Harvest on the Harbor, a three-day food festival with seminars, tastings, cooking demonstrations, and much more kicks off today (October 23) in Portland. For a complete schedule of events, and to purchase tickets, click here.

In preparation for the festivities, I chatted briefly with Portland’s own celebrity mixologist John

Maine’s own Kate’s Homemade Butter, made in Old Orchard since 1981, just won a very important prize in the world of dairy. At the 2008 World Dairy Expo Championships in Wisconsin, Kate’s received first prize in the category of unsalted butter according to this article on the Boston Globe’s

That man up there? He’s the Oyster Czar. Translation: He’s in charge of all-things oysters at the Pemaquid Oyster Festival in Damariscotta this Sunday.

From noon to dusk, head to the Schooner Landing Restaurant & Marina on Main Street in downtown Damariscotta to sample some of the 15,000 oysters that will be shucked and served fresh on the half shell, broiled, stewed, and baked as Oysters Rockefeller.

Thanks to the Czar, cocktail sauce has been shunned at this year's festival.

The October issue of Down East magazine has lots of food stuff, including:

• Stunning photographs of Maine Farmers by Paul Mobley in his new book The American Farmer
• A list of Maine wineries open to the public
• A review of Eve’s at the Garden in the Portland Harbor

Things are bustling at Beth’s Farm stand in Warren, pictured to the right. Perhaps more Mainers should visit this vegetable and fruit haven, since apparently we’re the fattest people in New England. But more and more of us are using food stamps to consume that

There are only a few days left — and I don’t mean of summer. I mean that there are only a few days left to taste some of the best fried scallops you’ll ever eat and you can enjoy them in one of the prettiest locations on the coast of Maine.

Anna’s Water’s Edge (75 Black's Landing Road, Sebasco Estates, Phippsburg, 207-389-1803, www.thewatersedgerestaurant.com) is an out-of-the-way, knock-your-socks-off