Sunday, September 13th, 2-9pm, join Rippling Waters Farm for the 5th Annual Soil to Supper Farm Dinner.Location: Rippling Waters Farm, 55 River Road, Steep Falls, Maine.Contact: 207-642-5161.A $10 donation is appreciated to help support Rippling Waters initiative to promote local food independence through education, service and action.Directions:  Head 13 miles west of Gorham on Route 25, continue past Route 25 in Standish. Turn left onto River Road immediately before crossing the Saco River. Go 0.2 miles, 2nd farm on the right.

Activist chef Dan Barber had an op-ed in Sunday’s NYTimes about the current late blight incursion into New England. It’s an important piece, one that highlights the dangers of “tight coupling” or the overly consolidated distribution chain. The blight was likely spread through seedlings sold in big-box stores, which means they travelled far and with minimal supervision. For those looking to diagnose and treat the blight, there’s some excellent additional info on the MOFGA website.

David Buchanan has an article in the current Slow Food USA newsletter about his efforts to reintroduce to New England the Marshall strawberry, one of the ten most endangered foods on the Slow Food Raft list.  Until now the Marshall, once known as the finest eating strawberry in America, existed only in two locations in the Pacific Northwest. Thanks to David, this little gem is growing again in New England, right here in Portland!