Jim Britt's life revolves around food, chef-prepared or from his own kitchen. Beyond the blog, Jim is a partner a gBritt PR in Portland, which specializes in lifestyle public relations.
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August 04, 2009Can Maine Feed Itself
What will happen to us when our access to grocers and foods of the world goes away? The question of the day is, Can Maine feed itself? Craig Lapine, president of MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association) and Executive Director of Cultivating Community - AND an activist committed to growing sustainable communities -- will be leading a discussion on this very topic, Friday, September 11, 2009, at 2PM, on the gorgeous organic farm at Brewster Point in Rockport.
Craig will be leading a panel discussion. Panel members will include some heavy hitters: Eliot Coleman, renowned author and co-owner of Four Season Farm; Russell Libby, executive director of MOFGA; fisherman Glen Libby, chairman of the Midcoast Fishermen's Association and a member of the New England Fishery Management Council; and Seth Bradstreet, commissioner, Maine Department of Agriculture.
This event is free and open to the public. Come and add your voice to the conversation. "Can Maine Feed Itelf" is part of Maine Fare. In fact, it's the event's Keynote Panel Discussion. The entire lineup of Maine Fare activities is available online at www.mainefare.com. I encourage you to check it out and come to Camden and Rockport, the weekend of Sept 11-13, for some delicious and very meaningful entertainment.
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Barrel Man's Rain Barrels
Gillian and I realized Saturday that we needed a rain barrel in our garden. No problem, right? Wrong. Rain barrels are not exactly easy to find. Also, the barrels I saw online were kind of pricey. That changed after I discovered the "Barrel Man". Mr. Robert Peary is Maine's Barrel Man. He sells rain barrels, which he makes using spent olive barrels, from a rented trailer in South Portland. Hooking up with Barrel Man is a fun experience. I encourage everyone to give the Barrel Man a call and add some of his handy work to your garden.
If you live in the Portland area, buying a Barrel Man rain barrel takes about an hour. It's far from your standard rain barrel buying experience. It's a lotof fun. The process goes something like this -- first meet Barrel Man in a convenience store parking lot and then follow him to a nearby industrial location in South Portland. Shake hands and climb into an old trailer. It smells like an old trailer, Barrel Man smokes, the area surrounding Barrel Man's trailer looks like a movie set. Once in the trailer you discover how cool this guy is. He's totally laid back. Totally one of a kind.
Barrel Man buys used barrels, cleans them, adds a screen to the top and a spigot to the side. That's it. Then he waits for calls. No ads, no promotions. All word of mouth. According to Barrel Man, he gets plenty of calls.
Barrel man offers two sizes and three colors -- choices are gray, red and black. I chose gray. They come in medium and large, fifty and seventy-five gallons. (I chose large, cost was $80 plus tax.)
You should know that
Barrel Man sells more than rain barrels. He has cardboard, plastic and wooden whiskey
barrels. His whiskey barrels are from none other than Jim Beam Distillery.
Too
cool.
Buying from Barrel man is a step back in time. It's a great experience. Forget online, give Barrel Man a call today!
He's at (207) 883-6378.
Cheers.
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