Robert's Market Report

A Farmers' Market Called 'Eden'

I visited Mount Desert Island in Maine last week, and since we had a flat with a kitchen I stopped by the Eden Farmers’ Market, ‘Eden’ being the original name of Bar Harbor. The market is held Sunday mornings, in season, in the YMCA parking lot.

I restrained myself since we also planned to eat in some of the excellent local restaurants (excellent meals at Havana in Bar Harbor, Red Sky in Southwest Habor and XYZ in Manset), but could not resist a pint of blueberries (the “wild” variety, which are considerably smaller but more intensely flavored than the commercial highbush berries favored in Michigan, NC, South Jersey and PA). Also bought a half pound of crabmeat (made excellent crab rolls on the New England hot dog buns I bought at the superkmarket). Also picked up some home-cured Canadian bacon from Smith’s Log Smokehouse; the salami I bought from them last year was excellent, the back bacon this year even better.

I did not buy (because we simply had too much fruit in the flat already) absolutely gorgeous, huge red raspberries, each the size of my thumb. I regret passing them by.

Later in the week I went off-island to Trenton, visiting Pectic Seafood where I picked up a little bit of haddock. With some a half-and-half/milk mix, fresh chives and parsley from the garden, a bit of potato, onion softened in butter with a bit of that back bacon, I enjoyed an excellent fish chowder.