Maine Apple Sunday set for Sept. 9 at orchards

Maine Apple Sunday will be held Sept. 9 this year, just as the state’s apple season is really getting under way.

Orchards are planning a variety of activities, including hayrides, corn mazes and petting zoos, to go along with apple picking and sampling fresh-pressed cider and baked goods made from apples.

To find an orchard near you, go to maineapples.org.

BELFAST

MaineFare food festival will be held all day Friday

MaineFare, a daylong food festival, takes place in downtown Belfast from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday.

The event features a farmers market with more than 50 vendors from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and a gourmet lunch at noon for $30.

For $15, attendees can hear Maine Farmland Trust executive director John Piotti talk about “How Maine Can Feed Ourselves” at 1 p.m.; attend a panel discussion at 1:30 p.m. called “Feeding Maine”; enjoy Maine’s Own Organic “MOO” Milk and Sweet Henry’s Bakery cookies at 3 p.m.; and then watch a screening of the film “Truck Farm,” followed by a panel discussion at 3:30 p.m.

In the evening, during the Belfast First Friday Art Walk, participating local restaurants will offer farm-to-table dishes on their menus from 5:30 to 9 p.m.

For more information about the event, visit www.maine-fare.org or call 338-6575.

BRUNSWICK

Taste of Brunswick event to feature food, beer tent

The annual Taste of Brunswick will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 15 on the Town Mall.

The event will include a beer tent sponsored by Byrnes Irish Pub and food from many area restaurants, including Trattoria Athena, The Tavern at Brunswick Station, Frontier, Tao and Sista’s BBQ.

Advance tickets are $5 and can be purchased online at brunswickdowntown.org/TOB. They’re also available at the College Store, Cool as a Moose, Mid Coast Hunger Prevention, Riley Insurance, or at the Visitor Center in Brunswick Station. Tickets will be $7 at the door. Children 12 and under get in free.

Food tickets will cost $1 each.

Restaurants and pubs will be offering deals and discounts to people who show an admission ticket. Cook’s Lobster House, for example, is offering a 20 percent discount; Lion’s Pride will take $2 off your first beer; and Trattoria Athena will offer half off any blackboard appetizer special. For more deals, go to the website.

Michael Sanders, author of “Fresh From Maine: Recipes and Stories From the State’s Best Chefs,” will do a book signing at the College Store. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of books, as well as from the Taste of Brunswick event itself, will be donated to the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program.

Frontier to higlight brews of Saco’s Run of the Mill

Frontier’s Maine Beer Series will showcase the brews of Run of the Mill, a Saco brewery, at 6 p.m. Sept. 13.

The event will include light refreshments along with the beer tasting. Tickets are $20.

Frontier is at Fort Andross, 14 Maine St., in Mill 3. For more information, call 725-5222.

SCARBOROUGH

Land trust hosting dinner to benefit working farm

The Scarborough Land Trust hosts a “Fresh from the Farm” dinner Monday from 6 to 9 p.m. at Broadturn Farm, which is owned by the trust.

The dinner will feature roasted pork (from a pig raised on the farm) and chicken from Mainely Poultry. Vegetable side dishes will come from the farm’s organic gardens. In addition, there will be cheese from The Cheese Iron retail store, beer from Rising Tide Brewing Co. and organic gelato from Maple’s.

Dinner will take place under a tent, rain or shine, accompanied by live music.

Tickets to the dinner cost $50 for adults, $15 for children ages 5 to 13, and kids under 5 eat for free. All the proceeds support the land trust’s efforts to maintain the buildings and property of the working farm.

To reserve a spot at the dinner, call 289-1199 or email info@scarborough landtrust.org.

PORTLAND

Art museum having party to launch new cookbook

The Portland Museum of Art hosts a launch party today for the new cookbook “Portland, Maine Chef’s Table: Extraordinary Recipes From Casco Bay,” by author Margaret Hathaway and photographer Karl Schatz.

Taking place from 6 to 7:30 p.m., the event features recipes from local restaurants included in the book. Party-goers will be able to sample steak tartare from Back Bay Grill, trout fritters from East Ender, ratatouille from Farmer’s Table, tomato basil ricotta pizza from Otto Pizza and lemon drop cake from Silly’s.

The book includes recipes from more than 50 Portland restaurants and sells for $24.95. The party, which takes place at the museum, located at 7 Congress Square, is free and open to the public. For more information, call 775-6148.

MECHANIC FALLS

Better Than Average cafe, store opening on Sept. 7

Shannon Bissonnette, owner of Better Than Average, a line of jams, jellies and sauces, will be opening a new Better Than Average Maine Made Store and Cafe Sept. 7.

The cafe, at 1 N. Main St., will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. The retail store, which will focus on Maine-made products, will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

The cafe menu will include cookies, whoopie pies, cinnamon rolls and handmade pretzels. For lunch, the cafe will offer speciality grilled cheese sandwiches, pulled pork sandwiches, chili and corn bread.

SOUTH PORTLAND

Red Mango yogurt franchise will open at mall in October

Frozen yogurt and fruit smoothies will come to the Maine Mall in October, with the opening of a Red Mango franchise. The chain will be located in the mall food court.

The franchise is owned locally by former Maine Red Claws President Jon Jennings along with Jed Troubh, a current Red Claws owner, and Matt Landolfi.

The yogurt is nonfat and gluten-free and contains no high-fructose corn syrup.

Red Mango restaurants, which started in Los Angeles, serve more than 50 flavors of frozen yogurt. The company has 190 stores in North America.

— Compiled by Meredith Goad and Avery Yale Kamila, Staff Writers