UNITY— The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association is set to host the first Bread and Brews gathering at the Common Ground Education Center on Saturday.
Co-sponsored by the Maine Grain Alliance, Bread and Brews will showcase Maine-grown grains and the different ways producers and brewers utilize them.
Gates open at 2 p.m., after which attendees can enjoy beer tastings from more than eleven different breweries, live music from 4 to 9:30 p.m., bread baking and beer brewing workshops, food trucks and overnight camping.
All overnight campers are invited to enjoy the “breads and spreads” breakfast on Sunday morning.
Among the workshops available to attendees, one of the most anticipated is the “bread baking with sea vegetables” demo that will be presented by Jim Amaral of Borealis Breads from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Conversations about developing a new event to celebrate the resurgence of Maine-grown grains began earlier in the year, according to MOFGA’s Communication and Outreach Director Katy Green.
“Maine has a history of growing grains,” Green said. “We’re seeing a lot of businesses starting to use grains and farmers are starting to grow them again so we thought this event would be a fun way to get people out to the education center and show them that a grain renaissance is happening in Maine. It’s going to be great to show everyone the growth of Maine’s grains.”
According to the 2018 State Agricultural Review, Maine harvested a combined total of 35,000 acres of barley and oats valued at around $7.6 million.
A key player in this grain renaissance has been Amber Lambke, who co-founded the Somerset Grist Mill in Skowhegan in 2012. Since the mill opened in the building which was formerly home to the Somerset County jail, events celebrating state grown grains have been on the rise.
The Brews and Bread gathering will join the likes of other Maine grain-related events that have cropped up in recent years such as the Kneading Conference, the Craft Brew Festival, the Maine Artisan Bread Fair and weekly farmers markets.
According to Green, Brews and Bread has sold more than 100 tickets online and will continue to sell tickets at the door on Saturday.
More information on the Brews and Bread event can be found on MOFGA’s website.
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