12 Wild Days of Pure Blue – Day 9

What is a culinary walking tour? Nothing less than an adventure in the state’s foodiest city. The holiday season is a perfect way to explore Portland’s Old Port, a place known for its food artisans and Maine inspired-culinary delights. Whether you live in Portland, are taking a shopping trip there, or have friends and family in the area who want to explore the city where local food reigns, it’s a unique opportunity to learn more about a seaside town’s history and discover the chefs, brewers, and bakers that make it famous for eating.

Day 9: Old Port Culinary Walking Tour

December is an ideal time to uncover the food secrets lurking in the shops and fish houses of Portland. It’s decked out for Christmas, and tour spots tend to have a holiday slant to their offerings. Tours are planned through December 23, and resume on the 27, where they go through the new year.

Culinary tours can be made by trolley or by foot, but December tends to focus on foot tours. The sweet-toothed can even center their attention solely on chocolate – tours include the town of Freeport as a food tour hot spot for chocolate as well.

Are there samples?  Absolutely. A culinary tour would not be the same without them. Wild blueberries make an essential appearance here – wild blueberry preserves served with a scone is a featured sampling, along with local cheeses, lobster, chocolate make with Maine potatoes, and Maine-crafted ales. That’s why an Old Port Culinary Walking Tour fits the bill for our palate-pleasing Day 9 pick for the 12 Wild Days Countdown. So put on your walking shoes and have a foodie holiday!

Don’t live in Maine? There are food tasting and cultural walking tours all around the country. Find one in your city or a city you are visiting for the holidays, and get a taste of the local offerings.

Comforted by Cobbler

When a delicious comfort food comes together with an ingredient that is a powerhouse of nutrition and disease prevention, well, it’s food nirvana.

Chef Jeff Buerhaus from (Maine’s own) Walter’s in Portland points to Blueberry Cobbler as one of those foods that are in the heavenly pocket. He joined radio host and culinary maven Chef Jamie Gwen recently on her radio show “Food & Wine with Chef Jamie Gwen” and disclosed that it was his all-time favorite comfort food. He makes it with dried Maine wild blueberries that are rehydrated to bring them back to their original taste, texture and nutrition (though frozen can be used, too). Buerhaus’ love for blueberries doesn’t stop there: he also puts Duck Breast with Blueberry Demiglaze on his list of favorites that feature the region’s most nutritiously delicious fruit.

Buerhaus also shares dishes that fit in perfectly at game time when the importance of noshing rivals that of touchdowns – it’s football season, after all, and if there is no jalapeño in your food then you just aren’t a sports fan. He has a uniquely tasty take on Asian-influenced foods, and he talks about how to bring that flair into half-time by making recipes such as Tuna Tataki Nachos ad Cracklin’ Calamari.

A Taste of Maine

Cheers to Chef Buerhaus for always making good use of blueberries at Walter’s, a destination if you find yourself in Portland Maine. He and an all-star lineup of chefs will be at Harvest on the Harbor in the city this weekend as well. Harvest on the Harbor is a food and wine festival that features three days of food samples, chef demos, culinary wonders and wine tastings. Many foodies will be extolling wild blueberries’ many virtues including their versatility – how could they not? – but to be honest, it will be their taste that is mostly on display and this flavor-focused culinary event.

Chow Chat

You can hear Chef Jamie Gwen’s California-based radio show online where she shares recipes and culinary wisdom. She brings restaurant news, wine 101 and interviews with the country’s leading chefs, cookbook authors and restaurateurs to her listeners with a signature gregariousness. And, her food and wine website is a fun resource for recipes and tips.

Celebrate the Cobbler!

Allrecipe claims the Very Best Cobbler.

Eating Well offers Peach Blueberry Cobbler.


WildBlueberries.com has Cobbler’s lesser-known cousin, Grunt.

They also offer a showcase of palate-pleasing blueberry-centered dishes including dessert recipes and a slew of snacks and sides that will serve discerning sports fans during pigskin season.

Go Blue!