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
I keep a close eye on my pantry inventory these days; sorting root-cellared apples for sauce, peeling and freezing garlic, and roasting the butternut squash with soft spots. The urge for this annual routine of
The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of the human race than the discovery of a star.” ― Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, French Gastronome & lawyer (1755- 1826) My friend Susan Wells brought
What is your go-to dish for a special supper or festive potluck meal? A recent student query had me pause to reflect for several moments. My family enjoys eating a wide variety of foods, fruits,
The cabbage, whose name is a derivation of the French word “caboche”, a colloquial term for head, was introduced to the Americas in 1541-42 by Jacques Cartier on his third voyage to Canada. Although the
Last week was Arts Week at Deer Isle – Stonington High School, and the theme was a celebration of Maine’s bicentennial. Once part of Massachusetts, Maine became independent—very independent—in March of 1820. For the entire week,
On a recent foodie trip to Portland we enjoyed three delicious and innovatively different meals. No peeling vegetables, no chopping garlic, no mixing, baking, cooking, and no washing dishes. It was pure luxury. We dined
Every year in January we have an artistic project here on Deer Isle known as Fun-A-Day. The premise is simple: participants pick a project like take a photograph, paint a series of pictures, create a
The year 2020 is big for Maine, as we’ll be celebrating our 200th birthday year as an independent state (no longer part of Massachusetts!) Even though we know the indigenous peoples of Maine have been
At a recent Deer Isle pot-luck supper, I enjoyed the most delicious stuffed mushroom caps. They were golden, bite-sized morsels, perfectly cooked, with a nice and buttery, garlicy and clam flavor. And so easy to
We’re enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday in Ithaca, New York, visiting with our daughter Emily and son-in-law Kent. It’s a break from the clan tradition of feasting at my mother’s family homestead in Norway, Maine. No
Looking for something new, exciting and festive for your family’s Thanksgiving dinner? How about chutney? A spiced fruit condiment whose origin food historians have traced back to 500 BC in India, chutneys were an early
Makes 18 muffins
My sister Jennifer Wixson and her husband Stanley Luce of Troy, Maine, are diversified farmers who raise Scottish Highland beef cattle, tend beehives, and cultivate a wide variety of fruit, including cranberries. This has been
We Mainers love our coleslaw; Saturday night baked beans and hot biscuits with coleslaw, traditional lobster feeds with a side of creamy coleslaw, corned beef sandwiches bursting with slaw, even at barbeques and picnics, a
Autumn is a festive time here at Rabbit Hill. My dining room table is decorated with trays of elongated yellow and red striped Blush tomatoes, “heavy-in-the-hips”, blood red Goldman’s Italian American tomatoes, and plump processing
There is an abundance of fruit this fall; apple trees are lush with ruby red orbs, bright orange pumpkins and squash decorate prickly vines, deep purple blackberries line the woods, and peach trees are bowing
My corn patch was truly a work of art this summer; regal, tall stalks almost 7 feet high in a neat 10- foot by 12- foot patch with five rows of 12 plants. The variety,
We can thank the French for the golden brown, crispy and savory casserole known as “gratin.” This comforting dish, often featuring potatoes, is assembled in a heavy, shallow pan, topped with combinations of butter, cheese
“When life gives me cucumbers, I make pickles!” -Chef Cheryl answering a kindergartner’s question. The cucumber season is at full tilt, and friends have “gifted” me with over 60 pounds of pickling cucumbers. Bright green,
