Mrs. HB is coming to visit me next month here in Maine and since we both love eating {although I have a sweet tooth, and she has more of a savory one} I want to make sure we hit up a few of my favorite bakeries and food stands around the area while she’s here.
Last night as I was working on our list of places to go and things to do, Monhegan Island popped into my head. It’s about a 1 hour ferry ride {passenger only, no visitors cars allowed on the island} from Port Clyde and I think it would make a fun “day trip” for us.
And so as I was running down the list of things we could do on the island in between ferry crossings, I suddenly remembered an old cookbook the HH picked up for me at the library for fifty cents awhile back. 
It’s an old cookbook, that’s for sure and I think all the proceeds from the book benefited the little library on the island. Some of the recipes though… are pretty interesting.
Until this cookbook, Mug up Time on Monhegan, I had never heard of “coot” before. They’re actually kind of cute. There’s even a famous watercolor painting by Andrew Wyeth titled Coot Hunter.
Have you ever thought about eating conches? Well, Sherm Stanley was a big fan… his wife though, not so much.
Island cooking… You just never know what you might find to eat in the middle of winter… so I suppose it’s best to have a recipe for everything.
Even sea moss. š
My first thought was… you know… if you’re eating sea moss {willingly} you’re probably out of the fruit or cream the author has suggested to accompany the sea moss.
But that tells you how little I know. Apparently harvesting sea moss and seaweed is big business around here. Remember that commercial clam boat I thought I spotted last weekend out in front of our place? It turns out it wasn’t a clam boat after all, it was a seaweed harvester!
Who knew? I sure didn’t until someone from town mentioned it.
And anyone care to guess how much seaweed is going for these days? $35.95 a pound! And sea moss? $39.90 a pound.
Interesting. Very interesting.
The internet. It’s one big rabbit hole, that’s for sure.
Turn off your computer! Go outside. Get some fresh air.
Enjoy the weekend everyone,
And if you’re brave enough to try one of those recipes above, let me know. š
Have a good one,
~Mavis
Jeanine says
That ā couchesā recipe is hilarious! Iād throw it out for sure!
Some people use the seaweed in their gardens. And after all, where does fish emulsion come from. Something to think about….
….have a great weekend.
Daria says
Carrageenan is a derivative of sea moss, and you find it in most ice cream varieties in the supermarket. Seaweed is full of vitamins, too. But, yeah, I would just make my pudding with corn starch or flour.
BethC. says
Mohegan is wonderful! Great hiking and and on island brewery if you like beer.
Carole says
HELLO?? Conch republic?? aka Key West. Conch fritters are absolutely delicious. Try it
Tanya says
Conch Republic is me! It’s the entirety of the Florida Keys. Only problem is we can’t harvest the conch anymore due to the overfishing of it. We ship it in from the Bahamas now. But yes, the only way I like conch is in the fritters and if you ask the locals (AKA conchs’) who makes the best there will be a lengthy conversation/debate on which restaurant or who’s mama’s makes the absolute best conch fritters!
Tarah says
Exactly what I thought when I saw conch. Itās definitely a Florida thing though so that might be why Mavis hadnāt heard of it (I hadnāt either until I moved to Tallahassee from Washington State years ago).
Sara says
I had to Google Cod tongue before logging off
KC says
The Sea Moss Pudding is using the sea moss to sub for gelatin to make something like panna cotta. I assume one would do this if gelatin was expensive, or if one were living on an island and had run out.
Kristina says
Conch is delicious. Basically just kind of like clams or abalone or other similar shellfish (though that recipe doesn’t look great, imo). Apparently in that recipe for sea moss, it’s being used as a thickener. And vegetarian, which gelatin is not. Or poor man’s aspic, which used to be very popular. Grow where you’re planted, I guess and take advantage of what’s available where you are. I love old cookbooks, what a window on the past.
Tammy says
I didn’t know a “coot” was a bird, but I’ve heard the expression “Old Coot” (crotchety old man).
Linda Sand says
That lunch meat casserole sounds like something my mom would have made back in the 1950s. Except using Velveta instead of cheddar cheese.
Wendy Steele says
Linda, do you think the āluncheon meatā is SPAM? Thatās what Iām thinking…lololol
Michelle says
I’m from a small community in Labrador (just northeast of Maine) and when I was a young girl, I would cut out cod tongues for sale. The fishermen would bring the cod into the fish plant, the women would size the fish and then cut off the heads, throwing the fish heads in a large tub. The children would sit on the edge of the wharf and cut out the cod tongues – selling them for $1.50 per pound! Thanks for the memory this afternoon š
Jeanine says
That is amazing!
Gwyn says
I have had conch chowder. I didnāt care for it.
Allison says
Nothing like a visit from your best friend. I’m so glad for you. Monhegan is lovely. Lots of painters have used it for their inspiration. As to the recipes……I’m not feeling them!!!!
But typically forthright, down home and funny (I loved the “not recommended by a wife).
You are so in the right place…
Mrs. Hillbilly says
I canāt wait to visit and have fun with all our adventures I know you are planning !!!! One thing you donāt know about me , Ms. Mavis, is that I love Conch!!! Remember ……I used to go down to Central America as a older kid and would have conch ceviche all the time !!!The absolute best fresh out of the Caribbean !!!!!
Mavis Butterfield says
Gag. Well then maybe Iāll drop you off at Shermās place while I go and find the pie stand.
Mrs. HB says
Better idea ………. you can try and then we have pie!!!!
Rosaleen says
Hmmm- I’m planning to fix up a large van to use as a boondocking camper. As I plan, I’m looking at shelf stable foods that I can stock up while in town and prepare in the middle of nowhere. I may have to try that casserole, sort of a Spam and cheese custard. Think Poor Man’s quiche… (Except Spam is no longer cheap.) I bet I can make this in my solar oven! I found out this week that I can make no-knead bread in that oven, so I can have fresh bread anywhere! Boom-chakalaka!
Candice says
Hi Mavis,
I had conch when I went to Grand Cayman and I loved it. We were served fresh “pickled” conch, served on crackers, on a boat when we went snorkeling. It had literally been plucked out of the sea and prepared in front of us. I had conch chowder at one of the restaurants one evening for dinner, too. Basically it was just a spicy tomato based soup with vegetables. The conch was chopped very small and reminded me of clams.
Carolina Cooper says
It was a walk down memory lane when I saw the pages from the Monhegan cookbook! I hadn’t thought of the Stanley family in 40 or 50 years. The cookbook was a staple in my late mother-in-law’s house. Before you go look online for a photo of the painting by Jamie Wyeth “The Red House.” I stayed there on my honeymoon in 1972 and it looks pretty much the same today. Places to see on Monhegan: The library, the one room school house, cathedral woods (where you can observe and even build your own fairy houses), for a good hike: Black Head or White Head, the light house, which is now a museum—if it is open, the Monhegan grocery store, the little church in the village….You are going at the perfect time of year, since the place will not yet be overrun with tourists. The Cooper family home had, for many years, the only piano on the island, and musicians from New York used to knock on our door and ask to use it for practice. It was always a delightful experience! I hope you and Mrs. HB will enjoy the island as much as my family (now including my grandchildren) have loved and cherished this enchanted place over the years. I hope the you have a calm and happy crossing and that it is not too cold.
Pj Truman says
I loved old cookbooks and this one did not disappoint! ā¤ļø Itās amazing how time, tastes and availability changes over the years.
Joanna says
Never been to Maine!! I think it’s time! Sounds lovely.
Dianne says
Hi Mavis and friends,
I love those old community cookbooks! Good find, HH.
The casserole recipe reminds me of the breakfast casserole that was so popular in the 1980’s. Except, the breakfast casserole called for more eggs. Yes, I do believe that could of very well be Spam or any other cheap meat.
LindaT says
I still make Breakfast Casserole once in a while. I use sausage, usually, though you can use hamburger, or ham or Spam, or bacon. My daughter makes a version that has hash brown potatoes in it. My recipe came from someone else and was called Edie’s Eggs.