Tag: food

Blueberries!

Found some blueberries. Still looking for blueberry pie.

blueberry fieldWe have been told to stop for blueberries. Hey, bike rides are all about the food.

So when we spotted this blueberry field about three-quarters into our first day of our East Coast Greenway ride, we did. We focused on harvesting them by the handful. It felt a little like “Blueberries for Sal,” but without the bear.

The actual berries are smaller than the ones at home, and they’re grown on low bushes, not the high bushes at home. Our SAG driver said they serve another purpose — to act as fire breaks.

We saw someone harvesting blueberries as we drove to Calais yesterday. To me, it looked like he was using something similar to a tennis-ball hopper — push down and the balls (or berries) go in from the bottom, pushing up the balls (or berries) already there. Or was it some kind of scooper? He certainly didn’t seem hunched over, doing back-breaking work. Still, if it was hours in a field…

We’re still on the hunt for blueberry pie. Three of our riders have scored some, but it took a bit of sneakiness. The restaurant next to the motel in Machias had closed after lunch by the time they got in (and we can’t have been that far behind at 2:30 p.m.). But they waited outside the door until an employee wanted to head out, then bolted in and successfully pleaded for pie to go. They got the last three pieces of blueberry pie. And they just oozed blueberries. Look at that:

blueberry pie

I admit I drooled. Enough, I think, that one of them felt guilt-tripped into offering me a bite. And then I said no. Crazy! Apparently they felt badly enough that they offered a bit to the next person who came by. And Alan our mechanic said yes!

We’ll be at that restaurant for breakfast. Maybe I’ll get lucky? (Because I certainly won’t be eating eggs!)

How much lobster will I eat this week?

The lobster taste test begins.

I’ve decided that one of my focuses this week should be to seek out as much lobster as I can.

So I started in Portland with a 7-inch lobster roll for $10 at a non-descript deli:

lobster roll

I’m going to need to try a few more to discover what makes one truly great.

And if I can’t find lobster? The bus driver warned me it’s harder to find in northern Maine. It’s blueberry season, and those are plentiful in northern Maine.

Paah (that’s pie with a southern twist)

Well-earned dessert.

Yum! Wednesday night .. I’m one of those who couldn’t resist:

pie

 

Pie, pie, pie

Our find on the East Coast Greenway: Mom’s Apple Pie Bakery in Occoquan.

Pies, pies, pies.The food find of the trip? We came across Mom’s Apple Pie Bakery about two blocks off the route in Occoquan, Virginia. It made a list of the South’s best pies a few years back, and can claim a visit by Michelle Obama.

In another article hanging on the wall, “Mom” says her secret is to use less sugar than the recipe calls for so the fruit flavor can shine through. One of her employees says she grows most of the ingredients for her fillings. They bake about 100 pies per day on a weekend.

Buy a whole pie, or by the slice. I went for an almond amaretto chess pie. Delicious!

lots of slices of pie

 

Lots of choices, and benches outside to sit on.

This town is a great stop for cyclists, whether on the East Coast Greenway or Adventure Cycling’s U.S. Bicycle Route 1, part of a developing network of urban, suburban and rural routes. Saw some signs (and a long-distance cyclist loaded with panniers heading up a hill just before Occoquan).