Practical Pomology: A Field Guide, a new book guide for identifying and describing apples is now available to pre-order on Kickstarter. The 150-page book explains how to differentiate between seedling and grafted trees, how to recognize and name the various features of the apple, and includes anatomical photographs of the thirty-four varieties (Saint Lawrence shown below) that most commonly grow in historic orchards. The books is extensively illustrated with photos an drawings.

Practical Pomology has been written by Sean Turley, a Portland-based apple author, historian, photographer, cidermaker, forager and the creator of The Righteous Russet instagram account. Turley worked extensively with Maine’s preeminent apple expert John Bunker on writing the book, as well as with designers, artists, and photographers to bring the subject to life.

Apples are everywhere; so are books about apples. But despite the extraordinary quantity and quality of tomes about pomes, no text has ever been printed that provides a comprehensive, systematic approach to describing and identifying historic varieties of apples—let alone one that condenses the foundational work by pomologists over the last couple of centuries into a simple-to-follow, practical resource for the expert and novice alike.

Practical Pomology: A Field Guide aims to fill that void. Across its pages, you will be taught how to recognize and differentiate between seedling and grafted trees; describe and classify the anatomical features of the apple; and identify and distinguish among the varieties most commonly found in historic orchards. It is a resource that can be pulled off the shelf when deciphering descriptions of lost varieties in antiquated texts and a portable manual you can toss in your backpack when heading out into the field. Whether you are new to pomology or an old hand at describing and identifying pomes, this book should prove to be an indispensable resource.

You can pre-order your copy of Practical Pomology on Kickstarter now through December 14th. The book is expected to go to print in early January and be shipped to customers in mid-March.

Ramona’s owner Josh Sobel has leased the former Broken Arrow space at 545 Congress Street where he plans to open a second restaurant called Benny’s (instagram). Renovations will be taking place during the winter and Sobel hopes to open Benny’s in early spring.

Benny’s will be open for lunch and dinner operating as a Philly-inspired sandwich shop with counter service by day, and transitioning into a sit down restaurant serving pasta and salads for dinner. Benny’s will also have a small cocktail menu. Sobel shared,

I’m excited to be in a neighborhood with so many other great small businesses and restaurants.
I’ve wanted to make cheesesteaks and cutlets since we opened Ramona’s, but the limitations of the space always made it impossible.

Benny’s feels like the natural evolution of our business. We hope to be a place that can service the neighborhood throughout the day. We want to start dinner service a bit earlier so that young families can join us. As a parent of young kids, it’s important to me that we are able to provide a great dining experience for kids as well as adults.

Carrie Dessertine from Mey & Co. has been hired to design the restaurant. Dessertine has designed a number of restaurants in Maine including Ramona’s, Bread & Friends, Elda in Biddeford, and the new Mr. Tuna.

Sobel and Chad Conley launched Ramona’s as a takeout service in April 2020 and opened with indoor seating in March 2022. Conley sold his interest in the company to Sobel in 2023.

Luke Holden, Ben Conniff, Bryan Holden—co-owners of Luke’s Lobster— have leased 84 Commercial Street where they plan to relaunch the Dry Dock (instagram) as a seafood tavern with a full bar program. The team expects to renovate and restore the building this winter and open the new Dry Dock in time for the summer of 2025.

Jeff Holden, managing partner at Luke’s Lobster commented, “Our family has loved the Dry Dock location for decades. I was a regular when I had my business here on Commercial Street back in the 1980s and 90s. We feel truly grateful to work with Steve [Goodrich] on the opportunity to bring the legacy of Dry Dock restaurant back to life here – preserving it for the people of Portland and its visitors is as much sentimental to us as it is good business.”

The Dry Dock was a fixture on the Portland waterfront since it launched in 1983. It’s been closed since 2018 and while there have been some plans in the past to redesign and relaunch it, they have not come to fruition.

The Luke’s on Portland Pier will continue to operate where it is and the Dry Dock will open with a separate menu and concept.

Leisure Time Cocktail Company (website, instagram) has launched a $45k crowdfunding campaign on NuMarket to raise funds for a cocktail canning line. Contributors will get $1.20 in credits at Leisure Time for every $1 they contribute to the campaign.

We did it! Our tasting room and cocktail laboratory is officially open, and it’s been an honor to serve great cocktails and good times to the Portland, Maine community. Now, we’re ready to expand our production facility so we can share our love for delicious cocktails far and wide — but we need your help…Your support will help us purchase a canning line, Brite tanks for carbonating our cocktails, and provide the runway we need to secure licensing for the new facility. Want to taste what’s going in the cans? Head down to the Lounge at Thompson’s Point, where we’ve already got these delicious beverages on tap!

Leisure Time owners Kai Parrott-Wolfe and Matt Noyes opened their 50-seat cocktail bar on Thompson’s Point in July. The menu features a range of draft and freezer cocktails as well as a selection of wine and beer, pierogis, salads, hot dogs and sausages.