As an Eco-Friendly hotel in Ogunquit we are always thrilled to find new Farm to Table restaurants in our area.  And there are quite a few we’ve noted in past blogs – they just keep popping up and we are not complaining!  There are a few that really set the bar with the idea and go beyond the local farmer to bring you items that have a deep  Maine history – including even  some foods foraged in Maine for generations! Here are our Top Three Edible Maine Greens served just down the street from our hotel in Ogunquit Maine.

Dandelions have a deep routed history in Maine and have long been a delicacy.  Among the most familiar plants in the world today, dandelions seem to be either loved or hated.  That wasn’t always the case.  Prior to the invention of the lawn, the dandelion was praised as a bounty of food and medicine. Gardeners even used to weed grass out to make room for them.  Oh how that has changed! Dandelions are said to heal baldness, dandruff, toothache, sores, fevers and depression among other things.  They also contain more vitamin A then spinach, more vitamin C than tomatoes and are rich in iron, calcium and potassium.  Here in Southern Maine at Golden Harvest Produce in Kittery you can buy dandelion greens to sprinkle on your salad and find quiet a few restaurants incorporating them into salads. Try some at home too – check out the 10 Ways to use Dandelion Greens.

Wild Asparagus.  Most everyone is familiar with the Asparagus sold at the grocery store and regularly served in many restaurants.  At Earth in Kennebunkport they’ve gone back to the basics by taking great pride in sourcing their foods from local farmers, artisans and ranchers.  One menu option features Scarpinocc (their homemade pasta) with Goat’s milk ricotta, spring leek soubise, cherry peppers and wild asparagus. Yep, the naturally grown version found right here in Maine.  Here is a video showing tips on how to find and transplant wild asparagus to grow at home.

Fiddleheads. Black Trumpet Bistro in Portsmouth NH isn’t far from our hotel in Ogunquit and worth a quick trip over the bridge. Their Paella Verde features calaspara rice baked with asparagus, fiddleheads, peas, peppers and crispy morels.  Fiddleheads are a local treat and highly seasonal – you have to time it just right to score a meal with these included. With locally raised heirloom produce, heritage meats and sustainable seafood as part of their Heirloom Harvest Project, the Bistro is a good pick to have fiddleheads done right.

At our Eco-Friendly hotel in Ogunquit we’re here to ensure you don’t miss a “beet” – or a fiddlehead – on your vacation in Maine.  Here are a few stories from this week of our staff going out of their way to make our guest stays unforgettable:

Richard was getting ready for his bar tending shift in the West Meadow Pub when he noticed a mother  filling up the cooler with ice before heading to the beach.  This guest had her hands full with little ones and another one on the way – Richard offered to help her bring it out to car which she was so grateful for!

Crystal was cleaning up our state of the art fitness center when she started chatting with some guests – they noted they were waiting for their spa services.  She noticed the guests didn’t have their spa slips in hand and asked if they had stopped by the front desk first.  They had completely forgotten and were happy when Crystal offered to go get them.