1. Beveridge Farm

This farm has a vast variety of fresh produce picked every day offering vegetables, fruit, herbs, flowers, Fall decorations, grass, hay and wood. There’s a self-serve vegetable stand and custom bush hogging services. It’s located 2.2 miles on the left from intersection of Main Street and Rte. 52 (388 Turnpike Drive) in Camden, ME. For more information call 207-763-3596 or e-mail cherylbv@roadrunner.com.

2. Cappy’s Chowder House, Inc.

Cappy’s is a family owned restaurant and bakery with a variety of home-cooked products to take home with you. Grab a bite to eat on the harbor then bring back jam, dressings, clam chowder, a gift pack, T-shirt, or or any of the many other products they offer. Since 1979, Cappy’s has been serving up the best in town with a full bar, comforting atmosphere, harbor views, and not to mention their traditional Maine Clam Chowder. They’ll even host your next wedding, clambake party, corporate meeting, or whatever you’re looking for the bigger parties. Check out their website or e-mail cappyschowder@aol.com for more information on the restaurant, catering, their store, about Camden, and much more. Cappy’s Chowder House is located at 1 Main St. in the center of Camden, ME and can be contacted at 207-236-2254.

3. Endless Summer Flower Farm

No matter what kind of flower, color, size, or texture, you’re bound to find the right one at the Endless Summer Flower Farm. Their specialty is the dahlia tubers, which for the amateurs is a perennial plant native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia that come in plenty of different colors and textures. This roadside flower stand carries 150+ varieties and 2,000+ plants only in flower season; August to October for flower, September to May for tubers. For more information e-mail info@endlesssummerflowerfarm.com or call 207-236-8752.

Only a few blocks away from all these exciting attractions is the Camden Maine Stay, a historical and New England country inn. Located in one of America’s most beautiful seaside villages, this relaxing, cozy, romantic, and very friendly home will suit all your accommodation needs on your next getaway vacation to Camden, Maine. For a brief history lesson, back when Thomas Jefferson was President of the United States, roads were dirt and Maine was still part of Massachusetts, Alden Bass built a house at 22 High Street. That stunning main house with an attached carriage house and a four-story barn has been renovated to welcome every guest to create the best experience. The Camden Maine Stay is the second oldest of the sixty-six lovely homes that are listed on the National Register of Historical Places in the High Street Historic District. Check out their website for more information on accommodations, prices, history, package specials and much more.

Cappy's Chowder House, Inc.

YARMOUTH, ME

Always wondered what the world looked like from the outside? Take a trip to Yarmouth, Maine and you’ll be able to do just that at the Eartha exhibit in the DeLorme headquarters. This 3-dimensional, 42-foot scale model of our earth with mountains and landforms all in 3-D set the Guinness record for the “World’s Largest Revolving/Rotating Globe” in 1999. How did they make such a masterpiece? It took David DeLorme, the CEO of DeLorme, one full year to compile satellite imagery, shaded relief, colored ocean depth data, and information from actual earth grounds to create 140 gigabytes of mapping data. The Eartha’s lightweight aluminum surface is perfectly shaped to replicate the earth and then actually revolves on a specially designed cantilever arm while rotating on an axis. Every continent is meticulously detailed with vivid colors illustrating all levels of vegetation, major roadways and cities, and ocean depths. And best of all, it’s all free! The DeLorme headquarters are open Monday-Saturday from 9:30am to 6:30pm and re-opening on Sundays starting April 19, 2009. For more details call toll free at 1-800-642-097 or locally at 207-846-7100.

“Eartha is the largest image of earth ever created,” says DeLorme. “Eartha will instill a sense of wonder in people when they first see it and we hope they walk away from it with a better appreciation and knowledge of the world around them.”

With the few extra bucks you save visiting this New England attraction, put it towards a State of Mainer one-night getaway package at the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, ME. You’ll receive the best room available in the entire inn for the lowest prices around including dinner and breakfast. Enjoy your Maine stay and your visit to our earth right before your eyes.

Brace your stomachs for a chili-filled day at the White Cap Lodge. Here’s a brief idea of what will be going on for the chili cookoff:

10am to Noon – Firefighters’ Race
Firefighters from all over New England team up and head to Tempest Trail to ski down in full gear and a firehose. All proceeds will go to the Maine Handicapped Skiing

Noon – Eat the Heat Chili Cook-off
The cooks will compete and you will eat. Taste and vote on the Best Chili Cook in the area.

2pm – Chili Dog Eating Contest
Sign up the day of to become the Chili Dog Eating Champion.

All Day long…
WXLX promo with fun give away and plenty of live entertainment.

For more information Call 800.543.2SKI or visit Sunday River’s Event Calendar

You’ll definitely need a place to rest nearby after all that chili eating. The Snow Cap Inn has all the charm of a typical, cozy New England lodge.  Enjoy the fireside lounges, outdoor hot tubs, and simply relax. Best of all, just a few steps away are Maine’s finest ski slopes. For each guest, a ski locker is provided and a resort shuttle to take you down to all the fun. Click here to book a ski & stay package.

MAINE LOBSTER

Any New Englander can testify a lobster is worth that big mess and fuss. Dipped in a little butter, the Maine lobster meat tastes fresher than anything in the markets. Don’t forget your bib, the ultimate cracking tool, and the smallest fork for optimal Maine lobster eating experience. Try the Maine Lobster Bisque or look around at other great recipes for meal ideas.

CAPE COD CRANBERRIES

It’s been 120 years and Cape Cod is still making the finest cranberries. That spring Sandhill crane blossom is now harvested nearly 40,000 acres per year. So there’s plenty of those vitamin-C rich berries to go around. For the next two months (October and November) cranberries will be in their prime harvesting season. They’ll last in your fridge up to four weeks or just grab extra and tuck them away in your freezer for splendid Cape Cod Cranberries anytime of year. Change up the Thanksgiving desserts this year with a Cranberry Pineapple Cheesecake Tart.

VERMONT MAPLE SYRUP

From the tree, to the bucket, then boil, then to the jar and sap is now Vermont’s renowned Maple Syrup. Today we’ve figured out how to make more products still using purely organic maple such as Maple Cream, Maple Fudge, Maple Granulated Sugar, Maple Sugar Cakes, and Hard Maple Sugar. With the abundance of maple trees, you can’t turn a corner without seeing Maple Syrup in Vermont. From Mom and Pops Maple Syrup to the supermarket specials. Check out our previous blog for some other things to do while your in Vermont!

BOSTON BAKED BEANS

What might possibly have been forgotten in further parts of New England are Boston Baked Beans. Before you go to bed, soak some dried navy beans so the next day you can slowly bake them with molasses and salt pork to experience a perfect flavor. The process may be timely but it is well worth the wait. Bake off some cornbread or biscuits, top with honey, and serve with some of those Boston Baked Beans and you have a fabulous meal. Or try bringing some to a party next time and see how fast it’ll disappear. Here’s a great and easy recipe for Boston Baked Beans.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

The list could go on for New England Foods but the last one for this list had to be New England Clam Chowder. There’s a possibility your “chowdah” may taste different from Maine to Connecticut but one rule remains that New England Clam Chowder should always be eaten in New England. Herman Melville, a 19th century American novelist, noted in Moby Dick, “Chowder for breakfast, and chowder for dinner, and chowder for supper, till you begin to look for fish-bones coming through your clothes.” An almost 250-year old building, Ye Olde Union Oyster House, in Boston goes to prove how long the infamous “chowdah” has been around. Emeril Lagasee, a culinary enthusiast and a pure New Englander, has an outstanding Fall River Clam Chowder provided below.

FALL RIVER CLAM CHOWDER

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 pound bacon, chopped
• 2 cups chopped leeks (white part only, well washed)
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 6 Bay leaves
• 3/4 cup bleached all-purpose flour
• 8 cups clam juice
• 1 1/2 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1 cup fresh sweet corn kernels (from 1 medium-size ear)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 4 pounds littleneck clams, shucked with liquor reserved
• Oyster crackers

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large stockpot, over medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp.
2. Stir in the leeks, celery, and carrots, season with salt and pepper, and add bay leaves. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft and tender, about 10 minutes
3. Stir in the flour and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the clam juice, potatoes, and corn, season with salt and pepper, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes.
5. Add the cream, parsley, and clams and their liquor and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.
6. Ladle into soup bowls and serve hot with oyster crackers and enjoy!

Yields: 10 serving

As the cold moves in, the green moves out. With that, New England brings the most striking scenes while the leaves transform through thousands of colors. Maine’s advantage of being furthest North, experiences this change firstly around late September to early October. So, this year undergo the Moosehead Loop to feel the ultimate Fall foliage picture in New England.

This 210-mile journey will pass by Moosehead Lake, Moxie Falls, Mount Kineo and through towns Skowhegan and Jackman. Below is the specific route and a general picture. Sections to take note in are Route 201 (Solon through West Forks) and Route 6 & 15 (Jackman through Rockwood.

• Start in Skowhegan taking U.S. Route 201 North through Bingham up toward Jackman
• You will then intersect with Route 15. Take this going south, then east through Greenville, following into Dover-Foxcroft
• Next you will pick up Route 7 going south toward Newport
• When you reach Newport, take Route 2 west into Palmyra. Proceed to take Route 151 west toward Athens
• After arriving in Athens, take Route 150 south and that will loop you back to Skowhegan.

Need a map? Google Maps can help.

Take a pit stop in Jackman for prime time season of moose watching. Take a break from driving and hike or ATV into the wilderness with your camera and wait for the unforgettable. Remember that even though they may be ten times our weight and at least seven feet tall, they are unaggressive and should be treated with our fullest respect. Want to spend some more time in Jackman? Check out their website for more ideas on making your Maine drive a better experience.

Buckle up and enjoy the New England Fall foliage on the Moosehead Loop in Maine. Don’t forget your cameras!

Peter had been a licensed irrigation contractor, and he and Laura had run a New Jersey business together for 18 years. Newcastle, Maine, was a perfect place for them. Says Laura, “We always wanted to live in a small town, and we love our new life here. There is much natural beauty in Maine, and many ways to enjoy it. We’re outdoor enthusiasts and have particularly enjoyed the hiking and kayaking in the area.”

Yet how does one explain the extreme shift in their businesses, from irrigation to innkeeping? Peter quips, “We were always entertaining at home, so I figured we might as well get paid for it!” Laura adds, ‘Seriously, we enjoy meeting people from all over the country and the world, and I’ve always loved cooking and having happy people in our home.”

Now with four years of experience, the Barclays look forward to a long future in innkeeping. Advice from veteran DINE innkeepers has been useful. Explains Laura, “It was a big help to hear the voices of experience when we were starting out, and we continue to enjoy getting together with fellow innkeepers and learning from each other.”

The Barclays encourage DINE Innsiders to visit all of the DINE inns. “You are certain to have a wonderful time at any of the inns. The DINE innkeepers truly care about their guests.”