May is finally here and we hope those April snows are long gone. It was a little depressing to see the early flowers poking out of three inches of snow. We have painted the front of the store and put out our new flower boxes. We hope you will stop by to see them. Again we thank our member Deb Georgitis for keeping us blooming.
We hope some of you had a chance to visit the store during our April Art Fling. We had a lot of fun at the reception with beverages, snacks and a chance for people to meet the artists. Several people ventured in who had not been to our store before. Hopefully we have made a few new friends. A special thanks to member Matty York who put the whole thing together. Most of the work that was featured is still in the store, but is now mixed with the work of our other artisans.
Speaking of art, we hope many of you are planning to attend the downtown Saco Art Festival on June 26. This is always a busy day at the store and we will be offering samples of our Maine food products. With all the sidewalks filled with artists and art lovers it should be an exciting time. See you there!
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WHAT'S FOR BREAKFAST
IN MAINE?
Now that the days are long and everyone is anxious to get out and do things, we all need a great breakfast to get us going. We have several breakfast ideas in the store that are truly Maine specialties.
The classic Maine breakfast is blueberry pancakes made with wild Maine blueberries. We offer a mix from Bar Harbor Jams that is delicious. Instead of the dried blueberries that most packages have, Bar Harbor puts in a can of wild berries packed in their own blueberry juice. You drain the can to add the berries to the mix -- don't throw away that blueberry juice! It is delicious on the pancakes, on top of ice cream, or mixed with many things. You also can top these pancakes with our blueberry syrup, we have both regular and low sugar or with the traditional Maine maple syrup which is available in several sizes.
If you don't feel like fixing pancakes, we have a blueberry muffin mix from Bar Harbor Jams that also contains that can of juicy blueberries. These can be topped off with any of our jams.
Our private label jam has been popular and is available in a great selection of flavors. We also have Stone Wall Kitchens in several flavors and Out-on-a-Limb low and no-sugar blueberry jams. Check our website for details. These should get you off to a good start and really impress any visitors from away.
The Bar Harbor Breakfast Burrito
Want to make a special treat for breakfast? Try this fun recipe combination:
1 package Bar Harbor Jam Company's Maine Morning Wild Blueberry Pancake Mix 1 dozen eggs 1 package breakfast sausage or chorizo
Mix pancake batter as directed on package and let stand. Cook package of sausage and drain. Preheat skillet for pancakes. Scramble eggs and add sausage; mixing thoroughly - let stand. Ladle pancake batter on heated skillet to form 8 - 10 inch pancakes. Sprinkle blueberries from mix package on pancakes before flipping. When bubbles pop on pancakes flip over and cook until golden brown. Roll egg and sausage into pancakes like a tortilla and serve with maple or Wild Blueberry syrup. Makes 6 burritos.
For more recipes visit the Bar Harbor Jam Company website.
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How to Care for Synthetic Fabrics
Last month we printed an article on the various types of fabrics used for crafts and for clothing. This month our focus is on caring for some of the symthetic fabrics
The first step in keeping your clothes (or other items made of fabric) in good condition is to know what each item is made of and the best way to care for it. Most garments manufactured and sold in the United States have permanently attached care labels. When it comes to synthetic fabrics, these labels can be of enormous help in determining exactly how you should remove stains and clean an item. (All the gowns pictured at right are made from synthetic fabrics.)
Certain information is not included on care labels, though. An article that will help in these situations, with tips and guidelines for cleaning all kinds of synthetic fabrics -- from acrylic to polyester may be found on the website shown at the end of this article. It discusses special care for the following fabrics: Acetate, Acrylic, Fiberglass, Modacrylic, Nylon, Polyester, Rayon, and Spandex. Below is a sample of the suggested care for one of these fabrics:
Acetate
Acetate is made from cellulose and has a silklike appearance. It is closely related to rayon and has good body and drapes well. Taffeta, satin, crepe, brocade, and double knits often contain acetate. It is not very absorbent or colorfast and loses its strength when it is wet.
If the care label specifies that the article is washable, hand-wash it carefully in warm water, using a light-duty detergent.
Do not soak colored items or wash them with white articles.
Line-dry acetate away from heat or direct sunlight.
Press acetate at the coolest setting, on the wrong side, while the article is damp.
Nail polish remover and perfumes will permanently damage acetate.
Supercook is a new recipe search engine that finds recipes you can make with only the ingredients you have at home. You enter what you have on hand and get suggestions for what to make with it. This can save you from making an unnecessary trip to the store and use up what you have on-hand before it goes bad.
To begin, simply start adding ingredients you have in a green box on thetop leftof the website. The more ingredients you add, the better the results will be. Check this out at their website!
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HOW MUCH WATER SHOULD YOU DRINK EVERY DAY?
An answer from the Mayo Clinic:
How much water should you drink each day? It's a simple question with no easy answers. Studies have produced varying recommendations over the years, but in truth, your water needs depend on many factors, including your health, how active you are and where you live. To find out more. click here.
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Contact Information
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Stone Soup Artisans, 228 Main Street, Saco, ME 04072 ~~ 207-283-4715
during our April Art Fling. We had a lot of fun at the reception with beverages, snacks and a chance for people to meet the artists. Several people ventured in who had not been to our store before. Hopefully we have made a few new friends. A special thanks to member Matty York who put the whole thing together. Most of the work that was featured is still in the store, but is now mixed with the work of our other artisans.
can of wild berries packed in their own blueberry juice. You drain the can to add the berries to the mix -- don't throw away that blueberry juice! It is delicious on the pancakes, on top of ice cream, or mixed with many things. You also can top these pancakes with our blueberry syrup, we have both regular and low sugar or with the traditional Maine maple syrup which is available in several sizes. 
care for it. Most garments manufactured and sold in the United States have permanently attached care labels. When it comes to synthetic fabrics, these labels can be of enormous help in determining exactly how you should remove stains and clean an item. (All the gowns pictured at right are made from synthetic fabrics.)
you have at home. You enter what you have on hand and get suggestions for what to make with it. This can save you from making an unnecessary trip to the store and use up what you have on-hand before it goes bad.
question with no easy answers. Studies have produced varying recommendations over the years, but in truth, your water needs depend on many factors, including your health, how active you are and where you live. To find out more. 
