The perks of living in a coastal state

I love living the way life should be in Maine. We are so fortunate to have so many options in our huge yet poor state. Did you know that Maine is the only state in the union that ONLY borders one other state? We live in the foothills of the White Mountains surrounded by pristine lakes yet a short drive and we are on the coast. Since SP travels for work quite often, we never know where he may end up which is beneficial for our rural living. Take for example, my recent post about the clams , we luck out all the time. One would think that that would happen at best once a month, but no, good ole' SP has had a lucky month. 

Last weekend we got a special delivery from a neighbor who also had a trip to the coast.

Can you say heaven? SP has lucked out and so have several friends of ours who like lobster (I barely if ever eat it. I know, I know, that is shameful for a native New Englander, but psh,  I have food issues that involve texture and I only like the knuckles.

Speaking of knuckles... check out the size of that claw!

It's larger than Baby's 9 year old  hand!!

I have been away for a few days at a funeral in New York City, so I am certain they have been entirely consumed. Sunday morning, just before I left Shane made lobster omelettes for everyone that was  at the house. I heard that the same folks and then more came back for a Lobster roll lunch on Monday. Need less to say, we have had a wonderful month of eating locally from the garden and such. Its a huge benefit living less than 50 miles from the coast. We are doing a great job! I love this life!

Trout is a local food!

I love that my husband likes to fish!

Sonnental Dairy

Another local cheese has stunned me and made my life complete. I just wish that Sonnental Dairy had a website so I could give it a much deserved shout out for its raw milk tomme that was perfect for my bruschetta.

Eat Maine Foods!

With great improvements on their map and website navigation, this website is only getting more helpful for those of us who are seeking local farms from which we can buy our food. I am adding them to my Twitter feed as well.

Local Honey

My dearest husband stocked up on some yummy local honey today.
Why? I'm sad to say because I have been sick this weekend with the nastiest chest/ear cold.
SP is keeping me afloat with regular infusions of hot toddy's.
Yum. Slurp. Nightey night!

Really not pleased with Hannaford.

There is still no MooMilk at Hannafords.

Daughter was VERY disappointed on Saturday.
























Can't you tell?

The really annoying part is that ALL OVER the milk cooler are signs boasting how they buy locally! See... this was today's!
Well
why
not
buy
the
organic
milk
from
THIS
state?

Seriously?
How about all those local artisan cheese makers?
How about all those year round salad green farmers?
Watch out Hannaford because this crazy lady with an iPhone has her eyes on you!

Ugly Apples and Freeocal Foods

We are fortunate enough to live near by an orchard that is half organic and half conventional. The organic trees are harvested first, and we are lucky enough to have permission to access the orchards and gather up the fruit that is not picked.

What's better than free and local food?

Can I coin a new word - freeocal?

But there is one sad thing about organic produce - nobody like ugly food! There are some delicious, yummy, tasty, crunchy, nutritious, nectar of the Gods apples left there just for us because they are too ugly for sale at the local markets.

Poor poor apples - but lucky lucky us!

A Fine Gin and Tonic

Summer is here, and while the weather is not hazy hot and humid, all this rain is certainly making it a bit muggy and hence the season of Gin and Tonics is upon us. SP, on his way home from his most recent northern wind power project, found a bottle of local gin for us to enjoy. Unlike my usual Tangueray, this gin has an enjoyable taste of juniper berries. I really enjoyed the added hint of spice. Made on Sweetgrass Farm in Union Maine, I am pleased to see that along with this gin, they craft and sell an assortment of other locally made wines and spirits.

Cheese - another way to keep it local

The Portland Press Herald published this article recently about the localvore simplicity of homemade cheese. I found this article through the blog of the Maine Cheese Collective. I recently published the recipe from Gourmet for homemade mozzarella cheese, but the uncanny timing of this article can't go unnoticed. I just returned from a week long trip to New York City, where I was able to dine on any ethnic food I could choose. From American to Italian to Indian to Brazilian and ending with an American Australian - my final meal one morning in Brooklyn was markedly the best. My daughter's Godmother and I ate in Greenpoint at Five Leaves and it was a treat to say the least. The cafe which opened 7 months ago was financially backed by the late Heath Ledger, another yummy favorite of mine. I chose for breakfast the Sage scrambled organic Eggs w/aged cheddar, which served on a roll but the swirly herbed eggs made the most beautiful sandwich I have ever eaten. But my friend's choice was even more stunning: house made ricotta with fresh thyme, chestnut honey, figs, Maldon sea salt and fruit bread. It was heaven in a bowl and an inspiration for the things to come. Before I move along to the point of this blog I must say that everybody should go and eat at Five Leaves. The experience I had at Five Leaves was a reminder that some day we will keep bees and I will make cheese. So when I returned home last night and read through the blog posts on my dashboard, discovering that the Portland Press Herald had written an article titled, "Another way to keep it local? Say cheese", I knew I had come full circle. So without further ado, here are the recipes.

WHOLE MILK RICOTTA

1 gallon whole milk, pasteurized or raw
1 teaspoon citric acid
1 teaspoon salt

In a large stockpot, combine milk, acid and salt. Heat to 185 to 195 degrees, stirring often. Do not boil.

As soon as the curds and whey separate, turn off the heat. The whey should look somewhat clear rather than milky. Let sit for 10 minutes. Line a colander with cheese cloth and place in a large bowl. Ladle the curds into the cloth. Tie the corners of the cloth together and hang for 20 to 30 minutes.

You can hang the cloth from a knob on a kitchen cabinet or use a wooden spoon through the knot to hang over a deep container.

Eat immediately or refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Makes 3 to 4 cups (11/2 to 2 pounds).

As a parting shot, and reminder to go to Five Leaves, my favorite part of the decor was the bathroom door which though baffling at first approach, turns out to be a recycled boiler door.

Local products from Robinhood Free Meetinghouse

I was excited to find another local product while looking in the freezer section local health food store. Robinhood Free Meetinghouse is now making it's biscuits in a local factory and stocking them in our markets.

Created by Chef Michael Gagne, Gagne Foods is a family-owned company located in coastal Bath, Maine which offers the Robinhood Free Meetinghouse Layered Cream Cheese Biscuits and Cinnamon Rolls. Products from Gagné Foods are now being offered by over 500 major markets and specialty food stores from coast to coast.

What inspired me the most, is that these yummy cream cheese biscuits are made in the area we are trying to move to. We are trying to return to our roots in Bath which is where the factory is. The restaurant is actually in Georgetown, and although it is on the far end of our search radius, how cool would it be to live in a town called Robinhood!?

Please keep an eye out for these products in a freezer section near you!

Bison Farms

Local grass fed beef in Maine is not hard to come by. However one unique farm that is close to my home is a Bison farm. I just posted a Bison recipe on my other blog, and thought it was time to give another shout out to a local farm! The history of the bison makes supporting this type of farming even more important. The mighty bison, now safely retrieved from the brink of extinction, is a living symbol of North America's past (from prehistoric times extending through post-Civil War). Once the mainstay of the Plains Indians, bison are again gracing the prairies with their majesty. Take the kids for a visit - it is well worth the trip!

Beech Hill Farm and Bison Ranch
Working Bison into your family diet is also a very healthy choice to make. Comparison of Bison to beef and chicken shows what a healthier choice it is. Lower in fat, cholesterol and calories; Bison offers more Iron and Vitamin B12 than all others (although salmon does offer more B12).

NUTRITION

	Fat (grams )	Calories (kcal)	Cholesterol (mg)	Iron (mg)	Vitamin B12 (mcg)
Bison	2.42	143	82	3.42	2.86
Beef (choice)	10.15	219	86	2.99	2.65
Beef (select)	8.09	201	86	2.99	2.64
Pork	9.66	212	86	1.1	0.75
Chicken (skinless)	7.41	190	89	1.21	0.33
Sockeye Salmon	10.97	216	87	0.55	5.80
Source: USDA

Come on home to Maine!

Buy Local Turkey

SP picked up our 19 pound turkey this morning on his way to work, and by all accounts it is one big bird! Anyway, I have soup on the stove and I just wanted to give a little shout out to our local farm!

Get real. Get Maine.

Here's a great way to find local food and local farms. The search engine even allows you to find particular projects.

http://www.getrealmaine.com/

The Perfect Snack

Vermont Cookie Buttons - Purely Maple

I'm full! Why am I eating??

Because these are so darn local and delicious!

http://www.vermontcommonfoods.com/

I highly recommend the purely maple cookie buttons.

2 Year Old Carrots and Harvest begins

It's nearly 7 PM and my dear husband is still in the garden, tilling the parts that are ready for a winters rest. Dinner is on the stove and in the oven. There is nothing more local than a home garden.

In the over roasting are our 2 year old carrots - the same carrots I am harvesting seeds from to save and give away in the New Year. The same carrots that were surprised by an late autumn snow fall last year - the first snow that never went away. These were the funckiest looking things to clean, peel, and cut. Many had last years withered knot below the greens followed by a neon orange root from this growing year. Gnarly orange root stocks with catfish whisker like appendages. In a roasting pan ccompanying these nether world roots is the remainder of this years beets and three, yes only three were ready, provider bush beans. I was shocked to see those buggers still flowering to boot! On the stove I am simmering a stir fry using our own scallions, red and white onions, green peppers, and broccoli.

The only things in dinner not from our garden is the chicken, oil, and marinade. The chicken is not local but it is from the nearest Hannaford and I can only hope the chicken came from the nearest processing plant possible. To my surprise after digging it out of the depths of the jelly cabinet, the cashew ginger marinade is from Grey Maine! As for the oil, that is one of my questions and things to research - cooking oil. It is needed and I also need to make careful choices with it because cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes run in our collective families.

Which of the best choices of oil come from the most local sources? I am pretty darn sure olives don't grow in New England.

Tomato sauce is ready for the food mill this evening. More tomatoes are awaiting their simmering finale. I have no guage of how much tomato sauce our family can consume in one winter. I am sure there is still not enough to sustain us until next summer. I wonder if I should try to dehydrate some. Hmm... I need to go add Barbara Kafka to my bibiography - she's our goddess of high temperature roasting.

100 miles from Portland, Maine

How many things in my life come from afar?

I know most of my fresh foods I could get - produce, breads, dairy.

There certainly is no petroleum originating within 100 miles of Portland.

How hard would it be to live locally?

This is one of the things I will try to do but would like to take it beyond the recent incarnation of the "localvore". There is no way to entirely suceed either. I also need to get the baby OUT of his diapers.

As it turns out, this is going to be a lot harder than I thought. The local markets do not stock the year round local lettuces. I can get baby carrots from as close as New Jersey, and there is no cheese closer than Vermont. Clearly there is some work to be done.