Relishments

Savoring life in the Berkshires

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About

Hi! I’m Emily! Relishments has been my little corner of the internet since 2008, when I was fresh out of college and still living with my parents.  I had too much free time (those were the days!) and an addiction to Food Network.

Emily at the CSA

On Relishments you’ll see my adventures in making things from scratch, vegetarian and vegan food, desserts, funny stories, the occasional meaty meal, products I love, restaurants I’ve tried and challenges I’m partaking in.  I love local establishments, farms and our CSA membership, but I also enjoy travel, acclaimed restaurants and exotic foods.  In the years I’ve been writing Relishments I’ve had the opportunity to connect with so many people around the world through the Healthy Living Summit, Healthy Living Blogs and local blogger meet ups.  My knowledge, interests, skills and tastes are constantly evolving.  Join in and enjoy the ride!

me with gyro

More About Me

I’m in my early 30s and teach high school in the Berkshires of Massachusetts.  With the exception of cooking and blogging, there’s nothing I’d rather be doing than hanging out with teenagers all day (seriously–they’re hilarious!).  The time I don’t spend blogging or teaching is filled with church, walks/runs, board games, Netflix and reading.  I’m a self-proclaimed Type A morning person and I don’t understand people who can sleep past 9 am and not feel terribly guilty.  I love the idea of having a perfectly organized home, but I don’t try very hard to make it happen.

I was born and raised in New Jersey (though I don’t like to talk about it much), finished my high school career in Maine (one of my favorite places in the world), and went to college on Boston’s North Shore.  I can’t imagine living outside of New England, though I often fantasize about spending winter in a place where there’s no snow.

wedding

In June 2009, I married my college sweetheart, Brian, and moved to the Berkshires.  We knew nothing about the area when we settled here, except that Brian had employment, and that was good enough for us.  Luckily it turns out that the area is full of cultural activities, interesting small towns and a wide variety of restaurants.  We’re going on four years of marriage and it just keeps getting better.  He’s a constant inspiration to my life and this blog.

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Welcome!

Welcome to Relishments! Follow along with my adventures in cooking and eating in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.

The Berkshires
Recipe Index
CSA Menu Plan
First Time?
 

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Just so you know…

I’m just a girl who loves to cook and eat. This site is not a source for nutritional information.

Relishments is affiliated with various sponsors. Some product links on this site are affiliates; I may get portion of the sale. All opinions on this site are honest, regardless of revenue opportunities. Find out more about my policies here

relishments

Emily
Though it had been a few years since we'd visited, Though it had been a few years since we'd visited, @themountlenox is one of my favorite places in the Berkshires. In addition to Edith Wharton's incredible restored home, the estate features beautiful grounds and gardens. This year, The Mount was added to our summer bucket list when my daughter saw an ad for the @sculpture.now exhibit featuring a dragon sculpture. Today we ventured to Lenox to see the dragon, as well the 29 other fascinating pieces of large outdoor art. The Mount's grounds and gardens, including the SculptureNow exhibit, are always free and open dawn to dusk. All of the sculptures were accessible by stroller. The current sculptures are up through October 19.
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#igers413 #LenoxMA #TheMount #EdithWharton #SculptureNow #InTheBerkshires #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires
New on the blog: a 2 week menu plan featuring the New on the blog: a 2 week menu plan featuring the vegetables from our CSA share at @mightyfoodfarm. Link in my profile.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
We finally made it to the @berkshiremtdist tasting We finally made it to the @berkshiremtdist tasting room in Sheffield today after years of talking about it. The indoor and outdoor atmosphere was lovely and we took advantage of the complimentary tasting to try some of the products we haven't had before. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area and enjoy distilleries.
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#BerkshireMountainDistillers #igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #DrinkLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #SheffieldMA
On Friday we headed to Springfield for an appointm On Friday we headed to Springfield for an appointment and made a day of it by visiting @forestparkzoo afterwards. For us, the Zoo in Forest Park's size, layout and number of animals (over 225 exotic and native animal residents) is the perfect size for our 2 and 5 year old kids. We went in the afternoon, when day camps were wrapping up and it wasn't busy overall. We were able to easily view all of the exhibits and let our children move at their own pace without interfering with other people. Despite the heat, the animals were pretty active and it was a joy to see my kids spot, identify and appreciate them.
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#ZooInForestPark #SpringfieldMA #igers413 #WesternMass #WesternMassachusetts
Brian and I had lunch at the @firehousecafebistro Brian and I had lunch at the @firehousecafebistro in Adams today. We enjoyed falafel bites, cocktails, papas bravas, and a buttermilk chicken sandwich. All of the food was really delicious and the service was excellent, despite very limited staffing. The patio seating was fun for people watching and enjoying the sunshine. I highly recommend the Firehouse Cafe and Bistro if you're looking for a more upscale lunch or dinner in the northern Berkshires.
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#igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #AdamsMA #FirehouseCafeAndBistro
It's blueberry season in the Berkshires! My favori It's blueberry season in the Berkshires! My favorite girl and I headed to @mountainviewfarm413 this week to pick ours, as is our tradition. We had a great morning resulting in 7 pounds of berries. Some blueberries will be frozen and others turned into muffins, but most of them will be eaten just the way they are. The season is short, enjoy it while you can. @whitneysfarmmarket and @seconddropfarm are doing picky-your-own as well. 🫐
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 #igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #blueberries #BlueberryPicking #MountainViewFarm #LanesboroughMA
We're back from vacation and back to picking up ou We're back from vacation and back to picking up our weekly share of @mightyfoodfarm produce. My latest menu plan using these vegetables is live on the blog, link in my profile.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
Tomato season is my favorite season. If there is t Tomato season is my favorite season. If there is the opportunity to eat something that features a combination of tomato, mozzarella and basil, chances are good that I'm ordering it. Yesterday I needed to make a dish to share for a church gathering so I put together this incredibly simple pasta salad. I hope it's useful to you during this time of summer heat and summer gatherings.

RECIPE:
1 lb pasta (I used bowties) 
7 oz fresh mozzarella
1 pint grape tomatoes 
30-50 fresh basil leaves 
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste 

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and place in a large bowl. 
2. Prep the other ingredients: cut the mozzarella cheese in bite size pieces if needed, quarter the grape tomatoes, finely cut the basil with scissors or a knife.
3. Add the quartered tomatoes, mozzarella and basil to the pasta. Drizzle the olive oil into the bowl and miX well.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Enjoy!

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#igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies #caprese #CapresePastaSalad #PotluckFood #SummerFood
I could watch birds on the beach all day long. We' I could watch birds on the beach all day long.
We're wrapping up our time in Wilmington, North Carolina with lots of time at Wrightsville Beach. The ocean never ceases to impress.
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#WilmingtonNC #WrightsvilleBeach #BeachBirds #Beach #Sandpiper #NorthCarolina
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