Organic Blueberry Barque

The Organic Blueberry Barque is ready and is being received warmly in many new and current stores that carry our Tea. This is such a great encouragement to us. We would love to hear from folks who are eating the barque and using it in various kinds of ways. Please send us your recipes through our website http://www.organicblueberrytea.com/ or as a comment here on the blog. We would love for others to know what you have discovered!

3 ounce Bag, equivelant to 6 cups of blueberries.

1.5 ounce Bag, equivelant to 3 cups of blueberries.

Introducing our new product: Organic Blueberry Barque

Our new product is almost ready for the website and will be available at limited markets.

Organic Blueberry Barque (pronounced bark), is made of 100% organic wild Maine blueberries, harvested at the peak of summer when the fruit is the sweetest and dried to a crunchy, sweet blueberry treat. It is a taste of wild Maine blueberries in every bite.

NO sugar or other sweetners added, no oils, and no sulphites. Just pure blueberry fruit.

Use it on yogurt, ice cream or mix into your favorite granola. Add it to summer salads or try adding it to your favorite meat marinade. Can be added to breakfast cereals, pancakes, or sweet breads.

Ingredients: 100% Organic wild Maine blueberries.
Keep this dried fruit product air tight and dry.

Did you know that in the late 18th century a barque became known as a sailing vessel with masts of 3 or more square sails on fore and main and only fore and aft sails on the mizzen.

We are selling a 2.5 ounce bag at an Special Introductory Price of $5. That's almost 5 cups of fresh blueberries in every bag of Blueberry Barque!

Soon we will have the Organic Blueberry Barque available on the website, but for now, look for it at the Common Ground Country Fair on September 25, 26, & 27 and at the Belfast Farmers Market, every Friday (except 9/25), from 9-1, Front Street, Belfast until November.

Hopefully we will see you at the Fair!!
Tom and Theresa

Late Blueberry Harvest

This has been a very different year for blueberries. Normally we harvest berries at the end of July and certainly by the first of August, this year we started harvesting berries on 8/10 because we have to try and get the berries out of the field before my work force heads back to school! Right now we have parts of our fields that have all green-blueberries in it. This is not good and with all the rain, what is ripe is popping due to too much water.


We had to make a very difficult decision to not harvest our berries for Grade A fresh or frozen berries this year as our main function of the field has been to harvest and sell wholesale here on the farm to our customers and to CSA's. This was hard as this means that our loyal customers from years past have to try to find another grower to supply them their fruit. This also greatly impacts us as we depend on selling fruit to pay our workers and maintain our frields. Our up side is that we do have our value-added product of blueberry tea and a new product that we are currently in the development stage of and hope to have it out by September.

We have been trying to ease out of wholesale work for fresh blueberries and go all value-added anyway. So guess we do it this year and jump into full time with the value-added products. Tom and I have been so blessed by all of our customers and now we need those of you who were thinking about harvesting organic berries for fresh pack to step forward because the demand is high!

Hopefully warmer and drier days are ahead for the month of August and that a summer September is on the way!!

Spring turns to summer and back to spring again??

Well, we have had a very interesting weather pattern here in Maine for the whole month of June.



Spring bloom was great, bees worked hard pollinating the bells, all was well and then we had some funky wet weather after the bloom, (thank goodness it came after bloom, this weather would have been disastrous during bloom.) Now we are watching green berries grow with all this rain, but we will definitely need sun to blue the berries.



So we wait as this cold, wet, spring like weather, at the end of JUNE!! passes on (someday) and then we can resume our outside field work. I had to feed the bee's in the hive because it has been so wet and cold. I still need to plant my garden!! Yicks the work is piling up on us.....



This reminds me of a song....

"The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow"

The sun'll come out

Tomorrow

Bet your bottom dollar

That tomorrow

There'll be sun!

Just thinkin' about

Tomorrow

Clears away the cobwebs,

And the sorrow

'Til there's none!

When I'm stuck a day

That's gray,

And lonely,

I just stick out my chin

And Grin,

And Say,

Oh

The sun'll come out

Tomorrow

So ya gotta hang on

'Til tomorrow

Come what may

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow!

I love ya

Tomorrow!

You're always

A day

A way!



Enjoy.....hopefully some sun and not my singing

Taste of Home Flavor of Maine Tour includes Highland Blueberry Farm

Taste of Home Magazine has a World Wide County Tour group and they will be visiting our farm on Thursday. We are very excited about the opportunity to share what is going on with our farm and to encourage support of all local farmers in all areas.

If this sounds enticing, they have one more trip in September scheduled, visit them at http://www.countrytours.com/

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

5 Days/4 Nights
Flavor of Maine
View Map
Enjoy a guided tour of Portland, visit local farmers and sample lots of delicious regional fare, including Taste of Home recipes made with the freshest local ingredients. Acadia National Park, the crown jewel of Maine, is sure to be a highlight of the trip. You’ll enjoy the spectacular views of mountains, islands and the ocean, all in one breathtaking setting. Don’t miss this tasty trip!
Tour Highlights
Savor mouth-watering Taste of Home recipes made with the freshest local ingredients.
Marvel at Acadia National Park, where mountains, islands and the sea come together in a spectacular visual display.
Meet the earth-friendly growers of great-tasting organic fruits, vegetables and wines.
2009 Dates and Pricing
June 9-13
September 15-19
Price Per Person:
Double: $1,297
Single: $1,555
Meals Included: 8
Depart: Portland, Maine
Pre/Post-Tour Hotel: $168/night
Itinerary
Day 1—Portland: Our sensational seaside vacation begins in Portland, a charming coastal city so irresistible many world-class chefs have opened amazing restaurants here. Meet your fellow Taste of Home travelers at a Welcome Reception this evening. Welcome Reception included.
Day 2—Portland/Freeport/Camden/Rockport/Belfast: Enjoy a guided tour of Portland, including the childhood home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the elegant pre-Civil War Victoria Mansion and the celebrated Portland Head Lighthouse, Maine’s very first.
Later, meet Jim Aramal of Borealis Breads. Discover first hand how every loaf of artisan bread is made with only natural ingredients, shaped by hand and baked on a stone hearth. You won’t believe how tempting the bread smells while it’s baking—or how delicious it tastes!
Next we’ll head to Freeport for a fun shopping experience at L.L. Bean’s flagship store, located on Main Street since 1917. In the charming seaside town of Rockport we’ll visit Prism Glass Gallery and Café where we’ll meet Chef Lisa Sojka. Lisa brings a variety of talents and experience to the café and is known for preparing some of the finest Italian and Traditional New England cuisine. She will treat us to an assortment of tasty appetizers and hors d’oeuvres during our visit.
Enjoy a stroll through town and dine on your own before we head to Belfast, for the night. Meals included: B, Appetizer.
Day 3—Unity/Stockton Springs/Acadia National Park: Today we’ll travel inland to the town of Unity, where we’ll spend the morning with Cheryl Wixson, educator and resident chef for the Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association. Put on an apron and a tall white hat—we’ll be working together under Cheryl’s watchful eye to prepare a number of irresistible Taste of Home recipes and create our own delectable lunch.
Later, we’ll visit scenic Highland Blueberry Farm and meet Theresa Gaffney who recently introduced the world to “whole plant” Wild Maine Blueberry Tea.
Then it’s on to Acadia National Park, the crown jewel of Maine. Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places on Earth, this park offers the splendors of mountains, islands and the ocean, all in one breathtaking setting. You’ll revel at the size of Cadillac Mountain, the highest point along the Atlantic seaboard and the first place the rising sun touches from early October to early March.
We’ll end the day in Bar Harbor with a traditional downeast lobster bake, where your seafood, potato and corn-on-the-cob are all steamed together in a large, stainless steel cooker with irresistibly succulent results. Be sure to have your camera—and your appetite—ready! Meals included: B, L, D.
Day 4—Gouldsboro/Bar Harbor: Today we’ll head to Gouldsboro for a morning visit to Mandala Farm. Where beautiful Norwegian fjord horses provide all the power needed to cultivate its 100 acres. We’ll enjoy the fruits of their labor at lunch today when we visit Rupununi Bar & Grill in Bar Harbor. Chef Cassaday Pappas will prepare a scrumptious dish from the pages of Taste of Home magazine.
Explore the charming shops and galleries of Bar Harbor on your own or join us for an optional excursion this afternoon. Meals included: B, L.
Optional Excursion #1—Lulu Lobster Boat Ride: Climb aboard the Lulu for some seafaring fun! Captain John will show off his lobster traps and give you a glimpse of the life and work of a Maine lobsterman. You’ll see Egg Rock Lighthouse and learn the history and folklore of the area. Price per person: $30.
—or—
Optional Excursion #2—Mount Desert Oceanarium: Get a “hands-on” marine experience at the Mount Desert Oceanarium. The friendly staff will guide us through fascinating exhibits about tides, marine weather, sea survival and more. Price per person: $15.
Day 5—Union/Augusta/Portland: After breakfast, we’ll travel to the small inland town of Union to visit family-run Savage Oakes Vineyard & Winery featuring nine varieties of cold hardy hybrid grapes!
Then it’s on to Maine’s capitol city of Augusta. A “must see and taste” is Kennebec Chocolates, a family-run store that specializes in melt-in-your-mouth hand-dipped chocolates. Try your hand at making your own creation and enjoy some sweet samples!
Before heading to Portland, we’ll enjoy a farewell lunch featuring more Taste of Home recipes prepared especially for us by Chef Brian Sawyer at the Senator Inn & Spa. Then it’s time to head for home, full of the sights, sounds and flavors that truly make Maine a Taste of Home delight! Meals included: B, L.
Accommodations
Day 1: Holiday Inn By the Bay, Portland
Day 2: Comfort Inn Ocean’s Edge, Belfast
Day 3: Bar Harbor Regency, Bar Harbor
Day 4: Comfort Inn Ocean’s Edge, Belfast
Average temperatures: high 70°/low 50° (June & Sept.)

Bee's are here!

Well I finished my Bee Classes and I have had my nuc of honey-bees home for 1 week now. I love keeping bees, but I do not feel like a Bee-Keeper! However, I am learning, every day.

Enjoy the pictures of the hive and location.

Theresa

Blueberries, Bees and Spring

The Maine snow is beginning to melt and we are beginning to see the dormate blueberry vines show in spotty patches where the snow has gone.

I have begun my "Beekeeping Class" in Albion and have my nukes ordered. (For those of us who know nothing about bees, nukes are not bombs, but frames of bees, broods, and a queen bee.) I am very excited about this venture.

In the past, my daughter, Whitney and I, would go out into the blueberry fields during pollination and "unofficially" count the honeybees and bumble bees in our field. I have always been fasinated by the honeybee and as you can see by some of my photos, I really love to take pictures of them. So this really seems like a natural thing to do, begin keeping bees in a hive to pollinate the fields and gardens, but to also collect honey from them. Besides there is definately something yummy about whole plant blueberry tea and honey together that makes the blueberry flavor pop in the tea!

Thank you, Todd Hardie from Honey Gardens, long-time friend and supporter of our farm. His love of bees and the fact that he very gently encouraged me for 5 years, has allowed me to take this first step of fulfilling a life-long desire of mine. (Remember "Fried Green Tomatoes" movie?)

Theresa

PS Check out http://www.honeygardens.com/

Especially this page with a clip of the documentary on Health & the Hive: A beekeeper’s Journey. DVD of Jan Cannon’s film. 53 minutes. http://honeygardens.com/vid.htm

Not more Snow!

Today we are preparing for another snow storm.

It is amazing to see the 22 acres of open fields blanketed with white and to know that under the blanket of white rests the blueberry plants. In my opinion, all this snow makes for a better crop. So while we humans might not care so much for all this snow, the blueberry plants are loving it.

In my limited experience, one thing I have noticed about the effects of our Maine seasons on the fields is this: less snow, poorer crop conditions; more snow, healthier crop conditions. Here's why.

When we have little to no snow during the cold winter months, the fields that are to produce fruit in the coming spring can sustain "winter kill". Essentially what happens is the cold freezes the tips of the blueberry plants, thus killing the dormant fruit buds. With a thick layer of snow covering the plants, it acts as an insulator for the hardy plants.

And come spring, we have more fruit buds that can be pollinated thereby producing more fruit.

So for you blueberry lovers living in this region of snow, snow, snow....think about the value all that snow has on the wild Maine blueberry plant. We do, (while we dream of warmer weather).

Happy Shoveling and Plowing!!

Theresa &

(Hula girl mounted on my plow truck)