Say cheese! Sunderland’s Thomas Farm & Dairy chevre earns rave reviews

By Elizabeth LaFond-Coppez | Special to The Republican|

Among the many farms in the Franklin County town of Sunderland, Thomas Farm & Dairy is arguably the most special, as it gives the Pioneer Valley such a wide range of offerings, ranging from eggs and vegetables, to flowers and cheeses.

The stars on the farm are the proud, outgoing and graceful Nubian goats, with their long ears and glossy, short hair in a variety of colors. Their […]

11 Unsuspecting Restaurants In Massachusetts With Food So Good It Should Be Illegal

11 Unsuspecting Restaurants In Massachusetts With Food So Good It Should Be Illegal Williamsburg Snack Bar in Haydenville, Jake’s in Northampton, Pie Bar in Florence, Strawbale Cafe in Westhampton, El Comalito in Amherst, Bub’s BBQ in Sunderland, The Blind Pig in Athol, and Anne’s Dairy Drive-In in Orange, all make the list. Read the review …

After 45 years, class ring found in Sunderland field, returned to owner

By MELINA BOURDEAU The Recorder, July 23, 2019

GREENFIELD — Forty-five years after graduating from Greenfield High School, Caroline Abercrombie not only reunited with classmates on Friday, but with her class ring.

The ring was unearthed in a field at Thomas Farm and Dairy in Sunderland just two weeks earlier on July 8 by owner Jim Thomas while he was picking cucumbers.

The field used to be a tobacco field, but now it’s home to miscellaneous vegetables, according to Thomas, who has been farming […]

A Growing Concern: Water-mold Blight Killing Crops in Sunderland & Deerfield

The Recorder, November 12, 2015 by Richie Davis. Even in the risky world of farming, a particularly nasty risk is Phytophthora, the very name of which sounds scary. A water-mold blight that can kill entire crops of pumpkins, cucumbers or peppers, Phyotopthora capsici is especially problematic because once its spores get into soil, they remain there for years, dormant until the next heavy rains. (Unlike its more common cousin, late blight, capsici’s spores are transmitted by water, not wind.)