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What's Fresh?
Your ticket to what's
in season from the many
farms of Cape Elizabeth
June 10, 2015
Forward to a friend and help keep us 'growing'!
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Tickets Are On Sale Now...
Strawberry Fest Feast
Friday, June 26th
Get your tickets now for our mouth-watering Lobster Bake/Pork Roast supper, at Shady Oak Farm, Friday evening June 26th. Amazing local foods, and great live music! Tickets available only at Alewive's Brook Farm and Jordan's Farm markets. (And are less expensive if purchased by June 12th.)
If you have an item or service to donate to the evening's silent auction, please contact
Penny Jordan.
If you'd like to help sponsor or volunteer for the weekend's events, email
Imogene Alztnauer.
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| What's Fresh From Our Farms...
Strawberries Are Ripening Up - Slowly
 As the berries grow from blossoms to small green berries to larger green berries to big, red, and juicy, Maxwell's Farm reports that there are two essential things we need from Mother Nature: "1-2 inches of rain/week (we continue to irrigate as needed), and more warmth. The cool weather of late has kept the growing progress a bit slow, so we wait for warmer weather to return."
Look for berries soon at Jordan's and Alewive's Brook Farm markets, and check in with Maxwell's on their website or by calling the 'Strawberry Hotline': 799-3383.
Alewive's is Harvesting Something New Each Week
Beet greens have arrived!!! Fiddleheads have finished (after one of the longest seasons in years), and asparagus has just one more week left. Then we'll be moving on to cukes, zucchini and summer squash. At this point in the year there's always something new coming out of the fields. Strawberries have begun arriving in small bursts so be on the look out. We've stopped taking online CSA registrations, but you're free to sign up at the farm any time. And do you know a senior who would like to  participate in the Maine Senior Farm Share Program? It provides a free $50 CSA for seniors (over 60, who meet income requirements). If you know someone who may qualify, stop by and sign up for this great program, from the Maine Department of Agriculture. Lobster fishermen are finding hard shell lobsters still. Due to the lingering cool weather this spring, the soft shells will once again be later this year. The price has returned to a normal rate compared to the last few years, with hard shell starting at $7.99. The farm stand rebuild is delayed until fall, pending approvals for a new electrical pole. So our existing market will carry us through one more season. We want to thank everyone for their continued support and enthusiasm for helping to make this dream come true. Alewive's Brook Farm, Old Ocean House Rd., and on Facebook.
Get Your Organically Grown Greens at Green Spark
Farm
 At Green Spark Farm, our family is harvesting baby salad greens, spinach, head lettuce, rainbow chard, kale, kohlrabi, Asian greens, radishes, herbs, and more! Our tomatoes aren't ready yet, but they're sizing up to tennis balls already and we expect early July harvests.
Swing by our farm stand at 316 Fowler Rd. in Cape to pick up some greens! Open every day, 8 a.m.- 8 p.m. Or visit us at
the Portland Farmers' Market, Wednesdays in Monument Sq., Saturdays in Deering Oaks; 7 a.m.-1 p.m. both days.
Check our Facebook page for updates, and sign up for our weekly newsletter with great seasonal recipes here.
Vegetable Gardening Time ~ Jordan's Has The Seedlings & the Soil Products You Need to Make it Grow
 Our farm stand in Cape Elizabeth is open for the season - 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily. We have a large selection of seedlings, grown right here just for you. We also have a selection of annuals to brighten up your veggie garden. You'll also find Maine raised greens, asparagus, fiddleheads, potatoes, tomatoes, rhubarb and more! There are new products arriving every week. We also carry wine made right here in Cape Elizabeth by Maxwell Point Vineyard and Winery!
Soil Products - Bark Mulch - Compost - Crushed Stone
Landscaping projects? We have crushed Cape Elizabeth Bluestone, sand, loam, compost and mulch. Jordan's Farm is here to help you create a great garden and lawn. Open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Saturday and 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sundays. Call Scott or Carol Anne at 807-1761; you can pick up or we deliver.
 Also visit our sister store, The Farm Stand (161 Ocean St., South Portland), where you'll find Maine raised vegetables and pasture raised beef, lamb, pork and chicken, along with eggs, milk, cheeses and a unique selection of wine and beer! Check out our website, and our Facebook page for news.
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Strawberry Fest Will Feature Live Music, Kids' Fun!
The live music schedule for our upcoming Strawberry Fest, Saturday, June 27th is especially fun this year, and comes to us courtesy of our very generous sponsors, Ainsworth Thelin & Raftice, P.A.! There will
be lots going on, and we'll have some amazing food and some very talented artisans. Plan to join us! (No admission or parking fee - and sorry, but no dogs allowed.)
And want to be one of our vendors? Or volunteer with us? We're also still accepting sponsors. Contact Imogene Altznauer.
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Support Farms and the Land Trust - Working Together
In recognition of its upcoming 30th anniversary, the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust is embarking on its first-ever membership drive to help build support for land protection, land stewardship and community education. The membership drive is also supporting the efforts of the Cape Farm Alliance by offering, to all new and renewing donors to CELT, a $10 gift certificate redeemable at a participating Cape farm stand.
 Those donating by June 15th will also be entered to win two tickets to CELT's July 12th Paint for Preservation art auction. (Generous support from the James and Carolyn Birmingham Foundation, Piper Shores, and an additional donor will match each dollar donated by August 29th up to $10,000 in total!)
Throughout the summer CELT will be hosting a series of walks and events intended to help Cape residents explore and appreciate the dynamic network of preserved land throughout the town. For more information, visit www.capelandtrust.org or call or visit the office - across from the IGA on Ocean House Rd./Rte. 77; 767-6054.
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| A Warm Welcome to Bowery Beach Farm!
There are 20-plus small farms in Cape Elizabeth, and no wonder - our soils and climate are terrific for agriculture. The latest addition to our acres and acres of green is Bowery Beach Farm - raising culinary herbs, scented geraniums and dahlias, for sale at several farmers' markets in southern Maine. Find out more on the farm's beautiful website. |
| Appletree School is Growing Young Gardeners There is a natural magnetic attraction between children and the earth, whether it's making mud or discovering a germinating seed emerge from the earth. Exposing children to gardening at an early age can help sustain an interest for life. Children will not only learn where much of their food comes, but can also gain a new appreciation for the world around them. They may discover that worms in the dirt serve as natural aerators and help us to fertilize the soil o r they may connect the importance of light and water in sustaining life. The children of Appletree School have been busy this spring planning and planting their new seeds and seedlings. Everything from tomatoes and kale to carrots and Brussels sprouts have been carefully placed. The students are eager to tend to the garden with watering, weeding, and observation. Working with plants and the soil teaches them about nature, the life cycle and the importance of nurturing. The earth is our playground, let's all get planting! - Kate Ekedahl |
| Summer is Here When We Can Dine Outsid e at the Farm The Well at Jordan's Farm opened for the season June 3rd! If you haven't yet feasted on Jason
Williams' incredible cooking (featuring locally raised produce, meats and fish, his own bread, even his own sausage), don't miss out any longer!
They've added more covered seating, allowing people to make reservations for smaller parties at the counter or in the new gazebos. Picnic tables will be saved for walk-ins. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 5-9 p.m., cash only; water and iced tea on hand, or bring your own beverages; call 831-9350 for reservations, or visit the website. |
| Shouldn't Our State Universities Be Serving Maine Food?
Food producers, students, food advocates, and others are asking the University of Maine System to make a commitment to Maine foods in its next food service contract, which begins in 2016. The current ten-year, $12.5 mill
 ion/year contract, and the upcoming contract, focus on all UMaine campuses in the University System, except for Orono. The contract will include purchasing, preparing, and serving food, as well as other operational needs for dining services for those six campuses.
Please consider signing onto
this letter, to support the University of Maine System making a strong commitment to local foods, to build trust, develop supply chains, and grow Maine's food economy.
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Edited by Tina Fischer
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Thank you
Colleen Foley for this outstanding poster design - yet again! She's done it for us year after year - and just keeps getting better!
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