$1.3 Million to Develop Local Wheat

| Posted in Farming

There’s in an article in today’s Food & Dining section on a grant to support wheat farming in Maine and Vermont.

The grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will fund a four-year project that brings together scientists, farmers, bakers and millers from both states to expand organic wheat production in New England, once a bread basket of the nation.

Ellen Mallory, a sustainable agriculture specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Service who is leading the project, estimates that Maine produces 200 to 500 acres of organic wheat. Vermont produces about the same.

“It’s hard to get a handle on what the demand really is, but we know that we’re well below supplying that demand,” Mallory said.

Inside Immigrant Kitchens: Maili Kern

| Posted in Cooking

In the new installment of Inside Immigrant Kitchens Lindsay Sterling learns how to cook Estonian Roast Beef and Root Vegetable Salad from Maili Kern.

Maili Kern learned this from her mother in a village on the Baltic Sea in Estonia. It’s a popular dish served on buffet tables at celebrations. The color, bright pink from beets next to bright yellow and white hardboiled eggs, is a stunning example of how powerful simple things can be in the right hands.

Evangeline Review

| Posted in Reviews

Portland Food Heads has reviewed a recent meal at Evangeline where he had the clabber-fed whole roast chicken.

The family-style, Sunday dinner feel of this meal was exactly what I had been hoping for, and, at this point, I wasn’t sure things could get much better.

That is, until I took a bite of the chicken. I’ll spare everyone the wasted time and say that this was flat out the best chicken I’ve ever had in my entire life. I probably roast about 20-30 birds a year, and never have I tasted a chicken with such buttery, “chickeny” flesh.

The clabber-fed roast chicken is now available at Evangeline provided you call ahead and give them 24 hour advance notice.

This Week's Events

| Posted in Events

The weekly Food and Drink Trivia Contest is at Bull Feeney’s tonight, and on Tuesday the next Wine Flight 5k Training run is taking place. Both The Salt Exchange and Jones Landing are holding wine events on Wednesday.  There are wine tastings this week at the Brighton Street Rosemont on Friday and Leroux Kitchen on Saturday. The Great Lost Bear is showcasing the beer from Magic Hat Brewing on Thursday. Farmers’ Markets are being held in Monument Square on Wednesday and at Deering Oaks Park on Saturday. For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

Martha and MF&L visit Duckfat

| Posted in Reviews, People

Martha Stewart was recently in Portland where she did some shopping and visited Duckfat.

Coincidentally, earlier this week Maine Food & Lifestyle‘s blog Plating Up published a review of Duckfat.

My friends admire the lengths I’ll go to for a good meal. But heading to Portland for French fries? Oh yes! No regrets. Truffled ketchup too, or a variety of interesting home made mayos, if that’s your pleasure.