By Roberta Bailey Tucked in the back corner of many New England sheds or barns is a dusty old-fashioned ice cream maker. It has a wooden slat bucket held together with salt-rusted wire. The same rust is on the handle. There is a rust-frozen latch that holds the cranking mechanism on top of the bucket
By Roberta Bailey Winter came and winter went, leaving us in the spring mud. This, too, will pass. Meanwhile the strawberries are blooming. In one month from the time they bloom, the berries will begin to turn red. Spinach, lettuce, asparagus, and now strawberries, the harvest basket is bulking out. The gardening season is fully
By Jonathan Mitschele I have grown basil for many years. It’s fragrance and taste mean summer is finally here! Two years ago, I happened upon a recipe for “Classic Marinara Sauce” that I have modified so that the flavor of basil is unmistakable. I have since ramped up my basil production accordingly so that I
By Holli Cederholm Making miso is “actually a simple process,” said Nicholas Repenning, while stirring a spoonful of red-brown paste into a mug of warm water. Repenning encouraged a dozen or so students — gathered around stainless steel tables laden with metal mixing bowls, potato mashers, and books on mold-based fermentation — to grab a
Introduction and photos by Jean English; Recipes by Dusty Dowse On April 13, 2024, the MOFGA-El Salvador Sistering Committee and the Maine Grain Alliance (MGA) held a hands-on workshop at MOFGA about corn and pupusas. Sistering committee member Karen Volckhausen began the event, noting that most sistering relationships pair a city in one country with
By Roberta Bailey Soybeans are an ancient food with many culinary forms. Most commonly used in the West are miso, a fermented soybean paste; edamame, the fresh green soybeans, served steamed and lightly salted; tofu, a curd made from soymilk; tempeh, the cultured ground soybeans and/or okara left over from making soy milk; and soy
By Roberta Bailey Blackberries are the cruel temptresses of the berry kingdom. They promise sweetness yet they can make you bleed. The berries are so delicate. The thorns leave scars. There are always stories to tell, clothes to be mended. And yet, the berries can be divinely sweet and delicately flavored. The promise of more
By Roberta Bailey After last year’s rainy growing season, I spent the winter thinking about strategies for this growing season. We had standing water in garden rows numerous times throughout the growing year. Do I make raised beds and rows in all the gardens and field plots? If so, how high? What if we have
By Roberta Bailey Happy 50th birthday to The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener. You have grown so much! Look how tall you are now! I see that you have matured into such a refined newspaper! So much poise, such eloquence! You have shared so many voices, so many stories. You have celebrated great news and
By Roberta Bailey At the end of each year, I evaluate what I have grown and how I will shift strategies for the following growing season. If I had a bumper crop of tomatoes, and the larder is now flush with canned tomatoes and salsa, I know that I can grow fewer tomato plants in
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