From Maine to New Hampshire

Meet Fred. He was the main attraction for our dinner. His escort was Dave. He was able to escape the boiling pot because Dave needed him for the show. Unfortunately his friends were not so lucky as they met their fate and were served as the main meal.

Are you aware of the many lobster meal options out there?   

Take for instance lobster bisque, lobster chowder, lobster roll, boiled lobster, lobster omelet, Lobster Newburg, lobster tail , lobster stew, Lobster Thermider, lobster pot pie, lobster fondue, lobster chili, lobster mac and cheese, New Brunswick Lobster Casserole and lobster ravioli.  These are just a few of the few items to be found on the menus. 

Dave, Fred 's escort, gave a very lively presentation. Who knew there could be so much to learn about lobsters, fishing and Maine's regulations. Here are some of the highlights.  

• Maine lobster fisherman are tightly state regulated. Traps are checked 2-3 times a week. 
• The fines are huge if fishermen do not follow state regulations.
• There are some 3 million traps along Maine coastlines.
• Lobster fisherman have 800 traps each that are put out weekly. 
• Each fisherman's buoy markers for the traps are color coded. 
• Traps need to be on the bottom of the ocean floor and the further off shore they are the longer the lines need to be.
• Maine Lobsters are trapped and harvested year-round however most are caught between June and late December when the Lobsters are most active. In the colder months the Lobsters do not move around as much and less are caught during this period.
• Lobsters can live several days kept cool and damp with salt water however it is not recommended to eat Lobsters after they have been out of water for forty-eight hours
• Can you eat the Tomalley (Green Stuff)? Many people like the Tomalley however the Maine Lobster Promotion Council advises against eating it.  This is the liver and pancreas of a Lobster that can contain dioxins.   Should you find the liver is black put back in to cook for another five minutes to make sure the color is green.  This assures the lobster is fully cooked.

And this is where Fred really became the star of the show as Dave gave a very detailed and rather lengthy anatomical discussion of the lobster. 

Dave holding up a lobster buoy marker and a lobster trap.

Enjoy the pictures of the drive from Maine to New Hampshire.

A covered bridge 

and last but not least you never know when you will run into a moose, the state animal of Maine. 

Today's best quote... Robert Frost captures the essence of New England. 

Robert Frost wrote a poem titled 'New Hampshire.' it is quite long so here is a link to the poem

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/robert_frost/poems/733

but I found the last stanza was appropriate to our day.

since I am in New Hampshire and going to Vermont. 

Well, if I have to choose one or the other,
I choose to be a plain New Hampshire farmer
With an income in cash of, say, a thousand
(From, say, a publisher in New York City).
It's restful to arrive at a decision,
And restful just to think about New Hampshire.
At present I am living in Vermont.