STATEWIDE

Farms welcoming visitors Sunday for displays, demos

Milk a cow, take a hayride or go on a barn tour at farms across the state on the 2011 Open Farm Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Farms will have displays and demonstrations, and some will sell farm products.

For a list of participating farms, go online to getrealmaine.com, call Judy Ballard at 287-3871, or email judy.h.blaisdell@maine.gov.

BATH

Author to share cooking ideas for farmers’ produce

Sandra Garson, author of “How to Fix a Leek” (Just Write Books, $20), will show what home cooks can do with farmers market produce from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Now You’re Cooking.

The demonstration is free. For more information, call 443-1402. Now You’re Cooking is at 49 Front St.

BOOTHBAY

Botanical gardens hosting ‘Food & Spirits’ event

Sample food and drink from more than 30 Maine restaurants and caterers from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at “Tastefully Maine – Midsummer Food & Spirits in the Gardens” at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.

The event will include big band music and a preview of the gardens’ weekend Midsummer Market. Tickets are $75, and are available online at mainegardens.org. A photo ID is required for this 21-plus event.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is at 132 Botanical Gardens Drive.

 

Drink, be merry and meet brew masters at guild event

Rare, single batch and special craft beers will strut their stuff at the Maine Brewers’ Guild event “Craft Beer Comes to Boothbay,” from 1 to 4 p.m. July 30 at the Boothbay Resort, 301 Adams Pond Road.

Ticket holders will be able to try beers from 20 Maine breweries and meet Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head Brewing Company and host of the Discovery Channel’s “Brew Master” show, as well as owners and brew masters from all the Maine breweries.

Among the special brews will be Sebago Brewing Co.’s 2011 Grand Crue and a collaborative beer that’s being made for the event by Maine Beer Company, Rising Tide and Allagash Brewing.

Traditional southern barbecue made by the Spruce Point Inn will also be served.

Tickets are $50 and include beverages, barbecue and parking. Proceeds will benefit the Maine Brewers’ Guild. Tickets are available at brownpapertickets.com/event/182471 and must be purchased in advance.

The first 400 people to buy tickets will receive a commemorative tasting glass.

CAMDEN

Merryspring Kitchen Tour to feature 14 chefs and caterers

Fourteen midcoast chefs and caterers will be a part of this year’s Merryspring Kitchen Tour on Aug. 3.

The tour of seven local kitchens, a benefit for the Merryspring Nature Center at 30 Conway Road, will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Participating chefs and restaurants offering tastes at each kitchen include Melissa Kelly of Primo in Rockland; Christina Sidoti of Paolina’s Way in Camden; Josh Hixson of 40 Paper in Camden; Nancy Wood and David Cooke of Amalfi on the Water in Rockland; and Lisa Sojka of Prism Glass Gallery & Cafe in Rockport.

Door prizes include a basket of fine chocolates and dinner at Francine Bistro or Shepherd’s Pie.

Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Individual kitchens may be visited for $10 each. Advance tickets are available by emailing info@merryspring.org or calling 236-2239. Tickets are also available at Atlantic Baking Co. in Rockland; Market Basket in Rockport; Surroundings, Party Fundamentals and Stonewall Kitchen in Camden; Dot’s Market in Lincolnville; the Good Table in Belfast; and the Well Tempered Kitchen in Waldoboro.

FRYEBURG

Barbecue festival debuts at fairgrounds this weekend

The first Western Maine BBQ Festival will be held this weekend at the Fryeburg Fairgrounds from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

The festival is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society and the New England Barbecue Society, and features a beer tent and an all-day cooking class with barbecue legend Paul Kirk. Admission is $5; free for children ages 10 and under.

The fairgrounds are at 1154 Main St.

Up to 50 barbecue aficionados will be competing for $12,500 in cash prizes. For a $5 fee, the public can sample the competitors’ barbecue in peoples’ choice contests (chicken wings and sausage on Saturday, chicken wings and ribs on Sunday).

Vendors will be selling barbecue as well. They include Crazy Dave’s Pit BBQ from Belfast; Jacked Up BBQ from Forked River, N.J.; and Skin and Bones from Arcadia, Fla.

For more information, go to westernmainebbqfestival.com.

NEWRY

Chondola at Sunday River can take you to dinner

It’s summer and there’s nary a snowflake in sight, but you can still ride the Chondola at the Sunday River resort. And there’s dinner at the end.

Through October, Sunday River is hosting “Full Moon Dinners” featuring a lift up the mountain, dinner made with Maine-based products, and live entertainment.

The Chondola – part chairlift, part gondola – lifts diners up to the Peak Lodge in an open or enclosed ride. Riders enjoy great scenery on clear nights, including occasional wildlife and, of course, the full moon.

At the top, diners walk a candle-lit path leading to the lodge. If the weather is good, drinks and hors d’oeuvres are served on a heated deck. Dinner is served inside the lodge. The entire experience takes place between 6 and 9 p.m.

The next dinners will be held Aug. 12, Sept. 9 and Oct. 14. Reservations are required, and space is limited. For reservations, call (207) 824-3000.

PORTLAND

Doctor’s talk to explore osteoporosis-diet link

Learn about the connection between osteoporosis and a diet heavy in animal products during a free lunchtime talk today at noon.

Dr. John Herzog, an osteopathic physician and orthopedic surgeon, will deliver the lecture at Little Lad’s Bakery, 482 Congress St.

Those who attend can purchase lunch from the restaurant’s vegan buffet or sandwich menu. For more information, call 781-9077.

 

Pasta-free lasagna taught in Whole Foods class

Elizabeth Fraser will create “A Refreshing Summer Supper” using raw foods from 6 to 8 p.m. July 27 at Whole Foods Market, 2 Somerset St.

The class costs $15, and will focus on making a pasta-free lasagna with garden-fresh lasagna noodles, homemade marinara sauce, nut-cheese ricotta and basil pesto.

Registration and payment is required in advance. Call 774-7711.

 

It’s time to submit original recipes for Hood Cook-off

Recipes are now being accepted for the third annual Hood New England Dairy Cook-Off to be held Nov. 6 at the Ocean Gateway Terminal.

Amateur cooks from all across New England are eligible to compete for the $10,000 prize.

Recipes must be original and feature at least one eligible Hood brand dairy product: milk, Simply Smart, cream, sour cream, cottage cheese, Country Creamer, egg nog and Calorie Countdown beverages.

Recipe categories are breakfast/brunch, soups/chowders, appetizers/side dishes, lunch/dinner entrees and dessert.

Last year’s contest received more than 1,500 submissions.

Thirty semifinalists, five from each New England state, will win $100 and compete in the Nov. 6 cook-off. A panel of judges will choose one finalist in each category, who will win $500 and compete for the grand prize.

Billy Costa, host of “TV Diner” on New England Cable News, will emcee the event and broadcast highlights on a later show.

For more information or to submit a recipe, go to hoodcookoff.com.

Deadline for submitting a recipe is Sept. 12.