As Cultivating Community welcomes autumn and celebrates the harvest we are reflecting on what has been a challenging growing season and a summer of renewal as we emerge from a long period of transition. We are settling into routines, thinking about planting garlic, and appreciating the many hands, labor, love, and resources that go into the food that we grow and eat.
This week is the first Maine Food Waste Awareness Week. In the U.S. approx. 40% of all food is wasted. Here are three ways you can engage with waste prevention in our local food system:
- Buy fresh produce from local vendors – NASAP graduate farmstands and local farmers’ markets sell produce at the peak of freshness, meaning that it will last longer and is less likely to be wasted
- Put those food scraps to good use by composting – whether you have a backyard space, worm bin, or take advantage of Portland’s free Community Composting Program at a neighborhood compost drop (many of our Community Gardens have a Garbage to Garden Community Compost bin), composting is a great way keep food waste, and it’s nutrients, out of the landfill
- Volunteer to join a glean – help harvest excess fresh produce from local farms to go to local families through food distribution sites like the Locker Project
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School Gardens are in Session!
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Left to Right: Anna Franceschetti, Natasha Vandergrift, Leigha Hart, and Nika Grace. Portland Public Schools’ New Environmental Literacy Team leading garden activities in Portland’s elementary schools.
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School has started and we could not be more excited to welcome students back into Portland’s school gardens. This year, thanks to more than a decade of advocacy by Cultivating Community and dedication to experiential education from the district, we are happy to introduce the four new Portland Public Schools Environmental Literacy Educators. These educators are arriving at a pivotal time as the district expands garden and outdoor-living schoolyard education into all eight mainland elementary schools. These teachers, in partnership with Cultivating Community, will continue incorporating garden and hands-on lessons into Kindergarten through Fifth-grade classrooms.
Cultivating Community is also investing in our Schools Partnership Program and this year is shifting our focus to curriculum development, technical assistance, and garden support. We look forward to exploring school gardens with you soon!
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Community Garden Bike Tour
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 The Bicycle Coalition of Maine (BCM) and Cultivating Community are teaming up for a fun fall ride exploring three Portland community gardens by e-bike. Join us Thursday, October 19, 2023, at either 2 pm or 4 pm!
We’ll meet at the Casco Bay Community Garden to start our trip around the Back Cove, stopping along the way at Payson Park and the Boyd Street gardens, and enjoying some home-grown snacks at each stop.
BCM will provide e-bikes and a guide to ride this casual 6.5-mile loop and Cultivating Community will bring the locally-sourced garden snacks, giving you the opportunity to experience this fun, environmentally friendly mode of transportation as you explore Portland’s Community gardens.
Limited space is available for this ride and registration is required. Must be over the age of 18. Tickets are $15 per person – all proceeds will benefit BCM and Cultivating Community.
Check out the route, learn more about the ride, and register!
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 Thank you to the over 250 friends and neighbors who came out for Barn Fest, Falmouth Land Trust’s fundraiser to save the iconic white barn at Hurricane Valley Farm.
We’re so grateful to all the volunteers and supporters who helped make this event so successful.
Cheers to Back Woods Road for playing great music to kick up our heels to; event sponsors Maine Beer Company, Envy Construction, and Gorham Savings Bank; generous donors Vacationland Distributors, Apres, Allagash Brewing Company, Anchor & Hope, Three of Strong Spirits; and photographer Tricia Toms.
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Garden Recipe of the Month
Garlic-Roasted Tomatoes
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 Looking for inspiration for what to do with late-season tomatoes? We had three farm treats for guests to try at Barn Fest: roselle lemonade, Hurricane Valley Farm honey, and garlic-roasted tomatoes featuring tomatoes grown by New American Sustainable Farmer Project graduate Christine Pompeo in the communal high tunnels. Try the garlic-roasted tomatoes for yourself!
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a baking dish just large enough to hold 4 medium or a pint of cherry tomatoes snugly, scatter two sprigs of basil. Arrange the tomatoes on top of the basil. Halve a head of garlic horizontally and nestle both halves amongst the tomatoes. Sprinkle with one tsp salt, and add 1/2 cup olive oil. The tomatoes should be halfway submerged. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the tomatoes are lightly browned on top and completely tender. Serve on crusty bread and reserve the cooking oil for a vinaigrette or sauce.
Recipe adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters, Potter: 2007.
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Looking for a Delivery Rig?
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Cultivating Community is selling two refrigerated farm delivery vehicles – a 2005 Chevy Express Van with an insulated cooler and a diesel 2006 Isuzu NPR refrigerated box truck. If you’re looking for a walk-in on wheels or have veggies to deliver, these are for you! For more info call 207-747-7836 or email info@cultivatingcommunity.org.
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Meet Our Board of Directors
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 Please join us in giving a warm welcome (and welcome back!) to Gillian Cridler, Cultivating Community’s newest Board Member. Most recently, Gillian was a FoodCorps service member at Cultivating Community where she helped promote local food in school meals and contributed to halal school meal initiatives.
Prior endeavors have included various jobs in the food industry and co-ownership of a bicycle shop. Gillian is naturally drawn to using food as a way to learn about different cultures. Her undergrad fieldwork in anthropology led her to Hawaii and Kenya, with her most potent memories of those places and the people involved meals and agriculture.
Gillian is excited to use her curiosity and quiet leadership style to help advance Cultivating Community’s mission in this new role. She lives with her husband and kids in Portland where she enjoys exploring tidepools, fishing, gardening, and experimenting in her kitchen.
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Seeking New Board Members
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We empower people through food – join our diverse, collaborative, and engaged Board of Directors as Cultivating Community grows in its next chapter under new leadership. Our volunteer Board of Directors is an essential part of advancing our mission and promoting the success of our organization. Terms of Board service are two years and we ask for five to eight hours of volunteer participation per month.
Interested? Please fill out this form to the best of your ability. If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact Silvan Shawe, Executive Director, at silvan@cultivatingcommunity.org.
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Stock Up at a NASAP Farmstand
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There are just a few more weeks to visit Marian (pictured above with her chard crop at Cultivating Community’s Fresh Start Farm in Lisbon p.c. Gillian Cridler) and other New American Sustainable Agriculture Project graduates at one of their local multilingual farmstands. Check out the schedule here. SNAP and WIC are always welcome!
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From our youth leadership intern program to providing garden space access for limited resources families, community donations make all of our work possible. Consider contributing to keep our food justice and land access work thriving this fall and for many more seasons to come!
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