Last week I headed to Monhegan Island to unplug.
Of course, a woman still has to eat! And I decided that Monhegan was the perfect place to try to “go BLUEBERRY”!
MONDAY
The Barnacle is the only show in town for baked goods and fortunately for me, it was just down the hill from my fisherman’s cabin. And the resident baker was brilliant, creating blackberry-clove scones, lemon-thyme cookies, rosewater treats, and her signature Earl Grey cupcakes. Of course, the daily offering always included Maine Blueberry scones, and here was mine on my porch on Day 1:
TUESDAY
Early in the week I claimed “my” table. It was a corner table, tucked between the Barnacle’s front door and the wharf, with a direct view of the water.
It was here that I enjoyed my locally-produced blueberry yogurt, a creamy whole-fat concoction that only a Mainer’s constitution could tolerate.
WEDNESDAY
As luck would have it, during my week on Monhegan, a young musical couple came to celebrate their 2nd anniversary. And on a tiny island like Monhegan, that means one thing: live entertainment had arrived! So we headed to the Monhegan House for some gourmet small plates – scallops and a roasted romaine salad – and this blueberry crumble which we took home for dessert.
THURSDAY
On Thursday, after hiking the Cathedral Woods of the island – and even stopping to build my own fairy house with a blanket of moss as a rug, a cedar-bough roof, and a bridge of miniature pine cones spanning the little ditch to end the front “porch” – we stopped at the local brewery. It’s the only alcohol show on an island that is otherwise “dry”, and a favorite menu item of mine is the sampler. You can choose your 4 favorite brews, so I chose the stout, an IPA, a light lager, and one that even had blueberry and a bit of effervescence.
FRIDAY
On Friday a big wind blew in and so we stayed tucked into our cozy fisherman’s cottage, making blueberry pancakes and playing scrabble.
SATURDAY
It’s a sad day. Time to leave Monhegan, throwing a small bouquet of wildflowers overboard as the ferry pulls away from the wharf which, island legend says, ensures you will return the next year. For the ferry ride home, I have an upside blueberry muffin, one last treat from the Barnacle. And Patrick got a few treats too!
