Dear readers,
Welcome to winter in Maine!
In the opening stanza of “Woods in Winter,” Portland-born poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow paints a cold and isolating portrait of the season:
When winter winds are piercing chill,
And through the hawthorn blows the gale,
With solemn feet I tread the hill,
That overbrows the lonely vale.
But as his work progresses through six subsequent stanzas, Longfellow warms up to the idea of colder days in a northerly clime, noting how sunbeams play, crystal icicles hang, skaters glide on rivers, and gathering winds sing. In the end, he writes:
Chill airs and wintry winds! my ear
Has grown familiar with your song;
I hear it in the opening year,
I listen, and it cheers me long.
In this issue of edible MAINE, we also celebrate the winter elements and how they interact with local food producers, chefs, bartenders, and home cooks. We serve up meaty recipes and safety tips for grilling outside when the mercury dips, thermos cocktails that give you a hot drink as you recreate outside, and warming dishes from the Mediterranean to offer to friends and family who come into your home from the cold. Our holiday gift guide centers on the trip being the treat as we profile 10 unique Maine events that combine outdoor fun and stellar local food. We provide a window into the food-centric South Portland neighborhood of Knightville as the nights grow longer and a boots-in-the-boat report on what oyster farmers do all winter long. We encourage you to try Maine-made cricket protein bars to keep you going on the slopes and to keep a can of local tuna in the larder for a special meal when you’re snowed in. We tell the story of bespoke ice cubes in Portland’s West End and let a husband-and-wife team tell you about why their love of chocolate endures through Valentine’s Day.
From the whole edible MAINE team, we wish you a happy and healthy winter season. May the colder days be filled with much fun and great food.
Cheers,
Christine
