Besides the iconic wild blueberry, Maine apples are one of my favorite year-round fruits. An important crop for the early Colonial settlers, apples were a vital part of homesteading life and used in numerous ways
One of my favorite children’s novels is “James and the Giant Peach”, written in 1961 by British author Roald Dahl. There have been several different illustrated versions of the book over the years, plus a
My friend Barrett Gray, owner of Boyce’s Motel in Stonington, runs the Healthy Island Project’s lunchbox program for senior citizens down here on the island. Every week, individuals get a wellness check-in telephone call from
Looking for recipes that use the zucchini explosion in your garden? Zucchini Yogurt Muffins, warm from the oven, make a delicious summer breakfast. The delicate, moist interior flecked with green and oozing with slightly melted
These days, my refrigerator shelves are overloaded with jars and small bowls of ingredients waiting for someone to eat them: extra-ripe raspberries, pulled chicken breast, roasted tomatoes, wild blueberry fruit sauce, and grilled summer veggies.
This season there are more families since World War II who are enjoying the benefits of their own “victory garden.” Back then, Americans were urged to “plant in every patch of available soil”. In doing
An advertisement for Matlaw’s stuffed clams in Down East magazine caught my eye: America’s Favorite Stuffed Clam! GREAT ON THE GRILL. A quick search revealed that Matlaw’s, a Glouster, Massachusetts seafood company has been creating
Saturday night supper and a staple at grange hall meals, baked beans have been enjoyed by generations of Mainers. The mighty bean, indigenous to the Western Hemisphere, actually migrated to Europe before returning in intoxicating
The slow, cool spring produced a bumper crop of rhubarb for many folks. Although usually eaten as a “fruit”, botanically speaking rhubarb is vegetable. An invaluable homestead plant in Maine, this tart tasting member of
Who doesn’t love a fresh chocolate chip cookie hot from the oven? America’s favorite hand-held confection is credited to Ruth Graves Wakefield, owner of the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts. In 1938 Ruth made
Ron Fortier from Ellsworth recently wrote to me, “With the present stay-at-home situation, I have been delegated as chief cook. I’m rapidly running out of comfort food ideas. Please, if you have any fresh ideas,
The long stretch of keeping to home has given me the opportunity to catch up on some necessary spring-cleaning projects. Clothes have been sorted, books dusted and windows washed. One fruitful endeavor was tackling the
