Berry treats

This blueberry season, adventurous cooks can go beyond muffins with “The Joy of Blueberries: Nature’s Little Blue Powerhouse,” a new cookbook by Theresa Millang. It features such recipes as Blueberry Raspberry Swirl Soup, Blueberry Lemonade or Creamy Blueberry Pizza. The book costs $12.95 is available at local bookstores or by mail (plus $2 for shipping) by calling Adventure Publications at (800) 678-7006.

Lobster-licious

Eight chefs will come out of their shells for this year’s Great Taste of Maine Lobster Governor’s Tasting and Culinary Competition, which will take place in October at the Blaine House in Augusta. A panel of judges for the Maine Lobster Promotion Council have selected John Arsenault of the Down East Village Restaurant in Yarmouth, Charles Butler of the Waterfront Restaurant in Camden, William Clifford of The Daily Catch in Boothbay Harbor, Danie Connolly of Absolutely Perfect! in Kennebunk, Frederic Link of the Rose Garden Restaurant in Bar Harbor, Nancy Robinson Watson of The Manor Inn in Castine, Keiko Takahashi of Oh! Bento in Rockland, and Lisa Wood of Sisters Restaurant in Little Deer Isle. The chefs will prepare original dishes for this year’s theme, “Use Your Noodle!”

Farm Fresh

As if the vegetables at the farmers market weren’t enough inspiration to cook, chef Michel Salmon of the Hartstone Inn and writer Nancy Harmon Jenkins will be on hand at the Camden Farmers Market this Saturday to sign their new cookbooks. Harmon Jenkins, a Camden resident and former New York Times staffer, recently released “The Essential Mediterranean,” which draws from her extensive knowledge of the region and its cuisine. Salmon stays closer to home with “Hartstone Inn – Signature Recipes from an Elegant Maine Inn.” The signing starts at 9:30 a.m. at the market, located on Colcord Avenue between Union and Limerock streets.

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