Portland Food Co-op seeks input

Portland Press Herald
03/04/09

COLUMN

Portland Food Co-op seeks input

By MEREDITH GOAD

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story_pf.php?id=242850&ac=

Back in December, I told you about a group of Portland residents who are working to create a new Portland Food Co-op where shoppers can buy organic, locally grown foods at lower prices.
The group, the Food Now Buying Club, has been purchasing local eggs, apple cider, yogurt, squash, cabbage, potatoes, carrots and other produce in bulk from two Maine distributors, Crown of Maine and United Natural Foods, for more than a year now.

For the price of a $15 membership, people who join the buying club can order anything they want at a modest 10 percent mark-up. Orders are picked up at the Meg Perry Center on Congress Street.

The buying club has grown so fast – there are now 75 members – that orders have shot up from $650 a month to $7,700 a month. The group has reached the stage in its development that it needs to answer the question "What's next?"

The group wants the community's input: Do want a full-fledged market where you can buy food any time and open the process up to more people? Would you rather see the buying club take flight? Or do you prefer something in between that combines ordering and food pick-up with shopping opportunities?

Let the organizers know what you want at a community forum at 7 p.m. Thursday at Immanuel Baptist Church, 156 High St., Portland. For more information, visit www.portlandfoodcoop.org.

FREE PRODUCE FOR SENIORS
If you have an elderly friend or relative who is having a tough time making ends meet in this economy, introduce them to the Maine Senior FarmShare program, which provides $50 worth of free, Maine-grown fruits and vegetables from 140 local farms to seniors who meet the income requirements.

It's based on the community-supported agriculture model that has become so popular in recent years. Shares are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, and those who participate must agree to use their shares regularly throughout the season so there's no balance left at the end of the growing season.

(In other words, no saving your shares to use on apples or winter squash while you take a pass on the broccoli and field greens.)

To take advantage of the program, people must be age 60 or older and have incomes below $20,036 for individuals or $26,995 for couples. The Maine Department of Agriculture – Food and Rural Resources estimates that more than 17,000 seniors will participate this year.

To see if there's a farm near you, call (877) 353-3771 or go to www.getrealmaine.com/connect/farmshare/senior.html.

SPRING SHARE AVAILABLE

If you missed the community-supported agriculture fair in Portland, or if the farm you were considering is sold out of summer shares, check out the spring shares that are being offered by Wolf Pine Farm, an organic vegetable farm in Alfred.

The farm has been offering summer vegetable shares since 2002. This year, Wolf Pine is partnering with other local and regional farms to offer five distributions of local, organic food every other Friday from March 6 to May 1.

Among the offerings are root vegetables, greenhouse greens, dry goods (beans and grains), herbs, eggs and fruits including apples and cranberries. The cost is $200, due in full by April 1 unless you make other arrangements with the farm.

There won't be a Portland delivery option – pickup is in Alfred only – but the farm will help connect customers with other shareholders who live in their area so they can take turns picking up their food.

For more information, call 324-2357 or find the application online at www.wolfpinefarm.com.

SHAKE THOSE BLAHS

If you didn't get your fill of eating out during Restaurant Week, there are a couple of special
events coming up that may be of interest to folks looking to shake off those "I just can't take it anymore" winter blues.

• Eat out without feeling guilty about it on Sunday at the Second Annual Eco Appetito at Cinque Terre, 36 Wharf St., Portland.

It's for a good cause: All proceeds from the event, which costs $35 and runs 1 to 4 p.m., benefit the Ferry Beach Ecology School's Food for Thought program.

Chef Lee Skawinski will work his magic on local meats and seafood. Artisanal cheeses, fresh pasta, hand-crafted beers and local wines will also be served. There will be a silent auction, door prizes and a humorous presentation by the ecology school staff.

• And here's a really hot ticket: At 6 p.m. March 20, catch the ferry over to Peaks Island and learn to tango. (Now that will put the spring back in your step!)

Tango instructor Ricky Hines will be at the Inn on Peaks Island to teach you the "dance of love," while executive chef Christian Gordon (recently named the 2009 Chef of the Year by the Maine Restaurant Association) whips up some tapas to help keep the fire in your furnace.

For tickets, which cost $45 per person, call 523-5111.

Staff Writer Meredith Goad can be