AUGUSTA – Farmers and other food producers are collaborating with chefs and restaurateurs this month, putting their best foods forward for the annual Maine Menus Month. More than 125 individual restaurants have built their menus around Maine foods for October, directly benefiting Maine’s agriculture community.

Whether it is crab cakes, sumptuous potato skins, lobster bisque or stuffed mushrooms, diners are sure to find just the right taste created from foods grown here in Maine.

“Agriculture in the state has developed into a diverse industry far beyond our image of lobster and potatoes,” Robert W. Spear, commissioner of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, said. “Maine is second among New England states for milk and livestock production, and only Vermont produces more maple syrup than Maine. The small, diversified farms across the state supply niche markets with organic produce, meat and poultry, prepared foods, as well as relatively new foods raised in Maine, such as mushrooms. Maine is also the largest producer of wild blueberries and brown eggs in the world.”

Spear, who also is a vegetable farmer, said, “Maine Menus Month is one of the ways we plan to raise awareness about buying Maine-grown foods, whether in the grocery store or at a local eatery. Of course, we’d like everyone to choose Maine foods year-round.”

Eileen Whynot, publicist for the agriculture department, said, “Fresh foods are the hallmark of fine dining and Mainegrown produce, seafood, meats and dairy products are at the centerpiece of Maine Menus. From potato skin appetizers, entrees of seafood, venison and organic beef, to desserts featuring wild blueberries, strawberries or apples, Maine-grown foods are a vital part of our diet and our economy. Farming contributes $1.2 billion annually to Maine’s bottom line.”

One farmer who directly benefits is Dan Heydon, owner of Oyster Creek Mushroom Farm in Damariscotta. Founded in 1989, Oyster Creek is an example of a family building a market previously untapped by a commercial enterprise.

“Almost all of our fresh mushrooms are sold in Maine, through restaurants, farmers markets and food stores. We supply over a dozen varieties of mushrooms to 20 Maine restaurants,” Heydon said.

Maine chefs can now offer entrees featuring elk, venison, buffalo, pheasant, quail, and partridge in addition to beef, chicken, pork and lamb – all raised in Maine.

Bambi Jones of Hidden Valley Organic Farm in Alna has been supplying Slates Restaurant in Hallowell with fresh salad greens, basil and a variety of peppers for 25 years.

“With the use of my hoop house, I can grow enough restaurant greens for at least six months of the year,” said she said.

Randy Wadleigh, President of the Maine Restaurant Association, has also made a conscious decision to buy Maine potatoes exclusively for all seven locations of his Governor’s Restaurants.

“We all live here because we love this beautiful state of Maine, so it is important to me to support our economy,” Wadleigh said. “I’m proud of my choice and that’s why our menus state that all of the potatoes we use are grown in Maine.”

Restaurant winners in the 2001 Maine Menus Month competition were: Top Honors: Sarah’s Cafe and Mercantile, Wiscasset; Regional Awards, Country Style Restaurant, Sebec; Just Barb’s, Stockton Springs; Ken’s Family Restaurant, Winslow; Susan’s Fish ‘N Chips, Portland; The Cliff House, Ogunquit; and Washington County Technical College, Calais.

For more information about Maine Menus Month, visit the Web site getrealmaine.com.