Category: General News

Farmers Market, Blueberries & Water

| Posted in General News, Farming

Today’s Press Herald includes a report on a new credit/debit card/food stamp option at the farmers market,

“It’s something that the farmers have been talking about for the past couple of years,” said Jaime Berhanu of Lalibela Farm in Bowdoinham. “There are probably already five or six of us who take food stamps, and just maybe two or three that do credit cards. It’s one of these things that’s been on the long-term goal list.”

a survey of blueberry-flavored products and list of Southern Maine locations for berry picking,

Blueberries are even more abundant this year, thanks to the loads of new products on grocery shelves that tout them as potent antioxidants. From blueberry juices to dried blueberries in cereals, there are more ways than ever to get your blueberry fix.

This year, I thought it would be fun to look at some ways you can drink your blueberries.

and an article about a Portland firm that provides an alternative to bottled water.

In place of waste-generating and chemical-leaching plastic bottles and jugs, Blue Reserve provides bottle-less water coolers that use a nine-stage, commercial-grade water filtration system.

Bad Management

| Posted in General News

Today’s Portland Daily Sun takes a look at the pros and cons of the staff trying to oust a bad restaurant manager.

A tight-knit group of twenty-to-life restaurant people I know are plotting the downfall of their worse than stereotypically bad manager. He makes their working hours miserable and in some cases their precious non-working hours as well via friendly texts that are thinly disguised demands for them to pick up shifts on their only full weekend off all summer. Saying no has ramifications felt only in industries where strategic scheduling is everything and your financial fate is in the hands of the person with the Excel spreadsheet.

Best Foodie Walking Tours

| Posted in General News

AOL Travel has included Maine Foodie Tours on their list of the Best 9 Foodie Walking Tours in the country.

From Maine-smoked seafood to local wild blueberry preserves spread on scones, Old Port promises plenty of opportunities to entice your taste buds and teach you about what makes these local products so uniquely delicious. Make sure to spring for a piece of original whoopee pie while aboard the tour.

SoPo Angelone and Mussel Aquaculture

| Posted in General News, Fisheries

Today’s Press Herald included articles about the Calendar Island Mussel Company,

The Calendar Island Mussel Co. — named after an old term for the Casco Bay islands — joins similar aquaculture operations near Clapboard, Bangs and Basket islands, in the western part of the bay, that are growing mussels, oysters and seaweed.

They’d like to make a dent in shocking international trade statistics that show about 85 percent of seafood sold in the United States comes from other countries, and about half of the imported seafood is farm-raised. Shrimp from Thailand. Salmon from Norway. Mussels from Chile.

and about the South Portland branch of Pizza by Angelone,

Neither Mains nor her mother, Trina Angelone Mains, plan on being around when the bulldozers show up here at the corner of Broadway and Ocean Street.

The metal-wrapped building with distinct rounded corners, built as a gas station in 1940, will be demolished to make way for a new branch of the Bath Savings Institution. The gas station was converted into a pizza shop by Jack Angelone in 1969, as he expanded his pizza franchise from his home restaurant at Monument Square.

Green Grocer

| Posted in General News

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram reports on the Brighton Ave Rosemont’s green certification by the DEP.

The program, which is free, offers grocers technical assistance to identify no-cost measures to help them reduce their environmental impact. The participants are awarded points for sustainable practices, such as using non-toxic cleaning products and reducing stormwater runoff. Independent grocers need 100 points and large chains 150 points to be certified.

SoPo Farmers Market

| Posted in General News, Profiles

Edible Obsessions has posted a report on her visit to the inaugural farmers market in South Portland with a special focus on the Wicked Sharp knife sharpening service.

So, I resigned myself to the notion of having slightly sharp knives for ever. That was, until I noticed Wicked Sharp had posted on their Facebook page that they would be joining the new Farmer’s Market in South Portland and would be sharpening knives while you shopped. I was already heading over to Thomas Knight Park to pick up my online order from the Cape Farms’ Market and this made it so I didn’t have to deal with my separation issues. Brilliant.

For additional commentary on the market see The Golden Dish.

Hannaford Brands

| Posted in General News

An article in today’s Portland Daily Sun bemoans the retirement of the in-store Hannaford brand of products.

After I left the store, knowing full well that more than likely the products were the same contents with just a different label, I asked myself whether this brand change was something that was bothering just me and Drew, as we’re both a little quirky. I certainly hadn’t seen anything in the news about the change and it seems as though Hannaford is trying to quietly extinguish the Hannaford brand in the stores. After a little search, I found out we were not alone.

For additional commentary to the 2 letters to the editor about Hannaford’s change of in-store brands.