The Coal Burned Spoon Sanctuary

09/13/2026

Nice little post-rain haul! Trumpets, Ramaria, Hygrocybes, Hedgehogs, Yellow Feet, Chants, a few Gem studded Puffballs and Northern Bay. Cream of mushroom soup for a rainy post foraging suppah!

07/23/2026

This is the point This is the answer This is what it’s all about

Thank you sister pin cherry and brother waxwing for sharing your harvest

We are so truly thankful

02/19/2026

We are so happy with the beautiful custom stonework underway by J + T Masonry in our Welcome Lodge W**e Cellar!

A few years back when we were in foundation mode for this building, our fabulous concrete guy Sam Preston convinced us it might be a good idea to extend the foundation pour to the little area under the entry deck above - a "free" room if you will. Well, "The Preston Wing" is well on it's way, Sam!

01/12/2026

The (non-native) European Honey Bee gets a lot of love and press here in Maine and beyond, because hey, EVERY human loves honey!

But allow us to introduce you to a native Maine bee: the Maine Blueberry Bee (Osmia atriventris). While they don't make honey, they deserve our attention - Two wildly cool facts about the Maine Blueberry bee:

*Maine Blueberry Bees have coevolved with wild Maine Blueberries for at least the past 10K years. When wild blueberry flowers present their pollen behind anther pores, to release it a bee must buzz its flight muscles in a very specific frequency sequence to stimulate the pollen out. Due to their mutualistic co-evolution, Maine Blueberry Bees "know the song" of this specific flower and are most efficient at extracting the pollen from it! (Unlike European honeybees, who, while technically able to clunkily perform the task, are much less efficient)! If you've ever enjoyed a wild Maine blueberry, you likely have an O. atriventris to thank!

* Bonus points - They have metallic blue bodies, snazzily matching their soul food, the wild Maine blueberry!

We look forward to the Spring 2026 installation of native bee nests in and around our multiple groves of wild Maine blueblerries here at the Sanctuary.

Photos: USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab, Xerces Society

11/25/2025

From abstract vision in Karen's brain to tangible reality...Doors to the Welcome Lodge under active fabrication!

10/04/2025

The extended paddle season has us excited to give a few final touches to our retro vibe boathouse: mint painted floor, green wool carpet, couple vintage aluminum patio chairs, and a nautical rope banner of handmade flags - just because!✨☀️🛶

09/01/2025

Boathouse all set up to grab a small craft & spend a beautiful afternoon paddling on Twitchell Pond! 🛶✨️

08/08/2025

https://coalburnedspoon.com/2025/08/08/i-am-here-where-are-you/

Then Loon’s wail catches me by surprise and is so clear and so close and so stirring that my brain registers the sound as fake before it will accept it is real. For a moment I am sure that the pale young man who passed my small kayak on his shiny blue paddleboard a fewContinue reading "I am here. ...

08/06/2025

Today we anointed the Forest Oracle, a 120 year old White Pine, with her shimenawa, a special bracelet to delineate her sacred status. She offers wisdom to those who seek her counsel, and listen!

08/06/2025

Sweet Wild Cherry Treat: Vanilla ice cream drizzled with wild-foraged pin cherry syrup and topped with bee balm petals and crushed toasted black walnuts. Very special!🍒🍒🍒