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Daytripping in Maine - 2001

Farms & Gardens to Visit This Summer

Once again, MOFGA farmers and gardeners and friends are opening their sites to visitors this summer. Find out about herbs, organic dairying, market gardens and more at the places and times listed below. Because of concern about Foot & Mouth Disease, you might want to call farms that have animals before visiting to make sure they are still open. In any case, wearing boots or shoes that you have not worn on another animal-rearing farm is always a good idea. Please leave your dogs at home!

COUNTIES: Androscoggin | Franklin | Hancock | Kennebec | Knox | Lincoln | Penobscot | Somerset | Waldo

Summary of Dates:

ANDROSOGGIN COUNTY

GREGG AND GLORIA VARNEY'S NEZINSCOT FARM is a diversified organic dairy, specializing in organic goat and cow cheeses, meats, bottled milk, breads and vegetables. All products are sold through the on-site farm store. The cafe and tea house are open daily for family settings for lunch, brunch and snacks. Baby animals can be seen from May through October. Date: Open daily from 6 to 6 on weekdays and 8 to 5 on weekends. Open House on July 22 in conjunction with Open Farm Day. Garlic Festival Aug. 25.

Directions: From Route 4 take Route 117 north for 1 mile. The house and store are on the left. From Augusta, take 133 in Winthrop to 219 to 117 in N. Turner. Go 6 to 8 miles to the top of the hill.

Address: 284 Turner Center Rd., Turner ME 04282; Tel. 225-3231.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

KHADIGHAR IN INDUSTRY, MAINE, is a unique example of veganic farming-maintaining soil fertility sustainably without animal manures. The focus held by Molly Thorkildsen and Will Bonsall is on self-sufficiency, with a wide range of vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes being grown. Special features include extensive terraces, solar-powered irrigation, intensive (not raised) beds, and the use of ramial chips (chipped branches of deciduous trees).

Dates: Sunday, July 29, 2:00 p.m., rain or shine: General Farm Tour-Visitors' interests usually draw this tour out to 2 ½ to 3 hours, so plan accordingly. Sunday, August 5, 2:00 p.m., rain or shine: Scatterseed Project-Tour of seed propagation plots and screen house, including discussion of pollination control strategies.

Hundreds of varieties of many crops are grown. The discussion includes exploring plant genetic diversity in order to identify varieties that are suited to specific local conditions and uses. Directions: From Farmington, follow Route 43 east to Allens Mills (about 4 miles). Continue on Route 43 for another 1 ½ miles, past Junction 148. Continue on Route 43 another 1000 feet to the first road on the right. Follow signs.

Address: Khadighar, Box 1167, Farmington (Industry), ME 04938. Tel. 778-3387.

HANCOCK COUNTY

BEECH HILL FARM is now owned by College of the Atlantic and managed by Lucian and Maggie Smith. They raise 6 acres of organic crops, Scotch Highland beef cows, pigs, heirloom apple orchards, and greenhouse crops.

Date: Farm tours are Tuesdays at noon. The farm stand is open from 8 to 5 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Directions: Take Route 3 onto Mount Desert Island. Take a right onto Route 102 to Somesville. Follow signs for Beech Mt. (right, then left). The farm is 1 ½ miles on the right on Beech Hill Road.

Address: Box 171, Beech Hill Rd., Mount Desert 04660.

THE GOOD LIFE CENTER, FOREST FARM, IN HARBORSIDE, is the last homestead of Scott and Helen Nearing. It is now maintained by resident stewards and features the Nearings' hand-built stone home and thriving organic gardens. It is located on Penobscot Bay with a view of the Camden Hills and is open year-round, with afternoon tours given by the stewards.

Dates: JULY AND AUGUST: Open 6 days a week, 1-5 p.m. Closed Wednesday. SEPTEMBER THRU JUNE: Open 5 days a week, 1-5 p.m. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. In addition, Monday Night Meetings are held, usually at 7 p.m., from June through mid-September. These cover a range of topics, from organic gardening to economic justice.

This year's schedule:

All meetings begin at 7:00 p.m.

  • June 11 Tom and Robin Schmidt, Self-sufficient organic gardeners, simple living advocates
    The Spiritual Aspects of the Good Life
  • June 18 Baron Wormser, Maine poet laureat
    Place & Poetry
  • June 25 Jay Espy, President, Maine Coast Heritage Trust
    A Sense of Place: Land Conservation Along Maine's Coast
  • July 2 Richard Grossman, Co-Founder, Program on Corporations, Law & Democracy
    Getting Money Out of Politics and Revoking Charters of Corporations
  • July 9 Peter Kellman, Maine labor organizer, activist & writer
    Building Unions: Past, Present & Future
  • July 16 Chellie Pingree, Former Maine Senate majority leader, farmer, business owner
    Building a Sustainable Maine
  • July 23 Jackson Gillman, storyteller & performer, with special guest Pierre Giono
    The Man Who Planted Hope
  • July 30 Rani Lyn Cross, herbalist, Skyscraper Hill Organic Gardens
    Wild Plants for Food & Medicine
  • Aug 6 Bernice Lewis, singer/songwriter
    Rediscovering Our Musical Selves
  • Aug 13 Gunnar Hansen, environmental journalist, author of Islands at the Edge of Time: A Jouney to America's Barrier Islands
    Climate change at America s Edge: Global Warming & Barrier Island
  • Aug 20 Cathy Roth, educator, University of Massachusetts Agroecology Program, activist for local food systems
    Globalizatin and Re-Localizing the Food System
  • Aug 27 Russell Libby, Executive Director, MOFGA
    GMOs, Organic Standards & You
  • Sept 3 Jocelyn Langer, traveler, artist, musician
    A Tour of Simple Living Around the World
  • Sept 10 Jane Livingston, host of community radio WERU's Economic Literacy 101: The Big Picture from the Little People
    Using What We Already Know to Change the World
  • Sept 17 Steve Katona, President, College of the Atlantic
    Whales, Dolphins & Seals: Studies in Conservation, Challenges for the Future

HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS

Small workshops held at Forest Farm that provide an opportunity to learn some homesteading skills by trying them out with your own hands.
Space is limited. Please call to reserve a space.
  • June 16: Building your own Furniture: The Democratic Chair
    With Bill Coperthwaite, Director, The Yurt Foundation. Tools to bring: handsaw, tape measure, carving knife (Swedish or Erik Frost, preferably), keyhole saw. 8 am 5pm. Materials fee: $20. Bring a lunch.
  • July 14: Seed Saving Workshop
    With Nicolas Lindholm, Executive Director & Founder of Maine Seed Savers Exchange. 2p.m.-4:30 p.m.
  • August 4: Your healing Garden
    With Siri Beringer, herbalist. 9 a.m. noon. Materials fee: $5

Directions: Take I-95 north to Exit 30, Augusta. Take Route 3 to Belfast, then Route 1 north through Bucksport to Orland. *Take Route 15 south toward Blue Hill. Turn right onto Route 199, go to the end. Turn left onto Route 175 south to Brooksville. Turn right onto 176 going west. Follow signs for Holbrook Island Sanctuary, which is on the way to Forest Farm. Stay on 176 west toward South Brooksville, and take a right onto Cape Rosier Road. Go past Holbrook Island Sanctuary on the right, Undercliff on the left. At the grange, turn right, follow the road to the end, then turn left to Orrs Cove. Go 2 miles to Forest Farm on Cape Rosier, Harborside. From the north, take I-95 to Bangor, then Route 15 south through Bucksport to Orland. Continue from * above.

Address: 372 Harborside Rd., Harborside 04642; Tel. 326-8211; www.goodlife.org.

KENNEBEC COUNTY

JOHNNY'S SELECTED SEEDS OF ALBION invites readers to visit its research and seed production farm.

Dates: Self-guided farm tours are available from Monday through Saturday, from June through September. The farm is closed to visitors on Sundays. A farm map and visitor's guide is available at the Johnny's retail store.

Guided farm tours are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. from June through September. These one-hour tours cover the research and production fields. Group tours can be arranged by calling 207-437-9294 or emailing Tim Forsman, Community Projects Specialist, at tim@johnnyseeds.com. Also visit their web site at www.johnnyseeds.com.

Directions: From Route 137 (China Rd.), take Garland Rd. 3 ½ miles to Albion Road. Go right on Albion Rd. for 4 ½ miles to Foss Hill Road. Johnny's is ½ mile up the road on the right. Look for signs.

Address: Johnny's Selected Seeds, RR 1 Box 2580, Albion 04910.

JOHN AND MICHELE PINO OF MOOARHILL FARM AND GREENHOUSES have three greenhouses with certified-organic seedlings for sale, and their gardens are tended by chickens and pigs. Come and see how to replace horsepower with chickenpower!

Dates: Open for sales seven days a week in May and June; open specifically for visitors the first weekend in June.

Directions: From Augusta go north on Route 27 to Belgrade. Go left onto Castle Island Road and follow this to the end. Go left toward Mount Vernon, left on Bean Road, right on Mooarhill Road. All corners have DOT signs.

Address: RR 1, Box 5510, Mt. Vernon; Tel. 293-2268; www.mooarhillfarm.com.

STONY BROOK HERB FARM IN FAYETTE is owned and operated by Linda and Greg Nelson. Their 150-year-old farm is surrounded by more than an acre of beautiful organic herb, vegetable and flower gardens. While you are there, tour the restored barn recently converted into an educational center and drying facility. Linda and Greg sell quality dried medicinal herbs, tea blends and other herbal products. They also offer herbal classes throughout the summer and will be hosting two Open Garden Days, listed below.

Call or email for a schedule of classes.

Dates: July 8 and Aug. 5--Open Gardens and Free Herb Walks at 1:00 p.m.

Directions: From Augusta, head west on 202, 11, 17 & 100 to Manchester, turn right on 17 and go 10 miles to Kents Hill. Turn right on 41 towards Mount Vernon, go 3.5 miles to the "chimney" where Route 41 crosses the stream between Echo Lake and Taylor Pond; take Sandy River Road to the left and go one mile to Stony Brook Herb Farm on the left.

Address: Stony Brook Herb Farm, RR 2 Box 5150, Kents Hill ME 04349, 207-293-4185; info@stonybrookherbfarm.com; www.stonybrookherbfarm.com.

KNOX COUNTY

THE 10TH ANNUAL GARDENS IN THE WATERSHED TOUR will include seven gardens in and around Knox County-in Cushing, Tenants Harbor, Martinsville and Port Clyde. Garden talks will be presented at the sites and include: "Bonsai in a Nutshell," by Ernie Glabau of Entwood Nursery of Burnham; "Medicinal Herbs: Growing History in Your Garden," by Lydia Mussulman of the Maine Herb Society; and "Out with Invasives," by Hammon Buck of Plants Unlimited of Rockport. Tickets ($15 on the day of the tour; $12 in advance) are available from bookstores in the area and from the Georges River Land Trust office. For more information, contact Eliza Bailey, GRLT, 594-5166.

Date: July 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine

AT BRAE MAPLE FARM IN UNION, you can walk through 2 acres of MOFGA-certified organic vegetable, herb and dried flower gardens grown by Andrea and Allan Smith. The Master Gardener Display Gardens and Herb Trial beds are another beautiful attraction. Enjoy the pastoral views from the historic 1787 farmstead and visit with Scotch Highland cattle, sheep, angora goats and miniature, standard and mammoth donkeys. Master Gardeners will be on hand to explain various composting methods and beekeeping. Spinning demonstrations will be ongoing, and herbal refreshments will be available.

Date: Sunday, July 22, 10:00 to 3:00 (Open Farm Day)

Directions: From Union going west on Route 17, take the first right after the John Deere Tractors onto North Union Road. Go ¼ mile-it's the first farm on the right. Look for signs.

Address: 233 North Union Rd., Union ME 04862. 785-4978.

LINCOLN COUNTY

THE MORRIS FARM TRUST IN WISCASSET, managed by Amanda Jamison, is a non-profit, educational farm. It is home to a small organic dairy herd of cows, a raised bed vegetable garden, raspberry patch and pastured poultry. The Morris Farm also hosts educational programming all year. It offers field trip programs for elementary school children in the spring and fall; winter and summer day camps; a new overnight camp for young women; and programs for adults throughout the year.

Dates: June 2--Party in the Garden-This is a free event for families with tours of the garden, activities for children, refreshments and a perennial plant sale.

The plant sale starts at 10; entertainment starts at 1 p.m.

July 22--Open Farm Day-Tours of the farm throughout the day. Call for specific times.

August 12--Tour de Farm-A bicycle tour of farms and farm stands to highlight and support cycling and local agriculture. Three different rides range from 18 to 108 miles, beginning and ending at The Morris Farm. The tour is followed by an afternoon barbecue featuring produce and meats from the farms visited on the ride. Call for details, cost, and to register.

Directions: From Augusta, take Route 27 south to Wiscasset. The farm is on the right after the Wiscasset Community Center, ¾ mile before the intersection with Route 1. From the north, take Route 1 south to Wiscasset, take a right onto Route 27 north. The Morris Farm is ¾ mile down the road on the left, after the Wiscasset Primary School. Address: PO Box 136, 156 Gardiner Rd., Wiscasset 04578; Tel. 882-4080.

PENOBSCOT COUNTY

PEACEMEAL FARM IN DIXMONT is a 12-acre diverse organic vegetable farm. Beth Haines, Mark Guzzi, Szilvia Drimusz and Eric Buckley run it.

Date: Sunday, July 29, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Directions: From Route 95, take exit 42 (Etna-Dixmont); take a left toward Dixmont on Route 143. After about 3 ½ miles, turn right onto North Road (at the top of a hill). Peacemeal Farm is on the left after 2 or 3 miles

Address: 25 Peacemeal Lane, Dixmont ME 04932; 257-4103.

SOMERSET COUNTY

Melons, Melons, Melons! Come to PETER AND JILL DE BETHUNE'S LINDEN RIDGE FARM IN ST. ALBANS to tour and taste 40 varieties of favorite melons, trial melons and melons grown for seed crops.

Date: Sunday, Sept. 2, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Directions: Go 9/10 mile up Bigelow Rd. from the center of St. Albans to a big set of wooden buildings on the left. St. Albans is on Route 152 from Pittsfield, on Routes 43 and 23 from Dexter, Corinna, Canaan. Exit off 9S at Newport (39) or Pittsfield (38). Three miles from Hartland.

Address: PO Box 1, 190 Bigelow Rd., St. Albans 04971; Tel. 938-2094.

AT SNAKEROOT ORGANIC FARM IN PITTSFIELD, Tom Roberts and Lois Labbe have 2 acres of vegetable, herb and perennial gardens and a 2,000-square-foot greenhouse to supply the four farmers' markets they attend each week. Using hand tools and a 25 hp Kubota and its small array of implements, they turned an old hayfield in 1995 into six productive gardens today.

Date: Noon to 4 p.m., Sunday, July 8. Every hour Tom and Lois will begin a walking tour of the raised bed gardens and trellised greenhouse, answering questions about composting, field preparation, growing, varieties, marketing, their CSA, or anything else that comes up. For more information, see http://members.mint.net/troberts/SOE

Date: Noon to 4 pm on Sunday, July 8.

Directions: From Exit 38 off I-95, head away from town. The Snakeroot Rd. is your second left, in about 2 miles. The driveway is ½ mile on your right. From the Unity area, take the Prairie Road (right off Rt. 139 just after the Irving station) and keep going until you are at the Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield. Take a left, go about a mile until you get to Nancy's Restaurant at the corner of the Webb Road. Take the Webb Road to the end, and you are on the Snakeroot Road. Go right, and the farm is ½ mile in on the left. When you are at the farm, all you can see is a long driveway heading into the woods. If you look down the driveway, you can see Snakeroot's sign about 100 feet in.

Address: 3645 Snakeroot Road, Pittsfield ME 04967; Tel. 487-5056; troberts@mint.net.

WALDO COUNTY

KELMSCOTT FARM IN LINCOLNVILLE is a non-profit organization that is conserving endangered breeds of livestock. Rare breeds are a unique attraction at Kelmscott. An heirloom herb garden and small market garden can also be seen, and daily activities are planned during the summer. Dates: Every day but Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., May 1 to Oct. 1. Adults pay $5 admission; children ages 4 to 15 pay $3; and children under 4 get in free. There is no charge on Open Farm Day, July 22.

Directions: Kelmscott is located on Route 52 in Lincolnville, 6 miles south of Belfast and 9 miles north of Camden.

Address: RR 2, Box 365, Lincolnville 04849; 763-4088.

WASHINGTON COUNTY

CROSSROAD FARMS IN JONESPORT is owned by Arnold and Bonnie Pearlman, who raise 16 acres of approximately 300 varieties of vegetables, 2 acres of apple trees and have solar powered electricity and a composting operation. They started this homestead 31 years ago.

Date: Sunday, August 5, noon to 2 p.m.

Directions: From Ellsworth, go 60 miles on Route 1 toward Machias to Route 187, Mason Bay Road. At the second junction of Route 187, turn right at the DOT sign for Crossroad Farms. Go 2.2 miles to a larger DOT sign and turn right on Indian River Crossroad, a gravel road. Go 1.5 miles to the farm.

Address: Box 3230, Jonesport 04649; Tel. 497-2641.

 

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