MeInMaine Blog

Tag: maine blueberries

  • How Many Islands In Maine, Give Or Take A Few?

    Maine Is Four Seasons, Lots You Don't Know About Here In The Pine Tree State.
    Maine Is Four Seasons, Lots You Don’t Know About Here In The Pine Tree State.

    If your rough guess was 4,613 islands along the Maine coast or a tidal waterways you are right, according to the Maine State Planning Office’s Maine Coastal Program.

    But there are even more lake, river islands not in that figure and will have to get back to you on exact number with those added in. 6000 may be close, rounded off to the nearest thousand.

    Maine is well know for potato production but where does the state rank nation wide where lots of places grow spuds. If you said the state of Maine, a major producer of potatoes, ranks fifth in the nation in acreage in 2009. But what about those Maine blueberries. Where do we stack up against the nation in that department? Maine produces 25% of all lowbush blueberries in North America.

    So the state gets a blue ribbon, first place, making it the largest blueberry producer in the world.

    Maine’s 24,291 hectares (60,020 acres) of blueberry crop requires close to 50,000 beehives for pollination of those blueberries too. The hives are trucked in from other states just to perform that task in the blueberry barrons of Maine.

    Now you know. Maine, she’ll steal your heart.

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers
    207.532.6573
    info@mooersrealty.com

  • Maine Blueberries Are Unique In Flavor And Health Benefits.

    Imagine 60,000 acres of Maine blueberries to harvest. Bees buzzing, hot sun rising overhead and Maine youth raking, fill boxes of blueberries. It was back in the 1840’s that Maine blueberries were commercially harvest and the word got out about nature’s candy.  Maine blueberries have a two year production cycle. Valued at more than 75 million dollars, blueberry growing in Maine contributes much to the state’s economy.

         Learn all there is to know about Maine blueberries. Watch a Maine blueberry video and see a harvest operation. The blueberry harvest starts in July and extends into August and utilizes local Maine youth and migratory workers who continue on to Northern Maine to help with the broccoli and potato Rake Some Fresh Maine Blueberries!harvest. Local events like the  Machias Maine Festival showcase the heritage, the importance of the blueberry crop to coastal communities.

    Maine REALTOR

    Andrew Mooers

    Rake Some Fresh Maine Blueberries!

  • Hopping Off The Bus, Remember Walking Up The Driveway As Kid Smelling Doughnuts Cooking.

         Hard day at school, and after hopping of the bus,  I enter the Maine farm house met by  the smell of mom cooking fresh chocolate donuts.

    Maine Youth Work On The Local Maine Farms Growing Up.
     

     

    Maine Youth Work On The Local Farms Growing Up.


       This is one of many fond childhood memories. No doubt your mom made some dishes like no other since. Potato salad, baked beans we grew, and home made bread was another family crowd pleaser. To dine on after working hard on the Maine farm land. Or repairing buildings or working in the potato house loading trailer trucks.The spud loads headed to produce centers in the winter destined for markets in Boston, Hartford or New York City.

        

    Growing up on a Maine farm meant I saw my parents a lot thru the day, and worked hand in hand with my three older brothers.

      In addition to raising potatoes, grain, dry bean and sugar beets, we planted a very large truck garden and sold produce at a farm stand. This income helped get us thru the summer when most of the household dollars are planted in the ground, waiting on fall harvest to get the crop into potato storage. Now local Aroostook County farmers also grow peas and broccoli. Lots of grains.

    We were never hungry, had mittens /hats knit by mom, used our imaginations and had fun as a Maine farm family.

     We learned about mechanics, carpentry, work ethic in addition to farming. Back in the 1800’s, 96 percent of us were living on family farms. Now less than 3% of the population raises food or critters.  Northern Maine is well know for spud production, Washington County and Down East for blueberries. We sold lots of corn, squash and strawberries at the farm stand too. With Canada roughly two miles away, we crossed the border to pick apples and strawberries to resell too. 
    Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers – Selling Small Rural Maine Properties Especially Farms and Land Listings.