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Workshops & Events

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Integrating Organic Grains on Diversified Farms with Alister Holmes  

September 28, 2024

11:00-1:00pm – Educational workshop

1:00-3pm – Field Day Visit

156 Bog Road, Albion, ME, 04910

This free, two-part event led by Alister Holmes will showcase the organic grain operation of Misty Brook Farm. Starting off with a workshop presentation, Alister will discuss how the farm’s grain crops are woven into the broader system, such as grazing winter grains without sacrificing a harvest, employing pigs to fertilize their own feed crops, and utilizing the leftover straw for cattle bedding.

In the subsequent farm tour, attendees will be offered a first-hand look at the various grains being grown on the property and explore topics such as cover-cropping, no-till cultivation, and winter grain succession crops, followed by a pig feed milling demonstration.

When: October 27th, 2024

Where: Zoom

Time: 11am-1Pm EST

Cost: $50

As a paying participant, you’ll have exclusive access to the workshop recordings for 6 months. This includes the full workshop video, all questions and insights from the chat, and any recipes or handouts shared during the session. Enjoy the flexibility to revisit the content at your own pace!

October Virtual Workshop

Spiking Your Cakes With Whole Grains

Whole grains can take your baked goods to the next level with their rich, nutty flavors, but when it comes to cakes, they can sometimes lead to a tough or lackluster crumb. In this class, we’ll unlock the secrets to infusing bold, whole grain flavors into cakes while keeping them irresistibly light and tender. You’ll learn how to approach whole grains in delicate bakes and discover how to pair the perfect grains with the right techniques to elevate your cakes.

Get ready for an inspiring demonstration as Victoria walks you through creating a show-stopping layer cake perfect for the holiday season: a spiced whole grain chiffon cake, layered with luscious caramelized fruit compote, a delightful crunchy element, and finished with silky Swiss buttercream. Plus, Victoria will share some easy yet impressive decorating tips to make your cakes shine and wow your guests. Let’s bake up something extraordinary together!

Meet Victoria Nam-Sonenstein: The Artist Behind Siblings Bakery!

Victoria Nam-Sonenstein is a talented baker and cake artist from Cumberland, ME. She runs Siblings, a micro bakery that blends vibrant floral designs with local produce, heritage grains, and foraged ingredients. With formal training from L’Academie de Cuisine and experience in top restaurants across the U.S., Victoria’s baking is inspired by her travels through Europe and Asia, where she worked on organic farms and connected deeply with small-scale agriculture.

Launched in 2020, Siblings Bakery is known for imaginative floral cakes and sourdough pastries that celebrate art and nature. Victoria has collaborated with local organizations like SPACE Gallery and Portland Wine Week, and her work has been featured in Down East Magazine, Decor Maine, and more. Get ready to be inspired by her beautiful, one-of-a-kind creations!

When: December 7th, 2024

Where: Zoom

Time: 10am-12Pm EST

As a paying participant, you’ll have exclusive access to the workshop recordings for 6 months. This includes the full workshop video, all questions and insights from the chat, and any recipes or handouts shared during the session. Enjoy the flexibility to revisit the content at your own pace!

Mastering Cracked Rye Bread: A Whole Grain, Nutritious, and Delicious Experience

Join Judith Lehnhardt, a self-taught sourdough baker from Germany, for an immersive workshop on crafting traditional German rye bread. Learn about rye flour’s unique characteristics, its health benefits, and the critical fermentation and timing processes essential for enhancing the flavor. This hands-on class is perfect for bakers of all levels, offering insights into kneading, shaping, and scoring rye dough. By the end, you’ll have a deeper appreciation of this ancient grain and the skills to bake nutritious, flavorful rye bread at home.

Explore Previous MGA Workshops

Below is a taste of some of our recently held workshop offerings

Grain Harvest Field Day with Rusted Rooster Farm  

September 12, 2024

1:00-4:00pm

60 Cates Road, Parkman, ME 04443

Join the O’Donnells on Rusted Rooster Farm for a grain harvest field day demonstration and a discussion on drying, storage, and post-harvest grain handling practices.

Winter Grain Planting with Richard Roberts

September 10, 2024 

2:00-3:30PM

Kennebec Valley Community College Alfond Campus

Join Richard Roberts, the Director of MGA’s Heritage Seed Restoration Project, for a free educational workshop on planting winter grains. Attendees will have the opportunity to see small-scale cultivation equipment in use and discuss strategies for overwintering small grains in Maine –– including soil fertility management, understory seeding for weed control, insulating your crops from frost-heave damage, and more!

NOTE: Planting dates are weather-dependent. We intend to host this workshop on September 10th but please keep an eye on your inbox in the days prior for any scheduling updates.

When: August 7, 2024 10:30-12:00PM
Where: Aurora Mills and Farm

408 Burton Rd., Linneus, Maine 04730 

Cost: FREE

Organic Grain Field Day at Aurora Mills and Farm 

Join us on Wednesday, August 7 at 10:30am for a Field Day at Aurora Mills and Farm in Linneus, Maine. This free event, designed for farmers, is part of the Maine Grain Alliance’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program grant. The day will feature a tour of the farm, mill, equipment, and buildings. Sara Flewelling will share how their pioneering family-owned business has championed certified organic grains, legumes, and cover crop seeds for more than two decades. Aurora Mills and Farm utilizes organic and regenerative farming practices to cultivate a variety of crops in a biodiverse rotation. After harvest, Aurora Mills and Farm mills their grains on a stone mill right on the farm.

Our farm tour will cover:

  • Fields and Crops: Explore diverse crop rotations and learn about our organic and regenerative farming practices.
  • Stone Mill: Learn about the stone milling process.
  • Infrastructure: Learn more about the equipment and machinery that support their operations.
  • Family Collaboration: Hear directly from the Wiliams/Flewelling families about their journey and innovations in the Maine grain industry.

Aurora Mills and Farm has created relationships and collaborated with like-minded farmers and businesses throughout the Northeast. Don’t miss this opportunity to see and learn froma champion of organic farming in Aroostook County.

Thursday July 25, 2024

7:00pm – 9:00pm EDT

The Millers Table at Maine Grains

42 Court Street, Skowhegan, ME

Seeds of Change and Stories of Collaboration 

Join us for a thought-provoking journey in food storytelling at the Miller’s Table Cafe at Maine Grains. Meet founders and filmmakers over an evening of fiddling, fun, film and food! This is a ticketed event. Click here to purchase your ticket.

7:00pm – Join us for a live “Bread & Jam” fiddle music session on the front patio of the Miller’s Table Cafe with local musicians.

7:30-8:15pm – We will migrate to the landscaped courtyard at the Miller’s Table to share inspiring stories from Maine food businesses while sampling some of their outstanding products including tastes from Maine Grains, the Miller’s Table Café, Allagash Brewing Company, Crooked Face Creamery, and Bixby Chocolate. Each owner’s story will emphasize the collaborations that have helped these businesses innovate and thrive.

8:15-9:00pm – Watch the documentary film debut, “Seeds of Change”, the powerful story ofcollaboration at the Mountain View Correctional Facility.  This captivating documentary delves into the transformative power of organic agriculture, featuring the intersecting narratives of lifelong farmer Mark McBrine and incarcerated individuals as they cultivate a five-acre prison garden, redefining notions of wellness, dignity, and sustainability.  Filmmaker, Maximilian Armstrong, will join us for a Q&A session after the screening, offering insights into the film’s creation and impact.

This promises to be a wonderful evening and is open to Kneading Conference and the Skowhegan community alike.

When: July 9, 2024 2:00-5:00PM
Where: University of Maine Rogers Forage & Crops Research Farm

914 Bennoch Road, Old Town, Maine

Cost: FREE

University of Maine Rogers Farm Sustainable Agriculture Research Tour

Join UMaine Extension specialists Tom Molloy, Jason Lilley, Jaime Garzon, Brett Johnson, and Jim Dill for an educational field day at Rogers Farm on July 9th, exploring the topics of small grain production, no-till dry bean production, variety selection, cover crops, and more! Registration begins at 1:30 PM. Attendees can earn 2.5 certified crop advisor credits and 2 pesticide certification credits if interested. 

Topics & Presenters:

    • Interseeding cover crops into late-season vegetables to promote soil health
    • Overwintering legume cover crops –– Jason Lilley (Extension Sustainable Ag Educator) and Gladys Adu Asieduwaa (Graduate Student)
    • Performance and nutritive value of forage legumes in Maine –– Jaime Garzon (Extension Dairy Forage Educator)
    • New potato varieties for Maine growers –– Brett Johnson (Extension Sustainable Ag and Horticulture Professional)
    • Integrated pest management (IPM) for potatoes –– Jim Dill (Extension Pest Management Specialist and Direction of the Diagnostic and Research Laboratory)
    • Organic small grain production and variety selection –– Tom Molloy (Extension Sustainable Ag Professional)
    • Organic dry beans: varieties and no-till production methods –– Tom Molloy, Maddie Hunter (Graduate Student), and Abigayl Novak (Research Assistant)

When: May 22, 2024 5:30-8PM
Where: O’Maine Studios 54 Danforth St, Portland, ME 04101
Cost: $75

Corn: From Ancient Grains to Fresh Tortillas

Discover the legacy of maize in our workshop, where ancient history meets modern science. Uncover the intriguing origins of this vital grain and delve into the transformative process of “nixtamalization,” unlocking its full potential as a nutritious staple. During this workshop we will dive into hands-on tortilla preparation, mastering each step with practical techniques. Bring an apron and appetite! 

Meet The Presenters:

Lynne Rowe, the owner of Tortillería Pachanga, nestled in the scenic state of Maine. With a background in teaching Spanish and immersing herself in the vibrant culture of Mexico through work and travel, Lynne developed a profound admiration for the humble tortilla and the sacred corn it embodies. Driven by her desire to share the authentic taste of Mexico with her community, Lynne embarked on a mission to craft fresh, flavorful, and nutritious corn tortillas using locally-grown organic and heritage corn.

At Tortillería Pachanga, the name says it all. “Pachanga” in Mexico signifies more than just a celebration; it embodies the essence of joy, camaraderie, and indulgence in life’s simple pleasures. Inspired by the spirit of pachanga, Lynne infuses her tortillas with love and care, ensuring that each bite is a delightful experience reminiscent of a lively fiesta. With Tortillería Pachanga, Lynne invites you to savor the magic of authentic Mexican flavors and join in the celebration of food, laughter, and community.

Dusty Dowse has been baking bread for nearly a half century. Since his retirement (sort of) from his day job, which was being a Professor of Biology and Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Maine, he has opened Lammastide Bakers featuring artisan breads from a wood-fired masonry oven using local grains. He has been fortunate to be able to transfer his scientific expertise over into his baking, including studies in sourdough and yeast microbiology and the physics of refractory materials and heat flow in ovens. He is a charter Maine Grain Alliance board member and directs the Maine Artisan Bread Fair. In addition to being the resident baking advisor, he directs the Grain Education Program for MGA. He conducts the “Big Bake” every September at the MOFGA Common Ground Fair, making bread for the hundreds of volunteers in a field kitchen.

April 15, 2024

9am-2pm EST

$150

Scratch Baking Co.
207 Broadway
South Portland, ME
04106

RYE-NOT?!

Rye. That mysterious, often misunderstood cereal grain grown as a cover crop, and a food source where soils are poor, winters are harsh and summers are wet.

A perfect crop for Maine’s climate, rye is one of the most flavorful and nutritious additions to all kinds of baked goods.

Join us as we delve into this beneficial grain: how it is grown, milled and ( most importantly) how to incorporate it into various tasty breads, cookies and pies.

Hosted by Scratch Baking Co. April 15th
9am-2pm
207 Broadway South Portland, ME 04106

Light lunch will be provided

This workshop is limited to 15 people

Meet Allison

Allison is one of the co-founders/owners of Scratch Baking Co in South Portland, ME. She has been feeding people for 40 years. When Al is not cooking, baking, or looking for her shoes, she is outside playing in the ocean.

 
Meet Cortnie

Cortnie is the Bread Kitchen manager at Scratch. She aims to utilize local, stone milled flours in her baking as much as possible and is passionate about supporting Maine’s food chain by supporting local farmers and food producers. When not at the bakery she can be found running from activity to activity with her children, reading, studying all things bread related, and hopefully remembering to eat.

March 20, 2024

3pm-5pm EST

FREE

Kennebec Valley Community College -Alfond Campus Farm

677 Skowhegan Road, Hinckley, MAine 04937

Rediscovering Maslins for Sustainable Farming

In the regions where cereal grains originate, you’d be hard-pressed to find wild wheat without barley growing alongside it. This is hardly surprising –– grain mixtures (i.e. maslins) can use resources more efficiently, better tolerate changing climates, and minimize the impact of pests or pathogens.

For grain farmers wishing to transition to organic practices but unable to bear the short-term risks of doing so, maslins could offer the peace-of-mind needed to finally make the leap. In this discussion, Dr. Alex McAlvay will overview the numerous benefits of maslins for grain growers and best practices for implementing this cropping system in your fields.

About The Presenter
Dr. Alex McAlvay is a Research Scientist in the International Plant Science Center at New York Botanical Garden. His research is focused on understanding the relationships between humans and their environments, the evolutionary and ecological impacts of humans on plants, and the traditional stewardship of plants by cultures. His work includes projects in Mexico, Ethiopia, the United States, and elsewhere with a focus on food sovereignty, agro-biodiversity, and the continuity and revitalization of traditions related to plants. He obtained a B.S. from Western Washington University, a Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and completed a postdoc at Cornell University before starting at NYBG.

Our discussion is part of our ongoing Transition to Organic Partnership Program work alongside the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA).

February 11th, 2024

1pm-3pm EST

$50

Zoom

Recording of the workshop will be available to all registrants

Bread and Roses: A Cookbook Tour of Grains
Virtual Workshop

Join Rose Wilde & Amy Halloran to discuss and explore Rose’s new cookbook & her inviting approach to grains. Rose will share how she highlights the flavors of these basic, beautiful and often overlooked ingredients. This class will help you work with whole grains, and understand how the pillars of traditional global eating can ramp up your baking game.
During this workshop Rose and Amy will demonstrate two recipes from Bread and Roses:

Buckwheat Brown Sugar Crumble Carrot Peach Ice Box 

Millet Cream Puff with Coffee Diplomat Cream

Meet Rose:

Rose Wilde grew up in Ecuador in a large Hispanic family and has spent time living in places such as Tibet, Greece and Spain. She has worked professionally in and traveled to Israel, Morocco, Lebanon, Italy, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Mexico. Rose is a former human rights lawyer turned writer, chef, master food preserver, master gardener, and owner of red bread. Since 2011, red bread’s commitment to social justice has provided for over 74,000 meals working with the Los Angeles food bank and through bake sales with gather for good and bakers against racism. Rose’s goal is to champion good food and good people.

Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles times, Washington post, Wall Street Journal, Edible Magazine, Cherry Bombe and many other publications. She has been a regular on the food network. Cooking Channel, Tastemade, and NPR.

Rose has just published her first cookbook, bread and roses: 100+ grain forward recipes featuring global ingredients and botanicals Countryman Press/Norton publishing. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with two dogs, and nine chickens. For more inspiration find her on instagram @trosewilde.

Rose Wilde partners with brands for content and recipe creation. She has partnered with madein, graza olive oil, west bourne, lexus usa, la tourangelle oils, yes way rose, chrissy teigens cravings, pineapple collective, falcon enamelware and more. See her published writings and recipes here. For brand collaboration use the contact form below. Rose also partners with restaurants to bring popups and collaborations around the usa and the world. Chef rose wilde teaches a variety of public and private classes locally and nationally. Use the contact form below to host or book a collaboration.

Rose has always been captivated by food. She is committed to understanding the science, art, and magic of real food treated with care. Rose is a passionate chef, baker, master food preserver, and is actively involved with food justice issues.

Meet Amy: 

Amy Halloran writes about baking and flour. Her book, The New Bread Basket, profiled people who are reviving regional grain production, including Maine Grains. Her newsletter, Dear Bread, is a weekly note to fans of bread, and the connective tissue of baking. She is working on a book about the traditions of doubting bread in America.

Stories & recipes Civil Eats, The Counter & The Kitchn
Instagram @flourambassador

Website AmyHalloran.net

Newsletter, Dear Bread

 

 

November 20th, 2023

4pm-6pm EST

$50

Zoom

Recording of the workshop will be available to all registrants

Family Favorites – Holiday Cookies 

 Virtual Workshop

Interested in adding two-holiday cookie recipes to your recipe book? Join Hannah as she shares two family cookie recipes, soft gingersnaps and railroad cookies (a sugar cookie with a date, nut swirl) that have been converted with rye flour. You’ll be introduced to how Hanbakes cookie sandwiches are made, focusing on German Chocolate. She’ll also discuss how you can take your traditional cookie recipes and convert them to using a variety of local grains while sharing lessons she has learned.

 

Meet Hannah:

Growing up in Maine, there were always homemade desserts hidden somewhere in the house. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized that it was not common to eat a homemade dessert after every dinner. Baking has always been a part of my world even though it wasn’t where my career started. I left Elementary Education in 2021 and created Hanbakes in 2022. Hanbakes wholesales seasonal flavor cookie sandwiches throughout the state working with other businesses to obtain local ingredients while working on continuously tweaking recipes and trying new flavors.

 

I never grew up baking with the nicest kitchen gadgets or local ingredients. The passion started with baking cookies for loved ones. The passion now continues with a wider audience and new goals after lots of lessons learned. I want to inspire everyone to come out of their comfort zone, try new ingredients, make mistakes, and grow to love learning in the kitchen while baking for loved ones.

Find Hanbakes on Facebook, click here

October 25th, 2023

6pm-8pm EST

$50

Zoom

Recording of the workshop will be available to all registrants

Farm to Focaccia

 Virtual Workshop

Join us for a Bread Baking Extravaganza with the one and only Theresa Culletto, also known as The Vineyard Baker, as she unveils the secrets to crafting exquisite and mouthwatering focaccia bread just in time for harvest season!

Theresa is the talented author behind the new book “Beautiful Breads,” a stunning collection filled with inspiring photos, invaluable baking tips, and detailed instructions for creating bread masterpieces fit for any special occasion. These breads are so beautiful; your loved ones might hesitate to take a bite – but remind them, that’s the best part!

With over 40 years of baking experience under her apron, Teri has graced the screens of shows like Good Morning America, Today’s Show, and Baker’s Dozen as a guest judge. Her culinary expertise has also been featured in renowned publications like the New York Times, Food Network Magazine, Paris Match, Daily Mail, and more. She’s even presented at the prestigious Johnson and Wales Bread Symposium in Charlotte, NC.

Teri is not only a bread artist but also a dedicated grower, cultivating much of the produce used in her bread creations from her humble home garden. She’s a proud member of the Bread Bakers Guild of America and the Maine Grain Alliance, constantly expanding her knowledge in the world of cereal sciences and bread baking.

Theresa’s mission in life is to inspire, educate, and promote a wholesome lifestyle centered around nourishing bread, just like the kind she enjoyed growing up in first-generation European families. She believes that beautiful bread can be mastered by bakers of all levels and seamlessly integrated into any routine, nourishing not just the body but also the mind and soul of your family and friends.

Don’t miss this chance to learn from a true bread-baking maestro! Mark your calendars and join us for an unforgettable bread-making experience with Theresa Culletto.

Find Teri on Instagram: vineyardbaker and Facebook: vineyardbaker

June 19th, 2023

9am-2pm EST

Lunch is included

$175

In Person (limited to 15 people)

Scratch Bread Kitchen
207 Broadway
South Portland, ME

 

The Wonderful World of Spelt:
With Allison Reid and Cortnie Curran of Scratch Baking Co.

This class will take you through how to utilize one of the world’s most ancient grains in variousvapplications. Spelt was first cultivated by early civilizations, being traced as far back as 9000 years ago. Due to the difficulty in harvesting, spelt saw a decline in popularity becoming almost nonexistent in the USA during the 70s. The resurgence of popularity is mostly attributed to the grain’s high nutritional value, low glycemic index and easy digestibility. Spelt brings a nutty and slightly sweet flavor to baked goods, and makes a wonderful gateway into experimenting with whole grain flours.

During our time together we will demonstrate a 100% spelt pan loaf, a base cookie recipe that you will be able to adapt to your own preferences, and a spelt cracker recipe.

 

This workshop is limited to 15 people

Meet Allison

Allison is one of the co-founders/owners of Scratch Baking Co in South Portland, ME. She has been feeding people for 40 years. When Al is not cooking, baking, or looking for her shoes, she is outside playing in the ocean.

 

Meet Cortnie

Cortnie is the Bread Kitchen manager at Scratch. She aims to utilize local, stone milled flours in her baking as much as possible and is passionate about supporting Maine’s food chain by supporting local farmers and food producers. When not at the bakery she can be found running from activity to activity with her children, reading, studying all things bread related, and hopefully remembering to eat.

Made possible with support from:

May 15th, 2023

4pm-6pm EST

Virtual / Zoom

 

Tortillas & Empanadas

with Roxana Jullapat

Join Roxana Jullapat as she guides us through homemade and fresh tortillas & empanadas, the traditional and non-traditional way! From simple nixtamalized masa tortillas cooked over a hot comal, to multi-grain tortillas made with heirloom wheats and cornmeals. Roxana will also dicuss fillings and technique to create delicious empanadas.  

Meet Roxana: 

Baker/Pastry Chef Roxana Jullapat, a Los Angeles native of Costa Rican and Thai descent, pursued a degree in journalism before turning to cooking. For the last 20 years, she has held tenures at some of Los Angeles’ most celebrated restaurants including Campanile, Bastide, Lucques, and AOC. In May of 2017, she opened Friends & Family bakery, where every loaf of bread, morning pastry, and decadent cookie reflect her appreciation for ancient grains and California’s seasonality. She’s an advocate for garden-based education, and volunteers often at school gardens around town. Her first cookbook, Mother Grains: Recipes for the Grain Revolution (W.W. Norton), was released in April of 2021.

 

 

March 12, 2023

2pm-4pm EST

$50

Virtual / Zoom

 

Pasta & Focaccia

with Kerry Alterio

Check back soon for more details!

 

 

January 14th, 2023

10am-12pm EST

$50

Virtual / Zoom

 

Sweet Potato & Buckwheat Bread

with Tara Jensen

Looking for a delicious bread for your holiday table this fall? Join baker and author, Tara Jensen, as she guides you step by step through her hearty, yet delicate Sweet Potato and Buckwheat Loaf from her latest book, Flour Power. Jensen will show you everything you need to know from getting your starter ready to make the bread, through mixing shaping and baking this easy and earthy loaf. Made originally with a Desem (DAY-ZUM) starter, a stiff, whole-wheat starter, Jensen will share how to make a Desem starter or simply use the sourdough you have on hand. This workshop is perfect for those new to sourdough baking and will be a treat to those seasoned home bakers looking for a new bread to add to their favorites.

Meet Tara:

My name is Tara Jensen and my mission is to inspire self-confidence through the craft of baking.

I’ve been baking daily in one way or another for over twenty years. In my twenties I baked professionally for bakeries like Red Hen Baking, in Middlsex, Vermont and Farm and Sparrow, in Asheville, North Carolina. I ran a wood fired market bakery, Smoke Signals, from 2011 to 2018, in Asheville, North Carolina, while also learning about fresh flour at Carolina Ground. My bread and pies have been featured in Food & Wine and Bon Appetit and my Instagram includes over 109,000 followers from around the world. Currently, I teach in-person and virtual workshops on sourdough bread and other delicious treats, whole grain pie crust and sourdough cinnamon rolls. You can find my first book (my diary of living and loving at wood-fired bakery in the mountains) A Baker’s Year, wherever books are sold and you can now pre-order my second book, Flour Power, now! Catch me with my toddler, Violet Rye, baking up a storm on Instagram under @Bakerhands.

 

 

 

Sponsored By: 

December 10th, 2022

10am-12pm EST

$40

Virtual / Zoom

 

Rye Fermented Pryaniki 

with Ellie Markovitch

This is my husband’s childhood cookie. He grew up in Estonia eating Pryaniki, or “Spiced Cookies” , and before the spice trade, these cookies were more of a honey bread. Either one was made with rye, the traditional grain of this region. 


Known in Russian cuisine as gingerbread cookies, these cookies are made in many Slavic countries. They have a symbolic goal of sweetening the holidays and the new year. Making a recipe that relates to cultures that are fractured by wars feels risky, but I think it’s important to celebrate the foods that mean so much to many people around the world. 


Developing this recipe in my family was a great project. I am from Brazil, and have no familiarity with his foods, but feeding him has been a terrific bridge in our life. For this cookie, Dmitri helped me research, translate and taste test as we adapted the recipe to use local wholemeal rye. Sometimes I fill it with guava paste, which feels very authentic to our merging.


I also like to ferment these cookies, and we found historical versions that did so. We make several variations of Pryaniki. I like to ferment them with honey and milk kefir, but I also use sourdough starter. Initially, I let all the ingredients ferment on the counter for half a day and then move to the fridge for several weeks. 
Meet Ellie:

Ellie Markovitch lives in Maine with her husband, two children and dog Kora. She applies her passion for innovative and sustainable food practices and her unique skill set that includes visual and social media storytelling and community engagement.

Ellie has a professional background in photojournalism and an MFA degree in Electronic Arts. She is also a skillful cook. Her work revolves around media and food literacy. She uses food as a starting point for conversations and community building.

She is a lecturer in Journalism at University of Maine.

You can see samples of Ellie’s work involving food preparation and visual storytelling at https://www.instagram.com/elliemarkovitch/ and at https://storycooking.com/

She was born in Brazil and spent most of my childhood weekends at my grandparents’ small farm.

“There was a story behind everything we did with our food – from how it was harvested, cooked, and shared.”

 

 

Sponsored By: 

November 11th, 2022

 

My Grandfather’s Bread

When my grandfather retired from running our family’s wholesale bread bakery after 60 years, he baked at home. He was an old-school Italian baker, mixed mostly by feel, and didn’t really need a scale to divide–never mind a digital thermometer. Pure art.

He made three breads: Easter Bread, a lunchbox pan loaf, and Ciccioli Bread. I confess, I never liked the Easter Bread, so I won’t focus on that here. But the other two… those were the bread of my childhood and will forever recall memories of my grandfather.

I love a pan loaf because of its utility. It’s the vehicle for happiness for kids and adults. Where would we be without PB&J?

My grandfather’s was a modest yeasted dough with a little sugar and a little oil, baked lightly. I love a dark crusty loaf, but the soft pan bread is deeply ingrained in the American psyche. While my grandfather came from a white flour generation, I live in a grain-forward world. So we’ll switch up the flour here, keep it accessible, and preserve its utility. This is function over form all the way.

 

While the pan loaf ruled daily life, the Ciccioli Bread was the center of feeding frenzies. It’s a basic hearth bread dough with the crispy bits (ciccioli) from rendered leaf lard and a little black pepper mixed into it. Crispy pork fat in bread!

Enough said.

 

Sponsored By: 

October 22nd, 2022

$40

Virtual / Zoom

 

Bread Art  – How to turn a delicious bread into artwork

Join Judith Lehnhardt, a self-taught sourdough baker from Germany specializing in bread art. Bread is delicious, it feeds us every day but did you know that it can also be turned into a beautiful work of art? In this workshop Judith will show you how to make bread art by using the most simple tools in your kitchen. We will look at three different techniques on how to decorate, score and shape your bread to make it look stunning. 

 

Sponsored By: 

October 16th, 2022

FREE

Virtual and In-person- Facebook Live & Youtube

Worldwide Community Bake Day

Worldwide Community Bake Day was created to inspire and empower people to come together and share baking traditions around the world. We believe that these community connections can foster creative economies, entrepreneurial growth and the revitalization of town centers.

On Friday, October 16th The Maine Grain Alliance is thrilled to host a day of conversations with millers, bakers & farmers from all walks of life. Through out the day we will explore baking and farming traditions and how those traditions shine through the work of each person we speak with.

Be sure to check out our recipes & resources page to see what inspiring recipes our expert baking instructors have generously shared for World Wide Community Bake Day.
We look forward to seeing you on Zoom,  Facebook Live or Youtube!

 

September 21-24, 2022

FREE

Where?
Common Ground Country Fair
294 Crosby Brook Road
Unity, Maine 04988

When?
We begin setting up on Wednesday, September 21 before the fair and bake through mid-day on Saturday, September 24.

The Big Bake at the Common Ground Country Fair 

The Common Ground Country Fair in Unity, hosted by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, is just around the corner! Under the direction of MGA Baking Education Director Dusty Dowse, the Maine Grain Alliance has been baking the bread to help feed the volunteers who make the fair happen for many years. MGA’s talented bakers will instruct volunteers on how to set up a field kitchen with wood-fired ovens to produce the bread.

 

July 30th, 2022

9 a.m. to 3 p.m

Skowhegan State Fairgrounds

Free! Everyone is invited, and we encourage you to bring your family and friends to enjoy

PARKING: $5

 

The Maine Artisan Bread Fair

The Maine Artisan Bread Fair is one of a kind. It is a fair dedicated solely to real bread and everything associated with this most ancient and central staple. The Maine Grain Alliance has sponsored the Bread Fair for ten years and the offerings have grown each year. Demonstrations range from bread baking using sourdough (with starters to take home!) to tortilla making. While you will be captivated by the wares in each booth, you will also be able tantalize your taste buds as you sample foods ranging from pizzas cooked in wood-fired ovens, fresh sourdough loaves, sweet pastries, and a variety of other locally produced delicious food.

July 25th-30th, 2022

Virtually & In-person

 

The Kneading Conference

The Kneading Conference brings together grainiacs and bread buffs from all over the country. Farmers, professional and home bakers, brewers, chefs, cooks, grain researchers, maltsters, food entrepreneurs, and wood-fired oven enthusiasts gather to educate one another about the art and science of growing and milling grains, baking artisan breads, and brewing delicious beer. 

 

June 25, 2022

BREAD & BREWS

In-person workshop

Common Ground Country Fairgrounds

 

 

Breweries from across Maine, including:

Allagash Brewing Co
East Outlet Brewing
Flight Deck Brewing
Fogtown Brewing Co
Frosty Bottom Brewery
Lake St. George Brewing Co
Moderation Brewing Co
Outland Farm Brewery
Oxbow Brewing Co
Sasanoa Brewing
The Urban Farm Fermentory, and others!

 

Maine Grain Alliance and MOFGA Presents: Bread & Brews

Join us on the MOFGA grounds for a celebration of Maine-grown grain! We’ll be highlighting the people and businesses who use this grain to make bread and beer.

Inside the Exhibition Hall there will be a beer tasting with local breweries, and outside and in the kitchen we’ll have a full line-up of workshops. Live music and food for sale outside.

The Maine Grain Alliance will also be hosting a special workshop called “Pizza at Home and in the Pub – Committing to Local Grains” before the main event begins. (Tickets sold separately here.) They will be baking up treats in their wood-fired oven, too!

 

Ongoing workshops from 3-7 pm (access included with tickets):

  • Malting grain for making beer (with Blue Ox Malthouse)
  • Growing grain at home (with Ross Ludders)
  • Homebrewing (with the folks from Frosty Bottom Beer CSA & Central Street Farmhouse)
  • Making ployes (with Fr. Paul Dumais of Farmington)
  • Cooking using corn (with the Somali Bantu Community Association)
    Restoring heritage grain seed (with Richard Roberts of the Maine Grain Alliance)
  • Cooking Beer Braised Mushroom Polenta (with Erik LeVine of Maine Grains) and more! 

Tickets:

$50 ($45 for MOFGA/MGA members.)

$25 ($20 for MOFGA/MGA members) for those not participating in the beer tasting.

Free for kids under 12.

June 25, 2022

BREAD & BREWS

In-person workshop

Common Ground Country Fairgrounds

 

Pizza at Home and in the Pub – Committing to Local Grains

This event is hosted by the Maine Grain Alliance and precedes Bread & Brews, a celebration of local grains, which begins at 2:30 pm, right as this workshop ends.

Whether you are a home pizza aficionado or looking to start a pizza program at your pub or brewery, this workshop will equip attendees with ways to use local grains and create delicious pizza. Presenters will speak to what makes freshly milled local grains so (favorably) different when used in pizza dough.

Topics covered will include:

  • Getting a starter going from scratch, including maintenance, formulation, working up to a large batch from a starter, and fermentation. (Attendees will also be given a starter that has been active for 50 years to bring home.)
  • Beyond pizza…Versatile uses for local dough on a brewery or pub tasting room menu.
  • The craftsmanship of pizza, including dough stretching, topping, and technical baking considerations.
  • Demonstrations of how to shape and make different breads with pizza dough.
  • For pizza entrepreneurs: Managing margins and high volume pizza production considerations when using local grains.

We will be baking in the Maine Grain Alliance wood-fired oven, so elements of wood-fired oven baking will also be covered. We hope you’ll join us!

Workshop Presenters:
Dusty Dowse, Director of MGA Baking Education, Lamastide Baking
Heather Kerner, Founder of the Good Crust
Benedict Cassie, Pizza Chef, Flight Deck Brewing Company

 

April 11th, 2022

4pm-6pm EST

$50

Zoom

Thanks to a generous donation from the Bill & Joan Alfond Foundation the Maine Grain Alliance is able to offer scholarship opportunities to young bakers, farmers, and aspiring grain professionals interested in expanding Maine’s grain economy. Applicant must be from Maine, conducting business in Maine, or planning to conduct business in Maine.

100% Northern European Rye

With Jim Williams – Backdoor Bread

 

 

Join Jim Williams, owner/baker of Backdoor Bread in Charlotte, VT as he makes a 100% sourdough rye bread in real time. We’ll talk about sourcing and milling rye, why it has a reputation for being challenging, and why it’s easier than most think! There will be plenty of time for questions, and a recipe will be provided. 

This workshop was made possible by

March 23rd, 2022

4pm-6pm EST

$50

Zoom

Thanks to a generous donation from the Bill & Joan Alfond Foundation the Maine Grain Alliance is able to offer scholarship opportunities to young bakers, farmers, and aspiring grain professionals interested in expanding Maine’s grain economy. Applicant must be from Maine, conducting business in Maine, or planning to conduct business in Maine.

“Pastiera” Italian Easter Ricotta and Wheatberry Tart

Made to celebrate the return of Spring and rebirth 

Christy Timon & Abe Faber: Timber Baking Consultants

 

 
Join Christy and Abe as they construct a delicious, whole grain Easter dessert with cooked farro, pastry cream, and filling.  This versatile treat can be made for small groups or scaled up for commercial production in a professional setting. This workshop will walk attendees through how best to pre-make elements of the tart to allow for a later final assembly. Whether you are baking for friends and family or in a busy bakery, this tart is the perfect spring addition.

March 27th, 2022

11am-1pm EST

$50

Zoom

Thanks to a generous donation from the Bill & Joan Alfond Foundation the Maine Grain Alliance is able to offer scholarship opportunities to young bakers, farmers, and aspiring grain professionals interested in expanding Maine’s grain economy. Applicant must be from Maine, conducting business in Maine, or planning to conduct business in Maine.

Armenian Easter Bread

Join baking instructor and recipe developer Andrew Janjigian (@wordloaf) in an exploration of choreg, a rich, aromatic Armenian sweet bread flavored with nigella and mahlab and coated with sesame seeds. Often called “Armenian brioche” because of the large amount of butter and eggs in the dough, choreg is traditionally served at Easter as an indulgence after winter and Lent, but many Armenians eat it year-round as well. It can be formed into individual round or knotted rolls, and—more commonly—into long braided loaves, and the braids are often made with three strands of dough, to represent the Holy Trinity.

Andrew will share his own recipe for choreg, which incorporates a tangzhong, an Asian baking technique known for extending the keeping-qualities of breads, something that is especially helpful here, since choreg’s high concentration of sugar normally makes it prone to staling quickly. It’s an easy and delicious recipe, just in time for Easter and the return of Spring.

February 13th, 2022

11AM-1PM EST

$50

Zoom

Experience Level: All baking levels can learn something from this workshop

Workshop will be recorded for registrants in the event they cannot join the class live.

Use code “southernground”

Desem Demystified

With Jennifer Lapidus, Founder and GM of Carolina Ground

Sponsored by Maine Grains:

From freshly stone-ground flour to natural leavening , this workshop will take one through the process of making and using this Flemish natural leavening known as desem.

With the availability of freshly stone ground flour, comes the opportunity to make various forms of natural leavening or sourdough culture. When Jennifer started out as a baker, she found herself milling her flours in-house due to lack of access to fresh, stone ground flour.  And for the desem culture, the first ingredient is freshly stone ground whole wheat flour.

 

dawn woodward

Meet Jennifer

Jennifer is a baker, a miller, an author, a wife, a mother and step mom, a sister, a fan of beagle mutts, bitter foods, long walks, and Belgian road bikes. She’s forklift certified and her favorite musical is A Chorus Line (though Hamilton is a close second).

At Carolina Ground flour mill in Asheville, North Carolina, Jennifer Lapidus is transforming bakery offerings across the southern United States with intensely flavorful flour, made from grains grown and cold stone-milled in the heart of the South.  While delivering extraordinary taste, texture, and story, cold stone-milled flour also allows bakers to move away from industrial commodity flours to create sustainable and artisanal products.

November 22, 2021

4PM-6PM EST

$50

Zoom

Experience Level: All baking levels can learn something from this workshop

 

 

Wholegrain Holiday Baking

With Dawn Woodward, Baker & Owner of Evelyn’s Crackers

The holiday season quickly approaching and we have partnered with Dawn Woodward, owner of Evelyn’s Crackers, to give you the tools you need to create delicious, whole grain, treats!

We hope you will join us as Dawn guides us through the tricks, techniques, and recipes for 100% Rye Spicy Gingerbread & Gevulde Speculaas (rye and barley cookie filled with homemade frangipane).

dawn woodward

Meet Dawn

Inspired by her mother, Dawn began cooking at a very young age. Following a degree in Philosophy from Bard University, she continued her interests in professional cooking and baking to positions as a Pastry Chef in New Orleans and Head Baker at artisan bakeries in New York and Toronto. Extensive travels expanded her repertoire by exposure to such cuisines as: Eastern Mediterranean, Thai, Chinese, Cambodian, Georgian, and Middle Eastern. Committed to using heritage grain varieties grown close by, Dawn sources from Ontario farmers and millers and is constantly experimenting in ways to incorporate them into the crackers. In addition to leading all production at Evelyn’s Crackers, she is a speaker an educator at the annual Kneading Conference in Maine/Seattle, and at grain conferences in Toronto, London, and Los Angeles.

October 10th, 2021

1PM-3PM EST

$50

Zoom

Experience Level: All baking levels can learn something from this workshop

 

 

Everyday Ancient Grain Einkorn Loaves

With Adrian Hale, a longtime food writer who made her way to bread baking

I slowly turned my white-bread-eating husband into a whole-grain toast eater, but it wasn’t until I started making this 100% einkorn bread that he made it a part of his daily breakfast. My kids love this bread, as well, and we always have a loaf on our bread board. There’s just something about this bread that feels primal, and it is! Some of our earliest bread archaeology includes einkorn grains. Come learn how to make this bread at home and make it a part of your family’s daily lives, as well.

 

Meet Adrian

Adrian J.S. Hale is a longtime food writer who made her way to bread baking. Now, she sits at the computer all day in her kitchen with a bowl of rising dough at her side. She believes that bread & poetry feed us in different ways and she shares them freely because they are much cheaper than therapy. Her essays have appeared in national publications such as Saveur, Culture, and Brain, Child. She is currently writing the history of bread in fiction, and she blogs about her baking adventures at www.thousandbitesofbread.com. You can also follow her grain and baking forays at @1000bitesofbread on Instagram.

May 15th, 2021

3PM-5PM EST

$50

Zoom

Experience Level: All baking levels can learn something from this workshop

 

 

Fresh Milling Flour at Home Is a Game Changer — An Introduction

With Maria Speck, award-winning author of Ancient Grains for Modern Meals and Simply Ancient Grains 

Fresh milling whole grains at home opens up a universe of flavors and textures in your kitchen. It adds a new dimension to all your baking—from simple pancakes and muffins to cookies, cakes, and slow sourdough breads. Fresh milling cornmeal for polenta, or rye for a quick porridge, will change your dinner fare forever. And your sourdough starter will be brought back to life. Learn all about the many uses of fresh milling, and the subtle aromas it adds to your table.

Maria was raised in Germany and Greece and has used a table-top mill since she started baking as a young adult. She will demonstrate the ease of fresh milling and answer questions about different mills and the sourcing of good grains and flours. She will demonstrate a new recipe for 4th of July, “Cornbread—Red, Rye, and Blue”, made with fresh-milled rye, blueberries, and cranberries.

 

March 31st 2021

4PM-6PM EST

$40

Zoom

Experience Level: All baking levels can learn something from this workshop

 

 

Sourdough Crackers

 

Join Jeff and Lisa Dec of Brazen Baking, a wholesale family baking operation in Rockport, ME., as they discuss and demonstrate sourdough cracker making.  They will share how and why they have come to add crackers to their baking lineup.  They will explore the grain types, varieties, and milling grades they use, with a focus on dough handling qualities and product texture.  Topics will include basic sourdough maintenance, approaches to culturing sourdough for crackers, and other strategies to incorporate whole grain nutrition into crackers. 

Made possible thanks to the generous support of Maine Farmland Trust & Maine Grains

 

March 13th 2021

3PM-5PM EST

$50

Zoom

Experience Level: All baking levels can learn something from this workshop

 

 

Sourdough 101 & Baking With Whole Grains

 

This class will taught by renowned baker and owner of Borealis Breads, Jim Amaral! Jim will demonstrate the basics of sourdough baking, including how to create and maintain your own starters, how to hand mix, knead, stretch, proof and shape your sourdough bread and how to use the autolyse process and extended fermentations to enhance the quality of your bread. We will also discuss baker’s percentages and how to use them to easily create your own bread formulas. We will explore different baking options such as baking in a loaf pan on a stone or in a Dutch oven and will cover the three types of heat at play in the bread baking process. In addition we will talk about the importance of ingredient selection and show you how to incorporate whole grains such as rye, oats and corn into your sourdough loaf.

Made possible thanks to the generous sponsorhsip of Maine Grains.

February 15th 2021

4PM-5PM EST

$30

Zoom

Experience Level: All baking levels can learn something from this workshop

 

 

Fresh Pasta From Home

Join Danielle Glantz, professional pasta maker & owner of Pastaio Via Corta in Gloucester, MA as she guides us through making water pasta doughs and egg pasta doughs at home. Danielle, who is passionate about sourcing local, stone ground, organic wheat will talk about using really thoughtful sustainable ingredients & how to incorporate that into delicious pasta.
Curious about various shapes of pasta? How to make them and why? Danielle will also teach us about which pasta shape goes with what sauce and the importance of real extra virgin olive oil + real San marzano tomatoes and what to look for when shopping for these particular ingredients.

 

December 22nd, 2020

4PM-6PM EST

$40

Zoom

Experience Level: All baking levels can learn something from this workshop

 

 

Corn: From Past to Present

&

Making Tortillas at Home

In this workshop we will be covering corn from its earliest association with humans to the present.  We start with a look at what is known about how corn became an agricultural staple of the ancient world on this continent.  We cover this not only from an archaeological/anthropological perspective, but look at the science underlying how it was domesticated and what its wild ancestors were.  Next comes demonstrating the process of nixtamalization, getting corn ready for the Mesoamerican kitchen, and the making of tortillas from scratch.  Sources for materials and equipment will be discussed.

 

 

November, 23rd, 2020

6PM-8PM EST

$40

Zoom

Experience Level: All baking levels can learn something from this workshop

 

 

Perfecting Your Holiday Pies with Partybus Bakeshop!

In this class you’ll learn the secrets to a perfect pie crust. Jacqueline will demonstrate how to hand-mix your dough and a foolproof way to roll and crimp your shells. Jacqueline will provide recipes ahead of time for anyone wishing to follow along with the demo, and during class she will discuss the importance ingredient selection. Once our shells are shaped, we will also walk through a few classic pie fillings step-by-step. Once class is through, you’ll have all the skills you need to make that Thanksgiving centerpiece you’ve been dreaming about… no store bought shell needed!

 

 

November, 9th, 2020

4PM-7PM EST

$50

Zoom

Experience Level: All baking levels can learn something from this workshop

 

 

Sourcing, Milling & Baking with Heritage Grains

We invite you to join Amber Lambke, CEO & Founder of Maine Grains and Kerry Hanney, founder, owner, and baker behind Night Moves, as they discuss baking with heritage grains, sourdough and stone-ground flours. Kerry will  demonstrate an approachable at-home Nordic-style sourdough rye bread and Mexican cacao brownies featuring flint corn!

Learn More & Meet the Presenters

 

 

October 16th, 2020

FREE

Virtual – Facebook Live & Youtube

World Wide Community Bake Day

Worldwide Community Bake Day was created to inspire and empower people to come together and share baking traditions around the world. We believe that these community connections can foster creative economies, entrepreneurial growth and the revitalization of town centers.

On Friday, October 16th The Maine Grain Alliance is thrilled to host a day of virtual conversations with millers, bakers & farmers from all walks of life. Through out the day we will explore baking and farming traditions and how those traditions shine through the work of each person we speak with.

Be sure to check out our recipes & resources page to see what inspiring recipes our expert baking instructors have generously shared for World Wide Community Bake Day.
We look forward to seeing you on Zoom,  Facebook Live or Youtube!

 

October 3rd, 2020

11:00AM-1:00PM EST

$40

Experience Level: All baking levels can learn something from this workshop

Virtual – Zoom

Baking with Buckwheat Virtual Workshop

Bakers of all experience levels are welcome to join Fr. Paul and Ora Breads student intern, Meg Gombojav as we incorporate buckwheat into baking!  Buckwheat plays an integral role in a renewed grain economy—even though buckwheat itself is not a grain–both in the field and in the bread. 

Join us as we display the unique characteristics of buckwheat varieties and demonstrate how to incorporate buckwheat flour, groats, kasha and flakes into a base sourdough bread formula.  We hope you can celebrate buckwheat with us!

***Once registered, be sure to check your e-mail spam folder if you did not receive a confirmation email that has the workshop login information.

September 1, 2020

4:00PM-6:00PM

$40

Virtual – Zoom

Artisan Doughnuts Virtual Workshop

Join Rachel on a doughnut making adventure turning yeasted brioche dough, buttermilk cake dough and pate a choux into dozens of delicious doughnuts. All the basics of dough, fillings and glazes will be covered, including tips and tricks to help you modify them and make them your own.

This workshop is a demonstration and will be moderated by Stephanie Swane. Stephanie is the publisher and editorial director of Modernist Cuisine’s in-house publishing department The Cooking Lab. 

Learn More

 

***Once registered, be sure to check your e-mail spam folder if you did not receive a confirmation email that has the workshop login information.

 

past

July 30-31 , 2020

Virtual

Celebrating Our Grain Community

Online workshops, videos, photo galleries, remembrances, baking tips and more will be available highlighted on the Maine Grain Alliance webpage and social media channels. Join us!

PAST WORKSHOP

July 30 , 2020

4:00PM-5:30PM

Virtual

Multipurpose Sourdough Virtual Workshop 

 

We invite you to welcome sourdough into your daily routine, and rethink perfect. This class will help you have fun exploring your creativity in the kitchen.

The workshop will be presented in demonstration style, with Ellie walking you through developing the sourdough for use, preparing the dough and then demonstrating various uses for that same dough. If you plan to have your starter active and ready, you are welcome to bake alone, but Eillie will be demonstrating numerous uses for the multipurpose dough. Feel free to sit back, relax and enjoy learning more about sourdough or create something along the way. If you have questions we ask that you write them in the “chat” section of Zoom. Amy or Ellie will answer the questions with the flow of the workshop.

 

 

Ellie Markovitch founder of #storycooking and Amy Halloran of @flourambassador will guide you through everyday cooking , that for Ellie, is mostly improvisation. To facilitate this, she keeps a stocked pantry, full of ingredients for “the base” and the “toppings.” Bases are grains and dough. For toppings, Ellie makes use of vegetables, fruits, protein, spices, herbs, etc. A dough is like a canvas, and through years of trial and error, Ellie embraces this approach to baking.

 

Learn More

 

***Once registered, be sure to check your e-mail spam folder if you did not receive a confirmation email that has the workshop login information as well as the list of ingredients needed for the workshop.

 

Have a Question?

kayla@mainegrainalliance.com