Issue #11 (August 2024)
Where We’re Going
Thurston’s Lobster Pound
Located in Bernard, Thurston’s is my favorite lobster pound on the island. It sits right on the water in the Bernard harbor on the more quiet side of MDI, passed Southwest Harbor and tucked in a cove that is quintessential Maine. They serve all the classics– local lobster with melted butter, coleslaw, potato salad, and blueberry cobbler. Highly recommend getting there early for dinner and enjoying the sunset while you crack a lobster.
What We’re Eating:
Jane’s Krazy Mixed Up Salt
I have the most wonderful memories of simple picnics on the island as a child. My grandmother, Mimi, made the best picnics. Our family would take a boat out to Isleford or Sutton’s Island with backpacks full of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches wrapped in wax paper, potato chips, and hard boiled eggs topped with Krazy Salt. The kids would run around, collecting round rocks and playing in the tidepools. I remember the texture of a little sand in my sandwich, and the rich smell of salt air all around me, hands sticky with jelly. Krazy Salt is a wonderfully old fashioned condiment of sorts. It is made up of flakey sea salt, dill, smoked paprika, garlic and onion powder and chili powder. It’s delicious on hard boiled eggs, with crudités, on popcorn, and any summer grilled vegetable. If you’re packing a picnic to head on a hike or an adventure this August, throw a little bottle of Krazy Salt in your backpack, it will make everything taste a little better. Available on Amazon, two bottles for $13.45
What We’re Drinking:
Elderflower Spritz
.This drink says “high summer” to me. The sweetness of good quality elderflower syrup (I love this one from Austria, D’arbo Elderflower Syrup), the fizz of prosecco, bitterness of gin, and tang of fresh lime is heaven. It’s so easy to make and always seems to impress guests. I like to serve mine in vintage crystal jelly coups that I bought at a flea market in Searsport two summers ago, and top the drink with edible flowers from the garden. Here’s how:
Combine–
25 ml of elderflower syrup
20 ml of gin
90 ml of prosecco
35 ml of soda water (or just to top off the coup)
25 ml of lime juice
What We’re Listening To:
Dreamy jazz for cocktail hour
August always has me reminiscing about my childhood summers on the island. I remember Billie Holiday and Sam Cooke playing as my rather formal grandparents hosted cocktails and dinner at their home. It makes me feel cozy and glamorous. I will not be hosting cocktail parties in August, the height of our busy season, but I hope you do and feel cozy and glamorous while sipping elderflower cocktails. I’ll be with you in spirit!
