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We are excited to be exploring the Pine Tree State, Maine. It is the largest state in New England and the only state in the United States that borders only one other (New Hampshire). Maine is the least densely populated state in New England. Let’s not forget the completely useless information that Maine is the only state name with one syllable. You can use that at your next cocktail party.

Maine feels different from the rest of the U.S.—it seems like a separate country. Since the state was first settled by the French in 1604 it is no surprise that Maine has the the highest percentage of French speaking people in the U.S. Though the British took control in the mid-1600s the French left quite a mark on the state. Acadia National Park, the only National Park in New England, takes the name given the land by the French navigator, Samuel Champlain.

After the area became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1652, settlers began moving in. In a weird twist, winter weather is less extreme along the coast than the interior. So it is no wonder that many settlers flocked to the state’s 3,500 miles of shoreline. As they tried to make a living from the sea, several towns emerged as premier shipbuilding centers, thanks to the tall and straight Eastern White Pine trees. Others became busy ports, as a result of the abundance of the sea. Maine’s rocky coastline and two thousand islands quickly led to the establishment of navigational beacons. Today, there are still 65 lighthouses dotting the coast of Maine.

Maine’s maritime history is responsible for the somewhat confusing term “Downeast.” Sailors from Boston on their way to Maine had to sail east—and they had the wind at their backs (downwind)—so they came up with the term downeast. So, if you are along the coast of Maine, you are downeast. Now it makes sense, doesn’t it? Even the state’s name might be derived from sailors who called it “the main” to differentiate it from all the islands.

Two islands, Machias Seal Island and nearby North Rock, off the coast of Maine, are part of the land still disputed by the U.S. and Canada. Apparently the confusion stems from the 1783 Treaty of Paris which delineated the boundaries of the U.S. from British North America (now Canada). While the islands aren’t commercially valuable, the bountiful waters around them are. The sovereignty dispute has created a “gray zone” that is currently under no jurisdiction, which fishermen and lobster trappers are exploiting. From what I have read it seems like they both should belong to the U.S. but Canada has had an active presence on Machias Seal Island since 1832, which in some cases can help decide ownership. Currently neither country is actively pursuing their claim in court, so the islands remain a “gray zone.”

Since Maine became a state in 1820 several items have become iconic symbols of the state: moose, lobster, and blueberries. Mainers (or as they call themselves, Maineiacs), however, have more to brag about than that: toothpicks, lakes, tourmaline, Moxie, and Mt. Katahdin. Let’s tackle them in order.

The moose, the plural of which is moose—but I insist it should be “meese” (goose-geese)—is the largest living member of the deer family. They are huge; an average male can weigh up to 1600 pounds! While deer-car collisions are common, moose-car collisions are far more deadly. Moose are often seen in fresh water, where they feed on underwater plants, and they are good swimmers. Not only can they swim quite fast but they can also “dive” underwater for several minutes at a time! Amazing. They are fast on land too, reaching speeds of 55 mph.

Final moose story for you. In 1986 a male moose jumped a farm fence in Vermont and for 76 days he hung out with Jessica, a Hereford cow. Apparently the moose was in love with her! He was seen nuzzling her and protecting her from other cows. Though the moose left in the fall and never returned the story is rather sweet. There is even a kids’ book about it called A Moose for Jessica.

Lobsters are called bugs by the men and women who catch them. Which is basically true since they are in the Arthropod phylum with insects and spiders. In the early 1900s lobsters were so plentiful that you could just pick them up on the shore. Back then lobster wasn’t a delicacy, it was fed to prisoners, slaves, poor people and ground up for fertilizer. In Maine there was even a law enacted which limited how often you could feed lobster to prisoners. Amazing but true, perhaps they weren’t cooking it right?

Nowadays of course, lobster is a popular, expensive, gourmet treat. We recently tried a lobster roll, something I had never heard of before, and it was quite tasty, although I must say I still prefer crab. (We have a recipe for you in case you want to try one yourself.) Last year the Maine lobster harvest was over 40 million pounds! That is a lot of lobster, which explains the huge quantities of lobster buoys dotting the coastline. It also explains why lobstermen (and women) who are in a hurry to check all their traps refer to sea kayakers as “speed bumps.”

There are several types of blueberries native to the U.S., the most common are the high bush and low bush varieties. Maine is fortunate to have both types. 25% of all the blueberries in North America come from Maine. Blueberries have recently been called a superfood, since they have very high levels of anti-oxidants. While many blueberries are raised on farms the ones highest in anti-oxidants (and the best tasting ones) grow wild. We’ll be sure to get our daily dose while we are up here.

Did you know that Maine produces over 90% of all U.S. toothpicks? They are made from Eastern White Pine trees which are fast growing and plentiful. Although all the massive old growth trees were felled for the shipbuilding industry the Eastern White Pine is still the tallest tree in the eastern U.S. Oddly enough, the needles contain five times more vitamin C than lemons. Now if only I liked to eat pine needles…

The state has over 6,000 lakes and ponds. Moosehead Lake, at close to 75,000 acres, has the distinction of being the largest in New England but only because Lake Champlain is partly in New York, which disqualifies it. Both of the big lakes were carved by glaciers during the last ice age.

Due to its past volcanism Western Maine has the finest gem quality tourmaline in the U.S. along with deposits of aquamarine, rose quartz, smoky quartz and amethyst. I am hoping to put my rock hammer to good use when we get out that way!

In 1876 Maine was the birthplace of Moxie. Originally sold as “nerve food” Moxie’s formula was quickly changed into soda form to take advantage of the new trend. Moxie was popular, it outsold Coca-Cola until the 1920s. The soda is still made with gentian root extract and even though it is the State Drink of Maine it is difficult to find. We tasted it and found it to be not as syrupy as other colas but it has an herby, slightly bitter, medicinal finish. We were told that, like scotch, people either love it or they hate it. We actually enjoyed it. Probably the most interesting factoid about Moxie is that the name evolved into common usage in the English language. When someone is said to have moxie it means they have nerve, spirit, courage or guts. Now you know.

And last but certainly not least, is Mt. Katahdin, the tallest mountain in Maine. The 5,268 foot high mountain is the northern end of the Appalachian Trail and the southern end of the new International Appalachian Trail. When the IAT is completed it will wind north through Newfoundland and Labrador, all the way to the end of the Appalachian chain of mountains. Katahdin is a native word that means the “greatest mountain.” So some locals object to the name Mt. Katahdin since it translates as Mount Greatest Mountain. We have encountered similar problems in the Southwest with the usage of Spanish words. Tucson has the now dry Rillito River which translates as “the little river river.”

I will leave you with a bit of humor that might give you some insight into how Mainers think.

An officer saw a lobsterman walking off a dock with a large lobster in his hands. The officer ordered the man to halt and explained that the lobsterman was clearly busted since he was in possession of a lobster outside of the legal season. The lobsterman protested, “But this is my pet lobster. Everyday I take him down to the dock, put him in the water, and let him swim for a bit while I smoke a cigarette. Then I pick him up and take him home.” Suspicious, the officer asked him to prove it. So both men walked down to the end of the dock, the lobsterman gently put his lobster in the water, sat down and lit a cigarette. When he finished smoking he stood up and began to walk away. The officer called him back, “Didn’t you forget your pet lobster?” To which the lobsterman replied, “What lobster?”

Recipe: Bring Maine to your next BBQ: Simple Lobster Roll Recipe.