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Published: September 27th 2009
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Since my last entry things have slowed down a lot here. Those first three days were definitely the busiest so far. Thursday Allen and I spent a few more hours picking apples. In total we collected about 15 bushels of apples over the two days. The second day was a better picking day for me - I felt stronger and more confident in what I was doing. The ladders are super heavy and difficult to maneuver on the trees, but after one day under my belt I had a better idea of how to place them and climb them without falling off or feeling like I would. It takes at least a few minutes to place the ladder in a location that gives you access to lots of apples and that is safe. Unfortunately, because there are so few apples this year, I’d place the ladder, climb and pick only five or six apples, then have to climb down and reposition it again. Usually you get at least a half basket of apples from one climb!
Allen and I talked a lot about our experiences in Central America - he studied abroad in Spain when he was in high
school and college and did some traveling there later on - so we had fun talking about that. He traveled in Honduras during the height of U.S. intervention there in the 1980s, so his stories were pretty crazy.
We talked a lot more about organic vs. conventional and the challenges that come with doing what he does. A lot of growing organic crop falls on the honor-code, it seems. While the FDA does regulate and certify “organic” foods, they don’t test foods for non-organic substances to prove that they don’t use any pesticides or hormones. Testing would be counterproductive in some cases because, for example, like in Allen’s farm’s situation his neighbor is non-organic and can potentially contaminate Allen’s crop. When his neighbor sprays pesticides on his crop, the wind can carry some of them to his crop, even on the least-windy day and with the most care taken to prevent this. If the FDA testing Allen’s apples and found pesticides, he would most likely credit the pesticide evidence to contamination from his neighbor. So, it is not either person’s fault, and there’s really not much that can be done to prevent that sort of thing, but how often does
Cinnamon & Pepper
Two of the show oxen used for pulling weights through obstacle courses and looking good it happen? You also have to trust that your farmer is not spraying his crop with non-organic substances and stating otherwise, as there is no way to really verify it. Of course, if we tested every apple and were that paranoid about it, we would lose all trust. So overall, it seems you have to trust that your food is organic and that the farmers are growing organic with the right intentions and with good hearts. From what I understand thus far, and based on how WWOOFing is set up, I trust that most organic farmers are true in their intentions and actions, so there isn’t much to worry about, but this information certainly shows me a perspective I never thought of before.
After picking apples, everyone left to do errands and left me to hang on the farm. I spent an hour or so wandering the property and picking raspberries, which I later made into yummy muffins.
Friday I drove to Unity, Maine to the Common Ground Country Fair - one of the largest organic fairs in the country. You can read more about it at www.mofga.org if you’re interested. The fair grounds are huge and the
fair itself attracts thousands of people over the three day event. The fair showcased all sorts of show-animals like ox, cows, chickens, goats, sheep, ducks, alpacas, and rabbits. They had the animals set up in barns all over the property so you can look at them up close and speak with their owners. There was a whole barn area just for prize-winning crops. You name the vegetable, it was there- all in great condition. Wheat, tomatoes, peppers, onions, pumpkins, leeks, potatoes. There are some pictures of the cool stuff, all grown organically and lookin’ good.
The coolest part of the whole fair, I thought, were the border collie demonstrations. A huge area was fenced off and contained five or six border collies with a small herd of sheep, goats and a flock of ducks. The dog’s owners held demonstrations all day long of how the dogs herd the animals. All the dogs were so well trained, I couldn’t believe it. They would lie flat on the ground with their head between their paws and wouldn’t move until their name was called and they were given orders. Only when they were called would they then run around herding the animals
- sometimes separating the goats from the sheep, or herding them one by one into a separate pen. Really amazing. When their owners (there were two guys in control of all the dogs, a father and son team - the son’s name was Colin, by the way!) blew a whistle the dogs were let off duty and they went from working dogs to pets. When they were off duty the dogs would completely ignore the sheep and play Frisbee, bark and jump around as if the sheep weren’t even there. I could have watched it all day.
There were all sorts of other demonstrations going on, such as my personal favorite - how to build an outdoor shelter made of leaves and sticks! Ha. There were huge knitting circles, people carving bows, basket makers, planting demonstrations, live music, and country dancing. Overall, the fair gave me a good idea of Maine’s “natural-living” community and how big a role organic plays in the lives of so many people here.
Yesterday and last night was Jenn’s 40th birthday party with about 30 or 40 guests, tons of food, alcohol and dancing! To help prep, Allen showed me how to press
cider in the antique press. We pressed about three or four bushels of cider into half gallon jugs. You start by dropping one or two apples at a time into the crusher, then when the basket below the crusher is full, it is slid up to the presser. The presser squeezes out the cider into a tub, then we pour it into jugs. Fresh cider. Delicious. The rest of the party was a blast. There was TONS of delicious farm-fresh food- meat on the Argentinean grill, veggies from the garden, home made maple cream pies, apple pies and cake, home-made goat cheese, and lots of booze. Also, a big potato gun was used to shoot whole potatoes into the orchard.. duh. This week Allen and I will probably cook the rest of the apples into applesauce, but sounds like a slow week, overall. Next weekend I am planning to leave here and head to Portland for the weekend. Any suggestions on where to go or where to stay in Portland? I’ve heard great things about it, and am hoping to get friends from Boston (hint hint) to meet for a day or two, but will do it alone if I
can’t snag anyone. Then it’s off to Plainfield, New Hampshire for a few weeks. Thank you everyone for all the nice text messages and comments on the blog! xoxo
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Mimi
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hi
Hi Honey, Glad you are enjoying your stay in Maine. Be safe! xxoo Mimi