Zea Salt has hit the stores!
Biting winds, icy air, uncovered hands aching with cold– it seems impossible that is just as much a part of our lives here in Otter Creek as warm days with a gentle rain, the occasional scorching August afternoon, and sparkling sun on a calm sea. But those bitter days are when we are collecting sea water to make our own local sea salt. First we filter it, then heat it over a wood stove and let it slowly, without boiling, evaporate. Packaging is fun, too, bold red and black graphics almost as bold as the salt itself. 1.5 oz glass hexangonal jars are a perfect small gift size. We make up baskets of Maine items for guests, and Zea Salt is always a hit. (Along with Otter Creek Red, our maple syrup from red maple sap). My family members like to send the empty containers back with a request for refills. The 5.5 oz. containers are fun, too, big round labels, and flat plastic container that could simply be plated and set right on the table.
I don’t really want to think about the winter winds, but do want to be ready to go when salting time is here. We are looking for a source for industrial strength stove top glass pans, about 24″ x 12″ and 8″ deep.
But, about the salt!
The Salt
Zea Salt is not for the faint-hearted. Straight salt, Zea Salt is intense. It has no smoke, no flavoring, no additives. It is as full of character as the wild Atlantic Ocean.
Robust, Zea Salt brightens grilled vegetables, adds bite to sliced sun ripe tomatoes and enhances meat and game when sprinkled just before serving. An excellent finishing salt with a flavor that says “Maine.”
Hand-collected, dried in small batches over a wood fire in Otter Creek, Mount Desert Island, Maine.
And who are the salt sellers?
Zea Salt is available exclusively at Our New England on Main Street in Bar Harbor, and the Otter Creek Market, Otter Creek.