Today’s Portland Daily Sun includes an article about expanding artisanal cheese industry in Maine.
Eric Rector, president of the guild, said the Maine Cheese Guild is working with many cheesemakers as business booms.
“In Maine, artisan cheese movement is growing by leaps and bounds,” he said. “We’re winning awards all over the place, nationally.”
The long awaited launch of Portland Cooks—a multimedia blog by “Radio Host, former urchin-diver, ex-restaurant lackey, and fearless promoter of the hard-working people in the local food industry” John Dennison—took place today with a piece on Sunset Farm Organics. Sunset provides organic greens throughout the winter to some of Portland’s best known restaurants from their greenhouses in southern Maine.
Today’s Press Herald includes an article on new rules that would regulate small scale chicken farms
[Organic farmer Rick] Stanley is among a number of small poultry producers planning to speak against the proposed rules at a hearing at 10 a.m. today in Room 208 at the Cross Office Building in Augusta. The issue highlights how the booming demand for locally grown and produced food can collide with the regulatory framework set up to ensure its safety.
The newspaper also reprinted a piece from the Bangor Daily News about the Maine scallop industry
“When the water is warm, they swim right through the water like Pac-Man,” he said, referring to the classic video game. “This year, I’ve seen quite a few small scallops. You know, little guys, 1-inch, 2-inch scallops. I’ve heard from other people around the state that they’re seeing some small scallops, which we haven’t seen in many, many years.
“I hope it bodes well for the future,” he added.
Chow Maine has published a report on some new Maine made chesses from Edible Rind, Winter Hill, Liberty Fields, Spring Day and Second Chance Farm and Longfellow Creamery.
The Curmudgeon was like “a cross between an Alsatian Muenster and an Epoisse,” my wise food-loving friend Ann Takman said. Both her and her husband, wine writer Bob Rossi, agreed that a better wine with the Curmudgeon would be an Alsatian Gewurztraminer.
An article in the Food & Dining section of today’s Press Herald explores Portland’s lack of an indoor winter farmers’ market.
First Brunswick and Bath and now Falmouth and Cumberland have charged ahead and found suitable sheltered venues to allow their farmers markets to operate through the coldest months and give residents easy access to Maine-grown eats. In contrast, Portland is now entering its third season of an every-other-week subscription winter market that takes place outside, no matter the weather.
I wonder if the Public Market House could provide some room?
An front page article in today’s Press Herald looks at the “increasing number of farmers are pushing the growing season into the winter to take advantage of the surging demand for locally grown food”.
Yesterday’s Portland Daily Sun published a feature article on the federal government’s pilot efforts to promote organic food.
[U.S. Agriculture Deputy Secretary] Merrigan was in Portland to promote more than $19 million in USDA grants that have been awarded to universities to be applied toward organic agriculture research and education. More than $1.3 million of this appropriation was granted to University of Maine and the University of Vermont for an initiative called the “Northern New England Local Bread Wheat Project.”
This project features Portland’s Borealis Breads as one of its partners, with the goal of increasing the supply of locally grown organic wheat.
Yesterday’s Portland Daily Sun published a feature article on the federal government’s pilot efforts to promote organic food.
[U.S. Agriculture Deputy Secretary] Merrigan was in Portland to promote more than $19 million in USDA grants that have been awarded to universities to be applied toward organic agriculture research and education. More than $1.3 million of this appropriation was granted to University of Maine and the University of Vermont for an initiative called the “Northern New England Local Bread Wheat Project.”
This project features Portland’s Borealis Breads as one of its partners, with the goal of increasing the supply of locally grown organic wheat.
Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram has an article about the state’s small but growing cranberry crop.
While those efforts have fallen short – in part because of high startup costs of cranberry farming – Maine’s acreage has steadily increased from 40 acres in 1997 to nearly 299 acres today, according to the 2007 U.S. Department of Agriculture census. Maine’s harvest pales next to Wisconsin’s. Wisconsin is the nation’s top cranberry producer with 17,700 acres followed by Massachusetts at 13,000 acres.
MPBN broadcast a report yesterday about Maine’s Own Organic Milk, or MOO Milk for short. The new venture will source, package and sell organic milk from Maine dairies. (listen to audio)
MOO Milk, which stands for Maine’s Own Organic Milk, will come from farmers in Aroostook, Washington, Kennebec and Penobscot counties. It will be processed at Smiling Hill Farms in Westbrook and distributed by Oakhurst Dairy and Crown of Maine. McKusick says it should be stocked in Hannaford and independent grocery stores in Maine and New Hampshire.