Food

Discover the best food, farms, and dining in the Hudson Valley, Berkshires, and Litchfield Hills. Rural Intelligence shares local restaurant reviews, seasonal recipes, and stories celebrating regional flavor.

Food

Cold Comfort: 8 Fruit Soup Recipes from "Cooking Know-How"

"We refer to ourselves as the hardest working cookbook writers that no one has ever heard of," Mark Scarbrough said a few week ago before he and his life-partner and collaborator, Bruce Weinstein, left on a three-week publicity tour for their 15th book, Cooking Know-How (John Wiley &

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Food

Guinea Fowl - Exterminating Angels?

Peter Davies of Turkana Farms writes: My interest in guinea fowl, dating back some thirty years, was probably initially more aesthetic than culinary. I liked the look of the flocks I saw moving like a single undulating organism across summer-house lawns in the Hamptons. I only learned about the racket

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Food

AgriCulture: Bottoms up! It's Rhubarb Season

Mark Scherzer of Turkana Farms does the honors this week, with one small interjection by Peter Davies. We've been writing a lot about our animals lately, but there's another explosion of life happening on the farm these days of high mid-spring: vegetables. I thought we should

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Food

It's Beneficial To Indulge at the Berkshire Museum Wine Auction

These aren't times for hedonism—unless your self indulgence can be construed as philanthropic, too. If you're an oenophile or sybarite, the Berkshire Museum's Biennial Wine Auction on Saturday, May 30, in Pittsfield offers many ways to splurge on yourself while also supporting the

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Food

Agri-Culture: Finding A Breed They Can Live With

Peter Davies is a dealer in world textiles and kilim rugs, particularly those from Turkey, a destination he knows well and for which he also is a travel consultant. His partner, Mark Scherzer, this week’s correspondent, has his own law firm, specializing in health law. For most of the

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Food

AgriCulture: A Harrowing Mother's Day Tale

The following story, told alternately by Peter Davies and Mark Scherzer of Turkana Farms, is not for the queasy or the faint of heart. But, for those who tough it out, particular those of us who are mothers of daughters, there is ample reward in the end. Get out your

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Food

Harney Tea Bar

"Genteel but not-at-all-fussy"

By Lisa Green

Food

Foraging for Ramps with Chef Peter Platt

Update: Knowledgeable naturalist Russ Cohen (click on comments below) will be conducting a foraging walk at the Hawthorne Valley Farm in Ghent on Saturday. June 6, sponsored by the Columbia Land Conservancy. Farmed + Foraged: A Weekend of Spring Flavors, on May 15 - 17, is a farm-to-table dining event with

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Food

AgriCulture: Fruitfully Multiplying

Peter Davies is a dealer in world textiles and kilim rugs, particularly those from Turkey, a destination he knows well and for which he also is a travel consultant. His partner, Mark Scherzer, this week's correspondent, has his own law firm, specializing in health law. For most of

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Food

Sesame Noodles With A Side of Hope

Why was Kirsten Thorn, a shy 16-year-old, offering plates of addictive sesame noodles in the produce department of Guido's in Great Barrington the other day? "She's part of the Railroad Street Youth Project," explained her mentor, Daire Rooney, the executive chef at Brix in

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Food

AgriCulture: Ossabaw Island Hogs

Peter Davies is a dealer in world textiles and kilim rugs, particularly those from Turkey, a destination he knows well and for which he also is a travel consultant. His partner, Mark Scherzer, has his own law firm, specializing in health law. For most of the past decade, the pair

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Food

A New Pear Brandy from Harvest Spirits

Update: Harvest Spirits Pear Takes The BronzeIn April, Harvest Spirits Pear brandy was awarded a bronze medal by the American Distilling Institute at the sixth annual ADI Brandy conference and competition in Alameda, California. The pear brandy/eau de vie category was the most competitive, drawing dozens of entries. The

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