With attention to variety, siting and soil, many varieties of grapes can be grown in northern New England. Photo by Dierdre Fuchs. By John Fuchs Grapes are an ideal, but often challenging, crop for the homeowner or homesteader to grow in far northern climates. They are amazingly productive, grow in a wide variety of soils and need
A sampling of Shalom’s fruit wines. Photo by Frances Idlebrook. by Craig Idlebrook So you want to start a vineyard in Maine. Before you plow up your squash patch, you might want to talk to some farmers who have tried growing grapes. Dennis King has a small organic vineyard at King Hill Farm in Penobscot.
Under the instruction of Mike Maines, participants in the chainsaw safety workshop held last March get hands-on experience. by Ellen S. Gibson This is the story of how 25 women showed up at the barn on Stearns Hill Farm in West Paris on a chilly Saturday morning in March last year to attend a workshop
There is No Soil Fertility Without a Healthy Forest Branches under 3 inches in diameter, from deciduous trees, can be chipped to make a soil-building, crop-fertilizing amendment. English photo. by Céline Caron Terms in italics are defined in the glossary at the end of this article. Have you ever wondered how a forest can grow
The stir fry bar at Maine Medical Center in Portland. Photo courtesy of Maine Medical Center. by Terry Allan For most people, hospital food conjures images of bland, institutional, overcooked meat and vegetables accompanied by surreal Jell-O. But a quiet revolution taking place gradually in hospital kitchens around the country has positive implications not only
Colette harvests big tomatoes, and abundance of chard, and much more to supply her family all year with fresh and preserved produce. Photo courtesy of the Thompson family. by Marada Cook Hestia was a goddess of hearth and fire. Greek script lacks capital letters to distinguish names from objects, so Hestia meant literally the ‘hearth,’
Q. I like to feed the birds but am concerned about offering genetically engineered seeds. Are any birdseeds engineered? A. Genetically engineered varieties of most birdseed ingredients have not been commercialized. An exception would be any mix containing corn; genetically engineered corn is widely planted. The Union of Concerned Scientists (www.ucsusa.org/) lists the following crops
Hoop houses, such as these shown at the Colsons’ New Leaf Farm, have become increasingly important for producing tomatoes in Maine. Photo by Eric Sideman. by Eric Sideman, Ph.D. MOFGA’s Organic Crops Specialist The fate of my last tomato of the season is always the same – a BLT. And minutes after finishing that classic
by Diane SchiveraMOFGA’s Livestock Specialist Record keeping serves many functions for livestock farmers (and for all farmers), and it’s a requirement for organic farmers. We all say, “I’ll remember that …,” but then we often forget. The MOFGA Certification Services Practice Manual says the following regarding animal-related record keeping: Individual animals, and in the case
Common Ground’s Bean Hole Beans – Continuing a Tradition Click here to read our story about cooking “Bean Hole Beans” at the Common Ground Country Fair by Roberta Bailey When I first farmed in Maine, I would set up a little table in the garage by the road and sell produce. Each week on Fridays,
