“The gardens are a well-kept secret,” said Lisa Friedlander, a master gardener and Portland attorney, who is also one of the inaugural sponsors of A Taste of Tidewater, a fundraiser to benefit the University of Maine Gardens at Tidewater Farm in Falmouth.

With well over 150 guests, many of them master gardeners, attending the soiree in the Parish House at the Episcopal Church of Saint Mary in Falmouth, it appears the word is getting out.

“It’s a teaching garden,” explained Yarmouth resident and committee member Molly Blakeman, resplendent in a green dress with an exotic floral print. “We want to continue to grow it. It’s what this night is all about.”

With seasonal appetizers and enticing desserts cooked up by chefs Mitchell Kaldrovich of MK Kitchen in Gorham, Karen Turner, the pastry chef at Portland Patisserie & Grand Cafe, Steve Corry, owner of Five Fifty-Five, Petite Jacqueline and Portland Patisserie, and Don Morrison, the operations manager of Wayside Food Programs, it’s no wonder there was such a crowd.

“I’m a master gardener too, and all of the produce that’s grown at the Tidewater garden comes to Wayside,” said Morrison. The gardens run by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension also provide educational opportunities in agriculture and horticulture to communities in southern Maine.

“It’s about education and learning about gardening, but it’s more about giving back to the community,” said Morrison. “And the master gardening program focuses on education and hunger relief.”

“Through the Cooperative Extension program, I completed the master gardener training,” said Amy Sinclair, the evening’s emcee. “It costs about nothing, but it comes with the obligation to give back to the community.”

“We have an ambitious goal,” she said, with the din of a very successful evening beginning to wind down. “We are trying to raise $15,000. The gardens receive minimal funding from the state, and we need community support.”

Margaret Logan is a freelance writer who lives in Scarborough. She can be contacted at:

margaret08logan@gmail.com