Chestnut Festival
The 6th Annual Chestnut Festival is October 10, 2026
(Rain date Sunday October 11th)
Join us for a celebration of chestnuts, tree crops, local food, and community. Live music by local bluegrass band – Ragged Blue. Food demonstrations by local chefs and foragers.
Vendors include: Forestopia, Masa Mexicano, Seven Hills Farmstead, They Keep Bees, The Giving Trees, Ray Bake, Mycoterra Farm, and much more!!!
We accept SNAP payments for fresh chestnuts, flour and fruits.
Farm Tour, Harvest and Roast with Kestrel Land Trust
Fall Markets
Our Fall Saturday Market begins the first Saturday in October with the harvest season. We sell fresh and roasted chestnuts and our colleague Gregory Mori of Forestopia is often here selling coffee, yaupon tea, and other tree-crop goodies. As our chestnut trees mature and yields increase we will be opening for U-pick. Stay in touch here for updates.
We accept SNAP payments for fresh chestnuts, flour and fruits.
Berries!
U-Pick Berries at Big River Chestnuts!
Black Currant U-Pick beginning approximately Monday June 29th 2026. Elderberry U-Pick beginning late July 2026. SIGN UP HERE if you are interested!
Past Events
117th Annual Northern Nut Growers Association Conference. UMass Amherst
July 31- August 2
This year the Northern Nut Growers Meeting will be held here in our backyard! Come for a Big River Chestnuts farm tour, Keynote by Jono, and lots of great networking and information sharing.
https://nutgrowing.org/
Cultivating a Farmer-Led Regional Agroforestry Transformation
June 23 at Yellowbud Farm, June 24 at Carr’s Ciderhouse and Big River Chestnuts
Join NOFA-VT, along with NOFA-Mass, CISA, and others, for a regional gathering of agroforestry farmers seeking to dive deeply into relationship-building, regional connectivity, and food systems transformation. Jono will be presenting along with other local agroforestry farmers. https://www.nofavt.org/events/cultivating-farmer-led-regional-agroforestry-transformation
Complete Approaches to Soil Fertility- day-long workshop
May 16th 9-4pm at Big River Chestnuts
Come to our new field in South Deerfield to learn about biological soil fertility practices and how we are rebuilding depleted and compacted soils where our new tree plantings are going in
Sponsored by NOFA MA, With Ruben Parilla
Check NOFA MA website for details: https://www.nofamass.org/
Big River Chestnuts Farm Tour with Sowing Solutions Permaculture Education
April 24th 1-4pm, $5-15/by donation
Join Kay Cafasso’s Sowing Solutions permaculture class to tour the farm and learn about how we integrate chestnuts, tree crops, and agroforestry. We’ll have time for discussion and sharing and seeing the farm in its early Spring glory.
https://www.permacultureseries.org/permaculture-course-visits-to-local-sites.html
Living Roots: The Promise of Perennial Foods, Smith College
April 8th
Join us on Apr 8, Wed at 530-7pm in CEEDS, Wright Hall of Smith College in Northampton for the book talk on “Living Roots’. The book incorporates perspectives from experts across numerous backgrounds to examine the promise of perennial foods such as perennial grains, indigenous food forests, fruit trees, nuts, berries, and more. Editors Liz Carlisle and Aubrey Streit Krug will join contributor Piyush Labhsetwar to introduce the book followed by a panel of local agroforesters who are building this movement in Western Mass. There will be an opportunity to taste some of the creative recipes which highlight the perennial ingredients thanks to artist and chef Kyra Kristof of Forest Kitchen. There will also be edible tree products marketed by Forestopia as well copies of the book for sale by Broadside Books.
Seeds to Sustenance: Nut Tree Symposium
March 15 at the New England Botanical Garden
Come join in as we discuss nut tree culture and connections, hazelnuts, chestnuts, and agroforestry. Including presentation on botanical dyeing.
https://nebg.org/adult-education/symposia-conferences/nut-tree-symposium/
SIGN UP HERE if you are interested in being part of a vibrant volunteer team to make the festival happen!
Tours
We usually host several tours through the year- sometimes with amazing potlucks and socializing. Sign up for our mailing list for up-to-the-minute information.
