In 2019, with the passing of our 92 year old Dad, we decided to re-open the farm store. Since 1963 we have been planting,propagating and harvesting apples. We had a store on Route 100 New Gloucester and since it’s closure in the late 1990’s, had been leasing our orchard to a local farmer. With the news that he no longer needed our trees and fruit, we made a decision to care for the trees ourselves.
Rolling up our sleeves after years of white collar work (my husband a financial adviser, me a yoga teacher) we proceeded to attend our State’s agricultural seminars, workshops and (re)trainings. We put on our mud boots and cared for, groomed and mowed our orchard. It was all familiar to my husband who had been farming since he could walk and hold an apple bucket. To him it was like riding a bike. Together we had a blast busy with “good work” during the winter,spring, summer and fall.
Though the apple harvest is just a few short weeks, the work to maintain a health orchard takes most of the year but the most fun we had was readying the barn for our customers and families that would come to our little pick your own stand. We dusted off the antique signs that were made in the early 1960’s and began to set up. Though we re purposed these signs and cleaned up the barn, there were some new additions including the hinge barn board door and our live edge/barrel counter top.
All our visitors loved the vintage vibe created we got to meet our neighbors and made new friends during our season. We offered not only apples, but donuts, pies, cookies, pumpkins and gourds. We look forward to 2020 as we enter our wedding season June-October meeting more friends, brides, grooms and extended families and guests.