I remember the sheer delight of seeing my first violet in the woods.
We were lucky enough to grow up in a wooded area with a large backyard that sloped down to a lively creek. As kids, we love to sail leaves on the stream and generally play in the dappled shade near the water. So the trips down the slope were many and one spring day I spotted the jewel-like tone of deep violet blue in the shade. It was a moment of simple gladness that such beauty would freely exist for the picking.
I still feel that way when April showers bring forth the first violet blooms of early May. I’m so smitten with violets that I have a collection of them growing on my land….reddish Canadian Labrador toilets, pure whites one, a tiny white violet that has a different shaped flower, Dog toothed violets, a simple yellow violet, fragrant violets. Spy much beauty
I love collecting them for a miniature bouquet , I have made simple syrup for refreshing beverages , drank the tincture in moments of heartache, candied them for cupcake garnishes, eaten them in salads along with their leaves …and garnished a million bridal dishes with their blossoms and heart shaped leaves( which happen to be rich in vitamins A and C). Said to gladden the heart, I say,” let the violet eating begin!”
Luckily, there are many! The Viola genus is over 600 species strong, growing largely in North America. Not especially fussy, violets grow in a variety of conditions , from deep shade to semi- sunny fields, and spread freely.
Over the centuries, pansies were created from the humble violet.
THANK A WOODLAND VOILET WHEN YOU PUT IN YOUR SPRING PANSIES!
The snow has melted and the streams are swollen. The grass is greening , and tiny flowers are showing their little faces.
We love April in Maine, and in part because of snowdrops!
Thank goodness for snowdrops, the most dependably early flower! Galanthus, the scientific name, is a bulbous member of the Amarylidaceae family.
Its name literally means “milk flower” and there are 2,500 varieties in existence today. They are often naturalized in woodland gardens or by streams. They’re really a lovely sight planted en masse.
Do you ever wonder how they can bloom in freezing conditions?
Well, they contain a natural antifreeze , which is a surprise, as well as sword-like leaves that allow the plant to pierce through frozen ground!
They tend to open at the same time as the first bumblebees wake up from hibernation for spring. So their blooms feed the first hungry awakening bees.
I haven’t yet had the pleasure of traveling to Ireland, but Wanderwoman® Tours has!
Headed up by the incomperable and knowledgable Erja Lipponen, Wanderwoman® Tours ,operating out of Camden, Maine, are are exclusively designed for women, specializing in groups of no more than ten.
Wanderwoman® has led tours on nearly every continent and for this trip Erja has really put together a compelling itinerary balancing history, local lore and pleasure in all things local.
This tour of Ireland is based on the life of Grace O Malley, a fierce warrior who commanded an army of over 200 men. She became powerful by her fierceness in battle, ability to lead in combat …. and her prowess in bed. Great way to acquire real estate! So, they’ll visit some of those castles.
Erja chooses historic accommodations and smaller hotels or B and Bs, dripping with charm,and known for superior wine and dining. Yes, Ireland is also known for fine wine and horses. Try riding an Irish Sport Horse or Connemara pony! The pace of this tour is comfortable, yet as challenging as you prefer, with time to ride horseback, walk a beach, visit important archeological sites or go to a market.
Whether you’ve travelled to Ireland before or are a first timer, taking the trip in June with Wanderwoman Tours may be the best travel decision you’ve made in ages!
Where can you go to get Moxie filled chocolates for your sweetie?
Artisanal chocolates, hand crafted and filled with locally sourced goodies from suppliers the state of Maine over?
Why, Dean’s Sweets! Run by Dean and Kristen Bingham since 2004, they now have two Portland locations and began their business at home for the love of making chocolates.
With over 30 varieties, I have several favorites and make it a point to drop into their Old Port location when I am shopping in Portland.
What does it mean to be authentic? Why do we consider these things as a new year draws close?
Maybe because we’ve seen a few years come and go….and we realize with ever sharpening clarity that there is no time BUT the present and the time is nigh to come to terms with many things, especially being true to oneself
End of life issues come into focus, health strategies ( use it or lose it!) ,personal fears , interpersonal truths and , hey, it’s time to be beginning to live absolutely fully because tomorrow is not guaranteed.
I’ve heard it said “DON’T POSTPONE JOY”. I believe it is time to wear the good clothes or pass them on, lighten up, take the jewelry out of the bank and wear it, make that special recipe to share , volunteer at the food bank, give your attention fully to the moment and exalt every one of them through mindfulness.
Done are the days of people pleasing , I’m more geared now to helping within the community and the needs are many. Learn to be a true friend, a good listener. A fearless learner. An activist.
Living beyond my means because there’s pressure and so much cool stuff to buy? Nah, I asked for a hairbrush, groceries and socks for Christmas. Reduce, reuse, recycle…PAY ATTENTION to the things that matter, like our planet and how we choose to live on it. How can we best make a difference with our relationship to this living breathing thing we call Earth?
Why was it such an obstacle course getting here? To this place of relative peace and clarity? The markers are always there, but the noice ABATES as we gain focus and breathe fully.
If we’re lucky, the path forward becomes clear and a balanced illumination guides us into a new circle around the Sun.
Cookie exchanges for the holidays are found the world over. In the USA, the first examples of such a holiday exchange was noted in 1917 during World War 1.
By the 1950s the cookie swap was a fashionable way to create a glamorous gathering, a varied cookie gift box and support other women in the process. Gathering a new recipe or two and enjoying a few hours away from the pre- holiday rush was also a perk.
The concept was to bake one dozen cookies for each woman in the club, and often a few more, just in case. Stories were swapped along with the cookies and everyone took home a mixed collection in a container. Often a luncheon was served. Sometimes clubs even published cookie cookbooks featuring their all-star recipes, garnering funds for the clubs community projects.
Cookies that became popular over the years through these exchanges include gingerbread, snickerdoodles, shortbreads, intricate rolled refrigerator cookies, chocolate chip “toll house”, candy cane brownies, pecan sandies,”melting moments” ( whatever they may be, but I’ll take two!) and Florentines.
It was a convivial gathering, more about camaraderie than competition.
One of my all time favorites, and a Maine staple the year round, is the humble Snickerdoodle.
The history of the One Pie Company in Waldoboro Maine is a long and varied story. Many folks, albeit older ones, still walking around in Waldoboro worked there at one time or another in the canning factory.
The supply chain in Maine was strong indeed, because vegetable canning companies like One Pie and the fields the vegetables were grown in were steps apart! Waldoboro was, in fact, the supplier of most canned pumpkin and squash in America. Now the squash that’s used across the country at Thanksgiving is likely grown in Illinois . But am I still proud of One Pie’s Maine heritage? You bet I am! Every time I see those cans on a supermarket shelf and read “W. Paris, Maine”, I realize that those Maine roots run deep.
There was a time, between the Civil War and the 1920’s when Maine was an industrial canning powerhouse. Maine supplied all the tinned fish, sardines’s to be precise, in the country and most of the sweet, canned corn. Blueberries, peas, squash and pumpkin were also very much in demand!
It seems that the affiliation with Maine for One Pie is just window dressing now, probably good for business, since Maine is suddenly trendy. But they were forerunners in recognizing the beauty of regional food.
It’s peak foliage right about now and a wonderful time for a drive in the country.
It’s also a spectacular moment for Maine’s blueberry lands, which turn the most vivid of colors in the fall. Appleton Ridge in the Union area of Maine is a prime example of this display with its fruit fields lining the country roads.
Magenta, pink, red, orange, purple, rust and brown color the low-lying fields of bushes….it’s like another world!
It’s a special treat for me to pass by a pumpkin field still full of pumpkins that got passed by for harvest . Cattle and wild birds enjoy them. In light of that, I wonder why wild turkeys aren’t more delicious! Regardless, it’s a feast for the senses and we hope there are gleaner that also benefit. We need to see more of that in our foodways.
It’s a nice thought that even after their usefulness in feeding us , these fields and lands, once so prized by the Indians, are still feeding our souls in so many ways.
It’s a time honored tradition in Maine, “putting food by”.
Simply put ,that means canning, pickling and freezing the bounty of the September harvest so a delicious, sunny reminder of summer is available later in the year. Garden tomato sauce, pickles, fermented cabbage, relishes and chopped frozen vegetables that seem like a lot now of trouble now, but will be welcome in February or anytime the winter winds blow.
There’s nothing new about it, except the frozen part perhaps ( I suppose that was new in the 50’s). My Grandmother, Laura, taught me the merits of these techniques , canning, pickling and fermenting, to enhance the family table all season long. We enjoyed homemade sauerkraut , sweet and sour pickles, chow-chow, a Pennsylvania Dutch vegetable relish, dilly beans, chili sauce, sour green tomatoes and pretty much anything you can imagine, canned and sometimes fresh.
I’m grateful for the lessons learned at my Grandma’s elbow. I’ve made them my own.
It’s a great moment to visit a farm stand, if your garden wasn’t enough, and get busy! Make a delicious tomato sauce, a quick pickle…or try my favorite…spicy and delicious Jalapeño relish, recipe in our “seasonal recipes” section. Great on a taco!
One of my favorite country drives in the summer is to the always bountiful “Beths Farm Market” in Warren.
Passing through the rolling fields and pastoral views, I can almost taste the coffee and molasses donuts waiting for me there.
Road eats are a plus and as the weather cools they offer free coffee to shoppers and bake up a dizzying array of donuts, pies and other baked goods.
August is the perfect month to go especially if you have a summer recipe in mind, as I do on this sunny day. I’m hankering for the South of France and since that won’t be happening right away, the next best thing is a bowl of Ratatouille. Brimming with summer vegetables, such as eggplant, zucchini and summer squash, garden herbs,sweet onion and tomato, Ratatouille is a feast for the senses.
Good either hot or chilled on a sweltering day, it’s one of my go-to evening meals when I am busy because it may be made well ahead and in quantity. It freezes well too!
Top this economic and delicious dish with a medley of fresh snipped garden herbs ( I like Oregano, Parsley and Savory) and shave some good Parmesan on Top. Crusty bread and farm butter complete the picture.
I remember the sheer delight of seeing my first violet in the woods.
IRELAND
Cookie exchanges for the holidays are found the world over. In the USA, the first examples of such a holiday exchange was noted in 1917 during World War 1.
Magenta, pink, red, orange, purple, rust and brown color the low-lying fields of bushes….it’s like another world!
