Taste all that Maine’s local, organic food scene has to offer
The Common Ground Country Fair, hosted annually in Unity, Maine, by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) is a unique opportunity to experience Maine’s robust local food scene. Over the course of three days, September 20, 21, and 22, fairgoers can explore — and taste — the bounty of Maine’s organic food system through cooking demonstrations and workshops, two fully organic farmers’ markets, and a buffet of food vendors cooking up fair favorites (think french fries and fried dough) as well as dishes more distinct to Common Ground (including Maine fish tacos and wild blueberry crisp).
This year’s event promises some 40 food vendors that, as required by the fair’s guidelines, all prioritize sourcing local, organic ingredients harvested from Maine’s fields, forests, and waterways. Fairgoers can not only sample a taste of Maine at the event but also take a tour of global flavors: cajun chicken and gumbo, falafel, Jamaican jerk chicken and ital stew, empanadas, egg rolls, and more are all on the menu. Whether you’re vegan or vegetarian, gluten-free, or free to eat it all, there is something for everyone.
New this year, the Common Ground Country Fair welcomes Tinder Hearth, a wood-fired bakery that draws people from all over the state and well beyond its borders to its reservation-only pizza nights in Brooksville, Maine. The only Maine establishment named on the New York Times’ list of 50 favorite restaurants in 2023, Tinder Hearth has established a following for its pizza made with organic flours and seasonal ingredients. Other fair highlights for 2024 include vegan donut holes from Dō Donuts, maple sweet fizzy fixers from From Here to There Farm, local seafood from Nor’Easter Oyster Co, and sweet and savory hand pies from Portable Pie Place.
Those interested in learning more about local food can also partake in the fair’s cooking events and demonstrations, on topics ranging from canning and lacto-fermentation to preserve the harvest, to making herbal tonics and mastering the art of Vietnamese pho. All are invited to join in a recipe share and collective zine making event on Friday and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the MOFGA Tent. For home cooks who also happen to be gardeners, the Exhibition Hall and Maine Heritage Orchard displays showcase the stunning diversity of crops and varieties that can be grown in Maine. Additionally, the fair offers two organic farmers’ markets, conveniently located at each gate, so fairgoers can stock up on seasonal produce, meat, cheese, ferments, and more as they leave the event, inspired by all they have learned — and tasted.
Learn more about the Common Ground Country Fair, view the event schedule, and purchase advance tickets at: mofga.org/the-fair.
