Steinway Street: What the heck is a "fish boil"?

When I volunteered at the lighthouse earlier this summer, I was thrilled to find that my fellow keepers were an absolute blast! Even though the five of us spent all day on the beach giving tours and answering questions, we still found enough energy at the end of every day to go out for dinner. The other keepers had volunteered for the past 8 years and were experts at the local nightlife in Mears (MI)- so when they suggested that we attend a local fish boil during our stay, I happily obliged.

Now, I must admit: I don't like to eat fish. I mean, I can barely swallow a fish stick slathered in tartar sauce, so I don't know what I was thinking... plus, I had NO idea what a fish boil even was! But I enjoy trying new things, so I went along for the ride!

We arrived at Cherry Point Farm just before 6 pm.

The farm hosts three fish boils a week during the summer, and they turn the front yard into a beautiful picnic space complete with wildflower arrangements picked from the property.

Of course when I arrived I wanted to see what was going on. I decided to start with the cauldron- the fire had been built about 3 hours earlier and the water was just about to boil. (When we arrived 8 pounds of salt had already been added to the water.)

Next to the fire pit were the boiling baskets, just waiting to be filled with food!

We had been advised to show up just before 6, and I'm so glad we did. Before the boil began the proprietress of the farm spoke to the guests. First she told us how she was the fourth generation of family to run Cherry Point Farm (which I think is pretty cool). Then she talked us through the fish boil process- it was fascinating and I'll try my best to relay as much as I remember!

Once the salted water had reached a boil, the fish fillets were laid in a boiling basket and lowered into the cauldron. (And since there were about 75 guests for dinner, you can only imagine how many pieces of fish were in that basket!)

The boil master kept a close eye on the fire, ensuring that the temperature of the water remained constant. And exactly 11 minutes later, red potatoes and whole onions were added to the cauldron in the second basket.

Just about 15 minutes after that, the party really got going. The boil master tossed a BUCKET of kerosene on the fire...

And, you guessed it, the pot boiled over (hence the term "fish boil")!

The proprietress gave us the following explanation as to what a fish boil actually does:
When the fish boils in the pot, the salt (thanks to osmosis) causes the fish oils to leave the fillet and float on top of the water. By adding the kerosene to the fire, which causes the heat to rise dramatically, the water boils over the pot therefore causing the fish oil to spill out over the side. This results in a sweet, barely fishy flavor to the whitefish fillets!

After the oil had been boiled off the top of the pot, the boil master and his assistant removed the baskets of food from the cauldron...

And boy did everything smell good!

And a few minutes after those baskets had been pulled from the pot I had a plate full of food to enjoy (for your information, clockwise from bottom left: whitefish, whole onion, potato, coleslaw, herb butter, regular butter, lemon wedge, homemade garlic bread).

I was more than a little nervous to eat the fish- I didn't even know how to get it off the skin! But one of my fellow keepers showed me how...

And I actually ate it! (One of the keepers recognized it as a momentous moment and made sure to take a photo.)

And as someone who doesn't like fish, I have to admit that the dinner was pretty good! Of course the rest of the guests loved every minute- and by the time the meal was over there wasn't a single piece of fish left! But to top it all off, we also got a piece of pie... a piece of homemade, cherry pie- and the cherries were picked right off the trees about 25 feet from where we ate dinner!

It was an absolutely wonderful evening! But before we left the farm, we stopped by the Labyrinth.

The labyrinth lies to the east of the farm- the center is comprised of a cherry wood arbor made with fifty two vertical posts, each representing the weeks of the year.

Within the arbor lay 12 segments of herbs, each divided into a specific category. Some of my favorites included: biblical, beverage, insecticide, Shakespeare, etc.

At the very center of the arbor was a large pole. Based on the position of the sun the pole's shadow would fall onto one of the herb beds, indicating what time it was- it was definitely the coolest sun dial I have ever seen!