Berkshire Tidbits: From the Top of Mount Greylock
Bascom Lodge, 413-743-1591, at the top of Mount Greylock in Adams will have its first musical evening of this year's season on Wednesday, June 1, at 6 in the Lodge lobby. This, as most events at the Lodge at the top of Mount Greylock, is free and open to the public. No reservations are necessary.
Quintessential, a local Berkshires all-male a cappella/without instrumental accompaniment quintet — tenors Al Thorp, Jay Wise and Jim McMenamy and bass/baritones Steve Dahlin and David Anderegg — will be new to the Lodge.
However, "the men are all veteran performers who have appeared with other local musical groups, including the Berkshire Bach Society, the Berkshire Concert Choir, the Berkshire Opera, Earth Angels, Great Barrington Performing Arts, the Lorien Ensemble, Shaker Mountain Festival and the Stockbridge Festival Chorus."
The group sings a wide variety of musical styles — gospel, reggae, classical, barbershop, American standards, classic rock, funk and original liturgical and popular music — and plan to add opera to their repertoire in future.
"We'll sing anything that moves," is their motto.
As a group, Quintessential has performed at the Berkshire Fringe Festival, the Berkshire Theatre Festival, the Colonial Theatre, the national anthem for the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in 2004, the Norman Rockwell Museum, the Red Lion Inn, Ventfort Hall and at Wahconah Park.
You can make a dinner reservation for 3-course prix fixe dinner with choices for about $35 plus gratuity and tax, by calling the number above.
Thursday's dinner starts with a warm roasted shrimp cocktail and ends with a lemon curd tart with fresh berries. Main course choices are braised beef short ribs or chicken braised with shallots and cremini mushrooms or a poblano pepper stuffed with chickpeas, butternut squash, 3 cheeses and more.
On Thursday, June 2, from 6 to 8, chef Julie Gale of At the Table Cooking School in Hillsdale, N.Y., will be giving her June in Tuscany class as part of her "Cooking at the Chef's Shop" series, 31 Railroad St. in Great Barrington, 413-528-0135.
Julie will be making and teaching how to make a veal saltimbocca/a thin veal cutlet lined with prosciutto and herbs then rolled into a birdlike shape and braise-sautéed in wine and butter (how can this be anything but fantastic tasting?), a mushroom risotto and an Italian lemon-almond tart. All her classes are hands on with students participating in the preparations. When the food is done, the class eats.
The cost is $60 per person for a single class, $150 for a series of three. 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. Call or email@TheChefsShop.com, to reserve a place.
There is one more class in Julie's series this season, Grilling Basics from 3 to 5 on Sunday, June 12. And there will be two upcoming cooking classes at The Chef's Shop presented by chef Marco Belli on Friday, June 10, from 5:30 to 8 and on Friday, July 8, from 6 to 8. Details to come.
The Sheffield Farmers Market will open for the season on Friday, June 3, from 3 to 6:30 in the parking lot of the Old Parish Church, 125 Main St./Route 7. It is open every Friday through Oct. 7.
This year's list of farmers and other vendors will be Brece Honeycutt of Sheffield, Colfax Farm from West Stockbridge, Earthborn Garden from Hillsdale, N.Y., First-Flower Farm from West Stockbridge, Fox Hill Farm from Sheffield, Graham Farmhouse from West Stockbridge, Little Bit Farm from Ashley Falls, Lone Silo Farm from Canaan, Conn., Mahaiwe Candleworks from Great Barrington, My Dad's Jewelry from Norfolk, Conn., Rolling Rock Farm from Sheffield, Sky View Farm from Sheffield, Stone Soup from the Sheffield First Congregational Church with Woodside Orchards and Studio 55 from Hudson, N.Y.
Products from Berkshire Mountain Bakery of Housatonic, Cricket Creek Farm of Williamstown and Hosta Hill Provisions of Housatonic will also be available.
Sheffield Farmers Market creators encourage shoppers to sit at the available picnic tables to have coffee and a croissant or whatever, to let their children play, listen to Farmers Market live music makers, get some garden advice from Greenagers and more.
The market is all about community.
The Yoked Parish of Becket will serve its free monthly community pasta dinner this Friday, June 3 from 5 to 7. All are welcome.
Parish minister, the Rev. Kevin Smail said that the offers this regular free meal to build community. It usually includes a pasta dish, salad, Italian or garlic bread and an assortment of mostly homemade desserts and beverages.
The free dinner will be at the parish house of the Becket Federated Church, 413-623-5217, 3381 Main St. across from the Becket Washington elementary school, just past the intersection with Route 8 in North Becket.
Reservations are not necessary. Just show up.
On Sunday, June 5, from 10 to 2, the New Lebanon Farmers Market opens at Windswept Farm, 36 Old Route 20. It will be open every Sunday through Oct. 16. This market takes SNAP/EBT/food stamps, WIC, senior SFMNP/senior farmers market nutrition program coupons.
Last year's market had and, hopefully, this year's will offer fresh local fruits and vegetables, pasture raised meats, free range eggs, bread, pies and other baked goods, jams, hickory syrup, garlic salts,, prepared hot foods New Lebanon Baloney, handmade body care products, beautiful jewelry, local brewed beer, live music and more.
Again, at Bascom Lodge, 413-743-1591, at the top of Mount Greylock in Adams, this Sunday evening, June 5, at 6 p.m., Ed Neumeth, president of Berkshire's local Hoffmann Bird Club, will give a free talk in the Lodge lobby about the birds present on Mount Greylock, emphasizing the rarities.
For those who wish to stay for 3-course prix fixe dinner by reservation which costs about $35 plus gratuity and tax, call the number above.
Dinner starts with a root vegetable soup with kale and ends with strawberry shortcake with lemon curd. Main courses are crispy arctic char with red cabbage in cider vinegar or bacon-roasted chicken with white beans in white wine or a zucchini cutlet with mushroom sauce.
The next morning, Monday, June 6 at 6 a. m., Ed will lead a free bird walk up Rockwell Road starting at the Visitors Center.
Birders, and anyone else interested, are encouraged to gather at the lodge after the bird walk, about 8:30 to 9:30 a. m., for an a la carte Lodge breakfast with what Bascom Lodge co-owner and chef John Dudek calls "a typical dinner breakfast" with choices of bacon or sausage and eggs, omelets, eggs Benedict, pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, yogurt with granola and fruit, etc. — all with that gorgeous view out and below if predicted clouds lift which is a sight in itself.
Ed will lead a second free bird walk and breakfast at 6 a.m. on Sunday, June 12, similar instructions as on June 6.
Binoculars are recommended for the bird walks.
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