Lots of people build their summer vacation round one of Maine’s famous food festivals–and of course, locals turn out in droves–to participate in the fun and the eating.
The 62nd Annual Maine Lobster Festival, starting this Wednesday noon in Harbor Park in Rockland, is a huge, five day festival which hosts thousands of visitors each year. There are lobster street sculptures, a parade, the annual Sea Goddess Coronation, music galore, arts tents, a race on half-submerged lobster crates and…lobster.
Continue reading “Maine Lobster Festival” »
Yesterday I took my son, Jacob, to see "Food, Inc." at the Strand in Rockland. We met Creative Director Jim Bazin there and were surprised at how many people came out on such a (rare) gorgeous sunny Sunday afternoon, but the theatre was quite full. Many in attendance were looking forward to the panel discussion following the film led by Nancy Harmon-Jenkins and panelists Merrill Williams of Maine Food & Lifestyle, Cheryl Denz of Terra Optima Farm, Melissa Kelly of Primo, Glen Libby of Midcoast Fishermen's Association, and others with direct insight into Maine's food scene.
Continue reading ““Food, Inc.” Thought provoking, disturbing, and enlightening” »
On a lazy Sunday morning, if you’re looking for something to go with your Ducktrap smoked salmon, try the caviar at Browne Trading Company. If it’s good enough for Le Bernardin, it’s probably good enough for a weekend nosh.
Continue reading ““Caviar of Maine” makes a fancy debut” »
We encourage our blog readers to get out to Rockport Harbor this Thursday, June 18, for a spectacular local event. Pop the Cork 2- A Toast to the Arts is happening from 5:30-9:30pm, hosted by our friends at Cellardoor Winery. A benefit event, all proceeds will go to The Center for Maine Contemporary Art.
With so much to enjoy in such a rich area of Maine, start off the summer with food, wine, art, and music. There will be Zydeco, steel drums, a swing band, and of course fabulous wine and hors d'oeuvres. What a great time to take in a local cultural event. Make it the start of a yearly tradition! To learn more call 236.2654 www.mainewine.com Tickets may also be purchased online tickets@cellardoorvineyard.com
From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.
Here in Maine we're aware that our local restaurants, antique shops, crafts, and farmers' markets are cherished by urban renegades who flock here to enjoy "life the way it should be." Among our more high-profile part-time residents is none other than Martha Stewart who runs a media empire and escapes to Bar Harbor whenever she can.
Continue reading “Maine Farm Gets the Nod from Martha Stewart” »
Every person that steps on Isle au Haut – be they hiker, camper,
sightseer, worker, repairman, photographer, news reporter, house guest
or whatever – becomes a member of this small community the instant their toes touch the town dock. When you visit an island as small as ours,
you don’t really have the luxury of being a casual observer. If there
is a fire, we may ask you to haul buckets. If someone goes missing, we
may sign you onto a search party. If there is a parade, we may invite
you to construct a float, or bang a drum, or honk a horn. We will
encourage you to participate in our annual talent show, or make a
cameo in the island contra dance band, or bring a dish to one of our potlucks in the town hall.
Continue reading “Isle au Haut Getaway: Off the Beaten Path” »
Our Island Gourmet Girls Culinary Getaway on beautiful Isle au Haut on June 13-15 and June 15-17 is an event we know you will enjoy. Join me, along with 
Linda Greenlaw and Kate Shaffer for a weekend cooking extravaganza. You will learn to perfectly prepare and cook succulent Maine fish, make delicious complementary side dishes, and finish off with an artisan chocolate making class. Walk away with recipes and memories to last a lifetime.
I love dinner parties: the planning, decorating, preparing, the laughter and fun. The satisfaction and happiness I get feeds my soul as well as the bellies of my guests. Heck, I even opened an inn on an offshore island with no restaurants so I could do it 7 nights a week!
Continue reading “Isle au Haut – A Memorable Culinary Getaway” »
Drawing on mint's eastern Mediterranean roots, this recipe combines the strong flavors of lamb, feta, and mint with the gently cooked leeks and scallions. The flavors blend nicely on a thin crisp crust–flatbread, tortilla, pita, or focaccia bread.
Continue reading “Ellsfarm Recipe: Flatbread with Mint, Lamb, Feta” »
The first time I ever tried blue cheese and chocolate together was at the Oregon Chocolate Festival in Ashland a few years ago. Was I skeptical? You bet! But after the first bite, I declared myself a new woman. Ever since, I’ve been trying to pair cheese and chocolate in ways that would tempt even the most dubious of taste-testers. The following recipe is the latest in the series.
Continue reading “Chocolate-Dipped Blue Cheese Figs” »
While doing some delicious research for the new issue of Maine Food and Lifestyle, we were fortunate to find the following mail order cookie companies that we'd like to share with you. Satisfy you sweet tooth and mail order some today!
Continue reading “Maine Made Cookies by Mail” »
Ah, le printemps! Spring is everywhere we look. There are oceans of violets in bloom, grass to be mowed, gardens to start, and warm days to celebrate. We are so happy to see the world going green!
Although the beginning of May once started with a dance around the Maypole and a May basket left on the doorstep of a loved one, we hope that whatever your springtime traditions are, you honor them this year!
Continue reading “Maine Events Calendar: May 2009″ »
Daunis Jewelers in Portland, Maine is a dazzling place. It is elegant and crafty and just plain beautiful. We traveled there for the new issue of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine to learn the art of jewelry making, and found the “Food of Art” as well.
Local jewelers Patricia Daunis Dunning and husband Bill Dunning, whose jewelry is inspired by all things in the natural world, showed themselves to be worldly cooks as well, with decidedly local and organic values.
Enjoy their “Everlasting Duck,” a favorite meal at family gatherings and a nod to “green” home dining, as utilizing the entire duck means nothing is wasted. Their recipes are included in this feature article.
From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.
Searching for a thoughtful gift for a special hostess? How about a gift that says Maine for that friend or relative who lives far away? Or maybe you'd just like to indulge in a bit of retail therapy for yourself. Whatever the occasion, here are a few simple ideas.
Continue reading “Savvy Maine Gift Ideas” »
We here in the Mid-coast have something to look forward to. The Rockland Farmers' Market held its annual business meeting recently, and is busy plotting out a new season. Can this mean we are truly moving toward spring? We hope so. It has been a long winter, and we're eager to see signs of life again. It seems ages since we've seen living color green!
Continue reading “Rockland Farmers’ Market Plans 2009 Season” »
Around the first of the year, my good friend Joanna Linden starts mailing out homemade truffles for the privileged few. It’s become a tradition and is a high point for us lucky friends who are the recipients of some highly original flavor combos. The satiny luxury of truffles brightens up even these darkest winter days.
Continue reading “The Ultimate Truffle” »
If you've never heard of the "Pecha-Kucha", you're not alone. But the first one in Midcoast Maine is coming up this Friday, hosted by Eric Hopkins Gallery, 21 Winter Street in Rockland, and it doesn't sound like something you'll want to miss. Fellow participants Farnsworth Art Museum, Midcoast Magnet, and Maine Center for Creativity hope for a great turnout.
Continue reading “Eric Hopkins Gallery Hosts Pecha-Kucha Night” »
On a Friday not too long ago, I found myself in my kitchen sorting through a case of tiny, dew-speckled raspberries, fresh from the well-tended brambles at Carding Brook Farm. My friend Erica, who comes to stay at her family’s summer camp on the island for a few weeks every year, was working with me, apron-clad, and chatting up a storm. As I sorted, Erica pressed the tiny berries through a juicer. Once the whole case was through the machine, we took the discarded pulp and put it through again. And again. And again. In total, we pressed the berries five times. The result was a thick, seedless, silky-smooth puree that I packed up in containers, labeled carefully, and set in my freezer for future use.
I’ve spent the whole summer collecting cases of fresh produce, gallons of maple syrup, and tubs of fresh cheeses from farms on the Blue Hill Peninsula–and a bit beyond–the raw materials and fragrant inspiration for a new collection of fresh truffles.
Continue reading “Black Dinah Chocolatiers Farm Market Collection” »
Maine is full of stories and memoirs from farmers and food producers from Bangor to Kittery, and I’ve got a fun, vivid memory to add to the collection.
I started working on my uncle’s dairy farm when I was 13, and I will never forget the first time I saw butter being made. We always started working and processing at 4:00 am sharp. This particular morning, my uncle Roland (who never said more than two words before 8:00 am), poured a couple of 40-quart cans of cream into what looked like a 50-gallon wood drum. The drum then rotated on a shaft which was attached to the center of the drum, so that when he turned it on, the drum turned end to end. This was our “butter churn!” I don’t remember how long it took that day for the cream to turn to butter, but I do remember when my Uncle Roland opened up that drum, seeing all of the butter balls that were floating in the buttermilk.
Continue reading “An Unforgettable Past” »
It is no coincidence that the words hearth and heart are so similar. The hearth has always been the heart of a home. Not only does the fire heat us and awaken our senses, the smell and taste of wood-fired food is indelible.
Using stones, bricks, and/or mud, the people in what is now known as the Czech Republic were using wood-burning bakeovens about 20,000 years ago. They enclosed fires with any material that had mass and would not burn. The basics of those ovens are still true today though modern materials like insulation and firebrick allow ovens to operate more efficiently.
Continue reading “How Does Your Oven Fire?” »
