Rachel Alexandrou leads a foraging class. (Photo courtesy Veggies to Table)
On Saturday, July 22, Veggies to Table, a grow-to-donate produce and flower farm in Newcastle, will partner with forager and wild food cook Rachel Alexandrou to offer two classes on safely identifying and cooking with edible wild plants. Alexandrou will share her deep knowledge of wild edibles and how to properly harvest and prepare the foraged edibles.
The event is ideal for people new to foraging and plant lovers who want to learn how to use wild plants in their cooking. Alexandrou will provide wild refreshments at the end of each session, along with a cooking demonstration using some of the foraged plants.
Alexandrou is an artist and forager who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental horticulture from the University of Maine and a 400-hour certificate in community herbalism from the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine. She was Veggies to Table’s first farm manager in 2019. Her deep knowledge of plants and farming started the farm on its current path to success.
The event will take place at Veggies to Table’s farm in Newcastle from 10 a.m. to noon with a second session from 1-3 p.m. Participants are asked to wear sturdy shoes and a hat and to bring a notebook, writing instrument, and water bottle.
To register for this and other upcoming events, go to veggiestotable.org/flowerpopupsandclasses.
The cost of the workshop is $60; children under 5 may come for free. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Veggies to Table. A second workshop will be offered on Saturday, Sept. 16.
Veggies to Table will offer free, bimonthly tours of the farm on Tuesdays from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on July 11 and 25, Aug. 8 and 22, and Sept. 12.
Erica Berman, Veggies to Table’s executive director, will lead the tours. She and her husband, Alain Ollier, founded the farm in 2019 to bring top-quality produce and joyful flowers to those living in the crisis of hunger in Lincoln County and beyond.
To date, Veggies to Table has grown and donated 44,500-plus pounds of produce to local people experiencing hunger through its 35-plus local partner organizations, which include food pantries, schools, and low-income housing.
During the tours, Berman will talk about why and how they got started, accompany participants on a detailed walk of the organic no-till farm, orchards, and the surrounding property, and hold a question-and-answer session about its mission, where produce is donated and why, and growing practices on the farm.
The visit is free but space is limited. Register in advance at signup.com/go/ppqTSdY
For more information, go to veggiestotable.org.
Erica Berman (left) gives a farm tour at Veggies to Table. (Photo courtesy Veggies to Table)
