Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:42:03 -0500 http://www.mainefoods.net/ PostNuke Powered Site en-us http://www.mainefoods.net/images/logo.gif http://www.mainefoods.net/ admin@mainefoods.net http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=338 There are many wonderful white foods that grow in Maine -- pearly sweet corn, nutty parsnips, the flesh of a tart apple, good milk and cheese -- but winter specifically features two Maine heavyweights in this color group: potatoes and scallops. Potatoes come in many colors, but the classic white fleshed varieties (with buff, brown, or red jackets) are what I think of for making mounds of fluffy mashed potatoes so prevalent on holiday tables this time of year. We actually eat only the opalescent grey abductor muscle of the scallop organism (of the Pectinidae family), but we rarely get to see the other bits (such as the bright red roe). You know when they're cooked because they turn a brilliant milky white. Although dragged scallops are available year-round, winter is the season for diver scallops that, when hand harvested by careful fishermen, are sustainable, sweet, and grit-free by nature and don't contribute to the destruction of the ocean floor. Troquet, a restaurant in Boston, currently features these pale but mighty Maine ingredients in a single dish to delight our winter taste buds. Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:42:03 -0500 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=337 Warmer waters in November may feel like a Florida vacation to a lobster, allowing them to hang out in the shallower coastal waters to catch a few more rays. Normally the lobster families are packing up their summer cabanas and heading to deeper waters this time of year to escape the rapid decent in coastal temperatures. Along the way they have tended to stop for a bite to eat in many of the "free" netted diners along the way, ending up on your and my dining tables. October and November have recently been a boon to lobstermen, but not this year. Whetever the reason, combining the lower hauls with the spiraling cost of diesel fuel and bait and the question arises: could these Maine symbols of freedom and self-sufficency be on the same path as the Marlboro men? Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:56:25 -0500 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=336 Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what is most meaningful in our lives -- but it's impossible to adequately reflect without a giant scoop of mashed potatoes under the gravy and beside the slice of turkey (or TofuRkey if that's your pleasure). In other words: potatoes pull our lives into focus. And increasingly, yellow fleshed potatoes are becoming the most popular vehicle to meaningful genuflection. "They look like butter, so people think they taste buttery," Jim Cook, a farmer and local food distributor in Maine, said of yellow-fleshed potatoes. “But really, they just taste more potatoey.” Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:56:08 -0500 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=335 As if we need an excuse...the Belfast Coop and Food For Maine's Future have challenged Mainers to cook at least one meal this month using 100% local ingredients as part of their Eat Local Challenge effort in 2007. While we may not have the summer bounty of fresh tomatoes, sweet corn, and green beans that we relish from our own garden or local farm stand, we do have lots of tasty and wholesome Maine food to choose from this month, whether it's an entire Thanksgiving feast, or a quiet family dinner (MPBN audio story) on a weeknight. So look a little closer at the "source" labels at your favorite food store this month and take the challenge. You may be surprised to find out how good it tastes to eat only Maine food for an evening. Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:55:50 -0500 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=334 The idea of eating locally has caught hold of the public's consciousness in 2007, as reflected in many books and articles that have been published detailing the ideas behind the movement. So it shouldn't be any surprise that "locovore" has been voted Word Of The Year in 2007 by the New Oxford American Dictionary. Now we can all talk about eating locally and properly identify those who do. Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:55:31 -0500 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=333 If you're interested in adding more organic ingredients to your diet, you can easily support Maine farmers at the same time. The NYTimes on-line has published a list called The Five Easy Way To Go Organic which explains why it makes sense to buy more organic milk, potatoes, and apples, as well as peanut butter and ketchup(?!?). These are organic crops that Maine excels in producing both in quantity and in quality, so you can't go wrong adding a Maine organic baked potato and sour cream, followed by an apple pie. Yum. Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:52:26 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=332 The Maine Cheese Guild is opening their doors to the public this Sunday, October 7th, to show off the high quality of cheeses that earned them 17 ribbons at the 2007 American Cheese Society competition. "Cheese lovers from New England to the West Coast were greatly impressed with the wide array of artisan cheeses being made in Maine, and this Open Creamery Day is a way to celebrate the harvest season and the bounty of Maine cheeses available," Guild president Jennifer Betancourt says. From Brooksville down to Westbrook, Maine's superior climate for grass and dairy animals is featured in cheeses from simple chevre and Jack to "world class" European styles of cheese are made and sold. Wed, 03 Oct 2007 19:48:41 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=331 Every year at this time Maine focuses few hundred acres of former potato fields in Unity where the Common Ground Country Fair takes place (Sept. 21 - 23 this year), organized by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA). There you can share in the commitment to make our food supply, as well as the rest of our environment, as good and pure as it can be. Hundreds of seminars, displays, exhibits, and happy people cover the grounds through the three day event, as they have for over thirty years now. Back when it started, only the dedicated few made an effort to organize and attend -- now it seems as though the world has finally caught up with them. Fri, 21 Sep 2007 14:31:22 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=330 On Friday, September 14th Mainers will have a chance to experience the full range of their state through their taste buds. "Tastings" is a MOFGA fund raiser that will kick-off the second annual Maine Fare food festival in Camden for the weekend. In 2006 the Maine State Legislature updated Maine's Food Policy, the first update since it had been created in 1986. One of the new initiatives is a goal for Maine to grow at least 80% of the food it eats by 2020; currently the state produces about 20% of all the food consumed by its citizens. At "Tastings" these chefs will demonstrate how good our meals can taste when every dish features at least 80% Maine-grown products. This year the featured chefs at "Tastings" will include: Melissa Ettinger of Valerie Jean's in Milo; Maureen Fauske of Flour Power in Topsham; Tom Gutow of the Castine Inn; Rich Hansen of Cleonice in Ellsworth; Eloise Humphrey and Daphne Comaskey of El Camino in Brunswick; Melissa Kelly and Price Kushner of Primo Restaurant in Rockland; Leslie Oster and Salvator Talerico of Aurora Provisions in Portland; Dean Zaloumis of Sweet Fern Farm and Mother Oven in Bowdoinham; a cheese plate from the Maine Cheese Guild; and others. Mon, 10 Sep 2007 18:20:07 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=329 Camden becomes the center of Maine's food universe this weekend - September 14th through 16th - when Maine Fare lights the pilot light and starts cooking with gas. The festival includes marketplace exhibitors, presentations, panel discussions, cooking demonstrations, book sales and signings, and fresh local food everywhere. It will kick off Friday night with "Tastings," a MOFGA fund raiser that features lots of Maine food and drink served by some of the best chefs in Maine who feature local food on their menus every day. And that's just the main event! In addition to the marketplace activities and presentations, a series of special events will complement the festival: Professional-caliber cooking classes provided by local chefs in some of the most lovely venues on the Maine coast.Special dinners offered at some of the finest local restaurants. Three guided tasting events with Maine handcrafted food products: Maine's Beers, Breads, and Sausages; Maine Wine and Cheese; Maine's Smoked Seafood and Spirits. Mon, 10 Sep 2007 18:19:50 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=328 Swimming in zucchini yet? Discovered an anonymous basket of these large dark green fruit left on your doorstep last night? It's a shame that this fast growing gourd gets such a bad rap because when young and lightly cooked (pan-fried with some onions or shallots, then tossed with cultured butter and sea salt) it can provide a light and nutty counterpoint to many of the other big summer bumper crops. The secret when growing them is to grow ONE plant., no more than two, and harvest daily. Once the bounty swells into firewood worthy sizes (seemingly overnight), there's not much they're good for except doorstops -- even hogs have a hard time getting excited about dining on those logs. However, between tiny and too big, zucchini is a very versatile ingredient in many clever dishes: chocolate zucchini cake? Actually it's very moist with a grassy tone that mellows out the bitterness of the cocoa. Wed, 29 Aug 2007 16:34:31 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=327 Anyone who went to the beach (ocean or fresh water) in New England knows what a fried clam is: oddly shaped, alternately soft and chewy, a hot savory nugget that spreads a sweet- salty sea breeze across your palate. Properly made out of soft-shelled clams (never "clam strips"!), they are THE oceanside lunch in Maine (and someways south), as important as lobster has become for a visitor's plate after dark. Maine clams and other shellfish have had a rough time the last few seasons, but they never go out of style, and now the NY Times samples clams on the way up to Portland. That kind of survey misses many prime spots in Yarmouth, Searsport, Bucksport, as well Bar Harbor and beyond. But that's OK -- most Mainers know where to find good clams, and at least north of Portland we won't have to stand in a long line for them. Wed, 29 Aug 2007 16:16:55 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=326 All year we wait for the big three -- corn, beans, and tomatoes -- to come into season so we can savor those strong flavors of summer, and now they're finally here by the bushel! If you haven't already been overwhelmed, head to your nearest farmers' market as soon as possible. All three are best enjoyed at their peak as the star of their own show: sweet corn on the cob with butter and salt; steamed or sauteed green beans with butter and a quick squirt of lemon; thick slabs of sliced tomatoes seasoned with salt, pepper and maybe a few wisps of chopped basil. After gorging on these classics you can mix things up in the spirit of the season by grilling your corn and beans: soak the corn with its husks in water for an hour, then put the whole thing on a hot fire; toss green beans with olive oil before grilling. Tomatoes don't grill well, but for variety with them they can be served at the end of the meal, as well as at the beginning: why not try tomatoes as part of your dessert? Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:03:13 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=325 Cheese makers of the Maine Cheese Guild won 17 ribbons including six blue ribbons for first place in their category at the 2007 American Cheese Society (ACS) Competition. Ten of the participating Guild cheese makers won at least one award. The judging took place at the annual ACS Conference, held in Burlington, VT this year, and included a record 1208 cheeses entered from 200 North American cheese producers making this the largest US cheese competition in history. The winners from Maine competed in a broad range of categories and styles using cow's, goat's , and sheep's milk, several of them organic. Because the competition provides useful feedback to cheese makers from the judging in addition to the chance to win a nationally recognized award for their efforts. This is the first year that the Guild organized as a group, with help from the Maine Department of Agriculture and other supporters, to generate as many competition entries as possible, which resulted in over 30 entries from Guild members up from 5 entries in 2006. Wed, 08 Aug 2007 19:32:17 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=324 Raw milk has achieved a cultural milestone: a puff piece in the NY Times featuring pictures of smiling New Yorkers (including babies!) in soft focus pictures admitting to risking "illness or even death to drink their milk the way Americans did for centuries: straight from the cow." Illness or death? That's how I would have described the risk of participating in one of New York's more celebrated events: the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4th. Actually, shouldn't that tag line be applied to the act of eating ANY foods from China at the moment? Maine is one of the 26 states that allows the regulated sale of raw milk, as is New York. It's great to see people who are interested in learning more about their foods, how they are processed, and making their own choices about what to eat. It's also nice that fluid raw milk is largely a local food because it has a shorter shelf-life than pasteurized (or ultra-pasteurized) milk. But it's unfortunate that we still approach raw milk (and lately any raw food like spinach) as if it's nuclear waste. Pasteurization alone doesn't make food safe -- proper handling at every processing step makes food safe, whether it starts out raw or cooked. But given this constantly reinforced fear of raw products, one publicized incident where a raw food is blamed (justifiably or not) could cause our government regulators to outlaw this and every kind of raw food in the name of food safety. Salad greens from small farms are in danger of disappearing from store shelves because a gigantic greens processor in California had a hiccup in their quality control. Raw apple cider (and other fruit juices) were outlawed a few years ago, which drastically changed the Maine food landscape forever. Despite (or because of) the positive attention it has lately received, could raw milk and raw milk products be next? Wed, 08 Aug 2007 19:31:50 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=323 One test of an idea's success is the appearance of serious arguments attempting to refute that idea. Although it might seem hard to argue against the idea of supporting local food, that's exactly what has been proposed in an op-ed article in the NY Times by James McWilliams. McWilliams points to an academic study by researchers at Lincoln University in New Zealand questioning whether the food miles traveled by New Zealand products are as harmful as the environmental impact of ALL agricultural practices including distribution, what McWilliams calls "life cycle assessments." The only example used in the article is that lamb produced by the "clover-choked" pastures of New Zealand, then shipped frozen to Britain generates much less carbon dioxide in its production than grain-fed lamb grown in Britain. Of course that assumes that no New Zealand lamb is ever fed grain. And it ignores lamb in Britain that is raised primarily on pasture. The fact that the authors of the study are from a New Zealand university might also cause one to pause while digesting this information. Critical analysis of the stated benefits of buying locally are important as we continue to argue for a wider adoption of this practice that we feel benefits farmers, consumers, and the environment. But assuming that the numbers hold up, that's just frozen lamb shipped by boat. Anything that's flown from New Zealand (fresh lamb, seafood, fruit, vegetables, etc.) could not be said to have a lower environmental impact than the local equivalent no matter how much better their cultural or harvest practices. It also ignores the fact that most food around the world is grown using equivalent practices (or worse in the case of recent Chinese products!). Comparing apples (shipped 11,000 miles) to apples (grown locally), it's hard to point to any agricultural practice that might justify the long-distance version. In most every case, the benefits of buying locally are demonstrable and obvious. The best thing about buying locally is that you have a better chance of talking to the food producer to ask them questions you might have about how the food was grown and where it was transported from. It's almost impossible to get a frozen leg of lamb from the other side of the earth to speak -- it must depend on others to speak up for it. Wed, 08 Aug 2007 19:31:22 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=322 Our push to develop domestic energy sources has naturally turned to crops and their ability to capture the energy of the sun to create petroleum replacements. Ethanol, a form of alcohol that can be mixed or replace gasoline, is already being made from corn, sugar beets, sugar cane, and potatoes among other crops. Here in Maine potatoes are also being turned into plastics which are normally generated from petroleum. But at what price? Every acre of cropland devoted to growing fuel stocks is an acre not growing food stocks. The current boom in ethanol production is causing the price of mid-western cropland to skyrocket. Will we get to a point where it's more valuable to grow for the energy market than for the food market? Will we reduce our dependence on foreign energy suppliers only to increase our dependence on foreign food suppliers? Is that a better trade off? Wed, 08 Aug 2007 19:31:06 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=321 Maine's Lobster Love-In, better know as the Maine Lobster Festival, kicks off Wednesday in Rockland for the 60th time. Besides cracking into a big red bug that comes out of the World's Largest Lobster Cooker, the parade down Main St. is the biggest attraction. Other activities include several races, the Coronation of the Sea Goddess, and lots of music. Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:56:17 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=320 Up until Friday, Maine had been the only state to ban corn that is genetically altered to produce the Bt pesticide throughout the plant. However, now that the Board of Pesticide Control as agreed to allow the cultivation of this living pesticide in Maine, we may soon find out what Bt tastes like, especially when it's slathered with melted butter and sea salt on sweet corn. Despite assurances that the modified corn genetically will only be grown for animal feed (let's hope the cows like it), corn is a wind pollinator, corn pollen can travel miles, and we eat the germ of the plant that is created using the pollen's modified DNA. Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:56:00 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=319 They roam just off-shore along the Atlantic coast in wild packs, terrifying and/or devouring other marine life that finds itself in the wrong place at the wrong time. They are piranha-like in their ravenous intensity, and have been known to nibble on a human swimmer or two. They are energetic fighters at the end of a rod and reel -- fun to catch if you can hold onto them. They are also delicious to eat. They are bluefish and they come to Maine waters every summer along with the warming ocean water: wriggling silver bundles of hunger who have dark rich flesh that grills well, and tastes better marinated with sharp notes like citrus or soy. The trick is to cook them super-fresh, no more than three days old, filleted right after being caught to avoid the "oily-ness" they're sometimes known for. They taste like the the deep dark summer soul of the ocean. Wed, 18 Jul 2007 18:23:33 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=318 From August 2nd through the 4th, participants at the Kneading Conference in Skowhegan will learn about growing and harvesting grain, processing the grains into flour, and mixing and shaping doughs made from the flour, and the many different ways wood fired bake ovens help produce mouth-watering crusty artisanal loaves. Beyond these useful skills is a larger idea: the Kneading conference is meant to be "a way to bring the cycle of food production back to a small circle that fosters ecological and community sustainability," Amber Lambke -- one of the conference organizers -- said. "At the center of this idea is the need for partnerships between farmers, millers, oven builders, bakers and community members." Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:16:08 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=317 Maine is one of the few states that will license and allow the sale of raw milk to the public through retail stores. This has stimulated a flourishing artisanal cheese making scene in Maine because there are many sources of high quality raw milk. It also gives consumers the same choice about what kind of milk they would like to drink as they have when they buy a cut of raw meat -- rare or well done? We can control our food and the risks associated with them based on basic information like who produced the food and how. Despite what some government agencies would like you to believe, there is no such thing as 100% safe food. Who thought they could be poisoned by toothpaste, after all? Meanwhile, in an effort to reach the mirage of 100% safe food, government agencies and large food retailers would prefer to reduce our choices about what we can eat. A symbol of this "Large Food" movement has surfaced in one of the most hallowed sanctuaries of flavor: the tiny hamlet of Camembert in Normandy, France. Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:39:27 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=316 Land is the most important component in our ability to grow food now and into the future. You can't grow crops or livestock without it. In addition, we need access to the waterfront to harvest seafood from the ocean: docks and piers for vessels, and beach front for access to shellfish beds. However the best soils for farming are also the best soils for building homes, and waterfront land is most valued for development fetching prices ten and a hundred times more than land away from the water. Brunswick has just announced that it has secured 168 acres of shorefront property on Maquoit Bay, land that will be permanently protected from development and will double the city's public access to the waterfront, thanks to a number of grants including money from the Land for Maine's Future. This brings the total of Maine's coast protected by this state program to 25 miles so far, which is only one percent of all Maine's extensive coastline. Tue, 19 Jun 2007 15:03:59 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=315 In our late efforts to reduce our use imported petroleum, many are turning to agricultural crops as alternative sources of fuel and other products we use petroleum for, such as plastics. But when our agriculture has mostly been asked to feed us and now may be expected to fuel our economy too, it could be a zero-sum equation. Corn prices have doubled over that last year with the rush to ethanol production, and this is driving up the price of food that uses corn as a raw material (eggs, milk, meat, as well as things made with corn sweeteners for example...). We've already had people work on turning potatoes into ethanol for fuel as well. Now potatoes are being turned to provide polymers for plastic. This is seen as a boon for potato farmers, and the initial intention is to use waste potatoes (a grade that never makes it into the food stream): "This could open up a whole new value-added use for potatoes," said Amanda Sears, associate director of the Environmental Health Strategy Center. "The potato-based plastics industry won't take away food, but it can utilize the waste." What if this becomes successful -- will we need to dip into the food grade supply? How will this affect policies favoring agriculture intended to increase local food production? How will this affect our ideas about low-impact sustainable agriculture if it's more important to replace foreign oil in the short term? Mon, 18 Jun 2007 14:24:45 -0400 http://www.mainefoods.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=314 We might wish it was always strawberry season in Maine, but the palate sharpens when we have to wait until they're perfect: your local Farmers' Market (such as a brand new market in the Lakes region) should just begin to display those glowing red nuggets of sweet sensations we call strawberries. They're best, of course, sun warmed and just discovered under a crinkly green leaf at a Pick-Your-Own operation. A very close second is sliced, mixed with with a sprinkle of sugar or a little maple syrup, and then a drop of two of balsamic vinegar -- try it! But they're the star ingredient in many other desserts, so when you find the perfect pint or quart from a local farm, don't hold back. (And a Happy 40th Anniversary to Sergeant Pepper's, too!) Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:03:52 -0400