WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Williamstown Farmers Market returns to the Spring Street parking lot on Saturday, May 28. The new hours of the market are Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

There will be a wide variety of locally grown produce and cheeses, organic meats, homemade baked goods, and original handcrafted items.

Some of the vendors include:

Cricket Creek Farm – Artisan Cheeses and Baked Goods
Raw milk cheeses, Tobasi and Maggie’s Round as well as newly added fresh, pasteurized cheese in a number of flavors. Also bread, cookies, muffins, scones and granola made in the in-farm bakery. 
Contact: Lesley Graham, 413-458-5888 or  www.cricketcreekfarm.com.

BabyCakes
Williamstown’s favorite little cakes in chocolate, chocolate raspberry, lemon, almond. Grandma-style crumbcake, too.  Six-inch diameter cake serves six to eight. Baked in a certified kitchen in Williamstown using King Arthur flour, butter, local eggs and fruit in season. They often sell out early so an email or phone call to reserve your favorite flavor is encouraged.
Contact: Judy Turbin, 413-458-9930, Helene Armet, 413-458-8778, or BabyCakes2468@gmail.com.

Peace Valley Farm
Small family farm in South Williamstown supplying fresh produce to local restaurants, Williams College, and the Farmers’ Market. They will join the market starting around the third week in June when they have available a variety of greens and sugar snap peas. As the season progresses, more and more vegetables become available. Note that they do not sell directly from the farm.
Contact: Bill and Susie Stinson, 413-458-4866 or peacevalleyfarm@gmail.com.

Memphremagog Studios
Born on the Vermont lake that bears her studio’s name, award-winning artist Emily Beth Errion creates a distinctive line of original, handcrafted jewelry, embossed glass, and specialty gift designs in the Green Mountain State.

Crow Hill Farm
The Pownal, Vt., farmstand offers art kits for kids, watercolor note cards, fingerless texting gloves, tiny baby organic wool dolls and hand carved birds. 
Contact: Merry Anderson and Craig Lawrence, 802-823-7807

Sweet Brook Farm
This South Williamstown farm offers maple syrup, maple candy and cream, maple-roasted nuts, alpaca roving and yarns, and fresh seasonal vegetables. Farm store is also open to the public from Memorial Day through Labor Day, seven days a week, 10 to 6.
Contact: Pete and Beth Phelps, 413-884-4246, 877-45-SYRUP, www.sweetbrookfarm.mybigcommerce.com.

Peterman Boards and Bowls
The handcrafted  wooden bowls and boards by Spencer Peterman of Turners Falls that made Oprah's "O" list in January come in cherry, black walnut and spalted maple. These museum store and gallery seconds are half off his regular retail prices.
Contact: Andree Clearwater, 413-834-0833.

jennydewjewels
Original designs in silver, gold, as well as original takes and twists on beading. The artist creates pieces during the market as well and custom designs on the spot as well.
Contact: Jenny Dewar, jennydewjewels@aol.com. www.jennydew.com.

Quimby’s Farm
The Hancock farm offers brown eggs, maple syrup, bedding plants and fresh-picked vegetables. Contact: 413-458-5402

Black Queen Angus Farm
100 percent grass-fed, antibiotic-free, hormone free, Animal Welfare Approved beef, pastured pork and meadow veal. Pre-orders are suggested with delivery at the Farmers’ Market. Contact: Morgan Hartman, 413-358-8435. www.blackqueenangus.com.

Apple Tree Hill Organic Farm
This Hancock farmstand and antique/collectible shop brings potted organic herbs, jams and jellies, maple cream, organic vegetables and fruits, honey and artwork by Kelly. Newly added baked goods, such as whoopie pies and breads. Farmstand and shop also open on weekends 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Contact: Roger and Nancy Johnson, 413-458-3933 or appletreehill@mindspring.com

Berkshire Mountain Pottery
From her studio in South Williamstown, local potter Anne Hogeland offers hand-thrown stoneware including coffee mugs, latte bowls, plates, dishes, pitchers, platters, canisters and fruit bowls. All pieces are lead-free and oven-, microwave-, and dishwasher-safe.  Contact: 413-441-4811.

We've found a college course for locavores and local farmers that can be done right from home.

Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vt., has added a distance-learning master's degree in sustainable food systems to its offerings. Environmental studies dominate at this tiny liberal arts college in this very rural state so farming and sustainability seem a no-brainer.

According to a press release from the college, "over 30 undergraduate students already focus their academic work on food systems at the college. Four grants over the past three years totaling over $250,000 have enhanced facilities and supported faculty research capacity at the college's Cerridwen Farm and the adjoining Solar Harvest Center."

This will be the third online master's programs at the college, which added environmental studies and an MBA in sustainable business in 2006. The goal of the program is to investigate agriculture, environmental studies, businesses models and social forces and how they work together.

For more information, go to http://msfs.greenmtn.edu/.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The long-rumored closure of Jae's Spice has occurred, but over a lease, not sales, according to the parties involved.

Jae Chung's North Street restaurant and Shabu 297, opened in the former Pressbox around the corner, were shuttered Tuesday night.  

The Berkshire Eagle reports that business partners Lawrence M. Rosenthal and Joyce S. Bernstein, the restaurants' owners and founders of the original Spice restaurant there, have declined to renew their lease with Chung.

Bernstein told The Eagle they would reopen the North Street restaurant next week as Spice Dragon with Huy Huynh and Phang Huynh, who own 20 Railroad Street in Great Barrington and the Dragon Steakhouse on West Housatonic Street.

BTW, the Huynhs are the brothers of "Top Chef" Hung Huynh, who won the Bravo reality show in 2007. The Dragon Steakhouse was operated by the Huynhs' parents for years as Kim's Dragon. It had been open off and on since an oil tanker accident closed it in 2005 and reopened last year as a steakhouse. The Huynh brothers bought the former pub at 20 Railroad St. in 2008.

Chung had a three-year lease to run the restaurant under Jae's Inc. The original Spice was closed March 2008 after it incurred losses of more than $1.2 million. He told The Berkshire Eagle that he'd tried to extend the lease but the parting was amicable.

The former North Adams resident has operated a number of restaurants in the Boston area but ran into difficulties in North County with both Jae's Inn and Miss Adams Diner, among other ventures. He still owes thousands in state and federal tax according to MassLandRecords but has paid off a large sum.

Chung said he plans to reopen in another location.

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Spring, despite her reluctance, has finally arrived. The breeze is warm, the ground is soft and everyone I know all over hell and creation is ... sick?

It happens every year around this time, right as I am ready to dive into the dirt and get the garden rolling and right as the kids take their final week of rest before the two-month push to June.

My yearly catastrophic illness began to rear its ugly head at precisely 11 a.m. last Wednesday, while on a pilgrimage to the Bronx Zoo with five of my nieces and nephews and my own two children. What timing.

Lucian, my 7-year-old son, had no sooner shut the car door when he was off like Seabiscuit through the entrance gate. I yelled to him not to even attempt to climb over the fence to "visit" the American bison that seemed to be waiting for him on the other side. The attempted yell morphed quickly into a pathetic, nonthreatening bark.

By the day's end, several thousand dollars' worth of souvenirs and hot dogs and three Pepsis later, things did not improve. In fact, by nightfall I was sweating and no sound came out of me save for raspy squeaks and a spine-rattling cough, complete with phlegm.

By morning, it was official. I tried calling my doctor to make an appointment, but couldn't speak. The receptionist nearly hung up on me, but I managed after several tries to convey my name.

"Oooh my god," he said. "Don't talk. I'm pretty sure I know why you need an appointment."

They got me in early and the waiting room was packed, and very silent. It seemed that all of us poor souls – young, old, man, woman, carpenter and journalist – were there hoping for a cure to our miserable speechlessness. The nurse called my name and I simply smiled at her as she led me to the examining room.

"So what's the problem today, hon?"

I smiled my goofy smile again and wiped the sweat from my neck.

"I ... I ..." I pointed into my throat as if a Smurf had just jumped in. The nurse put her hand up, gesturing for me to stop. I think it hurt her to watch me attempt to speak.

"You sound like everyone else in Berkshire County."

If that's the case, then everyone in Berkshire County needs to know my secret to getting oneself on the mend – and quick. My diagnosis was laryngitis coupled with a sinus infection (and walking pneumonia because I'm lucky that way). As if being unable to speak wasn't bad enough, the coughing further eviscerated my vocal chords and the fever, despite the sun and beautiful sky, made me sweat and shiver at the same time.

What I needed I was not going to find at the prescription counter at Rite-Aid (although I was put on a very strong antibiotic, the side effects of which are almost worse than the illness). What I needed was right across the street from Rite-Aid. My good ol' friend and salvation: soup. Not just any soup, mind you. Nope, this plague was going to require some big guns.

After dropping my deadly horse pill script off at Rite Aid I dragged my sweaty self across the street to Great Barrington Bagel Co. I tried to order, but ended up pointing instead.

"Do you want that soup for here?"

I shook my head and pointed to the giant quart-sized container of chicken and matzo ball soup and gave the woman behind the counter a thumbs up. She handed me the warm amber liquid, filled with bits of chicken, golden matzo balls, carrots, dill and a random scattering of egg noodles. My heart filled with hope that I would be cured by dinner.

It took me a day to get through a quart of the self-proclaimed "Jewish penicillin." My body gathered strength with each slurp. It didn't hurt to eat the matzos, which weren't too salty and eased past my throat. It was almost as if the soup had a life of its own. It knew, or at least somebody at the bagel shop knew, exactly what needed to be done. My body was being nourished from the inside out and all I had to do was let the soup work its ancient magic.
  
Of course, I did not actually speak until Monday morning, having to conduct interviews via email or, as in the case with Gov. Deval Patrick, who was here on Saturday for a book signing, via written notes and hand gestures. Even the governor winced when I tried to thank him. He was, however, seemingly unafraid to shake my hand. I guess he doesn't mind the bubonic plague.

Or somebody already told him about the soup.

We haven't commented on our lunch habits for awhile. We keep meaning to but the constant swirl of news keeps us pretty busy.

But a colleague and I had a chance on Friday to step away from the bustle for a sit-down at The Hub on Main Street in North Adams. We both used to go there too many years back when it was the The Capitol and Sprague workers were lined up to get in on a Thursday.

The Hub's proven pretty popular itself since opening three years ago under Kate and (chef) Matt Schilling. My usual selection to-go is the Grown-Up Grilled Cheese but the specials on Friday were to good to pass up.

My colleague and I both selected a roasted chicken sandwich on herb flatbread with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil aioli dressing.

Verdict: pretty awesome. I'm not a fan of flatbread; it's often hard and chewy. This one was just right and a lot moister than expected. The chicken was pulled and tender, the cheese warm but not overpowering and the dressing, well, perfect. But then I'm a fan for anything with basil in it.

We also had the homemade Italian wedding soup — one of my favorites. The canned version by Progresso is a staple in my pantry. Matt's is far better and the cup was not enough.

We topped it off with homemade bread pudding and cream, another favorite of mine I rarely make anymore. (The kids weren't into it and eating a casseroleful by myself was a weighty affair.) It was served warm and had raisins in it. The texture was just right, not too creamy and not too chunky. It was a good-sized portion but didn't feel heavy.

Kate told us the restaurant will be changing the menu at the beginning of May. They've been experimenting hummus and plan to add a hummus sandwich and salad plate, along with a baby spinach salad. Given Matt changed our mind about flatbread, maybe he'll get us into hummus. We're willing to try.

The Hub also was given a permit last year for outside dining so expect to see some tables on the sidewalk once the weather warms up.