News

two teenagers building electronics at a table

4-H@UMaine: Connecting Kids to Campus

Connect with us on campus! May 31 – June 1, 2019 Do you ever wonder what it’s like to spend a weekend on a college campus? 4-H@UMaine is the chance to check out what the University of Maine has to offer! Middle school and high school students will be special guests on campus! They will […]

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Master Gardeners helping customers shop for plants

May 18th Plant Sale: Reduce, Reuse, Garden Tools!

The Annual Master Gardener Plant Sale sells more than just plants. They feature gently used garden tools too! If you come to the plant sale, you just may find the exact tool you need at a price you bargain for!   “It goes well with the reduce, reuse, recycle philosophy,” says Master Gardener, Leigh Mundhenk, […]

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Q&A For the Novice Food Preserver

In this interview, Master Food Preserver Volunteer Kathy Shaw offers a Q&A for our readers about food preservation and in particular, the Master Food Preserver Volunteer Program (MFP) offered by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Kathy took the course in 2009. She has continued to be a part of the program ever since. She lives […]

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Merrifield Farmer making maple syrup.

Maine Maple Sunday

The annual Maine Maple Sunday is a beloved event here in Maine and a sure sign of Spring as rising temperature creates pressure inside trees, causing sap to flow. Each year nearly 100 participating sugarhouses (building where maple sap is boiled and maple syrup and maple sugar are made) across the state offer a variety of […]

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hands holding strawberries

Happy National Strawberry Day!

It’s national strawberry day and to celebrate we’ve complied some information on the delicious fruit for you! “Fresh strawberries are tasty and wholesome. They are the first berries on the market in the summer. Wild strawberries, which are much smaller but often sweeter, can be gathered most of the summer.” – Bulletin # 4268, Vegetables […]

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Teachable Moments: Using Steam Canners

by Kate McCarty, UMaine Extension Food Systems Professional There’s now another type of canner approved for use in preserving high-acid foods at home. An atmospheric steam canner, an appliance designed to preserve foods using steam, has been sufficiently tested by the University of Wisconsin, National Center for Home Food Preservation, and USDA for us to […]

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Seasonal Publications for the Holidays

With several snowfalls ushering in the new season, its time to get ready for winter and the holidays.  The Cooperative Extension offers food safety fact sheets, recipes, and a variety of other publications relevant to the season. Here are just a few publications that may interest you: #4213  Helpful Hints for Handling Turkeys for Thanksgiving […]

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Master Food Preserver class participants making dilly beans

2018 Master Food Preserver Volunteer Annual Report

From November 2017 to October 2018, 50 Master Food Preserver volunteers completed over 930 hours of food preservation education, community projects, and administrative tasks. Independentsector.org values volunteer time in Maine at $24.69 per hour, which means that the Master Food Preservers donated the equivalent of $22,960. From Kittery to Bangor, volunteers taught 66 preserving workshops […]

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Young couple with a bushel of apples in an apple orchard

Pick-Your-Own Apples

Orchards in Cumberland County Apple picking is an excellent fall tradition to spend some quality time with your loved ones, and stock up on apples for all the autumnal apple treats and snacking you could want.  Follow this link to find several apple orchards in Cumberland County and follow the links to their sites to find […]

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apples

Growing Fruit Trees: Guides and Publications

Whether starting for the first time or in the tree fruit business for many years, these resources are designed to guide growers in determining knowledge gaps and skills that may be gained to be more successful in tree fruit production. The purpose of these links is to provide the home orchardist with the knowledge to […]

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