12 Wild Days of Blues – Day 10

The holiday season means putting good health and nutrition on hold until January. But when you have delicious confections like those from Cranberry Island Kitchen, having a treat or two isn’t naughty. It’s very nice!

Cranberry Island Kitchen, located on Danforth Street in Portland, offers homemade gourmet baked goods with real, wholesome ingredients, including homemade butter, local eggs, and organic vanilla and spices. And, they are all wonderfully inspired by the sea.

For gifting, a stylish blue tin filled with scallop or clam shell-shaped homemade whoopee pies is a pure delight. Personalize yours by choosing your own filling – choices range from champagne to rich chocolate. Even their enchanting lobster shortbread sport a fashionable wreath during the holidays! A most satisfying catch.

Gourmet Blueberry Whoopie Pies.
Photo courtesy of Cranberry Island Kitchen.

Day 10: Gourmet Blueberry Whoopie Pies

Such exquisite Maine-inspired confections brings us to Day 10: Cranberry Island Kitchen Gourmet Blueberry Whoopie Pies.Yes, those are fresh Maine blueberries baked into the scallop-shaped butter cake and filled with a classic whoopie pie filling. Give them by the dozen – they are destined to be a Maine classic.

12 Wild Days of Blues – Day 11

Maine’s wealth of balsam combined with deeply-rooted family wreath-making businesses make the state a national treasure during the season. It’s no wonder the “Wreaths Across America” program, which for the past 20 years has sponsored a nationwide effort to place fresh evergreen wreaths at the graves of fallen U.S. servicemen and women, was begun here in Harrington, Maine 20 years ago.

In December, northern Maine bustles with the business of wreaths. One well-known Maine wreath business, Whitney Wreaths, offers Spirit of Blue wreaths – not in homage to the berry, but to honor Maine servicemen, known as the men and women in blue.  A portion of the proceeds goes to Spirit of Blue.

The Wild Maine Blueberry Gift Pack wreath
from Down on the Farm showcases decorative wild
blueberries and comes with Wild  Maine Blueberry Truffles.

Day 11: Wild Maine Blueberry Wreath

It’s clear that when you buy a fresh evergreen wreath, you are celebrating Maine. So why not add a touch of the state’s famous fruit? No reason, says wreath businesses like Sprague Nursery  in Bangor, and Wreaths of Maine in Waldoboro. But it was this wreath from Danforth, Maine’s Down on the Farm that provides our Day 11 pick: the Wild Maine Blueberry Gift Pack wreath. This handcrafted balsam fir wreath includes a choice of either Wild Maine Blueberry Truffles or a Wild Maine Blueberry assortment created by Savour Chocolatier to transform it into a unique gift package. A perfectly sweet way to add a little blue to your holiday.