Season's Fold

I love love love October and Autumn. I really enjoy all the seasons but the thrill of October is brilliant. Foliage blazing, crisp air, the smell of the fields, so sweet and pungent. When the days are sunny I feel I have to be out in it since winter is coming. Putting the wood and food up is a labour of love, I think of all who will enjoy it and this reality warms me. Offering food is what I do and am happy it is something I can give since it is so important.
All the ovens going, baking, drying, roasting....reaping what I sow and putting up the bounty. Pure joy.

As the garlic is planted, food dug and stored and fields wrapped up, this time of year offers the window of opportunity to *play*, be social with friends and share meals together. THIS is the best. With the early dark, it feels luxurious to catch up on sleeeeep and reading. I am starting to feel like I am not yet 100 years old and a tad bit rested, it may take a few more days.....I will relish every moment. I have decided that I must take the time to enjoy all that has happened this year. It has been a whirlwind, a wonderful but wild one and to step back and out to truly enjoy all that has been accomplished is what I need to do, let it sink in and celebrate it. It is so easy to keep working hard and not stop. I love to work hard, it makes me feel content but stopping is amazing also. Time to indulge my secret lazy side.

The new kitchen is fantastic. This winter I am looking forward to playing in the kitchen, experimenting with new recipes and becoming efficient in this large space. I remember a friend asking me when looking at this farm, "it is so big and there is only you, why do you want such a large home?" I replied that I had huge plans. My lovely Fire Fly Farm has been everything I dreamed of. The loyal support of my customers that come rain or shine to the Farmer's Markets has made this all possible. These moments of true community are what make all the difference. I am full of gratitude~
May you all be enjoying this most spectacular Autumn~

Post Common Ground Country Fair and Farmer's Markets

It is one week after the annual Common Ground Country Fair, a one of a kind Maine event, it is hard to describe the Common Ground Fair. It is a complete DIY festival, I wish every region had one. All Maine, all organic. Workshops on how to build or craft anything and everything, how to be truly in tune with the land, farming sustainably and seeing a life style of self sufficiency. This event is always the third weekend after Labor Day weekend. I could go on and on about how fabulous the fair and MOFGA is, you can check out the website:
http://www.mofga.org/TheFair/tabid/135/Default.aspx

Being back at my regular schedule of Farmer’s market this weekend is like a festival also. I feel rich in fabulous food trades with all my favorite farmer friends. Missing just one week makes me miss everyone. This community of farmer’s coming together, creating/growing their amazing goods, then packing it all up at wee hours of the morning, driving to a vacant parking lot to set up a complete shop and transform this open lot into a festival of colorful and incredible variety of vegetables, dairy, award winning cheeses, wool, baked goods of all kinds, flowers, fresh meats of all sorts, smoked, cured meats too, seafood and poultry. Every farmer spends multiple hours making this open air market happen. Then at the end of the market, pack it all up and voyage home.
Some folks believe they can do anything. Farmers really can, I undoubtably believe this. After a farmer’s market of sharing stories and crazy adventures of the week on the farm, I am proud to call myself a farmer, to be a smaller version of what these great folks, our farmers, are all about.
Come out to your local farmer’s market. Experience the true spirit of community and how you can be a localvore~~yes, even in Maine.

Autumn in Maine~

I guess it is terrible when my LAST blog post was~~ I cannot believe it is September and now here it is October and the same thought is in my head.....

October is one of my favorite months. I LOVE Autumn. Cool breezy, sunny days with brilliant foliage blazing and the signs of a time very soon when things will slooooow way down. At this moment, this thought of a slower pace is very comforting. Time to read, write, do yoga, create.....PLAY!!!! Now it is the time to scurry around with the squirrels, packing away my winter stash of the beautiful food I have grown, prepping the fields for winter and planting the garlic. The greenhouse is still going strong and is filled with plants offering freshness late into the fall and early winter. With these crisper days, one can muster the energy necessary to prepare for Maine winter. Even if in a state of exhaustion. It is exciting, the change of a season. Especially one so fabulously dramatic as Autumn in Maine. The strong winds are taking the rustling leaves from the trees all around. May you enjoy this Maine Autumn to it's fullest. It is really a spectacular one~

Tomatoes, squash, corn and raspberries.....oh MY!

September already.....this is hard to wrap my head around, not that there is a lot of time to contemplate this at the moment.

The last wedding of the season I catered was a wonderful event on the top of Indian Hill in Greenville overlooking Mt. Kineo and Moosehead Lake. Such a lovely family and my staff was out of this world fantastic~

Now I am baking for my markets as well as gathering LOADS of bins of food that needs to be put up for the winter. What an amazing growing season and since I have not had irrigation, I am feeling very fortunate indeed to be swimming in such a variety of fruit and vegetables. Next week will be the real push to get this all processed. And to be able to do it all in my *new* kitchen!! A grand space and clean up is a breeze~
Happy Feasting~

August~

As August comes to a close far too quickly, I want to fully embrace all that has taken place. Time passes in a whoosh yet so much happens. Things that I am truly grateful for and huge events that I want to let soak in and give the attention they deserve. This sometimes seems hard to do as deadlines of the height of summer never take a pause, not even for a moment as we try and live in the moment.

August holds amazing highlights for me and Fire Fly Farm. An incredible schedule (in one ten day stretch, we did seven markets and two weddings), an amazingly spectacular kitchen that I can now work in that is what I always dreamed of (a studio of a working area), the beginning of my little stonehenge magical space, a fabulous new/used van that wonderful friends I met treeplanting last fall found for me, and the departure of my apprentices. And of course, the feasting of fresh food that August offers. Delights of all kinds to be picked just before preparation, the food brilliantly vibrant with color and flavor beyond anything else one could imagine. Life is grand in August. I feel blessed. And exhausted, but it is good. Better than good actually, it is amazing and that feeling of true amazement and gratitude for dreams coming true is what I am taking a moment to be grateful for and to really let it all sink in. This is it. This is my life, it is happening, it is all real and I have never been more happy.

I raise my glass of homemade wine to a toast for your dreams to come true~
Cheers!

Whirlwind~

The summer is flying past~
A marvelous one it is!! The weather has been stunning, the markets bustling and loads of catering events for us here at Fire Fly Farm. The kitchen is coming along and the gas is scheduled to be hooked up FRIDAY!! Oven moving TODAY!! Excitement and a bit of feeling anxious regarding moving the ovens, but all is good.

The catering events have been fabulous. Lovely weddings with great folks and spectacular locations and the Kneading Conference was INCREDIBLE. I could go on and on.....but must get on to my baking schedule. I wanted to drop a quick line and will hopefully find time to write more soon.

We are eating every type of fresh vegetable from the gardens these days and able to supply most of our catering events as well. I LOVE this time of year~

My lovely apprentices are leaving in a couple weeks to go back to school. I hate to even think about it, I will miss them so~

OH! The Perseids peak August 12~14 AND there has been Aurora sightings.....look to the stars~
Cheers!

Summer of all summers~

Aaaaaahhh~
Another spectacular day~
Gentle shower in the wee hours of the morning, cleared late morning and full warm sun with a gentle steady breeze. The humidity has broke and this day seems perfect.

A nice balance of work and play. I met up with one of my clients and her family to check out their wedding site and discuss wedding details over looking Moosehead Lake and Mt. Kineo. What a lovely wedding site it is, I LOVE Greenville. On the way home, I saw a moose and met up with dear friends for lunch at Spring Creek BBQ.

The farmer's market and catering season is in full swing. Last evening, I catered a lovely 10 year anniversary party for the General Store Radio Show, http://www.welcomeradio.org, that was a blast and am getting ready for the Kneading Conference this Thursday and Friday. The Kneading Conference is one of my favorite events of the year. Fabulous workshop filled days covering everything to do with grain and baking in wood fired ovens. Wood fired ovens are on location, blazing away, with world renowned bakers pulling delights out of them all day for everyone to enjoy. I have the honor of preparing the meals for this fantastic event. Check them out at:
http:www.heartofmaine.org/kneading/


May everyone out there be enjoying their weekend~
Cheers~