Month: September 2011

Food photographer Stacey Cramp has posted an entry on her blog about mushroom foraging,

This isn’t to say that you should go about foraging without a care in the world. If you’re thinking about mushroom hunting get several books (I find it useful to consult a variety of guides as the information and pictures they provide vary), study specimens carefully before even thinking about eating them and seek someone with mushrooming experience to take you on a guided walk. As Marley says, “Nothing can boost confidence better than seeing a mushroom in the hands of a knowledgeable person.” Starting with one or two easy-to-identify varieties is a good idea and then, if you like, you can try to expand your list each year.

MPBN aired a news segment today that warns about the risks of eating wild mushrooms without adequate training to identify those that are safe to eat,

The damp weather in recent weeks has led to a bumper crop of wild mushrooms. They’re sprouting everywhere from remote woods to the side of soccer fields. And for recreational foragers the temptation to pick from the bounty is overwhelming. But Maine public health officials say amateur pickers are taking a serious risk.

and the Urban Farm Fermentory has posted some photos from their recent guided mushroom walk in Gorham.

According to a report in the Bangor Daily News, the Portland City Council’s Health and Recreation Committee met earlier this week to consider a change to the Farmers Market ordinance to allow hard cider to be sold. While not on the agenda the discussion also considered whether to allow raw milk to be sold at the market.

On Tuesday, the committee was slated to discuss adding hard cider to the list of products that can be sold at the farmers market. The proposed change comes in part in response to the recent passage of a state law that allows permitted farm winery operations to sell certain alcoholic beverages at farmers markets statewide.

David Buchanan attended the meeting and told the committee he plans to team with Eli Cayer of Urban Farm Fermentory to sell hard ciders at the farmers market and he thinks the allowance of the alcoholic product could be a further boon for the market.

For additional commentary and reporting see articles from in the Portland Daily Sun and from The Golden Dish.

Today’s Portland Daily Sun provides some advice on bringing children to restaurants.

Generally, if there is mac and cheese listed (the kind without lobster and truffles) or any variation of deep-fried Twinkies, the place tolerates toddlers and stoned college students. If you can’t pronounce the majority of the gilded menu, Open Table it someplace else.

According to a report from The Forecaster, chef/owner Krista Kern Desjarlais will be adding lunch service at Bresca starting later in October.

Bresca Day will be European in style, open from late morning to mid-afternoon with fresh pastries, salads and local seasonal fare, she said Monday. Customers will be able to take the food to go or sit in with their children and friends. Coffee and espresso drinks will be provided by Matt’s Coffee of Pownal.