Cruelty to Blueberries?

According to today’s Press Herald, Tracy Reiman from PETA has written a letter to Governor Baldacci to object to his efforts to convert the Stinson sardine cannery to a lobster processing plant.

“Can the cruelty,” Reiman urged the governor, “and turn Stinson into a cannery for Maine’s famous wild blueberries instead.”

To which Baldacci spokesman David Farmer, who heard about the letter for the first time Tuesday, tactfully replied, “But what about the blueberries?”

Alewives and Lobster

Today’s Press Herald reports on a research to better understand the lifecycle of alewives which are an important bait fish for lobstermen,

Like the Atlantic salmon and other anadromous fish, which live in salt water but return to freshwater rivers and lakes to spawn, the alewife population has declined drastically. In the late 1950s, 70 million pounds of river herring were being landed along the East Coast annually, compared with fewer than 1 million pounds today. Researchers are trying to understand what is causing the decline.

and an article on elimination of restrictions on producing lobster products,

Tens of millions of pounds of Maine-caught lobster are shipped each year to Canada, where they are turned into value-added products that can be processed there — but not in Maine. A new law taking effect this summer aims to even out the playing field for processors and marketers.

Bangs Island Mussels For Sale

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram reports that the Bangs Island Mussel aquaculture business is up for sale.

Olson, of South Portland, is selling his 10-year-old Bangs Island Mussels farm off Clapboard Island, believed to be the first commercial rope-grown mussel operation on the East Coast. Olson is focusing full time instead on his seaweed venture, Ocean Approved, which is one of the first, if not the only, cultivated kelp businesses in the country.

Olson is hoping his mussel farm will catch the eye of an enterprising Mainer who can see the advantages of working on the open water rather than in a cubicle.

Asmara and Merry Table

Food writer Margo Mallar reports on her recent visits to Asmara and The Merry Table in today’s Portland Daily Sun.

On Friday we returned to an old favorite, Asmara, the Eritrean restaurant on Oak Street between Congress and Free street.  The dishes are served on injera, a pancake made from teff, a grain that is native to the Ethiopian highlands…Injera doubles as a utensil; you tear off small pieces to use like little gloves to grasp the chunky bits of the stew and to scoop up the broth-soaked injera beneath.

Comments to FTC Re: Trader Joe's

Friday’s Press Herald includes a report on the public comments flooding into the FTC on the proposed sale of the Wild Oats building to Trader Joe’s.

“We want it, we want it, we want it!!!” Meredith Cohen of Hallowell said in her posting. “I was told I should write to show my support for Trader Joe’s buying the old Wild Oats building so here it is. Please, please, please! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!”

Comments to FTC Re: Trader Joe’s

Friday’s Press Herald includes a report on the public comments flooding into the FTC on the proposed sale of the Wild Oats building to Trader Joe’s.

“We want it, we want it, we want it!!!” Meredith Cohen of Hallowell said in her posting. “I was told I should write to show my support for Trader Joe’s buying the old Wild Oats building so here it is. Please, please, please! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!”

Maple's Organics in SoPo & Sustainable Food Conference

Today’s Press Herald includes an article on Maple’s Organics new production facility and retail space in South Portland,

In the new space, retail customers will be able to see how the ice cream base is cooked in big pots, how flavorings like raw sugar caramel are made, and how ingredients like peanut butter cups and cookies are stirred into the frozen mixture. The shop will also offer baked goods, coffee and other beverages.

The 1,800-square-foot building provides a better space for the growing business.

and  a Natural Foodie article on this weekend’s 5th Annual Local & Sustainable Food Conference taking place in Lewiston.

Whether you’d like to learn new mulching techniques to better hedge against Maine’s cold winters or you’d like to find out how to save seeds in order to take a practical and political stand against corporate control of the food system, you’ll want to attend the Local & Sustainable Food Conference on Saturday and Sunday in Lewiston.

Maple’s Organics in SoPo & Sustainable Food Conference

Today’s Press Herald includes an article on Maple’s Organics new production facility and retail space in South Portland,

In the new space, retail customers will be able to see how the ice cream base is cooked in big pots, how flavorings like raw sugar caramel are made, and how ingredients like peanut butter cups and cookies are stirred into the frozen mixture. The shop will also offer baked goods, coffee and other beverages.

The 1,800-square-foot building provides a better space for the growing business.

and  a Natural Foodie article on this weekend’s 5th Annual Local & Sustainable Food Conference taking place in Lewiston.

Whether you’d like to learn new mulching techniques to better hedge against Maine’s cold winters or you’d like to find out how to save seeds in order to take a practical and political stand against corporate control of the food system, you’ll want to attend the Local & Sustainable Food Conference on Saturday and Sunday in Lewiston.

Where's the Wi-Fi?

In recognition of yesterday’s launch of the new wi-fi enabled Apple iPad, here’s a list of local spots that provide wireless internet to their customers:

Post a comment if you know of any others that are missing from the list.