares in various price ranges and obtain a variety of fruits and vegetables the farm produces. For more information, go to the farm’s website, windyridgeorganics.com, or to its Facebook page.

Windy Ridge also had a variety of herbs and other plants for sale.

Naturally, there were food booths at the new market, too, such as the food truck How We Roll.

Hungry customers crowded around several available options.

In one booth at the market, a composting workshop took place, one of several educational classes that will be held  in coming weeks.

Artists are getting involved in the market, too, and will have their work available throughout the spring, summer and fall.

Mall market opens

Meanwhile, across town, the farmers market at the Berkshire Mall in the parking lot in front of Sears also celebrated opening day.

[media-credit id=3 align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Brilliant red and pink geraniums, as well as white ones, from Jaeschke’s Fruit and Flower Center on Crane Avenue in Pittsfield were the first plants customers saw on the ground as they started their trek visiting various farmers’ booths.

Customers could buy perky pansies, harbingers of spring, in a variety of colors.

The smell of grilling mushrooms wafted through the air. Some people, however, opted to munch on biscotti or bought plastic-wrapped loaves of freshly baked bread.

[media-credit id=3 align=”alignleft” width=”243″][/media-credit]The gray sky got darker as the morning went on, but people continued to support the farmers’ stands at both markets, which will be jammed sooner than later with produce and fruit of all kinds.

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Both the Pittsfield and Lanesborough Farmers Markets will operate every Saturday through the end of October, rain or shine.

Posted by Susan M. Wicker Guerrero on May 16, 2013. Filed under Breaking News,Community Events,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry