Workshops at Salt Water Farm

By Annemarie Ahearn

Hard to believe that we’ve already completed two workshops at Salt Water Farm and the season has just begun.  The students came from all across the country (in fact, across the Atlantic too) to spend three days studying traditional skills in the kitchen and in the garden.  In the off hours, they experienced all that mid coast Maine has to offer, from hikes up mountains, to beautifully made shaker-style furniture, to culinary delights and micro breweries in nearby coastal towns.

The students learned everything from how to bake a crusty loaf of bread with a homemade starter, to how to make fresh butter from cream, to how to plan a culinary garden.  Many of them shucked (and ate) their first oyster.

During the first workshop, we went to the Harbor Master’s House, where Mike and Lynn Hutchings, (who have been in the lobster fishing business for decades) told us all about size requirements, depth of traps, bait, the life cycle of lobsters and much more.  Mike and Lynn sell lobster and steamer clams out of their home and I’ve been going there to pick ’em up since I was a kid.  They are the feistiest lobsters around.

In our second workshop, we headed down to the shoreline at low tide to collect mussels, periwinkles, welches and the occasional baby crab.  The students particularly loved cooking in our wood fired oven and learning about how to make pizza dough that is airy, flavorful and cooked to perfection.

Most importantly, over the course of three days, the students shared stories from home, knowledge from their own culinary endeavors and three meals together around our table.  It’s always bitter sweet at the end of the class, when everyone must leave the warmth and good spirit  that’s been created in our kitchen.

There are a handful of workshops over the course of the summer and into the fall for those interested in broadening their skill set in the kitchen and garden. For more information on dates and times of upcoming workshops, or to register, visit www.saltwaterfarm.com/schedule.php.