Valley Bounty: ‘Looking forward since 1806’: Barstow family has been producing milk and more in Hadley for eight generations

By CLAIRE MORENON

The Barstow family has been producing milk in Hadley since the 1920s – and after nearly 90 years, they knew they had to make some changes if they wanted to stay in the dairy business.

Growing the local food system: Grow Food Northampton continues to honor the land and the people who grow on it

By LAURA SPENCER

It didn’t take long in my time volunteering with Grow Food Northampton to be struck by just how many ways they show up for our community. During early morning shifts, the Community Farm staff guided us in harvesting produce like radishes, kale, garlic, and tomatoes that would be sent to local food pantries and cooked into healthy meals. I watched Molly, the education manager, bring school kids into the strawberry patch for a botanical scavenger hunt, and witnessed the children’s delighted faces when they were each allowed to pick one juicy red fruit right off the vine, all of them asking for more. I signed up for free classes about permaculture and soil health and how to tend to our gardens in the time of climate change.

Let’s Talk Relationships: Bridging the emotional divide: Part 1: The impact of gender conditioning

By AMY NEWSHORE

Why is it so hard for many couples to connect emotionally, even when they love each other? So often, the answer lies in early messages — whether clearly stated or subtly implied — that teach each gender how to “do” emotion. Men are often told to “man up.” Women are told they’re “too emotional.” These lessons, absorbed in childhood, shape how we show up in adult relationships and quietly build walls between us. The emotional divide they create runs deep, and its impact on connection is profound.

Weekly Food Photo Contest: This week’s winner: Daniel Czitrom of South Hadley

Daniel Czitrom of South Hadley made this homemade pastrami by brining brisket for 12 days, then smoking it for four hours and baking it in the oven for two hours.

These ‘Amateurs’ are anything but: Comedy, tragedy and pandemic tell relatable tale in Silverthorne Theater’s latest production

By CAROLYN BROWN

In Silverthorne Theater Company’s latest production, Jordan Harrison’s “The Amateurs,” a deft cast nimbly weaves their way through a complicated but comedic script with COVID-era resonance.

Rock On with Joan Axelrod-Contrada: Happiest song in the world?: Hearing ‘Good Vibrations’ through fresh ears

By JOAN AXELROD-CONTRADA

I was scrolling through my Google feed (that algorithm really gets me in ways that are both spooky and oddly comforting) when, kaboom, a headline fired up my inner skeptic. “Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys (scientifically) makes people happier than any other song,” it said.

Arts Briefs: ‘A Walk in the Woods’ in Amherst, ‘Guys and Dolls’ in Easthampton, Green River Fest, and more

Valley Players’ production of Lee Blessing’s play “A Walk in the Woods” will run at First Congregational Church in Amherst at 7 p.m. June 20-22, June 27-28, and at 2:30 p.m. on June 29.

Speaking of Nature: Pressure is on for the spotted turtle: Now is the point in the turtle life cycle when female turtles are most vulnerable

By BILL DANIELSON

The story of this spring has been the weather; specifically, the rain that just keeps falling. Add in the new arrival of the hazy smoke blowing south from Canadian wildfires and you’ve got a soggy, foggy, smoky, cloudy mess. The grass in my lawn is growing like crazy and the notion of a No Mow May wasn’t even really much of a choice so much as it was foisted upon us by the weather. When I finally get a dry moment to get out into the yard I am going to have to keep my eyes open for tigers and velociraptors in the tall grass.

A food fest to feel good about: Inaugural Western Mass Vegan Food Fest is this Sunday, June 15

By CAROLYN BROWN

A new vegan food festival is about to take root in the Pioneer Valley.

Catharsis meets comedy: ‘Customers From Hell’ show will premiere at the Shea Theater on Sunday, June 15

By CAROLYN BROWN

Most people who have worked retail and food service jobs have dealt with customers who were rude, annoying, or just plain strange. A new comedy TV series written and filmed in the Pioneer Valley wants to answer the question: what if those customers were actually from Hell?

Valley Bounty: Rain or shine, strawberries are here: Teddy C. Smiarowski Farm welcomes another pick-your-own season

By LISA GOODRICH

The Smiarowski family name has been a fixture in Valley farming since around 1923 when Alexander Smiarowski came from Poland, and purchased farmland in Montague for a dairy, along with cucumbers, asparagus and corn.

There is a Season with Molly Parr: Cheesecake sans stress: No need to track down your springform pan

By MOLLY PARR

For years I’d been nervous about making cheesecakes. They seemed so difficult to master. I never quite trusted the combination of “water bath” and springform pan. I mention this because the Jewish holiday of Shavuot happened earlier this week. It’s traditional to eat dairy foods like cheese blintzes, noodle kugels, of course, cheesecake.

Weekly Food Photo Contest: This week’s winner: Claire Frierson of Northampton

Claire Frierson of Northampton made this Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake for her daughter Julia’s birthday.

Around and About with Richard McCarthy: No direction known: Remembering the days of giving and receiving directions

By RICHARD MCCARTHY

It’s interesting how certain actions are made rarer, even extinct, by advancing technology, one-by-one, in an ever-longer line.

‘Meant to only last the summer’: Amherst artist’s wheatpaste murals among those now decorating Montague

By CAROLYN BROWN

Earlier this year, three Massachusetts artists were chosen to create six wheatpaste murals total to decorate the town of Montague, a public art project funded by a $15,000 grant. The most local of the three – graphic designer and illustrator Sophie Foulkes – recently installed her murals at Montague Town Hall and 20 Masonic St. in Montague.

Arts Briefs: Cultural Chaos in Easthampton, Chris Haynes memorial at Bombyx, and more

The street fair Cultural Chaos, one of Easthampton’s biggest annual events, will return this year on Saturday, June 14, from 12 to 5 p.m. on Cottage Street in Easthampton.

Speaking of Nature: The pressures of parenthood: Bird dads, like human dads, deserve a happy Father’s Day

By BILL DANIELSON

June is upon us and we are all set to celebrate Father’s Day this coming weekend. If we have any luck at all the weather will be cooperative, but the pattern has been pretty dismal so far; 12 consecutive rainy weekends according to my brother. It has been a rough spring for outdoor activities, but that is seen strictly through the human lens. Our wild neighbors have a schedule to keep and the game is on rain or shine.

‘Is Alice in you?’: Teens reimagine ‘Alice in Wonderland’ in ‘genre-bending’ show next weekend in Northampton

By CAROLYN BROWN

Lewis Carol’s story of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” is more than 150 years old, but a group of local teen performers is reimagining it with a modern twist.

Dine downtown: Amherst Restaurant Week is June 8-12

By SCOTT MERZBACH

A tradition for 28 years, the Taste of Amherst for most of its run brought restaurants to the Town Common in mid-June, with select menu items offered from various tents that attendees could enjoy while listening to live music.