MOFGA Events July 1-4

July 1 - 2010 Sustainable Agriculture Field Day Featuring Organic Grain Research. 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (Registration starts at 5:45 p.m.) at the J.F. Witter Teaching & Research Center, Rogers Farm in Stillwater. For more information, please contact John Jemison or Ellen Mallory at 800-870-7270.

July 1 - 2010 University of Maine Sustainable Agriculture Field Day. Thursday, 6:00 to 8:00 pm, University of Maine Rogers Forage and Crops Research Farm, Stillwater, Maine 1.5 miles from I-95 Exit 193). Twilight meeting with focus on the following organic grain research topics: Bread wheat varieties; Weed management for organic small grains; Fertility management for high quality bread wheat; Bagged organic fertilizers for grains and vegetables; Organic double crop forage: winter small grain – corn silage.

July 2-4 - Northeast Permaculture Convergence. The Sixth Annual Northeast Permaculture Convergence will take place at MOFGA's Common Ground Education Center in Unity. Three field trips on July 2 include: Track 1: Newforest Institute and Teltane Farm and Nursery. Track 2: Humustacia Permaculture Gardens and Avena Botanicals. Track 3: Eliot Coleman’s Four Season Farm and The Nearings’ Home/Good Life Center. On July 3-4, dozens of workshops by seasoned practitioners take place alongside art, music and a full slate of youth activities. Weekend pass, sliding scale $75 - $125. Youth 13 and under are free. Field trips are $50. For full details and to register, go to: http://northeastconvergence.wordpress.com

What a Weekend

Over the weekend I flew out to Santa Barbara for a wedding. It was a whirlwind of a trip and there was actually only one day that I wasn't on a plane but the weather was wonderful and the wedding was great. Luckily I'm fortunate enough to be able to work with one of my best friends and Janyce held down the madder root fort as well as watching the madder root mascot for the weekend. Back to work this week and we'll have a new design up soon.

Fort Point

Fort Point State Park is located in Stockton Springs, Maine and offers a stunning view of the Fort Point Light Station overlooking the Penobscot River. The terrain is rough, so this would be a tough park to visit for some people with physical handicaps. Still, if you are able to handle the uneven grounds, the park offers a field with stone ruins, the light house view, and a walking path to the water's edge. At low tide, you are able to walk the beach to the lighthouse. There are also picnic tables set up and a pier for arriving by boat. The $2/person entrance fee is on the honor system. Please do pay it to help the park service maintain this beautiful historic site.

Second "Seconds" Sale

Every Friday through Monday, we feature our "seconds" as sale items in our shop. These items have small pinhole ink spots, fading, or other slight flaws that disqualify them from being featured as "firsts." They are finished and packaged with the same care as any of our other items. You'll find them to be a wicked good deal! This week's seconds sale features chili pepper teasel, slate mussels and moss ferns tea towel sets. Good through Monday, June 28 or while they last. Look for the Sale Items section in our shop.

MOFGA Events-Saturday June 26

2nd Annual Strawberry Festival. Saturday, 9 am to 3 pm. Free event. Maxwell’s strawberry field on Two Lights Rd., Cape Elizabeth. Fabulous farm fresh foods, local music and Maine artisans. Other Cape Elizabeth farms will be open for visitors. Evening potluck dinner and silent auction (tickets $7.50/person, in advance). To donate, volunteer, or contribute an item for our auction, contact Suzanne Martin-Pillsbury at suzannepillsbury@yahoo.com.

Don’t Flush – Compost! Intro to Composting Toilets. Free workshop. Saturday, 9:30 to 10:30 am, Shelter Institute, 873 Route One, Woolwich. Composting toilets work much like forests where wildlife droppings decompose in the duff and convert into valuable plant nutrients. Call 207-442-7938 or email info@shelterinstitute.com to reserve your spot today.

6th Annual Vegetarian Food Festival. Saturday, 11 am to 3 pm, East End Community School, Portland (195 North St.). Sponsored by Maine Animal Coalition. Four workshops entitled: An Orthopedic Surgeon's Advice on How to Feed Your Bones; The Joy of Juicing; Be Greener, Go Vegan; and Meal Planning for the 21st Century. Free food, exhibitors, music and MAC's famous raffle. FMI: www.maineanimalcoalition.org/

New design

Our new lobster buoy design is here and up for sale!

Moose Point State Park

Moose Point State Park is located on roughly 145 acres in Searsport, ME. The developed portion of the park is on the ocean side of coastal Route 1 and features a large open field, beach front and walking paths that take you through a bit of forest. Most of the park is handicap accessible (it might be difficult for some people to walk down the stairs to the beach), child-friendly, and dogs are allowed on a 4-foot leash. It is well worth the $2 park fee to poke around on the beach, have a picnic, take a walk or simply sit and enjoy the ocean air. Here are some views from the park:







Visit the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands for more information about this or other parks in Maine.

SALE

madder root is having it's first ever seconds sale.

Modern Printed Matter

We are happy to announce that Modern Printed Matter is the newest store to carry Madder Root tea towels and recipe cards. Modern Printed Matter is a wholesale greeting card/stationery business. Their work (which is sold at over 300 retailers internationally) is made, packaged, and shipped from their studio in Warren, Rhode Island. In addition to their own paper goods, Modern Printed Matter's studio store is filled with a selection of hard to find handmade gift items from independent designers across the globe. If you are in that neck of the woods, please do drop by their studio to say hello!

Etsy Treasury Fun

A perk of being a member of Etsy is curating treasuries which feature other artisans and spreading the word about handmade creativity and artistry. Here are some recent Madder Root curated treasuries.

Foggy Morning in Maine: featuring members of the Etsy Maine Team.



Buzzing Around the Hive: featuring members of the Artisans Collective.



A Touch of Teal: featuring members of the Artisans Collective. This one made Etsy's home page!



Enjoy!

MOFGA Events This Weekend

June 12 - Woodworkers Do It with Sandpaper – Intro to Sharpening. Sat., 9:30 to 10:30 am at Shelter Institute, 873 Route One, Woolwich, ME. One-hour FREE workshop. Learn how to keep your tools sharp enough to shave with them! We’ll demonstrate techniques using sandpaper, leather strops, honing guides, water stones, oil stones and the Tormek. Call 207-442-7938 or email info@shelterinstitute.com

June 12 - How and Why to Keep Bees in Top Bar Beehives. Free sustainable beekeeping workshop led by Gold Star Honeybees. Noon to 2:00 p.m. at MOFGA's Common Ground Education Center. For more information, call 207-449-1121 or visit Gold Star Honeybees.

June12 - Local Food Supper. A taste of community, hosted by the Arlington Grange and Whitefield neighborhood farms. 4:30 p.m. 3 Grand Army Road, Whitefield, ME. For more information, call 207-549-5600.

June 13 - Gourmet Garden Crawl. 2:00 - 6:00 p.m. at Rippling Waters Organic Farm, 55 River Road in Steep Falls. This is a delightfully innovative fundraiser to support Rippling Waters' school garden initiative. The tour begins at the farm and continues to three of Rippling Waters' school garden sites: the Bonny Eagle Middle School greenhouse; Edna Libby’s raised beds; and the in-ground garden at George E Jack Elementary School. Guests will ride propane-propelled school buses, courtesy of MSAD #6. At each garden along the tour, participants will meet with student guides, leaders of the farm-to-school and sustainable agriculture movements, and gourmet chefs including Jeff Landry of the Farmers Table, Joshua Mather of Joshua’s, Earl Morse of Portland Harbor Hotel, and Thomas Sheehan of Bon Appetit, St. Joseph College will prepare a progressive feast from seasonal, local ingredients. Upon returning to the farm, participants will enjoy drinks and desserts by Abby Harmon of Caiola’s. There also will be music by a cool jazz band, and a live/silent auction featuring weekend retreats, concerts, and other items. Tickets are $45 for adults, $80 for couples, $10 for youth (ages 12-18), and free for children under 12. For more information, contact Richard Rudolph by email at rrudolph@fairpoint.net or by phone at 776-4961.

slow cloth

Check out this great article about the slow cloth movement
http://handeyemagazine.com/content/slow-cloth

Note of Appreciation

It's always nice to be recognized, so we wanted to take a moment to thank Designing Mom Guissell of Earth Beginnings and Liz Grotyohann, co-founder of Cosa Verde for including us on their blogs. You may follow them at Designing Moms and Modish. We appreciate your support.--Janyce and Christina

Lupine Inspiration

Lupine have "popped" over the past week or so, bringing beautiful color and texture to Maine's fields and hillsides.





Lupine have found their way onto our tea towels as well. Shown here in dusk and heather. Coming soon...grape.

Poppy Tea Towel Featured on Etsy's Home Page

Just wanted to thank Flaming June Vintage for including our buttercup Poppy tea towel in this beautiful treasury and Etsy for featuring it on the home page. Woot! Woot!

New: Sanddollar Recipe Cards

Whether it's a new recipe or a treasured family favorite these charming hand printed recipe cards are a perfect addition to your kitchen. All cards are printed on 100% recycled paper. At 5 1/2"x 8 1/2" they are large enough for any recipe and folded in half they will fit in a standard 4"x6" recipe box. Shown here with a sand dollar print in sea foam.

Each card is hand printed. Slight variations in placement and color add to the charm.

Printed with water-based non-toxic inks.

Madder Root Recipe Cards also come in Poppies (Cherry and Buttercup), Ferns (Moss), and Roosters (Cherry).

Moose in Bangor!

My heart's in my throat. A moose walked passed me this morning right in the middle of Bangor! It took a minute for me to register what it was. Oh, that's a dog. A big dog. A great dane? No! A Moose!!! It wasn't moving very fast, but covering a lot of ground with its long strides. I would have stayed longer to watch, but I'm babysitting a dog and had her with me. Didn't relish the thought of a german shephard and that moose tangling, so I herded the dog in the opposite direction. So cool, though! What an unexpected and awesome way to start the day! Hope yours is as magical as well.--Janyce