Elliot Scott starts the fire on Friday for beans on Saturday. English photo. According to the Maine Folklife Center, Native Americans originated bean hole beans by baking beans with bear grease and maple syrup in clay pots covered with deerskins and buried in coals in the ground. The slow, long cooking makes the bean very
2003 MOFGA Teach-In at the Common Ground Country Fair By Jean English “How do you explain,” asked Sharon Tisher of MOFGA’s Public Policy Committee, “that cancer in this country has increased since 1950 by 35%, excluding lung cancer?” Introducing a teach-in on cancer and the environment at the Common Ground Country Fair in September, Tisher
The Stone Workers Guild began work on the first pocket park at MOFGA’s Common Ground Education Center at the 2006 Fair. English photo. Since 1985, a group of stoneworkers has gathered at the Common Ground Country Fair to demonstrate and educate the public about the versatility and creative possibilities of stone. In 1996, these people
English photo. By Dennis Merrill Chair, Common Ground Country Fair Steering Committee “You need to sell shirts made in the U.S.” At the 2003 Common Ground Fair’s Country Store, we heard this comment several times. Good point. After all, one of MOFGA’s objectives is to support local production, and if not local, why not U.S.
Amy LeBlanc told Common Ground Fairgoers about her experiences on her small farm … with both crops and kids. English photo. Or, Why I Put Up with Teenagers Working in My Greenhouse! by Amy LeBlanc Pickles and teenagers took center stage on September 21, 2007, when long-time MOFGA farmer Amy LeBlanc of Whitehill Farm in
Rep. Hannah Pingree told the audience during her keynote speech at the Common Ground Country Fair that toxic compounds are common in all our bodies, but that we can take important steps to rid ourselves and our environment of these compounds. Hannah Pingree, of North Haven, is the Majority Leader of the Maine House of
Ted Ames (shown with his wife, Robin Alden) believes that Maine’s fisheries need to be approached in ways similar to Maine’s organic agriculture in order to survive. English photo. On Sunday, September 23, at MOFGA’s Common Ground Country Fair, Ted Ames discussed parallels between organic farming and community-based fisheries in his keynote address to fairgoers.
Sharon Tisher (left) moderated a Public Policy Teach-In about toxic compounds found in Maine’s environment and people. Amanda Sears reviewed the “Body of Evidence” study in which 13 Maine residents were tested and found to have numerous harmful compounds in their bodies. Body of Evidence: Toxics in Maine People The first step in eliminating toxic
Heather Spalding and Elizabeth Sugg in their organic cotton shirts. by Alex Owre All T-shirts sold at the Common Ground Country Store and supplied to Fair volunteers are made from certified organic cotton grown in Texas. The 810 dozen on hand for this year’s Fair represent approximately eight bales of ginned cotton (cotton with bulbs,
Mike Belliveau of the Environmental Health Strategy Center said that the Center tested consumer products for toxic phthalates this year and found them in 20 of 24 products tested, including children’s toys and a raincoat. English photo. The 2008 Teach-In of MOFGA’s Public Policy Committee, held at the Common Ground Country Fair, covered ways to
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