Feasting on fall’s bounty
King Arthur would have known just what to do. My heftiest chef knife was plunged ...
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Maine Dish
Amy Hutchinson’s stuffed mushrooms a treat
Maine Dish At a recent Deer Isle potluck supper, I enjoyed the most delicious stuffed ...
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Thanks for the leftovers
We’re enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday in Ithaca, N.Y., 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 25-pound turkey, mounds of mashed potatoes, squash casserole, Robin’s buttermilk rolls and Aunt Jen’s pies. Instead of the assorted collection of …
Keep the spirit of our forebearers’ first feast
Of all our national holidays, Thanksgiving holds a special place. It’s apolitical and nondenominational. It brings families together. It conjures up a brief moment when we were not trying to dominate or extirpate the people who arrived before us on this continent. And it’s all about food. We know very little about that “First Thanksgiving” …
Preserve bounty of autumn fruit in chutneys
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 form of food preservation adopted by the Romans. The sauces later travelled to the British Empire, where the Brits added …
Why tomatoes lose their taste
This year November arrived, and the tomatoes refused to depart. Even after a few mild nips of frost, some of the vines soldiered on in protected locations. In a greenhouse, the vines would have remained vigorous long after it was time to pull them down and make way for winter spinach. Why is this so …
Power up with a tart, sweet treat
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 a banner year for cranberries, also known as bounce berries (because the ripe ones bounce). These shiny, scarlet berries grow …
Add crunch to your meal
We Mainers love our coleslaw; Saturday night baked beans and hot biscuits with fresh and crunchy coleslaw. Traditional lobster feeds with a side of creamy coleslaw, corned-beef sandwiches bursting with slaw, even at barbecues and picnics, a bowl is always a welcome treat. Originating from the Netherlands, koolsla, or cabbage salad, features crisp shredded green …
Behold the beauty of frost’s many forms
I love the first frost. I’ve never joined the chorus of gardeners who view it as a disaster to be lamented. Sure, half the garden has been obliterated. High time! By then I’m tired of picking beans, finding homes for the extra squash, and feeling I need to can every last tomato. Besides, frost is …
Invaluable kitchen aid for mashing veggies
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, blood red Goldman’s Italian American tomatoes, and plump processing tomatoes. Blue-green Hubbard squash, creamy yellow and green striped delicata and tan long-necked butternut squash are hardening in the greenhouse. And …
People-pleaser caught between her husband and her parents
Dear Carolyn: I’m tired of feeling caught between my husband and my parents. They didn’t like him and outright told him they thought marrying him wasn’t the best path for me. Friction increased when I moved to his hometown. I am the first of my sisters to marry and leave the area. I recognize my …
Hot topic: Cooking up compost
It’s often said that making compost is like cooking. You assemble your ingredients — in this case, a combination of dry, high-carbon organic materials such as dead bean vines and straw, mixed with moist, high-nitrogen ones such as kitchen scraps and manure. Then you use heat to break the ingredients down. With cooking you use …