New Moon, New Year

Helo,

                Happy New Moon and soon to be New Year! I hope your holiday season is what you want it to be. Ours has been restful, filled with time to dream up what is to come in the next year. Lots of baking, hiking, and wild ice skating. We are thankful for the very cold days in the last few weeks. Shaker pond was thick enough to fish and skate on. Hopeful the winter will provide us with more freezing temps, we love the winter activities it provides.

We have been thinking heavily about making some big moves this next year. They are steps in a very different direction than we have been going. The farm and the observatory will still very much be a part of our lives. It is our desire to make a greater impact. We can’t wait to share this information with you. More details will be shared in February.

The farm/observatory now has a new tool to help us move along with some projects. We decided to invest in a wood mill! It is our desire to make further projects more affordable and built with material we have on the land. Potentially going to build the structure for the dreamed of 24” telescope. Exploring grant options for the supporting hardware and telescope. It is still a desire to have this set up in the next year or two.  

                Phillip took advantage of the couple clear nights we had this last week by practicing using the new monochrome setup. He started capturing NGC 2264, the Christmas Tree Cluster. If you flip the image upside down you will see the tree. This object is roughly 2,500 light years away in the constellation of Monoceros, the Unicorn.

This area of the sky can be broken down into several different names. Near the center of this image is called the Cone Nebula, the apex of the Christmas Tree. Above the cone is the Stellar Snowflake cluster. Up and to the right of this point is the Fox Fur Nebula.  The brightest star is S Mon. Jets of gas from protostars can be seen in the center of the image, Herbig Haro objects. These are the faint orange arcs below S Mon. 

-Gwendolyn

Winter Solstice

Happy Winter Solstice!

                The beginning of winter. This is my New Year's. I’ve become committed to traditions around this Astronomical event. Ones that lead us to reflect on the changes in nature and in ourselves. It is a time to think about the past year, the good and the bad. More importantly, it is a time to look forward to more daylight and how to make the most of that coming illumination.

                I’ve been lucky to find likeminded people who want to follow similar traditions. The kids and I attended Sky Island Homestead’s Winter Solstice Spiral Walk. Carolyn has created this beautiful space which you use as a meditative walk, lighting your candle at the center as a symbol of finding the light.

                I plan to go forward with our Winter Solstice Celebration. We will be making the most of this gusty winter day and hope the sun peeks out a little. I’ll have some activities set up in the small greenhouse, bird feeder ornaments and collaging. Will have warm drinks and light snacks. Possibly a fire depending on the wind. Everything will be set up by around noon, feel free to stop by!   

                I tried to find the sun with the telescope at Ferment Farm’s Christmas Market. It was unfortunately too cloudy to be able to focus. I still made several connections and enjoyed the winter cheer. Looking forward to attending those markets again next year!

                This past month I got the pleasure of attending a book release party for Botanical Bar Craft by Cassandra Elizabeth Sears at the Lincoln Hotel in Biddeford.  Our first year open for strawberry foraging, 2022, I sold them during the Terra Market at Rooted Heart Farm. This is when I first met Cassandra and became memorized by her vision and what she was doing with ingredients. I’m honored that she has come the last three years and foraged strawberries for her drinks. It is a beautiful book worth adding to your collection!

                We were invited to the monthly club meeting of the Astronomical Society of Northern New England and finally made it. They meet the first Friday of each month at 7:30 at the New School and operate the Starfield Observatory in Kennebunk. Was great connecting with other Astronomy enthusiasts that happen to all be close by. Looking forward to further connecting our observatory with them to see how we can grow.

                I’m diving back into offering an Astronomy Club at the libraries. Currently on the calendar for the Limerick Library, 3rd Friday of the month at 4:00 p.m. Will have some offerings at Parson’s Memorial and hopefully the Waterboro library as well. This is for ALL ages! Currently researching Radio Astronomy and will have a presentation on that (Still a Lot to learn). Still offering classes/field trips at the farm if you have a group wanting to come. Just reach out!

                Phillip captured the Rosette Nebula this past month, about 15 hours of data gathered with our color camera. He is planning to retake the shot with our new monochrome camera in order to compare data. 

NGC 2237

                Lastly, we finally got all 50,000ish strawberry plants tucked away for winter. I’m feeling very confident and hopeful about 2025’s strawberry yield. This next week presents temps far below freezing, so we are glad the plants are all covered. To think, six months from now we'll be gathering fruit in the warm sun! 

​The kids spread Milkweed seeds for future pollinators

The Red Tail Hawk was seen many time while working.

                I hope you make the most out of this shift to winter. Embrace all the sunlight when you can. Hopefully there is lots of snow and ice fun in our futures.

-Gwendolyn 

Shift into Winter

Greetings,  

Early November we took a road trip down to Florida for my grandmother’s 94th birthday plus a visit to my parents. She’s someone who is most delighted by me choosing to grow and make food. A farmer herself, born on a small homestead in Kissimmee, Florida. She has since moved to Northern Florida, right on the Alabama border. Cotton and peanut country. The cattle ranches of her childhood have been replaced by Disney World and over population. I can relate to needing to move from the growing development.  

​ It is important for me to take my children to Florida every year to see my side of the family. Though, every time I go, another piece of the Florida I knew as a child is gone. I also don’t view things the way I did 15 years ago. This trip illuminated these changes within me.  

We happened to arrive at my parent’s home in Southwest Florida on November 5th. I don’t need to go into details about my political views. I’ll just say they don’t align with most, if not all, of my family and friends of the south. Being there for the election was so hard. I battled between being angry and trying to put our differences behind us to enjoy each other's company. Thankfully, we mostly ignored politics for the week and left the TV off. The kids were great buffers and mediators.  

I’ve spent the last month trying to process these feelings about the state of our world and our political system. I realize arguing and being angry amounts to little. It is apparent to us that we have a special place here in Maine. One that will hopefully bring unification, peace, and bring a diverse amount of people and ideas together. I remain focused on community building, even with people I don’t see eye to eye with.  

During my travels I did a lot of thinking about what our property looks like this next year, what I can and want to offer. I’ve been contacted by many individuals asking for various educational services.Planning to spend the next couple months creating field trip opportunities for groups of all kinds, from homeschool to adult get togethers. Rather than posting dated events, I’ll let you plan the time and get a group together. The worst part about this last year was hosting classes/events and no one coming due to scheduling.  

If you have any ideas or desires for events/activities this next year, let me know!! I would love to work with you. I plan to have a handful of options by the new year posted to our website. I’ve got a few Astronomy lessons and sourdough workshops worked up. We will be working on getting the smaller greenhouse functional to be a classroom so our options open up.  

We have received more encouragement to continue the growth of the observatory. Phillip got the opportunity to be interviewed by Ellie in Space in late October. The emails and phone calls we have gotten since this interview have been unexpected. We have gotten affirmation for what we are doing from complete strangers. Some generous donations have been made from people all over the country. Phillip has already invested that money into improving the Observatory with a new monochrome camera, the kind the Hubble telescope uses. We are excited people want to continue to support us in this work. I've attached some of the photos Phillip has taken this month. We don’t have any Astronomy nights planned right now. The weather looks a little tricky and Phillip would like to take time to learn the new technology we have acquired. If anything changes, I will send an update.  

Phillip and I have been working hard on getting the food forest ready for winter. We are covering every bed with a thick layer of mulch; the stuff we’ve accumulated from the arborist over the last year. So far, we have gotten about 1/3rd done, hustling to have everything covered in the next week or two. It is looking like single digit temperatures in the forecast for south west Maine. This mulch will help protect the strawberry and herb plants from the hard freeze. It will also become food and a weed barrier come the spring.  

It is a bit more work growing the strawberries without plastic, herbicide, and fertilizer. We are committed to hard work and believe it is the correct thing to do. As I cover every little strawberry leaf, I dream of all of the foragers who will enjoy this fruit come June. For now, they will rest deeply through the winter. 

I have a few tentative things on the calendar for this month. I will be at the Ferment Farm Christmas Market on December 7th from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm with the Solar telescope and an information table about the science of the Winter Solstice. Come check out all the great vendors that will be there. The 21st I am hosting a Winter Solstice decoration making get together for the trees around the orchard at 1:00 pm. Things you could bring if you come; apples, oranges, hemp twine, nut/seed butter, bird seed, or anything friendly for the native wildlife. I'll have light snacks and warm drinks. Feel free to bring a treat to share.  

Hope you are making the most of the shift into winter and embracing the rest it is bringing.

-Gwendolyn

Heart and Soul

Greetings!

The past week has been filled with a lot of Astronomy and Space interactions. I got the pleasure of spending the day with our Celestron NexStar Telescope and its solar filter Saturday at Sky Island Homestead Harvest fest. There were a lot of eyeballs trying to find sun spots and lots of great connections. Was fun to see a few of you out there!

We were able to spend a few nights with the telescope looking for comet tsuchinshan-atlas. A few guests were able to come and see it too! Phillip captured one more photo. We are going to try and see it again TONIGHT, 10/29. Come over around 6. Will only be visible for an hour or so after sunset.

I got the opportunity to participate in the Maine Space Conference Wednesday-Friday. Three days crammed with panel conversations, presentations, and keynote speakers. Most of the topics had to do with engineering and science concepts that quite frankly went over my head. I still made a point to listen and take in as much as I could. There were also talks about k-12 education, women in STEM, Space law, and conservation/sustainability. I sat on a panel for Astro Tourism and Dark Skies. 

I am being encouraged and making strides to be on the Board of Directors for the Maine Space Corporations. I’ve honestly been so unsure as to why I would be on this board or why anyone would want me there. The final panel conversation I attended was Maine Space Corporation’s Workforce Roadmap: Goals and Strategies for Growing a Space Workforce. I figured I had to go to this one.

In this talk they discussed how to bring more jobs to Maine that pertain to the Space Industry. What are actions that need to be taken? They talked about manufacturing and improving higher education. The conversation took a turn to k-12 education importance. It all begins with how we treat our children in their education in the beginning.

 Sascha Deri, a board member, made a point that really stuck with me. He brought up that in Maine the school system sort of segregates the exceptional students and the average students. The honors students are encouraged to be further book smart but aren’t shown how to use a tool. The average and below average students are pushed into trade but aren’t encouraged academically.  

It became clear to me at that moment why I was there, why I’m going to be a board member. It is to mend the complicated with the simple. Rocket science and astronomy can become tangible to every person. I feel passionate about encouraging more people in Maine to want to be a part of the space industry in a meaningful way. Whether it is to protect our dark skies or to build things that will go to space.

Rooms filled with people who are all so different in their skills and opinions working for the same mission made me reflect on the election. No matter the outcome, I hope we as a community aren’t overly divided. I’ve voted, I hope you do too and I hope it’s a vote that you thought long and hard about. More importantly, let's focus on what is important after it is all done. It’s our peaceful relationships with our neighbors. I hope we can set aside our politics, be there to meet each other’s needs, and be understanding of one another.

Phillip photographed the Heart and Soul Nebula this week. Or IC 1805 and IC 1848. I thought it was rather fitting with the way I am feeling about the election and the space industry. Lets focus on the heart and soul of our community, not the parade of politics. 

Hope you have a great week. Soak in the last of the leaves and see the comet! 

P.S. I'll be planting 1,000 plus garlic cloves this week and harvesting carrots/yams. Let me know if you'd like to help!

-Gwendolyn  

Comet A3

10 years ago, Phillip and I were living in a hotel on Cocoa Beach waiting for our first house to be finished.  He was working at SeaWorld Orlando and I was teaching fourth grade at a school in Kissimmee. Yesterday 10 years ago Phillip had an interview with SpaceX, the one that got him the job.

                That day 10 years ago happened to be my birthday. I got out of work early and went surfing with a few friends. As I sat on my board past where the break was, I saw Phillip paddling out to meet me. He came up to my side and plopped in the water. Then he held out a box and asked me to marry him.

                Yesterday I celebrated my 35th birthday. How things have changed since my Cocoa beach days. Last night we had a small gathering, Dia de Los Muertos themed. I was surrounded by my favorite people in Maine. A community I am so happy to have obtained. I’m looking forward to years of abundance, building upon what we have here. It is going to be epic.   

                I got a pretty sweet Astronomical birthday gift as well. Comet A3 was visible from the farm! There was also a beautiful nearly full moon. It was a good sign to me, that the next 10 years will be far more incredible than the last.

                We don’t have much going on at the farm other than weeding and mulching. I’ll be harvesting the carrots and yams soon. Let me know if I can add you to the list of people who are interested in having some. They store well in cool dry spaces, could keep for months.  

                I am going to be at Harvest Fest on the Ridge Saturday from 12:00 to 4:00 with info station about the importance of darkness. Check out the event if you can! We will also be attending parts of the Maine Space Conference this next week. It is a 3-day event talking about Maine space economy, where it is and where it is going. Topics ranging from Astronomy to space technology.

                We plan to do some pop-up events on the observation deck next week during the conference. If weather is good, we will do some late-night viewing of Jupiter and Mars. I will send out an email as soon as we have plans.

                Hope you are embracing this shift to cold. A positive, better potential for Astronomy!

                -Gwendolyn

Aurora Viewing Tonight 10/05!!

Good day!

                We started a family tradition last year. After the rush of Summer is over, we go explore some place in the west. A national park or two must be included.  Last year was dedicated to parts of Arizona and New Mexico. This year we flew into Seattle, WA. Spent a few days exploring Mt. Rainier, Mt. Saint Helens, and surrounding area. Then we ventured over to Montana and enjoyed the beauty of Glacier National Park.

                Exploring the natural and wild parts of the world is something that is important to me. To share this with my family brings me so much joy. Being out west, hiking miles of trails and thousands of feet helped me to reset and refocus.

We were excited to get back home early this morning. A lot of what we experienced this last week inspired us. It gave us time to think about the land and our surrounding community. We are so lucky to live in an incredibly beautiful region, with lots to explore. Looking forward to highlighting these things and finding ways to inspire more people to enjoy and protect it.

There is a higher chance than usual to see the Aurora Borealis tonight, 10/05! We’ll be out on the Observatory deck around 8:00 p.m. and hanging out until about 10:00 or so. Phillip plans to have the telescope going, potentially observing Saturn. Feel free to pop in whenever! If the lights are peaking later, feel free to come by and use the deck. We just ask that you be quite and respectful to our neighbors.

Autunm is Here

Happy first week of Autumn!

                The push of making the most of summer in Maine is so beautiful and exciting. We made the most of the last few weeks with beach trips, hikes, camping, and lots of garden harvesting and preserving. Tried hard to not let the final moments slip away.

                Though Summer is over, the garden is still producing food. The green house is full of corn for drying, most cobs are pretty small. There are a handful of decent sized ones though! I think the lack of airflow through the greenhouse may have prevented good pollination. Under the corn is a carpet of green leaves of the Yams. I am very confident we will have them for sale sometime mid-October.

                The sauce spiral Garden has given me many pounds of tomatoes, herbs, cumbers, and peppers. I’m experimenting with the freeze dry machine using them. I plan to spend this winter creating recipes and blends with the freeze-dried produce. Think of products like instant tomato basil soup and drink mixes. Still maintain the goal of having a way to sell these things in the next couple years.

                This past weekend we attended the Common Ground Fair. I found it to be overwhelming, so much to see and learn. It was also inspiring and encouraging to see so many other people trying to live and grow healthy food thoughtfully. What an amazing community Maine has cultivated. It is my hope that we can have a place in MOFGA’s realm in the coming years. Maybe sell freeze-dried products there?

                 Our Favorite excavator from Longship Construction came at the end of August for a few days. He did some clearing for more growing space and a potential greenhouse. Dug out a couple ponds. Expanded and cleaned up our parking area. Lastly, he continued our road through the woods. This road is going to make way for some fun things! 

                For now, we will continue building, maintaining, and remain hopeful that we are doing the right thing. This summer wasn’t all I hoped it would be.  Yet it was everything it was supposed to be. Looking back, I see we have made a lot of progress. I realize my capabilities.  My desires are more defined. I’m already brainstorming for next year. What to grow. What to teach about. Events to host. If you have any ideas let me know! Great things are to come.

              We plan to continue weeding through October. If you'd like to give us a hand let me know! I can work around your availability. 

                The next event is Astronomy Club on October 6th at 5:30 weather permitting. Sourdough Science on October 13th at 10:00 a.m., if attending let me know. On October 16th we are hosting our 2nd annual Dia De Los Muertos gathering. Hopefully we will have some opportunities for pop up Astronomy nights over the next month, especially before it starts to get really cold.

Astronomy Party 8/29 8:00 p.m.

Hey there,

                A big part of why I work hard on our farm and Observatory is due to my desire to connect the community. This last week was scattered with encouraging and meaningful connections, ones I was really needing.  The week brought a bit of life back to me and helped me put what we are doing into perspective.

                Last Wednesday I got the opportunity to join MOFGA for a training workshop and tour of an Herb farm. The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Associations offers a lot of free educational opportunities to observe other organic farms. We are practicing organic and natural methods here with the desire to possibly be organic certified.

                This event was more than just farm training for me. It was an opportunity to see other growers that are in similar situations. It was rather cathartic to listen to the struggles and success of their business. The farm is Wild Few Herb farm in Arundel. They have a beautiful little set up there with some very helpful tea blends. Go check them out!

                Friday was a really exciting day. First, we had a few individuals from the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) visit the farm. They helped us identify what we can do to improve our pollinator habitats and get some ideas of what to do for irrigation. Our application has been accepted. We’ll find out sometime next spring if we qualify for any grants or services. Hopefully we will at least get a Forest management plan.

                Friday evening, we hosted an Astronomy Pizza party. I’d say it was a real success. There were roughly 25 people that came. Lots of yummy food was devoured. Phillip taught us a little about Astrophotography using the Andromeda Galaxy. Then he aimed the telescope towards Saturn. We got a good show!

                We plan for many more pop-up astronomy parties. As of right now, we will be doing a pop-up tomorrow, 8/29/24, at 8:00 p.m. Phillip will be directing the telescope on Andromeda and Saturn again. I won’t have pizza, plannig to bake some sort of bread though. Let me know if you can join!

                The last connection I had was with my neighbor Gale. She’s been gardening and farming her land for over 40 years. It’s an enchantingly beautiful space. She happens to be a sculptor, welding copper into lifelike figures. I was able to sneak over to her yesterday to bring her some grapes. She was grinding metal, forming the shape of a sunflower for a customer.

                She stopped her grinding as soon as she saw me, pulled up a chair, and commanded me to stay a while and chat. She’s a woman near 80 years old. So full of experiences and knowledge about gardening. Of all the things we talked about, one stood out. No single growing year is going to be the same. They will each come with their own new problems and wins.

                This morning as I weeded, I found a little strawberry. It’s one of the Charlotte varieties we planted in our very first year. The plants that helped us introduce ourselves as growers of food. It’s also a variety we’ll never plant again. It doesn’t produce very much fruit and attracts pests late in the season.

Seeing this berry made me think about what Gale said. Every year is going to be different. We can’t rely on what works this year to work next year. This is the importance of diversifying what we grow and even what we do in life beyond the food. This idea is both exciting and terrifying.

Hope you have a great week and hopefully be able to stop by tomorrow.

Thanks, Gwendolyn

Weeds and Astronomy

Greetings!

                Were you able to catch a glimpse of any meteors during the Perseid Meteor shower? We attempted to sleep out on the deck during the peak. Unfortunately, an unpredicted storm moved in before the shower really picked up. We managed to catch a few very bright meteors prior. I was disappointed to learn the Aurora Borealis was rather active that night as well! Though it’s not the peak, the shower continues to persist through August 24th.

                This rainy weather is blocking out the possibility of any lunar observations this week. Hopefully we get some good weather the next few full moons. They are all Supermoons! Fingers crossed for clear skies next Sunday, the 25th. I’ll be hosting Astronomy club on our observation deck at 7:00 p.m., giving a short presentation and telescope observations. This will be a potluck style gathering. Bring a snack/drink (if you want) and plates/bowls/cup/cutlery.  

                There will be Yoga on the deck Sunday and Wednesday evening at 7:00, weather permitting. Tea Time is at 2:30 p.m. this Thursday. Reading In the Garden with Dr. Carver followed by activities about growing a garden. I’ll have a light snack and beverage, feel free to bring something to share. ALL ARE WELCOME! Books pulled from a 2nd grade curriculum.

                I have added two Sourdough Science classes, one in September and one in October. They are listed on the schedule. If you’d like to attend, please let me know as far in advance as possible. I need to make sure I have enough starters to share. For now, in these classes we’ll learn about the science of how sourdough fermentation occurs. I’m hoping to get my hands on a high-powered microscope so we can see the lactic acid bacteria up close! We’ll also prepare something for you to take home and cook.

                A few less events in September, there are too many things happening across New England that we don’t want to miss out on.  I am getting excited for an event planned for October 16th though. We will be celebrating Dia de Los Muertos (Day of The Dead). Living on the Mexican border led me to really enjoy this tradition of celebrating the lives of those who have passed on. We’ll have a Taco/Nacho potluck, hopefully the telescope operating, and some traditional activities like sugar skull painting.  I’m really looking forward to it and hope you can come! P.S. It’s my birthday too.

                Phillip and I continue to try and conquer the weeds and mulch the living hell out of the orchard. We’ll always take a helping hand in this endeavor. Ideally, we want it well weeded by the end of September. Our plan is to then seed in peas and oats so that they grow and act as a nitrogen fixer/weed blocker. They will winterkill before going to seed. I observed that where we have done the peas and oats before, there are significantly less weeds and big strawberry plants. We are also always looking for mulch/leaves. If you know anyone trying to get rid of some, send them our way!

                I still have an abundance of small heads of garlic if you are in need. The corn is starting to flower and remaining hopeful we may have some to offer in a month or two. The yams growing below them look like they are doing good too. 

Hope you have a great week and enjoy this cooler weather ahead.

-Gwendolyn

Astrophotography from Phillip over the last couple weeks. 

NGC6910

M45

Sunset Yoga and Future Sourdough Class

Hello,

                I’m having a hard time this week excepting that we are in the construction phase of our dream. We will be in build mode for a few more years. Building of physical structures and ground work aren’t the only things that need to be done, it’s us under construction too.  There is so much to learn in order to get all this to work. I just want to be an expert; I’m reminded daily that I’m not.  

                There are a lot of things I want for this space. In order for it to work it has to be done slowly and intentionally. It’s challenging to pause and enjoy what we have when there is a lot of work to be done. Though, important to stop and enjoy. Hopefully this fall will be a time to celebrate what we have so far.

                Yoga has been moved to Sunset on Sundays and Wednesday. Haven’t updated the calendar but will get that done by tomorrow.  Gathering at 7:00 p.m. on the deck weather permitting. It’s simply an audio recording of a teacher, I will not be instructing. If someone wants to host a class, I’d love that!

                Honestly, no one has come to a single event this summer. It’s really bumming me out. I’m still offering Tea Time on Thursdays at 2:30 p.m. through the rest of summer. Astronomy club offered a few times this month. Check the calendar for more details.

                I decided I want to try and host a cooking class. It will be held October 13th starting in the morning. The class will be focused on Sourdough baking. I’ll try to get a detailed event up by next week. It will be the cost of supplies for the class and a donation to the observatory if you want. I’ve been asked a lot, so I’m trying it out! Have any suggestions of what you would like to bake?

SH2-119 Clamshell Nebula

Thanks,

Gwendolyn

Growth an Good Food

Hola! 

The farm continues to spiral in extreme growth, weeds and planted plants. Accepting the weeds have won this year in some parts of the orchard. Focusing on weeding the annual gardens and the June bearing strawberry plants. Positive note is that where plants have grown a bit out of control, plenty of wildlife are happy. I fear the Pollinator flower seeds I sowed in the raspberry garden has choked out the raspberry canes. They are still young canes. Not losing all hope.  

I’m still in awe of the uptick of wildlife species this year. So many nesting birds have succeeded in growing their families. I even notice a more balanced insect population. However, fungal disease is a problem. It’s looking like our grape vines have been hit hard. We don’t want to cut anything presently in fear that it will spread the disease. Come late fall and winter, the vines will be heavily cut back. Hopefully next year we will be able to battle it with more vigor.  

Had lunch at Il Leone on Peaks Island earlier this week. I tell you this because it was very inspiring and delicious! How badly I want an open-air kitchen here at the farm. Envisioning it all stone and worked into the natural ledge. The other inspiring and beautiful part of the experience was that all the dough is done with a sourdough method, it goes through a multiple day ferment. If you know me, you know I’m obsessed with sourdough.  

We also got a tour of Nauti Sister’s Oyster farm’s new boat. The summer of 2022 I got the opportunity to be an intern. I fell in love with Oyster farming and made/making many connections through it. There are a lot of people doing some amazing things in the seafood world of Maine. I feel so lucky that I get to be connected to it. 

The sea farming interests are connected to the dream an open-air kitchen. I recently attended a pop up for Nor'Easter Oyster Co at Lambs in South Portland. They offered grilled jumbo oysters that I can’t stop thinking about.  

Some very good friends also got a bounty of lobsters from their lobsterman friends this week. The taste of fresh caught lobster is also something I can’t stop thinking about. We are SO lucky here in Maine! 

All this delicious food made with so much intention and thought, most ingredients from Maine. I’m thoroughly inspired and driven to create a space for deep culinary experiences. Those that connect us with the incredibleness of Maine and to each other.  

For now, I’m just processing food for ourselves. The freeze dry machine is running 24/7. Lots of berries and herbs. 

 There was not much opportunity for astrophotography. Busy work schedule and cloudy skies have gotten in the way. Hopefully this coming week will present the possibility. I will be hosting Astronomy Club tomorrow at the Waterboro Library at 4:00 p.m. I didn’t get a big showing at the last meet up. I’ll have both last month’s lesson on Black Holes and this month’s lesson on meteors. We can vote on what presentation depending on who shows up.  

The calendar is updated for the month of August. Hope you can make it to an event! 

Thanks, 

Gwendolyn 

Forestry and Astronomy

Greetings!  

This past week I decided to attend a farm tour hosted by NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service). We’ve been told several times over the last four years to apply for assistance from the FSA (Farm Service Agency). This farm tour helped me see what they do and encouraged me to want to apply. So, we are now in the application pool to potentially get assistance with a number of things; such as forestry management, habitat improvements, irrigation, soil health, a high tunnel, and so much more.  

We are more confident in what we want with our land. With this confidence I’m ready to reach out and find help to make it happen. Really thinking this could be a big leap forward.  

I spent a little time hiking the 30 plus acres we acquired this past year. It’s a mess and challenging to walk through. I’m looking forward to getting in there and cleaning it up so we can all enjoy it. Really hopeful that the NRCS will provide us with a forestry management plan that will be conservation focused.  

This meeting also got me stirring about how I can best educate myself on our land. I want to know how to manage the forest and relay that information to others. Kicking around the idea of going back to school for another degree, one that will be in alignment with what we are trying to do at the farm. Not sure what that is yet. Phillip starts his Astronomy degree classes in a couple weeks. His drive towards wanting to learn more in order to teach has inspired me to want to do the same.  

This week is pretty slow. I have some events on the calendar, please reach out if you plan to come. This coming Sunday, 8/04, is the new moon. I’m going to try something new that day. I will be giving my monthly Astronomy club presentation followed by telescope if the weather allows. This is open to ALL! We will have a potluck style spread as well. This will be monthly, likely the Sunday near the new moon. Bring a chair, bowl/cup/cutlery, and a treat to share.  

Feel free to drop by one day this week. Grab some garlic out of the small green house. Check out the improvements we’ve added to the deck. It’s all ready to be rented out for events. If you know anyone looking for an outdoor space, tell them to check out the Event Space Rental page. We will be using all the profits to go towards our Observatory goals.  

Phillip has taken a few Astronomy photos this week with his new camera. Imagine the photos we will get with the 24-inch telescope!  

M63 Sunflower Galaxy

M52 The Whirlpool Galaxy

Peak Summah

Hello! 

It is peak summer!  We have so many wild flowers blooming. All the pollinator feed seed mix I tossed a couple years ago is really taking off. Elated to see an abundance of pollinators enjoying themselves.  

Our goal is to grow food for humans. More importantly, the goal is to create an inviting and balanced Ecosystem for all. The uptick of wildlife and plant species is everything I could ever want. The plants are filled with the homes of birds and bugs. The dragonflies are in abundance swooping in and out of the orchard. Frogs and toads fill the pond.  

It still has a few more years before we have balance. It’s encouraging to see it getting so much closer. Hard to see the failures and inconsistencies. We have a lot of invasive species and diseases to compete with. These are the reasons why a lot of farms spray. We promise we won’t though. 

The beetles are enjoying the leaves of all the plants. We’ve instructed the kids to catch them and feed them to the frogs. The frogs are very aware of who feeds them. They emerge from hiding spots as the children come with their jars filled with twenty or thirty beetles. The bullfrogs instantly gobble the beetles up as they hit the water. 

Unfortunately, still not getting a lot of rain. Which is bad for plant growth, great for weeding. That’s what we will be doing for the next couple weeks at volunteer time. Let me know if you would like to come help!  Weeding this year mean more space for strawberry plant growth!

Phillip has gotten the sail shade up! It is much more comfortable during the mid day heat wave now. We have two shades up, there is the capability of a third shade if wanted. The deck is available for rent. Check out the details on the websites Event Space Rental section.

All the garlic is harvested, I think. If you want any, just head into the small greenhouse. Take whatever you like. Pay what you want.  

The yams and corn are growing nicely in the big greenhouse. Fingers crossed they remain protected from all the things that love eating them. My brassicas and celery have been found by a rabbit I believe.  

The grape vines we planted in the first year are rather filled with bunches of grapes! There are also a few bird nests within the vines. We look forward to having you forage grapes in a couple years. Wine making is also in the list of things we would like to do with this fruit.  

Tea Time this Thursday at 2:30 on the deck. Reading The Tree Lady: The True Story of How one Tree Loving Woman Changed a City Forever followed by activities about garden design and plant adaptations. Will have a light snack, feel free to bring one to share or not.  

Lastly, tonight at 6:00 p.m. we are having a get together with the Portland Ferment Club. All are welcome! Come share your favorite ferment food or drink, homemade or not. Bring a chair, bowl, cutlery, and a cup. Looking like clear skies to do Telescope observations after 9:00. Full Buck moon will be visible by 9:30.  

Continue enjoying your summer, it’s going so quickly!  

-Gwendolyn 

P.S.  

Thinking of hosting a 4th Astronomy Club opportunity here at the Farm. Similar to what I do at the library but with the Telescope available too and a potluck. Planning to do it on or near the New Moon. Will be for everyone. Look out for that update. Let me know if you have ideas or thoughts!  

Garlic Available

Greetings! 

Hope you are staying cool and enjoying some summer activities. We’ve been enjoying the lake A LOT!  

Phillip’s  Astro-photography photos this last week 

Veil Nebula

Pelican Nebula

Elephant Truck Nebula

I managed to harvest a little less than half the garlic out of the orchard this week, still a lot more needs to come up. The stand will continue to have a functioning credit card machine and cash/check box. All produce is by donation for the rest of the summer.  

You are welcome to come harvest the ones in the ground or take from what is drying in the smaller greenhouse.  The heads are on the smaller size, likely because of lack of water. Hopefully by this time next year we will have a second water source to irrigate the orchard. Two years ago, we tapped our only well dry for a short time. It’s made us hesitant to water such a large space again.  

A few things on the schedule this week. Volunteer time on Tuesday morning, Thursday afternoon, and Sunday morning. We’ll be doing a lot of weeding and harvesting the rest of the garlic. Tea Time on Thursday at 2:30. Reading The Boy Who Grew A Forest: The True Story of Jadav Payeny. Followed by activities about the importance of plants. Astronomy Club is at the Limerick Library on Friday at 4:00 p.m., discussing meteors this week. Lastly, on Sunday 7/21 at 6:00 p.m., we are hosting Portland Ferment club on the deck. Bring your favorite fermented food or drink to share, cup/bowl/cutlery, and a chair. The full moon will hopefully be visible sometime after 9:00.  

Hope you are able to come snag a little garlic or make it to one of our events this week! 

-Gwendolyn 

We still have Strawberries

Last week's reality check continues to resonate in my mind. I recognize I made the mistake of comparing our farm to the other You Pick places in the area, where strawberries are grown in a mono crop. Seeing their closures because they felt their strawberries weren't up to par for their customers made me do the same. I am so self-conscious that someone is going to come here and be disappointed. Actually, one person did come and didn’t like what they saw.  

We aren’t a mono crop strawberry farm though. It is a forest that we tend to, a full circle ecosystem teeming with diversity. It presents its’s challenges and requires a lot of labor. The rewards are unending though. I’m choosing to change my perception and not compare ourselves to other farms or try to be like them. I’m proud and happy we have a lot of people who support us in this. Thank you!! 

With that, we are open every day this week Sunrise to Sunset. All self-serve at the stand in the parking lot. You can forage a few strawberries still. There are field peas and sugar snap peas coming in, the tendrils and flowers are great for salad. Sugar snaps are randomly growing with the grape vines on the greenhouse side of the orchard. Field peas are back by the picnic table by the small greenhouse. Garlic Scapes and lettuce is available as well.  

I’ll be at the Waterboro Library today, 7/01/2024, at 4:00 p.m. for the Astronomy Club. I have a presentation on galaxies.  

Tea Time on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Reading Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas and discussing plant heredity. I’ll have tea with crackers or bread. Feel free to bring a snack to share but no pressure.  

Check the Calendar for volunteer time! 

Hope you make it out, 

Gwendolyn  

 Image taken by Phillip Last night of the North American Nebula , NGC7000 with the Redcat 51 apochromatic refractor telescope.

More Than Just Strawberries

We desire a lot, have big expanding dreams. A month ago, our hopes were through the roof on how many good strawberries there would be, the crowd of people that were going to forage them. Phillip started plotting the purchase of more greenhouses and expanding our growing spaces down the hill. Then, we experienced two brutally hot days reaching 100 degrees this week.  

This week was a reality check. The strawberries essentially melted in the heat, the ripe and unripe. We are still assessing the damage. Not all the berries are lost, but a huge chunk is gone. Mourned and quickly got over it. Changed our expansion plan this year. Rather than building more green houses, we are going to focus on our water sources. We think in coming years we can combat the heat with better irrigation. Also, continuing to vigorously weed and deeply mulching the orchard for the rest of the summer.  Come Volunteer! 

This set back has also allowed us to realize how we want to put energy into our other visions beyond the food aspects of our farm. We introduced ourselves as strawberry farmers a few years ago. Yet, we are so much more.  

Our Observatory dreams are potentially coming true in the next year or two. We reached out to a company that uses a robot to construct 3D printed concrete structures. They have given us a quote to construct the building that will house our future 24-inch telescope. The cylinder building with dome top will be connected to the deck we currently have. It seems like it’s a doable project in the near future! 

Yesterday's Strawberry Full moon was spent a lot differently than my vision a month ago. We didn’t harvest any strawberries. Instead, we focused on the other aspects of our life and the farm that we want to grow. It was our monthly Astronomy Club meet up at the Limerick library. It was so much fun.  Next meet up is July 1st at 4:00 p.m. at the Waterboro Library. Our topic is galaxies! 

Phillip and I also enjoyed a charter around Casco Bay with the lovely Nauti Sisters Sea Farm to celebrate his birthday. I continue to hold on to my vision of connecting land farm and sea farm. So grateful to have made connections and friendships in the ocean farming world.  

It was hard week and an encouraging one all at once. We will continue to dream on and work hard to make it all work together the way we envision it. Thank you for your continuing support and encouragement. We know big things are ahead.  

-Gwendolyn 

Strawberry Season!!

Hello! 

Strawberry season is in full swing. The garden needs a lot of love. We have goals of having it thoroughly weeded and mulched within the next month. It is our belief that the hard work now will make the coming years far easier and more manageable. 

Unfortunately, we aren't able to forage for individuals this year. Our plates are very full. The orchard maintenance is our top priority. We do have commitments to the Cornerstone Market on 202 in Waterboro Thursday-Saturday. Head to their store to find them for sale. And buy all the other delicious things they have to offer.  

We are open from sunrise to sunset every day. Remember it is VERY HOT mid day.  Check social media for day-to-day updates. Head to the small stand in the parking lot down low for instructions, boxes, and payment. $3.00 a pound. Cash/check preferred. No change. There is a card reader if cash is not available. Bring your own container. Quart boxes are available in the stand.  

Here is a map.  

Current Conditions 

Blue- Wendy strawberry is producing a lot and seems to be ripe. A good place to start.  

Purple- Charlotte strawberry. Small but very sweet. Have to look through the weeds we have yet to get to. If making jam, they are worth it.  

Grey- Darselect strawberry is at the end of the rows near the rock wall and sprinkled in between the Charlottes. They look decent right now. 

 Light Blue- Cabbot strawberry is large, easy to pick, and just beginning to come into season. I’m currently freeing it from the strangles of clover. They will be easier to find once they are fully in season.  

Green- Honeoye is so very ripe. A good starting point. You could sit and forage here. The juicy ripe ones are good for jam or fermenting.

Red- Flavorfest if coming into season.  

Orange- Sunset. Planted this year. A few berries, a little bit of a hunt.  

Yellow- Sparkle. Also planted this year and a bit sparce but available.  

Pink- A very wild raspberry patch. Maybe berries soon. Feel free to take a peek.

When I have time, I’ll add all the other species of plants we have in these zones. First, I need to free it all from the weeds. If you like weeding, check the calendar for Volunteer hours.

Last but not least, I will be at the Limerick Library Friday, June 21st at 4:00 p.m.. This week we are exploring what a Galaxy is. I’m doing some research and throwing together some points. Feel free to do the same and bring what you found to the club! I want this to turn into a group effort. All are welcome!

Thanks!

Gwendolyn.

Update

Greetings! 

Phillip and I have continued to work hard on weeding the orchard and mulching the walkways. I’ve done a lot of planting. This week several herbs went out; basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary. Cilantro, dill, and cumin have been seeded as well. Mostly all the early summer annuals have been planted in the ground too.  

There are MANY green strawberries out there, a few starting to turn, and a handful of ripe ones. We are predicting the opening for You Forage in the next two weeks. This year we have a shed we’ve put up to act as a kiosk. This will be your first and last stop when you visit the farm. There will be information about where and what to forage. We will have quart containers; I strongly encourage you to bring your own. Once you are done foraging, this is where you will weigh and pay.  

This week I will be at Parson’s Memorial Library at 2:30 for Astronomy Club!! This lesson will be roughly the same as the one I presented at the Limerick and Waterboro library. I hope you can join. We’ll be discussing telescopes.  

Check the website calendar for other opportunities to come hang at the farm. There is sunrise yoga on Sunday. Volunteer opportunities are on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. If there is another day you’d like to stop by, feel free to reach out and ask.  

Looking forward to seeing you soon! 

-Gwendolyn 

Update

We have planted all of the perennials and a majority of the annuals. Yam slips should be arriving in the next day or two, those will be planted in the big greenhouse.

Phillip and I are working hard at weeding and mulching the whole orchard. We want it to look top notch when you come to forage in a couple weeks.

The strawberry plants are producing A LOT of flowers! I hope you are ready to forage for so many pounds. Pease spread the word! We will continue to update when the orchard is open.

I’ve made some changes to the calendar. I have chosen to eliminate the Community Farm concept and changed it out for simple volunteer time. There will still be some activities for kids and refreshments. Discount on produce if available.

Volunteer hours are Sunday and Thursday afternoon, 3:00-5:00 pm and Tuesday morning 8:00am-10:00am. RSVP if coming.

I’m also starting sunrise Yoga on Sunday mornings. It’s not a class per se, just a gathering. We’ll try to start by 6:00am, free to come earlier to get the full sunrise experience. I’ll have an audio recording from my yoga app, unless someone feels drawn to guide us.

All of this can be found on the calendar!

Weekly Update

Spent the first half of the week moving mulch into the orchard pathways. Sowed a lot of seeds.  Phillip picked up our order of 15,000 strawberry crowns from Nourse Farm; Darselect, Sparkle, and Sunset varieties. We had some temperatures in the mid 20’s, so waited for it to warm up a little before planting the babies. So far we’ve planted roughly 6,000ish. The goal is at least 1,000 a day to finish.  

Come to the farm this week and help if you like. Or just hang out. 

Tuesday/ Thursday/Sunday- 10:00am-12:00am and 2:00pm-4:00pm 

I’ll have some short kids activities for Community Farm on Thursday and Sunday. 

Next week my attempt at hosting an Astronomy Club begins. We will be gathering at the Waterboro Public Library on May, 6, 2024 at 4:00pm. Check out the Calendar for more dates and locations.  

Sunday is Cinco De Mayo. Considering a Mexican inspired potluck?