In the Geography of Groceries, we look closely at where our food has come from. We start with Cross Country Cooking discovering all the immigrants who brought their cooking to Maine so now while we stay still our stomachs are going global. Then we recall the first ever global agribusiness: the spice trade, because those seemingly innocuous little shakers of cinnamon and black pepper on your shelf actually changed world history. And finally we come home to ask: what does it really mean to eat local here in Maine—and look at what the Wabanaki tribes bequeathed us that makes Maine food so special and unique.

With her popular catering business, Sandy Garson helped start the local food movement in Maine. She wrote the first ever book to support farmers’ markets, which had a second updated edition. She joined the initial exploratory course in Food History at Radcliffe College and went on to publish articles and a second cook book. She taught food history for the USM OLLI Senior College and runs its food discussions and workshops. She also spoke on The Indian Kitchen for the 2024 Camden Conference.

Class will be held on ZOOM

Tuesdays: November 12, 19, 26    10-11am