MOFGA Events in May

Here are just a few of the events sponsored by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association for the month of May:

May 8 - MOFGA Organic Orcharding 101 with Michael Phillips, author of The Apple Grower. Location: Unity Maine. Fee is $40 for MOFGA Members, $50 for non-members. Phillips will lead a comprehensive exploration of organic disease and insect strategies, including lectures, discussions, question and answer periods inside and out. Learn what to expect in your orchard and how to manage it. Please bring a bag lunch, course will run from 10-3pm.

May 15 - Morris Farm Community Forum: How Can Education Support Agriculture in Maine? 10am-3pm, Wiscasset Primary School, adjoining The Morris Farm on Route 27, at Gardiner Road, Wiscasset, Maine. Morning-session speakers include Seth Bradstreet (Maine Commissioner of Agriculture), Marge Kilkelly (Agriculture policymaker, farmer, former Legislator), Russell Libby (Executive Director of MOFGA), John Piotti (Legislator, Executive Director of Maine Farmland Trust), John Rebar (Executive Director of UMaine Cooperative Extension), Stewart Smith (Professor of Sustainable Agriculture, UMaine), and moderator, Wendy Pieh (goat farmer, Legislator, House Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry). Afternoon discussions facilitated by Gary Balducci of Maine Farm Bureau, Jed Beach from Aldemere Farm, Karen Kleinkopf of FARMS, and John D'Anieri of Maine Farm Enterprise School. More information and online registration at www.morrisfarm.org, or call 207.882.4080.

May 15 - Mushroom Cultivation with Bill Errickson. 1-4pm. $30. Learn how to grow your own edible and medicinal mushrooms in straw. Participants take home their own mushroom growing bag. Please pre-register. Student and group rates available. Newforest Institute, 66 Monroe Highway, Brooks, Maine. FMI: 207.722.3625 or email Bill@newforestinstitute.org.

Check out the MOFGA Calendar of Events for other activities.

MOFGA Workshop: Producing Quality Organic Grains for Maine

April 14 Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association is hosting a workshop called "Producing Quality Organic Grains for Maine: Weed Management and Grain Seeding" from 9:45 am to 3:00 pm at the MOFGA Common Ground Education Center, Unity, Maine. This event is organized by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension in partnership with The Kneading Conference, Heart of Maine Resource Conservation & Development, and MOFGA. Guest speakers: Gary Bergstrom, Professor of Plant Pathology at Cornell University and an authority on the management of wheat and corn diseases; Mark Fowler is Associate Director and Milling Specialist for the International Grains Program at Kansas State University; Jack Lazor owns and operates Butterworks Farm, an organic dairy farm in Westfield, VT, with over 30 years of experience growing organic grains for feed and human markets. Pre‐registration required by April 5. Cost: $10 per person per event, includes lunch. Download workshop brochure and registration form at the MOFGA website or, for information, contact: Ellen Mallory, UMaine Coop. Extension, 207 581‐2942 / ellen.mallory@maine.edu

Madder Root Scarf on Etsy's Front Page

One of our grey scarves with teasel was featured on Etsy's front page today, along with other Etsy Maine Team products and sellers. Thank you, atelierfrost for including us in your treasury!

5th Annual Local & Sustainable Foods Conference

The 5th Annual Local & Sustainable Foods Conference: Building Urban and Rural Alliances will be held April 10 and 11, 2010 at the St. Mary's Nutrition Center in Lewiston, Maine.

Schedule of Events

Saturday April 10 - All Day Conference
8:30am - 4:30pm Workshops on key food issues & interactive skill shares
5:00pm Mud Season Dinner with delicious Maine Grown Food
7:00pm Benefit concert "Over a Cardboard Sea" at Callahan Hall

Sunday April 11 - Food Policy Discussion
10:00am - 2:00pm Round table discussion on Maine Food Policy

Space is limited for all events. Register online at Food For Maine's Future or by calling 207.244.0908. Doors open at 8:00am.

Registration for all events is sliding scale, with a suggested donation of $20-$25 for each event. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Non-perishable food items for the St. Mary's Food Bank will also be collected during the weekend.

What is a Tea Towel?

One of the most common questions we get is "What is a tea towel?" Traditionally, tea towels were made from linen cut to hand towel size, hemmed, and then used to dry cutlery or fine china. The linen, woven not looped like terry cloth, is known for its absorbency and softness. Today, tea towels may also be found in cotton with a wide range of colors and designs.



Some tea towels are simply functional and left plain to handle every day kitchen chores. Others are embellished with embroidery or fabric paints to add color and style. Common tea towel motifs include portraits, maps, plants, animals, landscapes and calendars. Many tea towels have become collectors' items.



Along with drying dishes, tea towels may be used to cover tea pots or hot bread from the oven to keep the items warm while serving. They are also light enough to cover a bowl of rising bread without squishing down the dough and make great food wraps for cookies, gingerbread, scones, cakes or other food items in a picnic basket. Some people hang tea towels from rings as curtains for small windows. Tea towels also make lovely house warming gifts or, framed, decorative fabric art for the home.

Celebrating spring

madder root is a proud supporter of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (www.mofga.org). We donate 1% of our profits to MOFGA, and to celebrate spring and Earth Day we are giving away a packet of MOFGA certified organic seeds with every tea towel purchase on etsy. These vegetable seeds (including lettuce, dill, or cilantro) are easy to grow in a garden or window box. Plant a row for yourself or Plant a Row for the Hungry ( more information @ www.gardenwriters.org )