Leslie Fraidstern's quest to track down people in long-ago Gazette photos

Leslie Fraidstern's photo project started simply enough one day this past June, when he stopped by the Daily Hampshire Gazette's office in Northampton. He was there to pick up back copies of the paper that he'd missed while he and his wife were in Brooklyn, N.Y., visiting their two sons and their families.

Inside

I first heard about Leslie Fraidstern's photo project from Annette Townley, a former Valley resident who now lives in California. Townley's picture had been featured in the Gazette in 1990 as part of a story about mediation services.

Karen Romanowski

In an area where CSAs - community supported agriculture farms - have grown increasingly common over the years, Brookfield Farm in Amherst, started in 1986, holds the title of the first in the region. And since 1994, Karen Romanowski and her husband, Dan Kaplan, have steered the operation, which supplies vegetables and other fresh food to 525 shareholders.

First person: The wedding planner

Because I am going to be father of the bride for the second time - which puts me ahead of both Spencer Tracy and Steve Martin, just in case any Hollywood producers are reading this - I was extremely interested to read about Chelsea Clinton's wedding.

Small but mighty shrimp

America's favorite seafood? Shrimp. It's easy to see why; shrimp are available fresh or frozen, shell-on and peeled, raw and cooked. They lend themselves to countless dishes, from curries to gumbos to kebabs to stir-fries.

How to buy shrimp

New Orleans chef John Besh offers tips on what to look for:

Dark brown heads, legs or tails can mean old shrimp. The color should be light, "almost transparent in a way," Besh said.

Use fresh shrimp immediately, if possible, or within a day.

Whole, fresh head-on shrimp should still have antennae attached; shrimp without them were likely frozen.

Shrimp and the spill

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has left chefs, consumers and experts wondering and worrying over the region's rich aquatic bounty.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says on its website that the Gulf situation and its impact on seafood safety are being closely monitored.