UNITY, Maine — Join the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) at one of several upcoming events to learn about the history of apples, growing and preserving the harvest, and more.
Great Maine Apple Day will be held Sunday, October 13, from noon to 4 p.m. at MOFGA’s Common Ground Education Center in Unity. Join MOFGA to celebrate the history, flavor and tradition of Maine apples while honoring the importance of a diversified, perennial agriculture. This annual event takes place rain or shine. Admission is $2 for MOFGA members and $4 for nonmembers; kids under 12 get in free!
Featured presentations will include Cider Making with expert local cider makers from Rocky Ground Cider, Growing Healthy Apple Trees with Glen Koehler from University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Growing and Harvesting Hazelnuts in Maine with Will Bonsall of the Scatterseed Project, Preparing your Fruit Trees for Winter with Seth Yentes of North Branch Farm and a tour of MOFGA’s orchards with Laura Sieger.
Have a mystery apple that you want identified? Talk with our dream team of Maine apple identifiers. You can also see and taste rare and heirloom apples and bring your own varieties for others to see and taste.
Local producers will have apples, cider, baked apple treats and more for sale, along with fruit tree seedlings and fall produce. Chestnuts grown on MOFGA’s grounds will be roasted to perfection for you to taste. Try pressing apples for cider with our crew of experienced volunteers, or see how your best apple pie recipe stacks up by participating in our Apple Dessert Contest!
Great Maine Apple Day is sponsored by MOFGA, FEDCO and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
For those wondering what to do with a surplus of apples, MOFGA will host an Apple Preservation Workshop on Tuesday, October 27, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. at FORK Food Lab, 72 Farris Street in Portland. Kate McCarty, food systems professional from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, will lead the class. Participants will learn how to preserve apples by canning, freezing and drying – and will get to take some of those products home. Special guest Sean Turley, a local apple expert, will discuss some of the many heritage varieties of apples in Maine and their best uses. Apples for this workshop come from MOFGA’s orchards. The cost is $30, or $20 for MOFGA or FORK Food Lab members, and preregistration is required.
On Thursday, November 7, at 6 p.m., MOFGA and the Portland Museum of Art (PMA) will co-host John Bunker’s presentation, “Perceiving Apples: A Discussion of Maine Heritage Apples.” Have you ever tried a Briggs Auburn, Winthrop Greening or Nutting Bumpus? These and many other apples originated in Maine and continue to play an important role in each of Maine’s 16 counties. Apples are at the center of Maine’s agricultural history. They feed us throughout the year and decorate our lives through countless works of art, but what do we really know about apples? Bunker of Super Chilly Farm in Palermo, Maine, and founder of the Maine Heritage Orchard knows apples. He will share his passion for Maine heritage varieties in this special talk. A reception will follow with tastings of apples and hard and sweet ciders. The cost is $10 general admission or $5 for MOFGA and PMA members. This event will be held at the PMA, 7 Congress Square in Portland.
To register or for more information about any of these events, please visit https://mofga.org/MOFGA-Events
–Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
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