Readers submitted the following stories in response to the theme “The Fair.” They appeared in appeared in the 2020-2021 winter issue of The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener. My favorite memory of the Fair is not so much a specific incident but rather a feeling. It’s a rhythmic sense of contentment and connectedness that washes
By Jacki Martinez Perkins The recent news that Danone, owner of Horizon Organic, has made the decision to withdraw from the Northeast, to focus on sourcing their fluid milk from larger producers in the West, has the potential to shake the moorings of Maine agriculture. Our beautiful and rural state holds the potential to provide
By Pete Salmansohn On a sunny mid-June morning a group of young children, under the guidance of farmer Stephanie McDonough, are exploring the world of radishes. “They seem to love pulling them out of the ground more than they like eating them,” she says. “But that’s ok. I call it ‘harvest therapy’ … getting their
by Tim King Maine Milk Mavens, of Whitefield, Maine, has expanded rapidly since its founding in March 2020. Prior to then Jessie Dowling and her crew were milking goats and sheep at Fuzzy Udder Creamery, also in Whitefield, and selling milk, cheese and related products through farmers’ markets, restaurants, grocery stores and specialty shops throughout
By Sonja Heyck-Merlin “We can’t get close enough to see the calves,” says Keith Radonis. “We use binoculars to investigate, and we think it’s two females and a male, but we’re not sure.” Scientifically speaking, these calves — the first to be born at Flying Boat Farm in Whitefield, Maine — are bison, not buffalo.
Here’s a memory from Elisabeth Green: “I’m a semi-retired worker with a disability who lives in Boston and I have attended two Common Ground Fairs and numerous educational symposia sponsored by MOFGA. I met the Sheds when we three stayed at Friends Camp in China, ME. They were long-time attendees of the Common Ground Fair
Here’s a memory from Margie Shannon: “I have been interested in flax since I as 8. When I became an adult I grew it, got tools at flea markets and learned all I could about processing flax. Finally, about 5 years ago I was able to grow, ret, break and hetchel it, and then spin
Here’s a memory from Seraphina Erhart: “Chris loved the stilts at the fair, later he went on to do a local circus, riding a unicycle and juggling at MDIHS. Chris would volunteer in the children’s area back then, stilts were his favorite but also hammering nails, etc. As a group in our neighborhood we eventually
Here’s a memory from Melinda Corey: “We knew the fair was magical from the first time we attended, when our now 13-year-old was an infant. It’s now our favorite weekend of the year. Living without these past two years has been rough! We’ve developed a tradition of making a weekend of it with some of
Here’s a memory from Nicolas Lindholm: “I really can’t emphasize enough just how significant the impact of MOFGA has been on my life … That’s as a farmer, a gardener and homesteader, and landowner of both prime farmland, wild blueberry land and forest land, and as an eater and consumer … It’s just been such
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