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Written by Lynn Wright About a year and a half ago I moved my chocolate shop into town and opened up a beautiful store front on Main Street. What an amazing space! I am so fortunate to have my shop in an amazing old building in town. But!!! The windows…. Two beautiful glass paned windows looking onto Main Street that have to be filled with displays of my chocolates. Which melt. In the south facing windows.And so, the dilemma…how to display what I make in a window that will melt my product. Hmmm. Last summer I decided to tell a...

What is maple cream, maple butter, maple spread? The name can be quite deceiving.  Many refer to it as maple butter because it has an amazing butter-like texture.  Here at Hilltop Boilers, we call it Maple Cream because of its creamy texture.  However, pure maple cream has only one ingredient . . . 100% pure maple syrup.  It has no cream, no butter, nothing added.  It is vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, and contains no additives - but it is full of maple flavor! Pure maple cream is made by heating maple syrup to a high temperature, cooling it rapidly and...

Spring is in the air here in Maine.  Spring chic's, piglets and turkeys are starting to be come available at local farm supply stores.  I thought I would check in with Harris Turkey Farm to see what it takes to raise my own turkeys. Here's what they had to say. We buy our turkey poults at one day old.  If you are looking to raise a few of your own turkeys here are a few things to keep in mind to grow a healthy flock. You should buy poults from a flock that has been tested free of diseases.  Ask if the hatchery or farm has been...

If you want to know how to prepare the perfect Turkey for dinner, then you must get that information from Harris Turkey Farm!  After all they know everything there is about turkeys!  I got to sit with Chase and Jason and they explained to me all the important things there is to know about preparing turkey for dinner.  If you buy a commercially raised turkey at the supermarket, there is little you need to do for preparation besides thawing and removal of the giblets. Even though the store bought turkey has been injected with a salt solution and needs very little to no prep, a...

Fall into Autumn  Vickie Carrol from Vickie's Olde School Gift Shoppe wrote into our blog to tell us how she falls into Autumn.     I had to spend some time thinking what this phrase Fall into Autumn means to me. I’ve seen it in the candy isle at the grocery store in preparation for trick or treating, and the many varieties of pumpkins in the vegetable bins. To me it is symbolic of the preparations we begin making for the winter season. At my gift shoppe, I bring out bring out the decorations for fall, harvest pumpkins from our farm pumpkin patch,...