Things to do in Maine in the Fall

In the spirit of short lists, here are 10 things you can do in Maine every year in October:

1. Take a foliage drive. Start as you cross the bridge in Kittery and continue on up Rt 1 until you get to Canada! Foliage drives are best during the first 3 weeks of Oct.
2. Celebrate the bounty of Maine at Harvest on the Harbor. (Portland- Oct 21, 22, 23, 2010)
3. Run (or cheer) the Maine Marathon. (Portland- Oct 3, 2010)
4. Bike, walk, run (or cheer) the Dempsey Challenge. (Lewiston/Auburn- Oct 2-3, 2010)
5. Shop at a Farmers Market. Gorgeous produce, craft items, soaps, specialty foods and more.
6. Eat the last of the lobsters at any of the great lobster shacks along the coast. (Most close in Oct until next year.)
7. Attend a fair- Cumberland County, Fryeburg and more local agricultural fairs
8. Visit the kids at College!
9. Take a hike- Bradbury Mountain, Wolfe Neck Woods, Winslow Park and more.
10. Hit the waves- Casco Bay Lines, Portland Windjammer, Sail Freeport.
    

Bonus thing to do- Great Falls Auction and Flea Market at Owls Head Transportation Museum- Oct 30 & 31, 2010

White Cedar Inn Bed and Breakfast 178 Main St Freeport, Maine 04032

B and B's for Vets Program

White Cedar Inn is participating in the B&B's for Vets program this Nov 10, 2011!

The program was started in WV in 2008 and has grown to almost 400 B&B's across the country and in Canada. Although the B&B's involved are all different, the premise is the same- a free night's stay for active, retired or separated (discharged) military personnel. A small 'Thank you!' for all the servicemen and women in this country do for all of us everyday.

The free night is available to all military personnel as described above. Even of http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifyou're a regular guest of ours, you are welcome to participate.

All we ask is that you have a valid military ID to participate.

Please call to make a reservation. Can't get to Freeport? Check here for other participating B&B's in different towns and states.

PS- Not limited to Naval personnel- that's just Rock's branch of service!

White Cedar Inn Bed and Breakfast 178 Main St Freeport, Maine 04032

Scratch and dent tomatoes

This has been the year for tomatoes! We get our veggies at Laughing Stock Farm and last week there was a box of 'scratch & dent' tomatoes. You know, the kind that just aren't 'pretty enough' but taste just fine when made into something that doesn't require 'looks'!

So, I got a bag and took home about 3-4 lbs of scratch & dents. All varieties. That's what makes this so much fun. You put in whatever you have! Cherry toms, heirlooms, beefsteak, whatever.

What can you make with them? Spaghetti sauce is what we've done in the past and may well do next week if the tomato overrun is still running over. This week, tho, I made tomato soup. There isn't anything much easier to make than tomato soup.

Sure, cutting the tomatoes takes some time, but that's about it. And the great thing is, you get to control the salt, fat and sugar that goes into it.

This recipe works for about 2 lbs of tomatoes. Adjust accordingly for more or less tomato-age. You will find that very ripe tomatoes are really juicy, so adjust the added liquids based on how 'soupy' your soup looks when it's time to add the stock.

Tomato soup:

2 lbs of tomatoes, chopped.
1 large potato, cubed
2 tbsps sugar
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
8-10 basil leaves
1 c broth (chicken, veggie)

Put tomatoes, potato, sugar, salt, pepper and basil in a large, heavy pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes. Add broth, stir and simmer until potatoes are soft.

Get out the immersion blender! (You knew it was going to make an appearance, didn't you?) Remove soup from heat, blenderize. Run a spoon around in the pot to be sure all the tomatoes and potato chunks are blended.

If your fat calories are low for the day, you can top the soup with a dollop of sour cream!

Otherwise, serve up soup with some crackers and enjoy! This recipe makes about 6 servings.

White Cedar Inn Bed and Breakfast 178 Main St Freeport, Maine 04032