Pentagoet Inn

"Light Up Castine" December 17th Castine, Maine

Saturday, December 17th is full of holiday activities in Castine, Maine.  Santa will be at the old Castine Variety from 12-2pm for picture taking and refreshments. Next door at the Compass Rose Book Store, world renown author and climatologist Paul Mayewski will be signing his new book "Journey into Climate" from 12-2pm.  Bring your gifts to Sara Saras and join the wrapping party on Saturday from 4-7pm. 

The Pentagoet Inn Gift Shop, Castine, Maine, will be open Saturday from 10-2pm for all your last minute shopping needs.  Stop by for holiday refreshments.  Holiday cookies, brownies, coffee cakes, granola, gift packages and unique stocking stuffers are available from the Bird Song Gift Shop.  Mail order gifts are still available.

The Tarratine Gallery will be open Saturday featuring 35 local artists and craft people in their outstanding holiday show. 

Dolphin Books and Prints in Castine, Maine will be open on Saturday with a selection of rare finds.

Holiday Benefit Shopping Party, Castine, Maine

For the second year in a row, the Pentagoet Inn, Castine, Maine will be hosting a "Holiday Benefit Shopping Party".  From 4-6 pm,  Tuesday, December 20th, the Pentagoet Inn will have holiday cookies, pastries, gift packages and more available for sale with a portion of the proceeds going to the Emmaus Center in Ellsworth, Maine.  Stop in and enjoy some wine and cheese and pick up some last minute gifts all while supporting the Emmaus Center.

The Pentagoet Inn gift shop will also be open during the "Light Up Castine" activities on Saturday, December 17th from 10-2 pm.  Online ordering is also still available at www.pentagoet.com/gifts.  We'll ship your orders to your family and friends from the seaside village of Castine, Maine.

Light Up Castine, Maine

Castine, Maine will be celebrating the holiday season with three weeks of festivities.  "Light Up Castine" kicks off with the lighting of the town trees and a concert by the town band on December 2nd.  The annual Holly Berry Fair takes place on Saturday December 3rd at the Trinitarian Congregational Church and  Castine businesses will be open offering holiday specials and refreshments throughout the day. 

Santa will be visiting Castine, Maine for three Saturdays starting December 3rd.  Photos with Santa will be available from 12-2pm at the Castine Variety.

The Tarratine Gallery will hold a wine and cheese reception from 4-6pm on December 3rd.  The gallery features work from local artists.  The Pentagoet Inn in Castine, Maine will be open from 10-2pm offering holiday baked goods, mail order presents and collectibles from the gift shop, "Bird Song".  Stop in to see what's new for the holidays!

The Pentagöet Inn Kitchen is Baking for the Holidays

 Pentagöet gifts shipped to you, your family and friends

 

At the Pentagöet Inn bed and breakfast in Castine, we offer gifts from the coast of Maine. Our baked goods are all prepared with the finest natural ingredients and made by hand in our kitchen.  We offer brownies, cookies, granola, coffee cake, our Pentagoet mug, Bee Glasses from France and much more.  

View and order from our online store at

www.pentagoet.com/gifts

 

Happy Holidays!

 

 

Downeast Maine Apple Week

The apple trees along the country roads on the Blbue hill peninsula are laden with ripe fruit.  In celebration of the harvest the Downeast Food Heritage Collaborative is holding a festival at the Woodlawn Museum in Ellsworth, Maine.  Did you know that in 1850 there 10,000 varieties of apples in cultivation in downeast Maine?  The Pentagoet Inn features local apples with warm gingerbread in our dining room, open every night except Sunday. 

Festival running October 7th -9th.  For more information see the Woodlawn Museum website.

6th Annual Blue Hill Foliage Food & Wine Festival October 13th-16th

For the sixth time the businesses around the Peninsula are celebrating the Annual Blue Hill Foliage Food & Wine Festival.  Between Thursday and Saturday, a number of events will take place on the Peninsula, all connected to the theme of the Festival: "A Taste of the Peninsula".  This annual event is a great opportunity to visit Castine and the peninsula and enjoy the splendid fall colors.  Blue Hill is beautiful 20 minute country ride from Castine.

  Visit their website for more details.

Common Ground Fair September 23-25th Unity, Maine

The annual Common Ground Fair starts today, September 23rd in Unity, Maine.  Gates open at 9am with adult tickets $10 and kids 12 and under free. 

This country fair is a celebration of rural living organized by MOFGA, the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association.  There are donkey and mule shows, draft horse shows, sheep dog demonstrations and hundreds of vendors with a wide vairety of local home made products and produce. 

The fair offers opportunities to learn about energy efficiency, homesteading, health and healing, low impact forestry, composting and recycling, organic growing, folk art, agricultural products and much more.

Blue Hill Fair starts Thursday, September 1st

The Blue Hill Fair is a true "Down to Earth" Country Fair. Featured at the fair is a large livestock area, full of the usual farm animals, as well as the llamas and alpacas on display and a draft horse and oxen pulling competition. The Blue Hill Fair also features demonstration harness racing and the immensely popular sheep dog trials.

The exhibition halls feature a wide range of locally grown vegetables, fruits and flowers, as well as local Grange exhibits, an Arts and Crafts department, and 4-H displays.

This year the Blue Hill Fair is presenting The Bellamy Brothers, as its featured show on Labor Day. Opening the Fair's Midway Stage on Thursday evening will be local favorites "DejaBlue".  Friday night will feature Antique Tractor Pulling, and Saturday  includes two performances of the Tim Dyson FMX Motorcycle Stunt Team. Sunday evening, Rick Charette and the Bubble Gum Band provide an evening of family entertainment, followed by a Mammoth Fireworks Display.

The Blue Hill Fair features a full carnival and midway provided by Smokey's Greater Shows and is unique in the number of local groups that participate with all sorts of great food and games.  Please visit The Blue Hill Fair Website for full details.

4 Seasons Farm hosts "Outstanding in the Field" dinner at Harborside, Maine

   It was a beautiful evening at the 4 Seasons Farm in Harborside, Maine for the Outstanding in the Field dinner Sunday, August 14th.  There were 150 of us at one long table enjoying a dinner prepared by Rich Hanson of Cleonice Restaurant in Ellsworth celebrating our local food.

The mission of Outstanding in the Field is to re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it. 

Outstanding in the Field is a roving culinary adventure – literally a restaurant without walls. Since 1999 they have set the long table at farms or gardens, on mountain tops or in sea caves, on islands or at ranches. Occasionally the table is set indoors: a beautiful refurbished barn, a cool greenhouse or a stately museum. Wherever the location, the consistent theme of each dinner is to honor the people whose good work brings nourishment to the table.

Ingredients for the meal are almost all local (sometimes sourced within inches of your seat at the table!) and generally prepared by a celebrated chef of the region. After a tour of the site, we all settle in: farmers, producers, culinary artisans, and diners sharing the long table

Local, Organic Produce at the Castine Farmers' Market

Renata, Mark and Julia, owners of the Blue-Zee Farm, are one of the local food producers arriving every Thursday at the Castine Farmers' Market with freshly harvested vegetables and blueberries.  The patrons of the Pentagoet Inn and Restaurant  are the happy recipients, as the wonderful vegetables make their way to the inn's breakfast and dinner menus.

To compliment the variety of vegetables available at the farmers market, the Pentagoet Inn and Restaurant has, this year, opened a booth at the Castine Farmers' Market producing salad dressings, dips, tapanades, pestos, and savory baked goods.  Many of these products use ingredients from the local farmers. 

The Castine Farmers' Market is on the Castine Town Common every Thursday from 9-11:30am.  Hope to see you there!

 

Pentagoet Inn Afternoon High Tea, Castine, Maine

On Wednesday, August 17, the Pentagoet Inn and Restaurant will host an afternoon high tea from 2-4pm.  Well known for their garden tours and afternoon teas, this year's event will highlight edible flowers.  The tea will use edbile flowers from their local farms in their scones, tea sandwiches, cookies, tarts and teas with a description of the flowers and their uses. It promises to be beautiful as well as delicious.  Please call for a reservation.

Castine Maine Farmer's Market June 15th

This has to be the best Farmers Market we have seen. Come say hello, they have organic produce, meats, dairy, breads, crafts and prepared foods from around the world.  The Pentagoet Inn has a booth at the Castine Maine Farmer's Market this summer.  We will be preparing salad dressings, dips and marinades to compliment the variety of organic offerings currently available at the market.  Be sure to check out our home made olive oil crackers.

Castine Elm Tree Tour and Benefit Supper

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension will be offering a tour of Castine's historical trees, on Friday, June17th, from 10 am to noon beginning at the post office.  Jan Ames Santerre, Project Canopy coordinator with the Maine Forest Service, will lead the tour.

On Tuesday, June 28th at 5:30 pm, the Pentagoet will be hosting a benefit dinner for the historic Castine elm trees.  The dinner is by reservation only and all proceeds will go the the Elm Tree Preservation Fund.  This year's dinner is an evening inspired by Tapas and Spanish wines from Barcelona.

 

Pentagoet Inn, "quintessential Maine bed-and-breakfast"

The Pentagoet Inn was chosen as one the places to eat on the Blue Hill peninsula by Maine Magazine.  In the "Eat Maine" column Joe Ricchio says about the Pentagoet Inn, "Were I in the market for the "quintessential Maine bed-and-breakfast experience with the missus," this would be my go-to destination.  I would be infintely delighted by their fresh seasonal menu..."  Read full article on our website.

Benefit Holiday Shopping Party Castine, Maine

Benefit Shopping Party at the Pentagoet Inn Castine, Maine today Friday December 17, proceeds from the evening's sales going to Emmaus, the shelter in Ellsworth. Wine and cheese and live holiday music by jazz vocalist, Heather Jellison from 4-6.

Stop in for holiday cookies, tarts, Pentagoet coffee cake, gift packages and vintage gifts.

Bring Castine Home for the Holidays

 

Greetings from Castine Maine and your friends at the Pentagöet Inn! 
 
We are busy preparing for another holiday season of baked goods and specials to be mailed to your family and friends. Our online store features all your favorites from Bird Song; from the Pentagöet kitchen, our breakfast granola, oatmeal currant scones, and three favorite cookies. Locally made jams and honey. We've also included the bee glasses and our signature mugs. There are several packages to choose from, the "Maine Morning Breakfast Box" and the "Afternoon Tea Box".

This year we've added a 2 pound box of "Favorite Cookies" which will now include six of our most popular cookies.  We had so many requests for our sour cream coffee cake last year that we added it to our "Breakfast Box".  The coffee cake is also featured in our newest assortment, "Coffee Break".

Take a look at our complete gift selection www.pentagoet.com/gifts.  You can order online, download an order form to fax, or call us.  Join our Facebook page for latest holiday specials and sales. 

Ingrid Bengis Seafood, Stonington, Maine, featured in New York Times

The Blue Hill peninsula is blessed with many excellent local food purveyers.  Our seafood is especially well-known across the globe.  Congratulations are in order for Ingrid Bengis Seafood which was recently featured in an article in the New York Times.  The Stonington based seafood company was started in 1985 by Ingrid Bengis and now delivers mussels, clams, lobsters, oysters  and more to high-end restaurant all over the world.  Read the full article. 

Big Food Weekend on the Blue Hill Peninsula

Celebrate the season on the scenic Blue Hill peninsula with a weekend of fine food, workshops, tours, tastings and much more.

Our pancake breakfast starts the weekend on Saturday morning at 8:30 with buttermilk pancakes, Maine blueberries, belgian waffles, bacon, apple compote, OJ, coffee and tea.  All proceeds will benefit the Castine Recreation Committee.

Events range from meals, to treasure hunts, to music, to nature walks and include purveyers and producers from all over the Blue Hill peninsula.

The Pentagoet Inn Maine bed and breakfast serves as a central location to stay while you visit the Blue Hill area and enjoy the fall foliage and the festival.

To see a complete list of events and times, please visit the Blue Hill Chamber of Commerce website for full details.

Pancake Breakfast to Benefit Castine Recreation Committee

On October 16th from 8:30-10:30, the Pentagoet Inn will be hosting a pancake breakfast to benefit the Castine Recreation Committee.  The proceeds will help to maintain the town sports field, continue to provide funds for the town Halloween activities, and support the efforts of Christmas celebrations on the town common with the annual tree lighting as well as many other activities.

We'll be serving pancakes, waffles, bacon, apple compote, orange juice, coffee and tea.  The price for the event is $5 for children under twelve and $10 for adults.  Please call ahead for a reservation.

Help support all the great projects the REC Committee works on year round for our community children.

Common Ground Country Fair September 24-26th

The Common Ground Country Fair is celebration of rural living supporterd by the farmers and growers of MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardners Association).  The Fair allows fairgoers to make connections with a rapidly expanding base of organic farms in the state of Maine. Hundreds of vendors, exhibitors and demonstrators, more than 1,000 volunteers, and tens of thousands of fairgoers will gather to: share knowledge about sustainable living; eat delicious, organic, Maine-grown food; buy and sell beautiful Maine crafts and useful agricultural products; compete in various activities; dance; sing and have a great time.

Gates open at 9am each day.  Children 12 and under get in free.  Adult admission is $10.  On Friday all school groups enjoy free admission.  Visit the MOFGA website for further details.

 

 

Final Pentagoet Inn Garden Talk set for September 15th

Our final Garden Talk and Tea will take place Wednesday, September 15th. The talk is scheduled for 2:30-3:30 pm followed by tea at the Pentagoet Inn from 3:30-4:30. The talk will focus on a year-round garden with an emphasis on low-maintenance native plants and shrubs. The cost is $10 for tea and refreshments. The talk is free and will be presented by the inn's gardener Pamela Johnson, owner of Lamb's Quarters in Sedgwick. Rooms are available at our Maine bed and breakfast for this event. Please call for a reservation 326-8616.

Castine, Maine Farmer's Market Bursting with Produce

This is the best time of year to visit the Castine Farmer's Market.  The local and organic produce from our neighboring farms is abundant and there is much to see and buy. Our chef stops by every week to pick up ingredients for our Maine restaurant. The farmer's market has been a favorite place to visit for our Maine bed and breakfast house guests. Stop by the Castine Town Common on Court Street next to the library every Thursday from 9-11:30 am through September.

Castine Maine - Celebrate Castine's Local Harvest Supper, Saturday July 17 The Hotel Pentagoet

 

The third annual “Celebrate Castine” festival will be held July 16-18, 2010. The Castine Merchants Association celebrates the vibrant and historic town of Castine, Maine with a weekend of special events, food, music and art. This year’s events will include: kayak tours of our unique deep water harbor, the surrounding islands, and Dyces Head Lighthouse, street fair featuring local food and crafts, big band dance on the town dock, croquet tournament, tours of the MMA training ship “State of Maine”, local food producers dinner and much more. Please check the website for dates and times of events. www.celebratecastine.com. And join us for our Local Harvest Supper in which we showcase our local food producers at the restaurant in the Pentagoet Inn Maine bed and breakfast.

Castine Maine - Celebrate Castine Festival

Castine Maine - Welcome to the Pentagoet Inn July 4 Shakedown BBQ!

Lead by example, The Baron ate here and you should to! Welcome to the tenth annual Pentagoet Inn July 4 Shakedown BBQ. We have pulled pork sandwiches, rib eye kebobs, Penatgoet barbecue chicken, grilled Portobello burgers, jumbo crab cake sandwiches, corn on the cob, bean salad, corn bread, potato salad and cole slaw. There are homemade brownies, cookies and vanilla ice cream. Please call ahead as we get some busy 207-326-8616. Check out our Maine bed and breakfast on the web

Castine Maine - Gallery Party! July 3 From 5 to 7 PM

Gallery Party! This is the best party of the summer! I probably would have met my wife at such a party had it not been for a parole violation. Please join Josh and Susan Adam on Sat. July 3 from 5 to 7pm for art and refreshments and excellent bread from the Tinder Hearth Bakery in Brooksvillle which by the way the Adam Gallery is a dealer for this incredible wood fired bread. The party is at 140 Battle Avenue, Castine, Maine,  326-7123 or checkout their website at www.adamgalleryonline.com. If you are staying at the Pentagoet Maine bed and breakfast please be aware this party is mandatory or a significant surcharge will be applied to your bill and perhaps your neighbors if you annoy them.

Castine Maine - Elm Tree Benefit Tuesday June 29

 

The Pentagoet Inn invites you as a “Friend of the Elms” on Tuesday June 29 for a Moroccan inspired dinner to support the Elm Tree Fund. The cost is $65 and all proceeds go to the Elm Tree Preservation Fund of the Castine Garden Club. Come eat and drink with us! Please book your table ahead 326-8616 or email us at stay@pentagoet.com. We have special hotel rates at our Maine bed and breakfast for this event.

Castine Maine - Elm Tree Benefit Dinner

 

The Pentagoet Inn invites you as a “Friend of the Elms” on Tuesday June 29 for a Moroccan inspired dinner to support the Elm Tree Fund. The cost is $65 and all proceeds go to the Elm Tree Preservation Fund of the Castine Garden Club. Come eat and drink with us! Please book your table ahead 326-8616 or email us at stay@pentagoet.com. We have special hotel rates at our Maine bed and breakfast for this event. Visit our website at www.pentagoet.com.

Castine Maine - Bring Out The Bread, Friday is Bread Day!

There is no better Rustic Sourdough bread and they have made it across the river from Brooksville. Friday is Bread Day and you can pick up your bread at the Adam Gallery anytime after 12 noon. They are located on 140 Battle Ave. in Castine, 326-7123 or online at www.adamgalleryonline.com.

Castine Maine - Its Market Day, Castine Farmers Market Day!

 

C astine Farmers Market: Thursday 9 to 12 PM, Castine Town Common.

Please come check out why they are all talking about the Castine Farmers Market as the Farmers Market destination on the Blue Hill Peninsula. Set on the town’s stately common this is a scene out of a Norman Rockwell. These incredible vendors, farmers and artists are coming to you! This is just a two block walk from the Pentagoet Inn Maine bed and breakfast. Check out our Farmers Market on www.castinefarmersmarket.org.

 

Castine Maine - Sowing Seeds Farm Tour Schedule on the Blue Hill Peninsula

Last week the Blue Hill Co-op kicked off its “Sowing Seeds” summer farm tour series at the Blue Zee Farm in Penobscot along the Route 125 agricultural corridor. Blue Zee is owned by Mark and Renata Scarano and is a part of the “Farmland Forever Project” with the Blue Hill Heritage Trust www.bluehillheritagetrust.org.  Blue Zee’s organic produce is available at the Blue Hill Co-op www.bluehill.coop, the Castine Farmers Market www.castinefarmersmarket.org and other peninsula farmers markets. The next scheduled tour will be at Old Ackley Farm on Saturday June 19. If you stay with us at the Pentagoet Inn www.pentagoet.com we are just around the corner and our kitchen buys local from the farms on the tour. For information call Mia Strong at 359-8572.

Castine Maine - Dayboat Catch at the Hotel Pentagoet

We “got some good cookin’ going on”. Fresh from our float plane, Grilled Alaskan Ivory Salmon with lemon caper beure blanc, parsnip purée, julienne leaks and Horsepower farm carrots. The photo attached is of Jack as a pesky young truant wrestling with dinner in the cement pond of the family ant farm off coastal Chad.

Castine Maine - Health Officials Befuddled by Bizarre Origins of Post Terrific Pentagoet Disorder

The same tenacious research team from John Hopkins University www.jhu.edu who discovered the origins of Ebola have now found a link between a puzzling condition that guests of the Pentagoet Inn seem to rave about, they call it Post Terrific Pentagoet Disorder or PTPD. Normally triggered by inflamed pangs for a good nurturing, the need for a caring touch, a full breakfast and bikes for guests, this comfortable ailment commonly manifests itself in an extreme desire to return to the Pentagoet Inn Maine bed and breakfast. At present the only known cure is a return visit to the Hotel Pentagoet, preferably on a weekly basis according to the Sturgeon General www.surgeongeneral.org. Accompanying this update is a photo of our guests Dr. Pepe' Bismol and his wife Loretta who both happily suffer from PTPD. Photo Courtesy of Passports Pub, "Where Wise Men Fish".

Castine Maine - Coastal Living Magazine Awards Castine Variety Best Lobster Roll 2010

The folks at Coastal Living visited the nation’s best Seaside Dives and their results are in: “We scoured the coast – and filled our paper plates – to find the seaside dives with the tastiest dishes, from fried shrimp to fish-and-chips.” In this national quest they chose the Castine Variety of Castine Maine as the Best Lobster Roll in 2010. They go on to say, “This waterfront general store makes an immense version of the classic New England lobster roll – chilled meat in a buttered, toasted, split-top bun. You can eat it there, among the postcards and rental DVDs or cross the street and gaze out over the harbor.” Still Hungry? Join the locals here for a no-frills eggs-and-bacon breakfast, and catch up on the town gossip. 1 Main Street, Castine: 207-326-8625. Stay with us at the Pentagoet Inn Maine bed and breakfast and you are less than a blocks walk from having your first Castine Variety Lobster Roll.

Castine Maine – North Korean Diplomatic Envoys Arrive at Hotel Pentagoet to Gather Inspiration for Farm to Table Initiatives

In a move calculated to deflect attention from the recent sinking of a South Korean naval vessel North Korea has dispatched diplomatic envoys to the Blue Hill Peninsula. They were sent here to gather “back to the land” tips in order to spur a great leap forward in the collective kitchens of their mother country, a Farm to Table Revolution so to speak. Inspired by their beloved leader Kim Jong il and later threatened with incarceration the entire nation of North Korea has been studying the works of Scott and Helen Nearing of the Good Life Center www.goodlife.org. The envoys will be visiting Elliot Coleman and Barbara Damrosch at Four Seasons Farm www.fourseasonfarm.com in Harborside Maine, the Castine Farmers Market www.castinefarmersmarket.org and later Julie Vandegraaf of the restaurant at the Pentagoet Inn  Maine bed and breakfast. The North Korean Tourism Ministry is working hard to lure the American tourist interested in foodie tours of North Korea.  In a prepared statement released to the National Enquirer Dear Leader has unveiled their latest marketing pitch aimed at the American market and entitled "Finish Your Supper!"

Castine Maine - Tarratine Gallery Opening Reception Friday May 28, 5 - 7 PM

The Tarratine Gallery opens Memorial Day Weekend for the season. Goody B. Wiseman has been busy, busy, busy gathering strong, local talent for their premier show of the season.  Please join them for a wine and cheese reception on Friday May 28 from 5 – 7 PM. They are located on 5 Main Street, Castine Maine. I would come early and save yourself the hassle of making a separate trip to the Metropolitan or the Guggenheim to see this incredible art after they sellout from this show. Attendance is of course mandatory for all guests of the Pentagoet Inn www.pentagoet.com  or a surcharge for “Art Appreciation” will appear on your room bill, just joshing!

Castine Maine - Adam Gallery Opens For The Season

The Adam Gallery opens Memorial Day Weekend for the season. Josh and Susan Adam have been busy painting all winter long and they are ready to show their beautiful wares! Please join them for a wine and cheese reception on Saturday May 29 from 5 – 7 PM. They are located on 140 Battle Avenue, Castine Maine.These two are the best! After they sellout from this show you will probably have to buy a ticket to the Farnsworth Art Museum and wait in line to see them. See you there. Attendance is of course mandatory for all guests of the Pentagoet Inn www.pentagoet.com  or a surcharge for “Art Appreciation” will appear on your room bill, just kidding! Their phone number is 207-326-7123 and their website is www.adamgalleryonline.com.

 

Castine Maine - Farmers Market Opens Thursday June 3

  

This has to be the best Farmers Market we have seen. Come say hello, they have organic produce, meats, dairy, breads, crafts and prepared foods from around the world. Don’t forget to pick up a canvas Farmers Market bag! All proceeds benefit the Adams School. Thursday 9 to 12 PM, Town Common, Castine, Maine. 326-1014, colin@castinefm.org.

 

Castine Maine - Pentagoet Inn Featured in Victoria Magazine

Castine Maine – The Pentagoet Inn will be in the May issue of Victoria Magazine, on the newsstand I believe May 6. We are so excited, we love this magazine and are so happy its back in circulation. Many years ago Julie was featured in a book published by Hearst and Victoria honoring women entrepreneurs entitled “The Business of Bliss”. They have devoted an entire page to photos of the Pentagoet Inn Maine bed and breakfast. This is such a happy return!

Castine Maine - Pentagoet Inn Beer Alert: Three Tides Bar & Left Bank Books Presents "Get Your Beers On"

The Left Bank Books www.leftbankbookshop.com  in Searsport will be sponsoring another of their gatherings in the “Winter Lyceum” Talk series on Sunday, April 11 from 3:30 to 5:30 PM. The talk is entitled “Get your Beers On” and will be presented by David Carlson the Brew master of Marshall Wharf Brewing and owner of Three Tides restaurant and bar in Belfast, Maine, www.3tides.com. This trendy watering hole has grown to include two levels, two bars, an outdoor fireplace, bocce court and most recently a new brewery and retail store.

In October of 2007, Marshall Wharf Brewery was opened for business, now producing a constantly-changing selection of a dozen or so beers, ranging from stouts to pale ales.  With colorful names like "Illegal Ale-ian" and "Big Twitch," the Marshall Wharf concoctions vary in their flavors, degree of hops, and their alcohol content, from the relatively lightweight "Tug Pale Ale" at 4.2% alcohol by volume up to the "T2-R9 Barleywine" - "our biggest beer yet" - weighing in at an impressive 11.3%. "In the Maine brewing world," Carlson says, "we are considered the bad boys. We brew big, strong beers, and because of the lack of distribution and availability, Three Tides has become a destination for serious beer-lovers from all over the state of Maine.” Marshall Wharf www.marshallwharf.com beers can also be found on tap at Darby's, Primo www.primorestaurant.com in Rockland, and Duckfat www.duckfat.com and Great Lost Bear in Portland.

So please join the folks at Left Bank Books on Sunday afternoon as Carlson recounts the historic evolution of his interest in beer and brewing, the development of his waterfront craft microbrewery, and the explosion of craft beer production in Maine today. David will be revealing a few of the many arcane secrets of brewing craft beers and explain the difference between ales, lagers, stouts, pilsners, India Pale Ales and barley wines and will later introduce us to a few of his incredible brews. Calling all beer groupies, this is the brewery to follow, I love their beers! See you at the talk

Searsport Maine - Left Bank Books - Beer for the Masses

The Left Bank Books in Searsport www.leftbankbookshop.com will be sponsoring another of their gatherings in the “Winter Lyceum” Talk series on Sunday, April 11 from 3:30 to 5:30 PM. The talk is entitled “Get your Beers On” and will be presented by David Carlson the Brew master of Marshall Wharf Brewing www.marshallwharf.com and owner of the restaraunt and bar Three Tides www.3tides.com in Belfast, Maine. David will be revealing a few of the many arcane secrets of brewing craft beers and explain the difference between ales, lagers, stouts, pilsners, India Pale Ales and barley wines and will later introduce us to a few of his incredible brews. Hail all beer groupies this is the brewery to follow, I love their beers! See you at the talk.

Cafe Reggio - Long Live The Old World Cafes & Bars!

The Café Reggio is a wonderful place full of ambience and set in Greenwich Village at 119 MacDougal St. New York. I could spend the day sipping espresso and sampling their sweets on the dessert menu. A guest sent me this post card last week telling us how much it reminded them of Castine Maine and our pub at the Pentagoet Inn, www.pentagoet.com/passports-pub.html. These special places are endangered, there should be a UNESCO designation for such cherished watering holes!

Castine Maine - Maine Maple Sunday - March 28

It's that time of the year again. Farmers at area “sugar bushes” across the state are fast tapping trees in preparation for a sweet season of maple syrup production. Local chefs and foodies are getting in on the act. On my way to get a swordfish permit from our town hall I stumbled upon young Phoebe Zildjian, a local 6^th grader from the Adams School in Castine, Maine who was busy tapping a tree in front of the family home. She is in her third year of syrup making for the family dinner table. Even Maine's governor Baldacci tapped a maple tree on the Blaine House property to promote the state's maple syrup industry. This Sunday March 28 is Maine Maple Sunday, when 75 sugarhouses across the state will be open to visitors who can sample the sweet early-spring product. I’m thinking of pancakes at the Pentagoet Inn!

Chase's Daily Belfast Maine - James Beard Nominee!

We are so happy that Chase’s daily in Belfast Maine has been nominated for a James Beard Award. Congratulations goes to Penelle Chase, Phoebe Chase, Megan Chase, and Ted Lafage of Chase's Daily, Belfast, ME. They are nominees for a James Beard “Best Chef” Award, this is the Oscars of the food world! We love this restaurant, farmers market and bakery, we could eat three meals a day there. It’s been one of our favorites since opening, this is truly farm to table. This culinary distinction is well deserved!

 

Maine Environmental Research Institute – Ocean Video Series: March 5, "Tiger Shark: Predator Revealed"

Infamous for its unmistakable stripes and voracious appetite, the tiger shark is one of the most ferocious sharks in the sea. Now, get a closer-than-ever look at this fearsome, yet fascinating predator.

 

Ocean Video Night is part of MERI’s 20th anniversary celebration and its campaign to save the world’s most crucial natural resource – the living ocean – while there is still time.  Each film will run approximately one hour. Popcorn and beverages are provided.  A suggested $3 donation per person will help cover costs.  For more information, please contact MERI’s Education Department at 374-2135 or www.meriresearch.org.

 

Warm Apple Cider on a Cool Autumn Day from the Pentagoet Inn

 
On Sunday, October 18th, the Pentagoet Inn kept Blue Hill Wine and Food festival patrons warm with hot apple cider from Sewell's Organic Orchard in Lincolnville, Maine.  Rounding out the apple theme from the Pentagoet were apple-cranberry turnovers and applesauce all made with Jonagold and Priscilla apples from Sewell's Orchard.  The festival goers were treated with food from El El Frijoles, Black Dinah Chocolates, Brooklin Inn, Table, Blue Hill Hearth, and many others.  Another great event this year celebrating our local food producers.

Fall Foliage Festival October 15-18

Join the Pentagoet and the Blue Hill Chamber of Commerce for a weekend of fall foliage and great food.

Join the Blue Hill Peninsula Chamber of Commerce October 15-18, 2009 for an exciting weekend of superb food and drink and enjoy the delicious creations of the award-winning chefs and food producers for which we are famous. Experience the quality of our dynamic food culture with a four-day celebration including farmers’ markets, workshops, wine dinners, wine and cheese tastings, a sparkling wine luncheon, and much more. Wrap up your experience on Sunday, October 18th with a visit to our flagship event “A Taste of the Peninsula”, a showcase tasting event featuring over 40 food vendors, wine purveyors, live music, and local artists. This festival is staged on the scenically spectacular Blue Hill Peninsula located in the heart of Downeast Maine. Spend a restful weekend traveling the lovely country roads. Feed your soul with the sights of crisp fall foliage in its prime and your body with the culinary creations. Cheers!

First Edible Island Conference and Fundraising Dinner Columbus Day Weekend

ICEC  (Island Culinary and Ecological Center) is a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching people the joys and benefits of healthy eating and cooking utilizing regional products while supporting a sustainable environment.  Visit the website for more details.

Conference
October 10th at the Reach
Columbus Day weekend, come be a part of the first EDIBLE ISLAND conference. Listen to leaders in the local food movement, join us in excursions to local producers for demonstrations of cheese, jam, and cider, Eddie's Underwater Theater and photo exhibits by Barbara Southworth and Linda Stratton.

A soup and salad farm lunch made with all local produce will be available by reservation

Conference speakers at the Reach will include Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman on year round gardening in Maine, Ingrid Bengis on Tales of a Fishmonger, Aaron Dority and Ginny Olsen on Sustainability Strategies for Island Seafood and Terry-Anya Hayes on the Edible Landscape.

Fundraising Dinner
October 9th at a private Deer Isle home
Join us for a sumptuous five course dinner with wine pairings on Oct 9th cooked by world renowned chefs Jean Georges Vongerichten, Melissa Kelly and Michael Leviton. Suggested donation will be $250 much of which will be tax deductible, and will include predinner champagne and hors d'oeuvres. Meet and talk with the chefs after dinner and participate in an unique auction; items will include a reservation and special treatment at the French Laundry in Yountville, California and Jean Georges Restaurant in New York as well as other surprises. Dinner will be limited to 75 guests.

All proceeds to benefit the fall programs of the Island Culinary and Ecological Center which include an Heirloom Apples class at DISES, an after school cooking club, community dinners and adult education cooking classes for beginners and advanced enthusiasts using the best of local produce and seafood.

Common Ground Country Fair September 25-27, 2009

Celebrate Rural Living at the Maine Organic Farmer and Gardner's annual Common Ground Country Fair. 

Located in Unity, Maine the Common Ground Fair is celebrating its 33rd annual Country Fair.  The fair is huge in scale and includes vendors from all over the state selling fruits, vegetables, art, clothing, metalwork, leather goods, baked goods, woodwork and much more. 

There is live music, agricultural demonstrations, Folk art, draft horse shows, compost and recycling, fiddlers' showcase, health and healing demonstrations, Harry S. Truman games, exhibition hall, Maine fiber farms, blacksmith shop and many more events. 

There is so much happening at the Common Ground Fair that we cannot list it all here.  Please visit the MOFGA   website for a full list of events, scheduled times and prices.  

Celebrate the Bounty of Maine at the Maine Fare

September 11-13, 2009

Located in Camden-Rockport, Maine, the Maine Fare showcases many events including chef demonstrations, panel discussions, workshops, food and beverage tastings, author signings, and dinners, Maine Fare investigates the history, present and future of Maine’s wonderful food, from farm to table. The goal of the event is to communicate the importance of preserving, protecting, and sharing Maine’s storied culinary history and its rich and developing resources. Maine Fare honors every aspect of our state’s gastronomic profile.

2009 is the fourth annual Maine Fare celebration. In just four years, many thousands of people have experienced and benefited from Maine Fare. Attendees meet farmers, artisans, chefs, food writers, and culinary experts and enthusiasts. They leave with an enlightened perspective of the breadth of our state's culinary resources and a clearer understanding of how they can contribute to our state’s long term economic development.

Visit the Maine Fare website for indepth details about the times and events.