This delicious and nutritious meal idea comes to us courtesy of author Tom Seymour from his new book Wild Plants of Maine, A Useful Guide. Tom is the author of several books on angling, foraging, and hiking in Maine as well as being a regular columnist for Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine. Read his latest column, “Wild Edibles,” on our TOC page.
It’s time for hen of the woods mushrooms in Maine. Read Tom’s book, and also check out our friend Leslie Land’s blog, for more fine foraging information!
image: treeworld.info
Continue reading “Simple Woods Scramble” »
Looking for a hot weather recipe to cool you off? Here’s a great one by four-time James Beard Award Winner, renowned chef, author, and international food and restaurant consultant Rozanne Gold. This “diva of simplicity” has set the Gold Standard for inspiring professional chefs and home cooks alike to “keep it simple.”
image: besthealthsecret.com
Continue reading “Peaches in Peach Schnapps with Basil” »
I love fresh salsa with grilled fish and this is an unusual (and very colorful) salsa, made with blueberries and corn. I like to make it in the summer when both are in season.
Continue reading “Linda Greenlaw’s Grilled Salmon with Fresh Blueberry Corn Salsa” »
When I invited my gourmet group to the island one weekend, my friend Petey brought along this salad for lunch the next day. Everyone loved the combination of chicken, sprouts, water chestnuts, and the mild curry dressing. It’s best made the night before.
image: notmartha.org
Continue reading “Overnight Chicken Salad” »
Congratulations to Rachel Osborn of New York, 3rd place winner in this year’s Union Fair Maine Wild Blueberry Dessert Contest. Rachel, who comes to Searsmont every summer, says she loves the Union Fair and entered this contest 8 years ago, taking home the blue ribbon.
Try her delicious, prize-winning coffee cake at home with this recipe.
Continue reading “Maine Wild Blueberry Dessert Prize-Winning Recipe: Rachel Osborn” »
The mojito is a traditional Cuban drink that is sweet and refreshing, with a rum kick. All summer long my herb garden is taken over with a huge patch of spearmint and I couldn’t be happier about it. As one of our most popular drink specials, the mojito is delicious on its own or with the addition of berries or other fruit. The blackberries make for a dramatic presentation.
image courtesy of Hartstone Inn, Camden
Continue reading “Blackberry Mojito” »
Amanda Boyington of Appleton took away top honors Thursday afternoon at the Union Fair for her Blueberry Cinnamon Nut Coffee Cake.
Amanda, who runs a bakery business out of her home, says she has entered the pie competition before and thought she’d give the dessert contest a try this year. Congratulations, Amanda! We were happy to be on hand to sample your creation. It was truly delicious!
Continue reading “Maine Wild Blueberry Dessert Winner: Amanda Boyington” »
It’s Maine wild blueberry season, and time for the annual Union Fair. Here’s a blueberry gingerbread recipe from cookbook author Georgia Manzo Joachim to try!
image: grayberryfarm.blogspot.com
Continue reading “Blueberry Gingerbread with Whipped Cream” »
Beautiful summer mornings on the island should not be spent in the kitchen, but when the cove is socked in with fog there’s nothing nicer than baking up a batch of blueberry muffins and enjoying them over a leisurely breakfast at the kitchen table, watching and waiting for the fog to lift.
image: roadfood.com Continue reading “Foggy Morning Blueberry Muffins” »
Affectionately know as “dilly beans” in Maine, these tongue-tingling pickles constitute something of a small cottage industry in the Pine Tree State. You see locally made dillies for sale at just about every farm stand and tourist-oriented food emporium in the state. Since I am convinced that part of their charm is in the way they look, standing neatly upright packed into their glass jars, I have written this recipe accordingly. As with all the pickle recipes in this book, you can treat these dilly beans as a refrigerator pickle. Or, if you like, you may process the jars, while they’re still hot, in a boiling-water-bath canner according to the canner’s directions.
image: foodsnobberyhobbery.blogspot.com
Continue reading “Down East Dilly Beans” »
Did you know that most things in nature have an even number of rows or lines? If one of these summer afternoons finds you with some time on your hands, try doing a little detective work. Grab a watermelon or cantaloupe and count the number of stripes. You’ll come up with an even number. Now grab your reading glasses and check out an ear of corn. Try not to go bug-eyed counting, but you’ll find there is always an even number of rows (the average ear has 16 rows with a total of 800 kernels) and there is one piece of silk for each and every kernel.
The explanation of Mother Nature’s numbering system involves cell division: As the corn or melon is developing, one cell divides into 2 and as the division continues, it always comes up an even number. Measuring by production volume, corn is the third most important food crop of the world, coming in just behind wheat and rice. In terms of acreage planted, it is second only to wheat.
Corn is listed as an ingredient in more than 3,000 different grocery products and is also used in the production of alcohol (and distilled spirits), corn syrup, sugar, cornstarch, synthetic fibers (nylon and certain plastics), in the manufacture of wood resin, lubricating oils and synthetic rubber, as an abrasive, corn cob pipes, corn oil, margarine, saccharin, paints, soaps, linoleum, and gasohol.
But all that aside – just an ear of fresh Maine corn with a generous coating of butter and a dash or two of salt…oh my. I will never be convinced that there is any better on God’s good earth!
image: blog.timesunion.com
Continue reading “Corn and Potato Cakes” »
The taste of lemon and summer just seem to go together whether it’s as a flavor for seafood, salad, or soup. And, let us not leave out dessert, where lemon can be a real star as in this delectable lemon pie.
Continue reading “Best Ever Lemon Pie” »
It’s Maine wild blueberry season, time for the Union Fair, and time to put those sweet berries to use in our favorite recipes. Here’s a great one, simple and oh-so-delicious. Hooray for Maine’s wild blueberries!
Blueberry Crisp image by Robin Presta
Continue reading “Maine Blueberry Crisp” »
Many people outside of New England are not aware of the difference between Maine wild blueberries and the larger cultivated blueberries. Any recipe calling for blueberries will be better with wild Maine blueberries because of the unique combination of sweet and tart flavors and the more tender skin. If you can’t find fresh wild Maine blueberries, visit Wyman’s, the largest wild blueberry grower and processor in the U.S. Their frozen berries are just as fresh tasting as fresh blueberries when thawed. To use, dip frozen berries in hot water for up to a minute or until thawed, then drain and pat dry.
This recipe is in honor of the Union Fair, Maine’s Wild Blueberry Festival, going on August 21-28.
image: flickr.com
Continue reading “Maine Wild Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake” »
We here at Camp Cook & Tell – counselors, campers in the field, and the Head Counselor (me) are pleasantly occupied in the business of conversation about what’s going on in our kitchens. We have a grand time amending, correcting, and one-upping each other’s recipes, and, in general, carrying on a sort of talk show by mail, e-mail, and telephone.
Continue reading “Notes From Camp Cook & Tell” »
Hasn’t it been a summer to remember! And perfect weather for mushroom foraging.
I have wonderful friends on Richard’s Point in Friendship, Maine, who offered to take me chanterelle hunting a couple years ago. On our way to their usual spot I declared,”Let’s go right!” and off the road and into the woods we went on my whim. Twenty feet into the forest we beheld pool after pool of golden mushrooms, as if some capricious giant leprechaun had tossed them from the heavens. It was like a mirage of good fortune.
We filled two brown grocery bags with our golden booty and went home for more bags. After all, most mushroom foragers are nothing if not opportunists. What a feast we had! To this day, my friends say they have never seen anything like it, and they are seasoned foragers. From that moment forth, I had the fever. We’ve made chanterelle pizza, chanterelles with scrambled eggs, a wild mushroom pilaf, chanterelles in phyllo pastry, mushroom bisque, and perhaps my favorite…chanterelles simply sautéed with good butter as a side dish or all on their own.
image: sheknows.com
Continue reading “Chanterelles: Finest Foraging from the Maine Woods” »
Every week I head into town to pick up my CSA share, and every week I’m shocked to find an even bigger bag of zucchini than I found the week before. Will this bonanza ever taper off? How will I eat, freeze, and dry it all before it spoils?
I’ve been looking for new and interesting ways to prepare zucchini. Recently I threw together this simple Italian-inspired meal. It’s simple and easy, like summer cooking should be, but using freshly-picked, perfectly-ripe produce provides a burst of flavor and color.
Continue reading “Drowning in Zucchini? Try This Simple Sauté” »
In a post competition interview following his win of today’s Annual World Championship Boatyard Dog Trials, Pancho Villa of Camden was just as nonchalont as he was prior to defending his title from the 2009 Trials. A huge crowd attended the event at the Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Show today, and cheered Pancho on to victory. He was awarded a perfect 10 from all three judges of the competition, outpointing his competitors by a wide margin.
Pancho Villa, Boatyard Dog Competition winner for the 2nd year in a row.
Pancho cinched the title in the free form category, cooly demonstration his surfing skills, while looking regal in the process. Pancho’s handler, Elliot Matlack, watches for sharks and competitors as Poncho concentrates on his balance and technique.
As if that wasn’t enough, Pancho did a midwater board swap to join handler Abigail Matlcack on a different board. Abigail paddles Pancho out to catch a big wave for his ride back to shore.
And to the winner go the spoils! Hoping Pancho will go for three in 2011!
Docking to get in line for the Boatyard Dog Trials, Sunday Morning at 10am
Boats, Boats, Boats
Boats, Boats, Boats, Boats, and Boats
More Boats
You can visit the manufacturers, get onboard the boats. Your fantasies realized.
One more day of fun left, starting with the Boatyard Dog competition at 10am. Be there, or regret it. Defending champion, Pancho Villa of Camden is back, and he’s not taking any prisoners…or water.
Going on now through Sunday afternoon in Rockland’s Harbor Park is the annual Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Show. Full of interesting stuff to see, eat, do, buy, and learn about, this show just gets better every year!
With demonstrations on such things as oar making and wood turning and Maritime activities like toy making workshops for children, plus book signings, talks and maritime films, there is something to interest everyone. Sunday, the last day of the show, brings the 8th Annual World Championship Boatyard Dog Trials, where last year’s champ Pancho Villa will be back defending his title.
Get down to Rockland’s Harbor Park for a look at some gorgeous boats, fine furniture, marine gear, fabulous shopping, delicious food and snacks, and exciting activities! Not to mention the perfect weather for an outdoor event.
