![]() We are proud to be farmers and passionate about supplying you with healthy, vibrant vegetables and flowers. We love what we do and love the connection between agriculture and community. We encourage you to ask questions about where your food comes from, how it is grown, and what it takes to get from its source to your table.We are Certified Organic by Baystate Organic Certifiers, have an on-farm Certified Kitchen facility for processing, and are certified by the Commonwealth Quality Program. Please feel free to ask us about any of our growing practices and certifications. Above all, we want YOUR certification and trust in how we grow food and flowers for YOU!We created a Holistic Goal to guide us in our business management, and use present tense to help us embody, step-in to, and realize its actuality. Old Friends Farm Holistic Goal: Old Friends Farm grows food and flowers with integrity for consumers and ourselves. We offer fair pay to our workers and owners, and foster connection between the community and local agriculture. Old Friends Farm manages the farm to be part of a healthy ecosystem. Old Friends Farm provides a fun and creative workplace. All people connected with the farm— workers, owners, and customers alike— are respected, cared for, and valued. Old Friends Farm manages its business with integrity, balance and harmony; it creates a high quality product in a positive work space; it provides an environment and schedule where workers can thrive at work and in their off-farm life; and the farm is adaptable and proactive about change. The farm keeps excellent records, has good internal communication and grounded decision making. Old Friends Farm pays attention to the water and mineral cycles, energy flow and community dynamics within the ecological and social ecosystem. Old Friends Farm is a vibrant part of a healthy community and contributes to the local economy. The land is managed effectively, and is in better condition with each subsequent year. The community is a safe place to live, is diverse and accepting, and the link between sustainable agriculture and a healthy community is valued and actualized.
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![]() "It's 5 o'clock somewhere" being the mantra of good wine and celebration! Quality "hand crafted wines from hand tended vines” is what Mount Warner Vineyards Farmer Winery is all about. Located in the farm heritage community of Hadley, Bobbie and Gary Kamen’s artisan winery produces award winning wines from grapes they grow and harvest in their own one acre vineyard. The vineyard and winery was the Kamen’s “What’s Next” adventure as they embarked on the next phase of their lives. Gary retired from UMASS as a Professor of Kinesiology and Bobbie retired from AARP as a Senior Strategic Advisor. Their winemaking passion began in their basement about 17 years ago and their grape growing passion began shortly after when they planted about 25 vines from cuttings of wine grapes from their dear friends Brenda and Peter at Jewell Towne Vineyards in Southampton, New Hampshire. While the short growing season defines the varieties that can be grown here, these cold-climate varieties - developed at Cornell University for the New York Finger Lakes area and in Minnesota - are well suited to the Hampshire County mesoclimate. They have continued to experiment with trellising systems and expanded the vineyard to over 725 vines including a number of varietals such as Cayuga White, Chardonel, Seyval Blanc, Traminette, Marquette, Marechal Foch, Leon Millot, Corot Noir and Petite Pearl. In addition to the grape wines, they supplement their own harvest of raspberries with ripe berries from local farms to make a “to die for” raspberry port-style dessert wine – Raspberry Rhapsody and a Positively Peach dessert wine made from locally sourced ripe juicy peaches in the style of a classic dessert wine. As a “nano winery” their small scale production ensures that the vines will be hand tended and the wines will be hand crafted. Their wines can be sampled at several summer Farmers’s markets in Amherst, Springfield and Westfield. For more information contact Bobbie Kamen at 413-588-1329. Gary Kamen and Bobbie Kamen, Winemakers and Owners Mount Warner Vineyards LLC ![]() Roundhill Orchards is comprised of two farms, both century family farms. The homestead is in Southampton Massachusetts, and the other in Holyoke Massachusetts. Planting began in Southampton in the early 1980’s, by Kate Miller Carl and Alfred Rupert Carl Jr. and continues to this day. The Holyoke branch of the orchards was planted by Marian and Alfred Carl Sr., with help from Kate and Alfred Carl Jr., through the early 1980’s as well. In the early days of the orchard Kate and Alfred pollinated many local farms and orchards throughout New England with numerous hives. While currently focusing on small fruit production, the apiaries are still in production. Round Hill Orchards are currently owned and operated by Kate Miller Carl, and managed by Andrew Douglas Carl. Currently Roundhill Orchards raises numerous berries, stone fruits, apples, pears, vegetables, and honey bees, while also working to cultivate paw paws, persimmons, and hardy kiwis. The orchards practice IPM (integrated pest management), which is between an organic and conventional approach, but leans much closer to an organic approach. Roundhill Orchards attends the Florence and Amherst Farmers markets, with a farm stand located at 1 Douglas Rd. Southampton Massachusetts. Offering already picked fruits and vegetables, and for thrill seekers pick your own berries, apples, and pumpkins in season. Andrew makes for the third generation to attend both the Amherst and Florence farmers markets. The Orchards are largely worked by Kate and Andrew, with additional help from Jenny Kapinos, sister of Andrew, as well as Elizabeth and Thomas Kapinos, grandchildren of Kate and Alfred Jr. The family tradition continues, as Andrew and his fiancée Tricia Brown are soon to be wed, in a ceremony on the farm. Tricia will be known to many at the Market, since she has come to help out on busy days. |
AFM Marketblog
Bringing you organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised, locally-sourced blog posts on a semi-weekly basis from the Amherst Farmers' Market. Archives
September 2024
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