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Focus on the Farm is part of an ongoing series that features Maine fresh foods, producers and manufacturers, and highlights topical stories pertaining to Maine’s agricultural landscape. The educational series showcases recipes, farming innovations, local agricultural events and in-season harvests.

December 2005, Christmas Trees

Christmastime in Maine and the First Lady is on the road to visit the Price family and their tree farm, Nutkin Knoll Farm in Newburgh.  On their family farm, the Prices grow Christmas trees, craft balsam fir wreaths and other fragrant balsam holiday products. They also sell pure Maine maple syrup produced on the farm during March and April.

First Lady Baldacci and Len Price select the perfect tree.	Nancy Price creating another Holiday Wreath.
	First Lady Baldacci and Nancy Price making holiday wreathes.

October 2005, Apples

October found the First Lady on the road again traveling to North Star Orchards in Madison.  North Star Orchards is owned and operated by the Dimock family: Judy and Everett, daughter Jennifer, and son Robert.   The event was complete with a tour of the orchards and the packing facility and a demonstration of how to make homemade applesauce.

The Dimocks: three generations of apple growers.

Emma Dimock demonstrates the proper way to eat an apple up in a tree

Behind the scenes of Focus on the Farm

July 2005, Farmers Markets

In July, Focus on the Farm hit the road and headed to the Boothbay Farmers’ Market, one of 64 markets operating in the State. The First Lady toured the market with Chef Josh DeGroot of the Newcastle Inn. After visiting with several farmer vendors, including Jan Goranson of Goranson Farms, the First Lady and Chef Degroot prepared a delicious warm mushroom, corn and tomato salad with ingredients they had just purchased at the market.

	Ingredients for the salad.
Fresh Lobster Mushrooms purchased at the Boothbay Farmers’ Market From Dan Heydon of Oyster Creek Mushrooms.
	The final product: a delicious a warm mushroom, corn and tomato salad.
	Chef Degroot prepares the salad.

June 2005, Cheese

The dairy industry in Maine isn’t just about delicious milk. More recently, this industry has seen a resurgence in artisan cheese making. Caitlin Hunter of Appleton Creamery and Cathe Morrill of  the State of Maine Cheese Company spoke with the First Lady on behalf of cheesemakers throughout the state who together have formed an association called, “The Maine Cheese Guild.” In addition to providing information about Maine’s growing hand-crafted cheese businesses, many Guild members’ cheeses were on display and were sampled.Blaine House Chef Heather Hopkins prepared a pasta dish using fresh Maine goat cheese and garden produce.

Caitlin Hunter of Appleton Creamery and  Cathe Morrill of State of Maine Cheese Company show off a variety of Maine artisan cheeses made by members of the Maine Cheese Guild.	Ingredients for this episode’s Basil and Olive Oil Goat Cheese over Pasta with Sautéed Garden Vegetables recipe
First Lady Karen Baldacci and some off Maine’s fresh artisan cheeses.	Blaine House Chef Heather Hopkins mixes up the pasta dish.

May, 2005, Fiber and Fiber Arts in Maine

In May, First Lady Baldacci welcomed Christine Macchi, Director of Maine Fiberarts, and Joe Miller of Rivercroft Farm to the Blaine House to discuss Maine’s fiber industry.

Joe Miller and the First Lady discuss the history of the fiber industry in Maine.		A sheep shearing demonstration at the Blaine House.
Christine Macchi and First Lady Baldacci in front of beautiful Maine fiber products.
		Christine Macchi demonstrates spinning in the Blaine House sunroom.

April, 2005, Spring Planting in Maine

First Lady Baldacci welcomed Scott Longfellow of Longfellow’s Greenhouses of Manchester to provide a hands-on demonstration of starting seedlings at home and tips on gardening. Dr. Lois Berg Stack, University of Southern Maine Cooperative Extension, was also on hand to talk about the many opportunities and resources for gardeners around the state.

	Scott Longfellow gives good advice to green-thumbs and novice gardeners alike.		Dr. Lois berg Stack and the First Lady take a break between taping segments on Focus on the Farm.
	A demonstration of transplanting seedlings.		Spring has sprung in the Blaine House Garden.

March, 2005

The fourth Sunday in March is Maine Maple Sunday.  At the March Focus on the Farm First Lady Baldacci tapped a maple tree on the Blaine House property along with maple industry representatives.  She also enjoyed a conversation about Maine’s Maple industry with John Hodgkins of Jackson Mountain Farm.

The First Lady and Joe Suga of Suga Country Products in Vassalboro tap a maple tree at the Blaine House.	The First Lady and John Hodgkins of Jackson Mountain Farms talk about Maine’s maple industry.
Sap pours from a Blaine House maple tree.
	The First Lady  and Eric Ellis from Maine Maple Products in Madison demonstrate how to make maple candy.

February, 2005

First Lady Karen Baldacci and Blaine House Chef Heather Hopkins shared tips and ticks for cooking fresh Maine salmon filets and mussels. This Focus on the Farm looked at Maine Aquaculture and cooking with fresh Maine salmon, mussels and oysters. On hand to talk about aquaculture in Maine was Sebastian Belle, Executive Director of Maine Aquaculture Association. Jeff McKeen of the Pemaquid Oyster Company spoke with the First Lady about oyster farming and provided a hands-on demonstration of oyster shucking.

Behind the scenes as First Lady Baldacci and Sebastian Bell talk about the importance of Aquaculture to Maine's economy.	Jeff McKeen demonstrates how to open a fresh Maine oyster.
First Lady Baldacci and Jeff McKeen talk about oyster farming and how to shuck an oyster.	Fresh Maine oysters on the half shell with mignonette sauce.
	Delicious Maine salmon filets prepared in the Blaine House Kitchen.

January, 2005

Maine Restaurants Celebrating Local Maine Food. In January First Lady celebrated the great restaurants in Maine who celebrate Maine Foods. With Blaine House Chef, Heather Hopkins, she cooked two recipes: A Seafood Chowder from Dysarts in Bangor, and a Deep Dish Blueberry pie from The Cliff House Resort and Spa. Both were participants in the October 2004 Maine Menus Month. In addition, the First Lady spoke with Carol Ann Ouellette, owner, operator and chef at the Moose Point Tavern, a seasonal restaurant in Jackman, Maine. Also on hand was chef and cookbook author Brook Dojny.

	Ingredients for Dysart’s Seafood Chowder and the Cliff House Resort and Spa’s Deep Dish Blueberry Pie.		Filming the show by Adelphia Cable with First Lady Baldacci and Author Brook Dojny.
	First Lady Baldacci and Heather Hopkins in the Blaine House kitchen.		First Lady Baldacci and restaurateur Carol Ann Ouellette share a laugh while taping the show.
December 2004
Real Maine Christmas Trees In December, the First Lady and Governor Baldacci welcomed students from the August Head Start program, the Maine Christmas Tree Association and Department of Agriculture Commissioner Robert Spear into the Blaine house to celebrate the Holidays. The event was part of an annual tradition where Maine Christmas tree growers donate a holiday tree to the first family. The real Maine tree was presented at the annual Head Start Christmas party. At the event, the First Lady demonstrated making a Blaine House traditional decoration— Kissing Balls. In addition, Head Start students took horse-drawn wagon rides and were treated to cider and cookies. There are over 150 Maine Christmas tree farms growing Real Maine Christmas trees. Real Maine Christmas tree annual farm sales of approximately $6.5 million represent a significant contribution to Maine's annual agricultural economy.
	Govenor and First lady Baldacci greet the Head Start children as the holiday tree arrives on a cold December morning.		The tree arrives at the Blaine House by horse-drawn wagon.
	Demonstration of making traditional Kissing Balls with Elwood Pratt, First Lady Baldacci and Vicki Pratt.		Calvin Luther, President of the Maine Christmas Tree Association, talks to members of the press about the Christmas tree industry in Maine.

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Read about these earlier Blaine House Focus on the Farm events:

June and July 2004
August 2004
September 2004
October 2004
November 2004

The Focus on the Farm series takes place monthly in the Blaine House kitchen, and elsewhere. Hosted by First Lady, Karen Baldacci, often featuring the blaine House Chef Heather Hopkins with information on fresh products grown or produced here in Maine, or topics relevant to Maine’s agricultural heritage. Each of the monthly sessions is featured on Adelphia Cable Channel 9, on 207 on WCSH Channel 6 in Portland, and picked up by print and TV media across Maine.

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©2003 Maine Department of Agriculture