By John Bliss Last spring, Stacy, Emma and I moved from Pennsylvania to Maine; two whole shades of difference on the zone hardiness map! So for us, spring seemed to last twice as long last year. Before the move, our first set of seedlings broke through their moist soil and stretched toward the window overlooking
Bill and Cynthia Thayer and two new friends pose in front of the Darthia Farm Store. Erin James photo. By Rhonda Houston “Well, it’s pretty exhausting work,” say Bill and Cynthia Thayer after a moment of thought. A few days after I sat down with the Thayers of Darthia Farm in Gouldsboro, I can’t quite
by Joyce White Many people first visit Hedgehog Hill Farm for the widely advertised, free “Sundays in the Garden at 2.” Every Sunday afternoon from mid-June through August, the public is invited to stroll through the lush gardens and hear a lecture about some aspect of gardening at the 200-acre farm in the small, western
Michael (and Grace) Phillips (center, on bench) discuss apples after lunch at Francis Fenton’s farm. This was the last of five orcharding classes offered by MOFGA last summer. Photo by Russell Libby. John Bunker talks apples. Photo by Russell Libby. By Russell Libby MOFGA’s 2004 Organic Orcharding series concluded with a visit to Francis Fenton’s
Howard and Sue Schivera By Marada Cook The phrase ‘working vacation’ may seem to be a contradiction, but for Howard and Sue Schivera, their annual trip to Maine is an obvious opportunity to both visit their daughter and volunteer at the Fair. “Diane was the one who volunteered us,” Sue said. Their daughter, Diane Schivera,
Verda Barnes, at age 100, heads a four-generation dairy farm in Albion that is now organic and that provides all of the milk for the Common Kitchen at the Common Ground Country Fair. Verda may be the oldest dairy farmer in Maine. Photo by Marvel Hutchins. By Nan Brucker The Common Kitchen staff needs a
Jim Gerritsen. Jim Gerritsen: Standing Firmly for Organic Certification by Marada Cook When Jim Gerritsen bought land in Bridgewater in 1976, he and his wife Megan began an organic seed potato business and published a mail order catalog that made WoodPrairie Farm into a well-known, successful family farm. What is less well known about Gerritsen
Forty-year-old Golden Delicious trees thrive in this 26-acre orchard that sits 1200 feet above the Pacific Ocean, close enough for avid surfer Stuart Beck and his family to make a quick run to the beach. Lamb photo. By Jane Lamb I met Stuart Beck’s apples before I met the grower himself. In the midst of
By Mary Anne Libby One Sunday afternoon’s perusal of the seed catalogs and we are off – In the midst of a gentle, deep snow we can dream of sweet peas, turning the names of varieties over and over in our minds, on our tongues. Matucana, Cupani, Mrs. Collier, Painted Lady, and Little Sweetheart. Mammoth
Karen Volckhausen. English photo. Karen Volckhausen: Not Just a Tourist by Marada Cook Karen Volckhausen began her volunteer work on vacation. “We took a two-week trip with our husbands to Guatemala, in 1992,” said close friend Peggy Strong, “We went to all the usual tourist sites, but it was meeting the people that really sparked
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