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A local resident posted these photos, (which were actually postcards from 1933) of our neighbor’s house on our town’s FB page recently.
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It’s a beautiful old home which was once a rose garden farm.
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That must have been something to see. Can you imagine living next door to acres of roses? The scent would be heavenly.
Less fragrant but no less impressive? Our current neighbor’s vegetable farm across the street.
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There’s a long tradition of growing in my little part of the world.
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Sometimes things look a little different in my state.
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Don’t knock it, you can carry quite a few six packs in that bucket.
Some of our locals are poets.
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The benefit of living in a small rural town filled with farms? Our food pantry is always well stocked for those less fortunate.
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Maine is on a temperature roller coaster right now.
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I swear I’m getting whiplash.
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But still…
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Life is good.
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We live on a river, hence my blog name.
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Apparently Maggie lives on the river as well.
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There was an outdoor wedding last weekend. If only I’d known they were taking requests.
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We have once weekly trash pick up at our house, $2.50 a bag…. But everything else has to go to the recycle barn. Decades ago when it was realized people were throwing out perfectly useable items, an idea was born.
While I don’t shop at the “Gift Store”, my husband has been known to come home with more than he went with.
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This is our neighbor across the road. His fields are looking pretty spiffy…. And oh! That fresh ginger.
❤️
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I’m not a fan of artichokes. I mean really, who has the time?
But I am a fan of the Jerusalem artichokes our farming neighbor across the road grows every year.
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Because when they blossom in the fall?
They are a seriously impressive sight.
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Human in far left corner for scale.
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When your flowers tower over the harvesting truck?
That’s a damned impressive bloom.
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It had been a while since we visited our farming neighbors across the road, so the other day we took a walk.
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Unfortunately they weren’t home, but we took the time to check out what was happening on their farm. There’s something about strolling through verdant fields of crops that just makes me smile.
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Every time we visit there’s something new.
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This time it was a veritable village of greenhouses.
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These seemingly sprung up overnight, with full irrigation… which must have been quite a feat.
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A house addition was under way as well.
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Why was there a skeleton prominently displayed on the barn wall? It’s probably better if we don’t ask.
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Ugh. I suppose a row of kale was inevitable.
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There’s our Barn Mahal/man cave in the background.
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We never realize how much it dominates the landscape until we see it from far away. Oops.
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On our way out we had to stop by the farm stand they opened when Covid shut down most of their markets.
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And naturally we came home with a few things.
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Lettuce, spinach, potatoes and blueberry yogurt. You can’t get much fresher than that.
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We were back in the barn this weekend and ran the new heat pump for the first time. It’s a big space so it took a while to warm up… but the building held the set temperature all day, which means all our stuff and seal each and every god damn gap insulation work…
Worked.
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But there were still a few more windows to trim and that’s when things went downhill.
There was sputtering, mumbling, cursing and okay…. small pieces of wood may or may not have been flung across the room.
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When the wood started flying? I knew it was time for a distraction… so I trudged down to our crap filled underground nightmare basement and retrieved a treasure we purchased a few years ago.
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A neon bar sign from the Ommegang brewery in New York. We stumbled on them when we visited the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and fell in love with their Belgians.
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If you’re ever in the area, check out their tasting room in the old barn… and if you’re visiting this time of year? Try my favorite.
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There’s a tavern in Brussels famous for it’s pigeon racing?
Sounds like my kind of place.
And speaking of Brussels…
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When you live across the street from an organic vegetable farmer?
You never know what will show up on your doorstep in the morning.
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Our final CSA harvest from the farm across the street was picked up yesterday.
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Peppers, turnip, tomatillos, parsley, basil, leeks, fennel, radishes, carrots…
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A fabulous watermelon I wish we’d seen more of this past summer…
And this:
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A beautiful thing I had to look up.
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I’d never heard of it. And after sampling a little? I was glad. Mountain meadow my *ss.
Blech! Shiso was a great big no no.
But apparently it’s very popular in Japan where they use it in sushi and drink it as tea.
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Can’t say the pesto looks very appetizing.
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Or whatever the heck that is. If I didn’t know better I’d say marinated dog poo on rice.
Well, to each their own. But take my word for it, it is popular.
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I have no idea what that says, but yeah. I’m still going to pass.
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You know the ones, they pick up every free paper or publication they see no matter the subject?
Proctologist Monthly?
Yes.
Belt Sander Enthusiast?
Sure.
The Do It Yourself Lobotomy Newsletter?
Why not.
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It probably won’t surprise my regular readers to learn my husband is one of those people.
Free is his favorite word.. which is why he came home with one called the Maine Agricultural News the other day.
My husband, the man who’s never planted anything (other than free trees he lets die) in his life.
Here are a few fascinating highlights:
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Color me proud. My state is one of the top 5 potato chip potato producers.
And lord knows I do my part to keep the Lays company in business.
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The Pomological Society? There’s a sought after membership if ever I saw one.
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For those who don’t know, Maine blueberries are highly prized and big business up this way.
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But thanks to President Trump’s Chinese trade war, among other things… the berry news is decidedly blue.
And finally, disaster.
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Say it isn’t so!
Maine craft brewers have cut back on the production of beer to make hand sanitizer?
Oh, the horror.
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Our weekly CDA is winding down for the year, but the harvest is still plentiful.
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Peppers, turnip, ginger, Korean melon, spinach, salad greens, kohlrabi, radishes, chard, celery, dill and yes. Some awful version of kale.
Our weather has started to change and we’re feeling some delightfully brisk and crisp air. When that happens?
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It’s time for a big pot of homemade chili. And a trip to our local pub.. at an off hour when no one is there. Perfect.
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On the menu? Duck wings with sweet Thai chili sauce.
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Tis the season.
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And thanks in part to my suggestion… okay my endless badgering, whatever!… the owner has agreed to run weekly cocktail specials. He even bought a lovely coffee table book of choices for me to peruse.
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Keep the customers happy.
And the really good customers like me? Keep them soused, they complain less that way.
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Another veggie bonanza.
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Tomatoes, beets, leek, basil, carrots, parsley, squash, radish, chickory, spinach, Korean melon and yes… the dreaded kale.
It’s lovely having fresh organic veggies right out of the ground and buying less at the grocery store’s produce section.
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Tastes like an artichoke. Then why not buy an artichoke? I’m so tired of wannabe food.
Be what you are…. and be happy!
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No.
Burgers are not made from plants! Not in my world anyway. But did you notice the oh so cleverly named Incogmeato only has 32% less fat than the real thing? Where’s the other 68% come from… lard coated arugula?
I’ll pass.
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Right Rice made from vegetables is wrong.
So wrong in fact, check out the bottom left corner of the package. It’s made from chickpeas, peas and.. rice.
Rice made from rice.
What a novel idea.
And then, because I live and shop in Maine? This was also available for purchase:
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A map of mooses.
(Meese?)
Big goofy looking things with horns, often seen in the company of a squirrel.
You can’t miss them.
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River's world..... 