Articles
Journal of an Island Kitchen
Wild strawberries abound a few feet beyond the pig pen and in a few spots in the front yard. Some of them are smaller than the wild blueberries that grow not far away. The miracle about them is that 25 years ago, the spot they now thrive in was bare, clayey soil scraped clean of
Pilot Crackers – Really Gone This Time?
The Crown Pilot Cracker is off grocery shelves once again. Nabisco, the national cracker and cookie manufacturing company now owned by Kraft Foods, has ceased making the crackers, much loved by Mainers, particularly coastal dwellers who prefer it for chowder. Working Waterfront sounded the alarm in April, with only vague hints that the cracker might
Midge and Rinktumdiddy
Returning home one afternoon, I came into the kitchen and noticed an unfamiliar enameled pan full of something that looked a little curdled and pinkish, with plastic wrap stretched over it, and a recipe card next to it in Midge Welldon’s familiar hand. Midge liked giving me recipes, bless her, and this one for Rinktumdiddy
The Crown Pilot Cracker Escapade
Keep eating those crackers, folks. Nabisco wishes this product would just go away, and if you like this cracker in your chowder, keep eating them. Teach your young to eat them too. Chief agitator Donna Damon on Chebeague Island, the epicenter of the famous Crown Pilot Escapade, reminded me recently that we islanders took on
Island school superintendents: cost savings can be elusive
Geographic isolation, pre-existing savings, and new or about-to-be renovated school buildings defined how three Penobscot Bay island schools responded to the state’s requirement for cutting education costs to taxpayers. Responding to state calls for school district consolidation to save money, island superintendents prepared plans to show cost cutting or containment measures in administration, transportation, facilities
Islesboro group summarizes vision for school
Recognition that the Islesboro Central School’s existence is “essential to the life of the community” was a major theme in a new “Vision Statement” for the school. ICS “supports the broader efforts of island residents to plan and maintain a vibrant, year-round, sustainable community,” declared the final version, assembled by a committee with the help
Islesboro firefighter produces fire blankets
Several years ago one of Islesboro’s feistier elders started a fire on her stove top, and tried to extinguish it by slapping at it with a potholder, and inadvertently set a second blaze when she dropped the flaming pot holder. She called the fire company who came and took care of the whole mess, but
“The water doesn’t look like this in summer”
Most artists show up to paint Maine islands in the summer, but plein air artist Keith Schneider of Liberty, Maine, has been working on Islesboro this cold and snowy winter to capture the sea and shore in winter light. House sitting on the island has given him ample opportunities to paint snow covered spruces and
Flying Slates at the Islesboro Central School
Islesboro Central School’s roof is in such bad condition that several chunks of roofing, samples held here by custodian Richard Cilley, fell off, prompting Superintendent-Principal Michael Wright to have a protective barrier set up around the school. Stephen Blatt Architects of Portland have a scope-of-work agreement with the school committee to address the renovations and
Islesboro project receives grant for calendar
The Beacon Project in Islesboro recently received a $5,000 grant from the King and Jean Cummings Trust of the Maine Community Foundation to print the Beacon Project’s annual Islesboro calendar, which is sold as a fund raising item to support Boardman Cottage operations. The calendar continues to be the most popular fundraising product created by