Farm-to-Table Spotlight: SideHill Farm Apples and Maine Potatoes

3.31.2017

Fishermen and farmers are vitally important to what we do here at Weathervane Seafood Restaurants. We depend on our strong relationships with local fishermen to help feed our hungry guests those heaping plates of fresh lobster and clams; shrimp, haddock and scallops. We also depend on our partnerships with area farms and farmers to supply us with many of the other fresh, locally sourced ingredients that make our meals so memorable.

One great example is SideHill Farm. You’ll understand why this family-run enterprise (est. 1976) in Brattleboro, Vt., is one of our favorite New England farms the moment you taste our Grilled Maple Salmon. The secret ingredient in that popular dish is SideHill Farm’s special Maple Apple Drizzle, which they describe as a “heavenly fruit topping” hand-stirred from fresh-picked Macintosh apples, pure Vermont maple syrup and spices. Our friends at SideHill also craft small batches of apple sauce that everyone should try. The apple sauce they create is unbelievably delicious and we are proud to offer this as a side dish.

We also partner with the good people at Valley View Orchard Pies (est. 1975), a family-owned bakery in the foothills of Hebron, Maine. They bake the Wild Blueberry Cobbler that so many of our guests have chosen as their favorite Weathervane dessert. Made with fresh wild Maine blueberries and served warm with vanilla ice cream – dessert the way it should be.

Farm to table

At Weathervane, our roots are in Maine (Ray and Bea Gagner started the family business in Kittery back in 1969). That’s why we are especially proud to partner with Maine farms and farmers to serve pounds and pounds of potatoes pulled from the ground in Aroostook County — the heart of Maine potato country.

How many pounds? Well, as you can imagine, when you serve as many seafood dinners, fish ‘n’ chips and chowders as we do, the potato count really begins to add up. The answer: When you tally up all the French fries, baked, mashed and roasted spuds, we plate an estimated 385,000 pounds of Maine-produced potatoes each year.

The Maine Department of Agriculture, which does its part to promote state farmers with its Get Real. Get Maine! initiative, estimates that the industry has a $1.2 billion impact on the Maine economy. From the producer to the consumer, locally sourced produce and farm-to-table freshness is win-win for everyone.

Here are just a few of the countless entrees from our menu that are that much better served with a steaming baked potato or a mound of golden brown fries.

  • Fried Native Shrimp
  • Twin Lobster Dinner
  • Broiled or Fried Sea Scallops
  • Fried Haddock Sandwich
  • Classic Maine Lobster Roll
  • New York Strip Steak Dinner
  • Grilled Maple Salmon
  • Lobster Pie
  • The Admiral’s Platter

At Weathervane Seafood Restaurants, we take great pride in our commitment to the local community and our dedication to locally sourced food. It’s nice to know that the next time you stop by one of our restaurants in Maine or New Hampshire that you will not only have an amazing meal, you’ll also be helping our region’s farmers and fishermen.

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