Not All Treasure Is Silver And Gold , Mate -Captain Jack Sparrow
Not All Treasure Is Silver And Gold , Mate -Captain Jack Sparrow
words and photos by Catherine Shaw Bowker
Like most areas of the country , Aroostook County has its hidden gems , those unique places you show off to visiting family and friends . Venues like Houlton Farms Dairy for ice cream , Goughan ’ s for fresh berries and a round of miniature golf , the Van Buren Tasty Freeze for a bite to eat and a game of chess on the giant outdoor chessboard complete with toddler sized chessmen .
Hidden gems are not intentionally hidden . Usually locally owned relatively small enterprises , advertising consists of Facebook pages and word of mouth . Many of the spots are secluded and you are unlikely to happen upon them traveling from point A to point B . If you discover one of these jewels , it is likely because you are poking along the backroads of the County on a warm summer afternoon .
I will admit some gems are intentionally clandestine – that great fishing hole , the wild strawberry field brimming with sweet berries , the riverbank loaded with fiddleheads in early spring . We tend to hold these spots close , passing the secret from generation to generation with the stern warning to keep the secret in the family . Hidden Spring Winery in East Hodgdon is one of my lucky finds . While a number of County residents dabble in wine making , my husband and I among them , Richard and Jean Sloat , the owners of Hidden Spring Winery , took the big leap to a full-fledged winery .
Richard and Jean started small by making wine for themselves and family members . As they became more confident and curious , they moved from wine kits to experimenting with their own recipes . They readily admit their first endeavors weren ’ t always successful . Their first attempt at blackberry wine exploded all over the basement of their home . At this point Richard determined the success of the venture depended on more studying . Luckily for Aroostook County , the Sloats studied and attended seminars to hone their brewing skills .
Most people don ’ t think much about the process of making wine ; they know it is made somewhere , likely in a big manufacturing plant with computerized equipment and lots of workers . Most commercially produced wine on the shelves of big box stores and local markets are made this way , but small wineries rely on manpower and help from family and friends .
Another common misconception is that wine is made solely from grapes . While grapes are the most common fruit , most any fruit and even some flowers can be used for wine . Dandelions , strawberries , honey , apples , even pumpkins can be transformed into exceptional wines . Now , you can ’ t just go pick some berries , crush them and make some wine ; there are many steps to a fine wine , beginning with the fruit . So , how much fruit is needed to make wine ? The Sloats told us that for 100 gallons of strawberry wine ( approximately 400 bottles ) you need 650 pounds of fruit .
The Sloats use only Maine fruits for their wines , most of them grown in Aroostook . They do have to buy wild Maine blueberries from Wymans , but all of the other fruits are either wild ( elderberries , chokecherries , strawberries ) or grown by the Sloats , their family , and
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