State of Maine Cheese Tour
Learn how to make Fresh Mozzarella cheese on your next trip to Camden. The State of Maine Cheese Factory (in Rockport, 5 minutes from the Hartstone and Hideaway Inns) offers tours and “hands on” classes with owner Cathi Morrill. Cathi is, as a previous guest/student put it, “enthusiastic about cheese making, warm and welcoming.” This is a great introduction to the process of […]
Endless Summer Dahlias
Mary Jo and I just picked up our new dahlia bulbs from Phil Clark at Endless Summer Flower Farm which is located right here in the coastal community of Camden, Maine (Zone5), two and a half miles inland from the Hartstone Inn and Hideaway (village center). The flower farm specializes in dahlias and they currently grow over 225 […]
Cocktail Mixology – Ginger-Pomegranate Martini
Every couple of months we feature a seasonal cocktail here at the Hartstone Inn and in the restaurant. This winter, I was experimenting with a ginger syrup and combined it with some pomegranate juice to create this recipe, which yields 3 martinis (2 if you drink out of large martini glasses as I do!). Ginger-Pomegranate Martini 4 oz […]
Chef (Marla) for a Day in Camden!
Our “Chef for a Day” program continues to be a very popular way for guests to experience the Hartstone Inn kitchen firsthand. Recently, a couple from Pennsylvania came to visit us and they joined me for two days in the kitchen, assisting in the preparation of dinner. It was a true pleasure working with Marla […]
Zeph’s take on Sous Vide
Heard of Molecular Cuisine? Zeph, my Sous Chef travelled to the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone campus in Napa Valley, CA to learn about Sous Vide cooking. He has written a very informative article about the process on his blog if you are curious about this new phenomenon hitting kitchens everywhere. Yes, we are experimenting! […]
Smoking Salmon
I often joke that with a last name of “Salmon” I had two choices as a young man for a career path: 1) to become a fisherman or 2) to become a chef. There’s not a lot of commercial fishing in my hometown of Rochester, Minnesota, so here I am. At the Inn we smoke a lot […]
2009 Garden Series at the Hartstone Inn
We are very excited about our new upcoming gardening series here at the Hartstone Inn and Hideaway featuring our vegetable garden guru, Shelley Johnson. Shelley tends all of the culinary gardens at the Inn and also grows produce on her farm for the Hartstone kitchen. She has a great wealth of knowledge when it comes to […]
Artisan Chocolate Making II
I am happy to announce that Kate Shaffer of Black Dinah Chocolatiers will be teaching another cooking class here at the Hartstone Inn this coming weekend, April 25th & 26th. Class openings are still available on both Saturday and Sunday and the course runs from 1-3 p.m. Cost is $45 per person. Kate recently blogged about the class on her […]
Maine Boats, Homes and Harbors Show
If you’re coming to the Maine coast in August (hopefully you are coming to stay with us in Camden) the 7th annual Maine Boats, Homes and Harbors show is worth a visit and is happening in Rockland from August 7-9, 2009. Mary Jo and I went to the show last year (for a Hartstone Inn Cookbook […]
Merryspring Nature Center – Spring Calendar
Merryspring is a non-profit, privately-owned 66-acre park and education center in Camden and Rockport, Maine, with nature trails and gardens open to the public every day free of charge. http://www.merryspring.org WORKSHOPS & CLASSES – Space is limited. Call 207-236-2239 to pre-register. Drawing with Lynn Travis – Thursdays, 1:30-3:30 p.m., April 23 & 30, May 7 & 14, […]