By Tim King “Land, as the source of life, isn’t something that should be bought and sold.” At least not according to La Finca Cooperative, in Porter, Maine, and Land in Common in Greene. With this guiding principle in mind, the two entities — one a budding farming cooperative and the other a community land
By Lea Camille Smith Thousands of years ago, Aristotle posited that art imitates life; that the creative expressions of humans were a direct reaction to their lived experiences. In 1889, poet and playwright Oscar Wilde flipped that notion on its head, writing instead that life imitates art. From Wilde’s point of view, art helps us
By Sonja Heyck-Merlin Opening a Bixby Chocolate bar reveals an intricate work of art — an octopus stretching out each of its long undulating arms in search of a book. A replica of Bixby owner Kate McAleer’s great-great-grandparents’ Victorian-era etched book plate, the image is a metaphor for McAleer, who is likewise reaching in all
By Sonja Heyck-Merlin Moorit Hill Farm’s fiber mill does not invoke the action of a hand spinner, using the treadle to turn the wheel, creating the spinning action the hands need to coax fiber into yarn. Nor is it like the industrial fiber mills of yesteryear commanding an army of workers. Stepping into the tidy,
Frinklepod Farm, known for its commitment to organic farming and community engagement, is thrilled to be sharing their farm in a new partnership, as of 2024, with Stephanie McDonough, founder and director of Farm to Table Kids camp, expanding their already diverse farm offerings. The collaboration aims to provide children with a hands-on experience in
By Sam Brown, Low-Impact Forestry Steering Committee Member I am a Maine land “owner,” according to existing U.S. law. I began buying land when I inherited some money from my family in the early 1970s and have acquired title to more as the years went by. My ancestors were colonial immigrants from Scotland and Ireland,
By John Welton, Certification and Quality Specialist with MOFGA Certification Services Second cup of coffee in hand? Check. Bagged lunch in my backpack? Check. Laptop and phone? Check and check. I have just over an hour to get to Mount Desert Island for a 9 a.m. inspection of a MOFGA-certified organic veggie farm and I
By Holli Cederholm Based in Bridgton, Maine, mixed media artist Maya Kuvaja draws inspiration from “living in the country.” From the surrounding woods, mountains and lakes to her organic garden and window-side bird feeders, there is no shortage of natural subject matter for her artwork. Kuvaja grew up in Saco, Maine, not far from the
By Sam Schipani Four Season Farm in Harborside has long been a fixture of organic farming in Maine. Owners Eliot Coleman and Barbara Damrosch are continuing the legacy for another generation with a long-term lease to Molly Friedland and Caleb Hawkins, the celebrated cut flower purveyors behind Little Red Flower Truck. Friedland and Hawkins, who
By Sonja Heyck-Merlin “We built a bar right over the manure gutter. It’s still a little mind-blowing. I’m only just now not seeing it as a milking pattern. I still half expect to see cows when I walk in,” says Heide Purinton-Brown of Toddy Pond Farm in the rolling hills of Monroe, Maine. For nearly
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