At this year’s Maine Fare food festival in Belfast, visitors will not only be able to eat fish, they’ll watch as fisherman/scientist Ted Ames demonstrates the gear that catches the lobster, halibut and occasional cod that feeds Maine.
They’ll learn the art of picking crab from a woman who has done it for 32 years, and then discover the secrets to making the best crab cakes.
They’ll watch a butcher break down a whole lamb, then get recipes and cooking tips.
It’s all part of the “tinkering” the Maine Farmland Trust has been doing with the festival since it took it over four years ago to ensure it mirrors the trust’s mission. Many other food festivals are all about tasting fine food and hobnobbing with chefs. Maine Fare has some of that, for sure, but the trust has added farm tours and hands-on classes with the farmers and fishermen who produce food, hoping the public will draw a stronger connection between them and what ends up on their dinner plates.
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