Micmac Farms growing strong
CARIBOU, Maine — In its first five years, the Micmac Farms has been harvesting acres of berries, herbs and vegetables, and is now turning to its fruit orchards as it looks to expand as a part of the local food supply.
Workers and volunteers with Micmac Farms have been nuturing the 18-acre parcel of land, just north of the Presque Isle line in Caribou on U.S. Route 1, since 2010.
“It’s been growing pretty good,” said Roger Akerson, a tribal member who grew up around Stockholm and volunteers at the farm.
In late August, at the Micmac’s Mawiomi gathering, Akerson and others with the farm were selling a bounty of cucumbers and freshly-made relishes. Though relatively modest in acreage, the farm is one of the most diverse in its cultivation — beets, cabbage, kale, tomatoes, peppers, beans, peas, squash, herbs, onions, tomatillos, swiss chard, lemon balm, strawberries. Among the squashes alone are a great variety, including butternut, sunshine, acorn, confetti acorn, delicata and blue hubbard.
“Our peas are the sweetest around,” Akerson said. “People have been faithful and coming back for the peas.”
Micmac Farms is largely spearheaded by the tribal community, as a way for younger and older generations to have a chance to connect with agriculture and learn new and old growing techniques.
Tribal elders can receive a 25 percent discount buying food at the farm, and tribal members also get a small discount. But its store is open to anyone, noted Cheryl Smart, a farmworker.
“It’s for the whole community, the Micmac community and beyond,” Smart said.
Looking ahead, workers at the farm are focusing on optimizing the orchard of apple, plum and pear trees, said Smart.
The apple trees in particular have been a challenge in terms of fruit yields. “We’re going to dig out some of the fruit trees, to sell them and thin out the orchard,” Smart said.
