Summer on the Coast of Maine: Writing Amid the Bounty

Summer Bounty on the Coast of Maine

It’s June and lupines are blooming along the coast of Maine!

Rainstorms and lingering clouds have kept us relatively free of the wildfire smoke that’s been blanketing New York and other eastern cities with a thick orange haze. Here in Maine, our summer might have been cold and gray so far, but the skies seem to be clearing up at last.

Many species of wildflowers burst into bloom this month and right now the lupines are putting on a fine show.

Wild Strawberries and Rhubarb

Most of the coastline is heavily forested here, but wherever you find a grassy field or pasture, you’ll find wild strawberries too. Rhubarb patches are common around old homesteads.

Wild strawberries are tiny, soft, fragile fruits, so collecting a large quantity of them is impractical, but these little goodies ripen at the same time as rhubarb. Just a handful can pack a burst of flavor.

Easy Recipe for Rhubarb Sauce with Strawberries

You can substitute stalks of purchased rhubarb and finely diced regular strawberries in this recipe.

Fresh rhubarb (enough to make about 2 cups of diced chunks).

Fresh wild strawberries (about 1/4 cup)

Sugar to taste

Rinse fruit. Dice the rhubarb stalks. Place rhubarb chunks and whole wild strawberries in saucepan with 1/4 cup water. Cover and bring to a boil, then quickly lower to a simmer.

Continue to simmer until the fruit is tender, about 5 minutes. Rhubarb is naturally very sour, so you’ll need to sweeten up this sauce with white or brown sugar. (Start with 2 TBS and add more if desired.)

Enjoy warm or chilled.

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Recently I came across a great source of recipe ideas from the Maine Cooperative Extension. Many of the recipes feature produce and other staples of Maine. Here’s the link:

Recipes – Cooperative Extension: Food & Health – University of Maine Cooperative Extension (umaine.edu)

The Stonehaven Mysteries

The fourth and final volume of The Stonehaven Mysteries is almost finished! Meanwhile, Book 1 has a free promo this month….

Hidden Cove and its Sequel

When I first started working on Hidden Cove, I never realized that artificial intelligence would spread so quickly and become such a big part of our lives. This summer I’ve been thinking a lot about AI as I draft the follow-up.

As Kiri’s story continues in the sequel to Hidden Cove, she’ll have to come to grips with envy… and with the ancient menace lurking in the waters. And DreamReader’s innovate airborne device won’t be the only technological threat on the horizon.

While I’ve been drafting the sequel, I’ve given a new look to Hidden Cove with a cover that reflects its remote location and suspenseful tone.