Welcome to the September 2026 issue of Table Talk! Welcome to the Table! As summer transitions into fall, food processing facilities across the Northeast are navigating a major operational shift. Facilities are moving from peak seasonal production to holiday preparation, managing post-harvest processing windows, and adapting sanitation and handling controls for colder weather. In this […]
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— Alex Bosse From social media trends to local market chatter, raw milk is having a major moment. Advocates often claim it offers superior health and nutritional benefits, but the science paints a different picture. To separate fact from fiction, let’s first take a look at the difference between raw milk and pasteurized milk. Raw […]
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Welcome to the July 2026 issue of Table Talk! As we move into the height of summer, food manufacturers continue to expand production to meet seasonal demand while exploring new opportunities for product innovation and market growth. Across the United States, interest in shelf-stable foods continues to increase as processors seek products with extended shelf […]
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— Francesca DiBiase, UMaine Dietetic Intern My parents have had chickens since I was in middle school. We enjoy the process of raising chicks and collecting eggs. Many people are raising backyard poultry to gain access to fresh eggs, control a section of their food supply, and create educational opportunities. Backyard poultry includes chickens, turkeys, […]
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— Alex Bosse Have you ever looked closely at the packaging of food products at the grocery store and felt overwhelmed? Between labels such as “natural,” “pasture-raised,” and “non-GMO,” you may be wondering what they actually mean for your health, conscience, and wallet. Marketing claims on the front of packages are designed to catch your […]
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— Alex Gayton and Dr. Gülsün Akdemir Evrendilek Are you team “store butter on the counter” or “in the fridge”? This feels like a classic debate topic in many households. Growing up, my parents stored a stick of butter in a butter dish on the counter so it would stay soft. Now, I never store […]
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— Alex Bosse Back in 2021, my mom gifted me her air fryer. To be honest, it sat in the box for a long time because I had no clue how to use it. That finally changed when I taught a workshop last year where we made crispy air-fried chickpeas. After one bite, I was […]
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— Dr. Gülsün Akdemir Evrendilek Meal kits and online grocery delivery services are changing how families cook and eat. These services save time, reduce trips to the grocery store, and make it easier to prepare healthy meals at home. But because food is shipped through the mail or delivered by couriers, it may spend hours […]
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— By Alex Gayton I was talking to family over the holidays, and the concern of leftover rice came up, and how it’s not safe to eat. Last year, I saw this idea going around on social media with scary titles like “Why you should never eat leftover rice,” “Rice is toxic,” “Reheated rice or […]
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— Kate McCarty Here in Maine, one of our first signs of spring is the flow of sap from maple trees, as the days warm up to above freezing while the nighttime temperatures stay chilly. Maine Maple Weekend, which is always the fourth weekend in March, is our chance to get out to maple producers’ […]
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