I love not living in a big city, for lots of reasons. Chief among them are of course crime and the general rat race of it all. Tiny little Portland, Maine, is perfect and I may never get used to the easy access to the best of everything - schools and communities, natural resources and, of course, the best restaurants in the country. Portland and Maine's restaurants serve seafood from our waters and they're surrounded and supplied by what could be the best farms in the country. There's not a big city in the world that can match what we have here. 

I realize legendary big city restaurants are supplied by wonderful, yet distant, farms, too. Also some city chefs apparently are taking local farming into their own hands.  They're growing herbs, tomatoes, beans and more on rooftops. That sounds pretty cool, but I wonder if smog filled air, nasty rains and other pests are infusing some funky flavors in those crops? Potential funky flavors aside, I give them credit for being pioneers. That's the name of the game -- good for them for trying to keep pace with what's happening here in Portland and in other cities and towns around our region.

If you're at all like me, then you're probably curious about Maine's farms. Especially the ones listed on menus at places like Fuel and Fishbones, or Cinque Terre, Inn by the Sea and Fore Street. The farms they're doing business with must be the best of the best. They're able to deliver the highest quality and a steady supply. To help their clients be different from their neighbors, their competitors, farms are supplying variety. Local farms are perfecting their craft, so they can maintain the role they're playing in satisfying our growing locavore dining cravings.

Go learn about a Maine Farm this Sunday, it's Maine Open Farm Day. This event is another valuable product of the Maine Dept of Agriculture. On their site there's a PDF download with all the details: farm names, hours, addresses, etc. Go see what all the fuss is about by visiting some farms. While you're at it be sure to bring home some wonderful meats, cheeses and produce. You'll be doing your part in cherishing and helping preserve Maine's historic food ways.  You might even make some new friends in the process.