This summer my family has received a steady stream of visitors to Maine, so much so, I feel like I’m running a bed-and-breakfast. It started at the end of May, when my eldest daughter, the nanny, and the two children for whom she cares, arrived from Oklahoma. In preparation for their visit, I instructed my husband to thoroughly clean his “cave” in the basement, and assemble the crib we had stored in the attic. I stocked the refrigerator with organic whole milk, Appleton Creamery’s sheep’s milk yogurt, and plenty of fresh fruit.

Several days later, my in-laws from Florida checked into the upstairs guest room. A Friday trip to Belfast to visit the farmers market and Belfast Co-op yielded Maine-grown hydroponic tomatoes, bags of salad mix, new potatoes, basil tops, shiitake mushrooms and goat cheeses. After Saturday’s visit to both the Orono and Bangor markets, I added to the refrigerator fresh strawberries, breakfast sausages, eggs from free-range chickens, and more goat cheeses. By that evening, more than 20 cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles, were placed at various motels or at my sister’s home in Troy to join us in celebrating our middle daughter’s graduation from Bangor High School.

Knowing that the entire weekend was going to be devoted to feeding large groups of people, I planned a simple, casual brunch for late Sunday morning.

The menu was hearty: two varieties of quiche, platters of sausages, home fries, spring garden salad and pecan sticky buns. Execution was easy, as it utilized ingredients that I had prepared in advance, or savory items made by others.

Boiled new potatoes were on the menu for Friday night’s supper, so I cooked plenty extra and used them to prepare the Maine-style home fries. Having onions and peppers pre-chopped and stored in plastic bags made the saut?ing even easier. We served grilled vegetables on Saturday night, and I made sure there were extra veggies to make Grilled Vegetable and Goat Cheese Quiche. In Tomato and Basil Quiche, cheddar cheese highlights the sweetness of ripe tomatoes, while the chopped fresh basil provides the finish. I like to use local eggs from free-range chickens.

The yolks are bright orange instead of an anemic pale yellow. The flavor of fresh eggs is much better, too. Both quiches have no crust, so you just mix and bake.

Later in the season, Spring Garden Salad becomes Summer Garden Salad. Preparation consists of emptying bags of local salad mix into a bowl, adding cut-up fruit like fresh strawberries, peaches or blueberries, and crumbling up the goat cheese variety of your choice. Haight Farm in Blue Hill, Freedom Farm in Auburn, Peacemeal Farm in Dixmont and Fisher Farm in Winterport all make a delightful salad mix. I love how the spicy flavor of the baby lettuces mellows with the fruit and cheese. Sometimes I splurge and add toasted nuts like pecans or almonds.

Where would I be without friends? Cornerstone Farm in Palmyra makes a delicious maple pork sausage, and Meadowsweet Farm in Swanville, Maine-ly Poultry in Warren, Sunset Acres Farm in Brooksville, and Vine and Branch Farm in Bangor all produce hand-crafted breakfast sausages in either pork, beef or chicken. Buck’s Harbor Market bakes pecan sticky buns that are to die for: enormous, sticky, crispy mounds of perfectly cooked yeast dough topped with pecans. When I’m too rushed to bake, cinnamon rolls from Bread Box Bakery in East Orland, scones from English Meg’s Scones and Sundries in Orono, or croissants from Ingrid at the European Farmers market round out my brunch.

I survived graduation, cleaned the house and changed all the beds just in time to welcome the next round of guests. My cousin Cindy, the artist, and her husband, the producer, live in Los Angeles. Cindy’s work was featured at a New York gallery in July. As Cindy doesn’t fly, she decided to make this trip an adventure, and traveled first to Maine to visit her East Coast cousins. Her perfectly planned itinerary around train and bus schedules unfortunately did not allow much time for socializing.

After a whirlwind tour of Greenville with cousin Loren, who handed her over to me in Newport, I drove Cindy through the scenic, rural hills of Dixmont on our way up to Bangor. We had a terrific albeit brief visit, and early the next morning I loaded her on a Greyhound bus with Ziploc bags of Morning Glory Muffins. These magnificent treats are packed with fiber and vitamins, making them the perfect breakfast on the run. I dashed back to the house, enjoyed a muffin and turned over her room to ready for the next arrivals.

My husband’s childhood friend Mitch, his wife and their two daughters reside in sunny Southern California. The day they checked in was a perfect Maine summer day: bright bluebird sky, light breeze, 80 degrees with low humidity. The tides were ideal for a boat cruise from Crockett’s Cove in Stonington to Isle au Haut. We saw seals, osprey, schooners, and plenty of lobstermen hauling traps. Breakfast was Sour Cream Coffee Cake, fresh blueberries and Sunset Acres Farm cranberry-orange goat cheese on deck against the backdrop of the Camden Hills. The recipe for Sour Cream Coffee Cake was adapted from one in the Culinary Institute of America Breakfasts and Brunches new cookbook. I like to vary it by adding fresh fruit of the season and often substitute local yogurt for the sour cream.

Our last guests were my husband’s parents on their annual visit to Maine. They divided their time between Stonington and Boothbay Harbor, joining us in Bangor last weekend before flying back to Sarasota, Fla. My mother-in-law loves fruit, and this is the wonderful, short time of the year when the raspberry and wild blueberry seasons overlap. Berries, in particular wild blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, are very healthful as they are high in antioxidants and phytochemicals. We enjoyed Wild Blueberry and Raspberry Cobbler with fresh yogurt both for breakfast and as dessert for lunch!

I suppose, having a houseful of guests is all part of summer here in Maine. Fortunately, I have developed some easy standby menus and recipes to feast upon that use the bounty that our local farmers and artisans produce. I encourage you to visit your local farmers market and see and taste what’s in season.

My next wave of company thankfully won’t be until fall and the start of the foliage season. That should give me plenty of time to line-dry the sheets and air out the rooms. By then, local plums and apples will be ripe, pumpkins turning orange, bushels of tomatoes ripening on the vine … so many more possibilities for eating. My secret to delectable food has always been a little planning and a lot of help from my friends.

Cheryl Wixson is a Bangor-based chef and cooking educator. She can be reached at 947-0892 and starchef99@aol.com.

Morning Glory Muffins

Makes 12 generous-sized muffins

1 1/2 cup hard red spring wheat flour *

1 1/2 cup soft white wheat flour *

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or other nuts

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup raisins

3 eggs

1 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 pound grated carrots (about 2 to 3 carrots)

1/2 pound grated apples (about 2 apples)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin. In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, walnuts, raisins, and coconut. Stir to mix thoroughly. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and vanilla. Add the grated carrots and apples to the dry ingredients. Stir in the egg and oil mixture, mixing well. The batter will be quite thick. Spoon into the muffin tin, which will be very full. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the muffin, about 30- 35 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool 5 minutes in the tin, then remove and let cool on a rack. These muffins freeze extremely well.

*Hard red spring flour and soft white wheat flour are made by grinding the grains. They may be purchased at health food stores, or use whole wheat flour instead.

Wild Blueberry and Raspberry Cobbler

Makes 12 servings

6 cups total of a combination of frozen or fresh Maine wild blueberries and raspberries

3/4 cup sugar

4 teaspoons cornstarch

2/3 cup water

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 1/3 cup whole meal flour (or 1 cup all purpose and 1/3 cup wheat germ)

3 tablespoons sugar

Generous 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Generous 1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

4 tablespoons butter, melted

2/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large, nonreactive pot, combine the water, 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Stir to dissolve, then add the fruit. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook for a few minutes to cook the cornstarch. Taste and correct the sugar or lemon juice if necessary. Pour the mixture into a greased 9-by-13-inch glass baking pan.

In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and baking powder, sugar, and spices) Melt the butter and whisk into the buttermilk. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. The batter will be sticky. Drop by spoonfuls onto the fruit. Bake until the topping is golden, about 25 minutes. Serve topped with plain, unsweetened yogurt.

Recipe was adapted from The New Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas.

Tomato Basil Quiche

Makes 8 to 12 servings

2 ripe tomatoes, sliced very thinly

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

12 fresh eggs

1/4 cup milk or cream

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13-by-9-inch glass pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Season to taste with sea salt and fresh pepper. Spread the grated cheddar cheese on the bottom of the baking pan. Arrange the tomatoes on the top. Sprinkle with the chopped basil. Gently pour the egg mixture over the cheese and tomatoes. Bake until the eggs have set, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Cut into squares and serves.

Grilled Vegetable and Goat Cheese Quiche

Makes 8-12 servings

1 to 2 cups grilled vegetables, like onion, summer squash, mushroom and/or zucchini, chopped *

5 to 8 ounces goat cheese

12 fresh eggs

1/4 cup milk or cream

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13-by-9-inch glass pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Season to taste with sea salt and fresh pepper. Crumble the goat cheese and spread on the bottom of the baking pan. Sprinkle the vegetables on the top. Gently pour the egg mixture over the cheese and tomatoes. Bake until the eggs have set, about 20 -30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Cut into squares and serves.

*To prepare grilled vegetables, wash and cut into pieces that will easily thread on a skewer. Toss in a bowl with olive oil and chopped herbs like parsley, basil, rosemary or chives. Thread on skewers and grill over medium-high heat until tender and nicely browned.

Maine Home Fries

1 quart new potatoes (about 1 pound), scrubbed but not peeled

1 red or yellow pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

Olive oil for saut?ing

Sea salt and fresh pepper

Cook the potatoes in pot just covered with water on top of the stove until they are just fork-tender. Drain and refrigerate until ready to prepare the home fries. Slice the potatoes just before cooking.

Heat a large fry pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat until it just starts to smoke. Add the chopped onion and peppers and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions start to soften. Add the potatoes to the onions, adding a bit more olive oil to keep from sticking. Cook the potatoes until brown on one side, then using a metal spatula, turn the potatoes and cook until brown and crispy on the other side. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Streusel topping:

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Sour cream batter:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 eggs

3/4 cup sour cream or yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup unsalted room temperature butter

3/4 cup white sugar

1 cup fresh fruit (wild blueberries or pitted and chopped cherries)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10-by-8-inch glass baking pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together the light brown sugar, toasted walnuts and ground cinnamon. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream together the room temperature butter and white sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream to the butter mixture. Beat in the vanilla. Gently fold the fruit into the cake batter.

Spoon the cake batter into the baking pan. Sprinkle the streusel mixture evenly over the top. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 45 to 55 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing it. Let finish cooling on a wire rack. Cut into slices and serve.

This cake may also be baked in a Bundt pan, just increase the cooking time accordingly. It keeps extremely well and may be frozen.

Marketplace suggestions

Orono Farmers Market

Steam Plant parking lot, College Avenue

Tuesday, 2 to 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Belfast Farmers Market

Downtown Belfast

Friday, 9 a.m. to noon.

Stonington Farmers Market

Congregational church parking lot

Friday, 10 a.m. to noon.

Blue Hill Farmers Market

Blue Hill Fairgrounds

Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon.

Bangor European Farmer’s Market

Buck Street across from Bangor Auditorium

Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Ellsworth Farmers Market

Main Street, Maine Community Foundation parking lot

Monday and Thursday, 2 to 5:30 p.m.

Saturday 9:30 a.m. to noon.

Other sources for local cheeses, meats and produce

. Natural Living Center, 209 Longview Drive off Stillwater Avenue

. Blue Hill Co-op, Green Hill Place

. Belfast Co-op, 123 High Street

. For a complete listing of farmers markets, visit: www.getrealgetmaine.com.

. For organic farms and farm stands and community-supported agriculture visit: www.MOFGA.org.