Memorial Day weekend heralds the beginning of summer here in Maine. For many families, it is a time to remember our roots. Baskets of flowers are taken to the cemeteries, parades commemorate our veterans and the streets are decorated with striped banners and flags. Camps are opened up for the season, docks put in the lake, and the canoe is taken out for a little fishing. Whatever Memorial Day tradition your family enjoys, they are sure to work up a good appetite. For me, the easiest way to feed a crowd is to fire up the grill and cook a few burgers.

Americans have had a love affair with the burger since its first appearance in 1904 at the St. Louis Louisiana Purchase Exposition. We slather it with barbecue sauce, mix it with vegetables and herbs and top it with cheese. My husband’s secret method of preparation is to mix the meat with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce before forming the patties.

The classic meat used for preparing hamburgers is ground beef, but any ground meat will work: turkey, chicken, venison or moose. This year my freezer contains plenty of both ground beef from the cow I purchased last fall from Meadowsweet Farm in Swanville and ground venison, which my husband contributed.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to try local, grass-fed beef, you are in for a treat. Unlike beef that is raised on a diet primarily of grain, grass-fed beef is lower in fat and much more flavorful. Several farms in the area sell this meat which can be purchased at either the Orono or European Farmers markets. For those folks who prefer white meat, I also enjoy preparing burgers with ground turkey. And if you are fortunate enough to have someone give you moose meat, lucky you!

Besides superior taste, another advantage in purchasing or shooting local meat is the option of enjoying your burgers cooked rare. Unlike steak, where bacteria is present on the outside of the meat only, hamburger may have bacteria throughout because of the grinding process. Food safety experts recommend cooking hamburger to medium-well (160 degrees) to kill this bacteria and minimize the risk of food poisoning. Local meat has far less opportunity for the introduction of bacteria and has consumed less fuel to get to you. There is a certain comfort in knowing the farmer that grew your meat.

When we gather at my brother’s camp on Lake Pennessewassee in Norway this weekend, we will be enjoying three different variations of burgers. Ole Burgers are a luxurious combination of flavors. The ground meat is mixed with Stonewall Kitchen’s Maple Chipotle Grilling Sauce, chopped chilies and goat cheese. The chilies and goat cheese highlight the smoky flavor of the sauce.

Just like their name says, I have found the Hannaford supermarket Inspirations line of products, in particular their grilling sauces, to be a real inspiration. In Sweet Pepper Burgers, I mix chopped sweet bell peppers with Hannaford’s Red Apple Grilling Sauce and Cheddar cheese. This burger is especially good when prepared with ground turkey.

My family has always loved the sharp contrast of flavors from the combination of scallions and blue cheese. In preparing Straight Shootin’ Burgers, I add these and our favorite barbecue sauce to venison.

The burger recipes use one pound of ground meat, and each yields four extra-large or five bun-sized burgers. All of these burger combinations may be prepared in advance and frozen. I freeze my burgers individually on a sheet pan, then store them in a plastic bag separated by waxed paper. They defrost easily for a quick lunch, or transport well to the picnic sight.

No Memorial Day cookout is complete without salads. A favorite of mine is Red Potato and Egg, the potato salad that I made for years at Gourmet to Go in Bangor. Everyone loves it. The salad keeps for several days in the refrigerator, travels easily to camp, and can be made in large quantities. A woman at my church once asked me for an adaptation with less fat, so I replaced a portion of the mayonnaise with plain, no-fat yogurt. No one seems to notice I have tweaked the recipe as the flavor is still delicious.

Wilted Red Cabbage and Bell Pepper Slaw is a snap to prepare using a food processor. This salad will also keep for several days in the refrigerator, and is easy to pack in the picnic hamper. By using red or purple cabbage, the nutritional bonus is twice the Vitamin C and cancer-fighting phytochemicals of green cabbage.

Summers are sweet and short here in Maine, and my entertaining style is always much more relaxed. This Memorial Day, armed with a grill, a few good burgers and some salads, I’m ready for the crowd.

Ole Burgers

1 pound ground beef (or turkey, venison, meat of your choice)

1 chopped garlic clove

2 large canned chilies, chopped (about 1/3 cup)

1/2 cup goat cheese or farmer’s cheese (3 ounces), crumbled

1/4 cup Stonewall Kitchen Maple Chipotle Grill Sauce

In a mixing bowl, combine the ingredients with the ground meat, mixing well with your hands. Shape into four or five burgers. Season the burgers with sea salt and fresh pepper. Cook on the grill.

Straight Shootin’ Burgers

1 pound ground venison (or other ground meat)

1/2 cup chopped scallions

2 ounces (1/2 cup) blue cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup Bull’s Eye BBQ Sauce, Sweet Home-style Blend or barbecue sauce of your choice

In a mixing bowl, combine the chopped scallions, crumbled blue cheese and barbecue sauce with the venison. Shape into four or five patties. Season the patties with sea salt and fresh pepper. Cook over a hot grill.

Sweet Pepper Burgers

1 pound ground meat (turkey, chicken, beef, or venison)

1/2 of a sweet red, orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped, about 1/2 cup

3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated cheddar cheese

1/4 cup Hannaford Red Apple Grilling Sauce

In a mixing bowl, combine the peppers, meat, Cheddar and barbecue sauce. Shape into four or five patties. Season with sea salt and fresh pepper. Cook over a hot grill.

Red Potato and Egg Salad

Makes six servings

1 1/2 pound red potatoes, skins left on

3 eggs

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon no-fat plain yogurt

3 tablespoons grainy mustard (such as French Pommery)

Sea salt and fresh pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives to garnish (optional)

Scrub the potatoes and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Cook the potatoes until just fork tender, drain them and set aside in a mixing bowl. Meanwhile, boil the eggs until hard cooked. Peel the eggs, cut them into small pieces and add them to the potatoes. Season the hot potatoes to taste with sea salt and fresh pepper. Add the mayonnaise, fat-free yogurt and grainy mustard, stirring gently. Stir in the chopped chives. Serve on a lettuce-lined platter, garnished with chopped fresh chives.

Wilted Red Cabbage and Bell Pepper Slaw

Makes 8 servings

Recipe adapted from Best of Gourmet.

1/2 cups distilled white vinegar

1/2 cups water

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoons mustard seed

1/2 head shredded red cabbage (about 3 cups)

2 red, yellow and/or orange bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch dice

In a saucepan bring vinegar and water to a boil with sugar, salt and mustard. Simmer, stirring, for about 3 minutes.

In a heavy skillet, heat the oil until hot then add the mustard seeds and saut? until they start to pop. Stir in the cabbage and saut? for a minute, then stir in the bell peppers and saut? for a minute. Add the vinegar mixture and cook. Drain the vegetables, reserving the liquid. Boil the liquid until it is reduced by one half, then mix with the vegetables. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

Recipe adapted from Best of Gourmet.

Some local sources for ground meat and goat cheese:

Maine-ly Poultry

Ground turkey

Warren

273-2809

jbarstein@aol.com

Sold at: Orono Farmers Market

Meadowsweet Farm

Ground beef and lamb

105 Stevens Road

Swanville

338-1265

meadowsweet@prexar.com

Sold at: Orono Farmers Market

Cornorstone Farm

Ground beef

74 Dogtown Road

Palmyra

487-5945

cornerstonefarmpal@yahoo.com

Sold at: Orono Farmers Market

Vine and Branch Farm

Ground beef

2123 Union Street

Bangor

945-6651

Orono Farmers Market

Sunset Acres Farm

Ground beef and goat cheese

769 Bagaduce Road

Brooksville

326-4741

sunsetacres@prexar.com

Sold at: European Farmers Market in Bangor

Appleton Creamery

Goat cheese

780 Gurney Town Road

Appleton

785-4431

info@appletoncreamery.com

Sold at: Orono Farmers Market

Seal Cove Farm

202 Partridge Cove Rd.

Lamoine

667-7127

sales@mainegoatcheese.com