The Common Ground Fair

It's a big place !

The first thing you better do, is study where you what you want to see and do. There are the usual farm fair sections which celebrate the harvest and the animals on the farm,

but there are also lots of other areas to investigate. There's a Social & Political Action area,alternative energy is represented, you can watch stone workers, learn about woodlot management and how to work with oxen. There are poetry readings, Reiki and herb healing, environmental concerns are addressed and don't forget the children's parade, where they all dress as vegetables ( organically grown, of course - the fair is put on by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners' Association, after all.)
Best of all ( almost ) are the many workshops. We learned what needs to be done in the fall and winter garden , how to raise beef on grass, and took a terrific workshop in Making Sourdough bread.


This is the wood-fired outdoor oven which was built by the instructor and which I want to build when I get home.




Her dough is rising in a nifty basket made of willow

here you can see the spiral pattern of the basket before the loaf is put into the oven

Voila, beautiful, crusty loaves, fresh from the wood-fired oven !

We learned so much today and enjoyed being with so many congenial people - where else can you sit down with 6 strangers to eat lunch and have a spirited political discussion where everyone agrees with each other ? Only at the Common Ground Fair here in Unity, maine !