Farm Partners
At John Andrews, we believe the incredible foods grown and created by small producers here in our region are a large part of what makes our food so enjoyable. Chef Dan has worked with family farms and food makers since the restaurant opened in 1990 and buys half of his ingredients from more than 50 producers in the Berkshires, Hudson Valley and Northwestern Connecticut.
We approach our food the same way farmers and artisans approach their products – with passion and respect. We’d like to share with you the same joy we receive from these dedicated people and connect you to a few of their food stories in the profiles below. In addition, you can learn about many of our farm partners by visiting their websites directly.
Barefoot Farm, Alford, MA • Barrington Coffee Roasting Company, Lee, MA • Berkshire Mountain Distillers, Sheffield, MA • Berkshire Mountain Spring Water, Southfield, MA • Berkshire Wildflower Honey, Mill River, MA • Berle Farm, Hoosick, NY • The Berry Patch, Stephentown, NY • Blueberry Hill Farm, Mt. Washington, MA • Colfax Farm, West Stockbridge, MA • Cricket Creek Farm, Williamstown, MA • Equinox Farm, Sheffield, MA • Farm at Miller’s Crossing, Hudson, NY • Farm Girl Farm, Sheffield, MA • Feather Ridge Farm, Elizaville, NY • Harney & Sons Fine Teas, Millerton, NY • Highland Farm, Germantown, NY • High Lawn Farm, Lee, MA • Hilltop Orchards, Richmond, MA • Honey Dog Farm, Hillsdale, NY • Hosta Hill, West Stockbridge, MA • Hudson Valley Ducks, Ferndale, NY • Indian Line Farm, Egremont, MA • Lila’s Farm, Great Barrington, MA • Markristo Farm, Hillsdale, NY • Maynard Farms, Ulster, NY • Mill River Farm, Mill River, MA • MX Morningstar Farm, Copake, NY • North Plain Farm, Great Barrington, MA • Old Chatham Sheepherding Co, Old Chatham, NY • Olde Forge Organics, Tivoli, NY • Pigasso Farms, Copake, NY • Rawson Brook Farm, Monterey, MA • Rock City Mushrooms, Old Chatham, NY • Schober Farm, Ghent, NY • Taft Farms, Great Barrington, MA • Thompson-Finch Farm, Ancram, NY • Turner Farms Maple Syrup, South Egremont, MA • Wild & Cultivated, Sheffield, MA • Willow Brook Farms, Millerton, NY • Wolfe Spring Farm, Sheffield, MA • Zinke’s Homegrown, North Canaan, CT
Berle Farm
Berle Farm embraces a low outside input style of farming and is certified organic by Stellar Certification Services Inc., and Aurora. Located amidst the Green Mountains of Hoosick, NY, their 600-acre, 1840s farmstead produces artisan cheeses, yogurt, organic beef and other farm goods. Proprietor Beatrice Berle has been entirely dedicated to pursuing and executing the most environmental and healthful farming practices since 1995. She comes from a long lineage of New England farmers and is constantly working to care for her land, her animals, her family and her community.
Colfax Farm
Founded by Molly Comstock, Colfax Farm is an independently owned and operated farm. For several years, Molly had been a gypsy farmer, managing farms and growing food throughout the Hudson Valley region. Now located in West Stockbridge, MA, nestled at the edge of the beautiful Berkshires, Colfax uses organic practices on land generously provided by the Baldwin family. Named after Molly’s father, Colfax Farm sells produce at the West Stockbridge farmers market, delivers fresh organic produce to local restaurants and offers CSA shares to members.
Cricket Creek Farm
Cricket Creek Farm is a grass-based dairy, one of the oldest in the region. Raising dairy cows, the farm produces artisanal cheese in their farmstead creamery and is licensed to sell raw milk. Cricket Creek offers a bakery on site, raises grass-fed beef and whey-fed pork and has a small flock of laying hens. Goods are sold through their farm store and diversified year-round CSA, at local farmers markets, and through various regional cheese shops, co-ops and restaurants. Cricket Creek Farm’s mission is to produce nourishing food that honors their animals, respects the land and feeds the community.
Equinox Farm
Equinox Farm is a 15-acre operation specializing in mesclun salad greens, baby arugula, microgreens and greenhouse heirloom tomatoes. They sell to restaurants, grocery stores, schools and institutions in the region as well as to restaurants in Boston and New York City. In winter months, Equinox continues to distribute high quality greens to local markets by collaborating with other independent growers who supply them with fresh product through early spring.
Farm Girl Farm
Farmer Laura Meister worked part-time at small farms all over New England with her farm-dog-in-training, Emma Bean, before founding Farm Girl Farm, which she works with the support of an amazing crew. She is also co-producer of local cult classic documentary Sweet Soil: Local Farmers and the Berkshire Co-op Market. Farm Girl Farm used to be located in North Egremont but now grows produce in fields owned by Equinox Farm, as well as land close by. Along with their CSA, they sell a large portion of their yield to local restaurants and markets.
Hosta Hill
Hosta Hill has been hand-making small batches of lacto-fermented vegetables and unpasteurized tempeh since 2011. From the start, they have used local ingredients, working closely with nearby organic farms to source whatever they cannot grow themselves. Hosta Hill is part of a vibrant local food scene in Western Massachusetts, where their probiotic-rich foods are available at prominent restaurants, wellness centers, farm stands and grocery stores from the Berkshires to Boston. They have earned two consecutive Good Food Awards recognizing conscientious and talented craft food producers in the US.
Indian Line Farm
Established as the first CSA in North America, Indian Line Farm is a 17-acre farm that grows more than 60 varieties of vegetables, fruits and herbs as well as a collection of cutting flowers. They raise steers as well as laying hens that provide eggs. Farmers Elizabeth Keen and Al Thorp have been growing at Indian Line Farm since 1997 when they first leased the land. In 1999, they formally purchased the farm using a unique partnership model with The Nature Conservancy and Community Land Trust in the Southern Berkshires. They operate the farm with the help of dedicated apprentices and farm members who help through a Working Share option.
Lila’s Farm
Lila Berle was born to farming. She and her family own vast tracts of protected land in the Berkshires, though none where sheep graze. But when Lila saw this defunct dairy farm, overgrown and badly in need of a cash infusion, she decided to buy it, fix it up, raise sheep and bale her own hay. The farm is now protected by a Massachusetts Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR). Eight hundred Rambouillet (some crossed with Romneys and Border Leicester) graze on 400 acres. The lamb goes to specialty butchers; the wool is made into blankets and yarn.
Markristo Farm
Markristo Farm is a certified organic family-owned market garden. Since 1988, Martin and Christa Stosiek have grown from a couple of acres to more than 20, producing a diverse crop of vegetables, cut flowers and bedding plants. Markristo markets all their products locally through restaurants, farm stands, resorts, conference centers, an independently run organic wholesaler and two farmers markets. They work to support the ideals of a local food system and enjoy connecting with customers. Markristo Farm believes that sustainability, by necessity, depends on its economic success and their experience, equipment and farm systems will help to achieve this.
Pigasso Farms
Founded in 2005, Pigasso Farms’ mission is to provide the highest quality pasture-raised meat including pork, lamb, beef and chicken, and eggs. Pigasso Farms is owned and operated by Rob and Heather Kitchen. Rob grew up working on a dairy farm and knew from the age of 5 that he wanted to be a farmer. Years of experience later, Rob went to SUNY Cobleskill and received his degree in animal husbandry. When he and Heather first moved in together, they began raising pigs. Heather had pet chickens so they started to sell eggs and fresh pork. As business continued to grow, Rob and Heather opened a store at the farm in April of 2011.
Rawson Brook Farm
Across the verdant landscape of Monterey, and a little off the beaten track, lies Rawson Brook Farm. This small family-run farm, with its low-fenced paddocks and unassuming barn and outbuildings, is the birthplace of Monterey Chevre. Farmer Susan Sellew loves the entire process of cheesemaking, from caring for her herd of goats to caring for her customers. Today, she milks from late March until late December, making about 500 pounds of chevre each week. She has somewhat of a local cult following with cheese lovers and chefs. Monterey Chevre can be purchased at the farm and at local stores and restaurants.
Turner Farms
Turner Farms opened their doors in the Spring of 1988, in the southernmost corner of the Berkshires of Massachusetts. In the first year, they produced 25 gallons of syrup on a “Back Yard ” rig and sold the syrup by placing a sign in a five-gallon bucket at the end of the road. All the syrup was sold by May and “syrup fever” had officially hit. At that point, there was no going back. Turner Farms now has 4,300 taps and sells to many restaurants and stores in the region.
