Animals, food and fun promised at Open Farm Day.

Today is Open Farm Day, a day when more than 100 farms in Maine open their doors to the public between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to show how the food we eat is raised and grown. You can choose from vegetable farms — most of them organic — to dairy farms to farms with sheep or alpacas used for wool, where you can learn how to felt and spin, or see how cheese is made. Many have petting zoos for kids to visit. Some offer food samples. Some offer hay rides. Some have stores where they sell their goods and produce. There are others that grow flowers and shrubs and have beautiful gardens for you to walk through and enjoy the beauty of, or you can buy that plant you have been looking for to fill out your garden.

There are open farms in all of Maine’s counties, so take your pick. Go to http://www.getrealmaine.com/visit/open_farm_day.html for a full listing. On this page we have visited a few farms in anticipation of today, and also offer some other places of interest in those areas for you to see. So get in the car. It’s time for an Open Farm Day road trip!

Fibah For Ewe

Polly Lemelin

42 Anderson Road

Monmouth

933-3722

www.fibahforewe.com

Visit this farm and buy some of Polly’s wonderful soaps, yarn or rovings. They have new baby lambs to look at so make this a stop.

Hurricane’s Café & Deli

682 Route 202

Greene

946-3354

www.hurricanedeli.com

On your way to Monmouth stop off at the Hurricane Café and Deli for some great food. Easy to find on Route 202 in Greene.

The Morris Farm Trust, Inc

156 Gardner Road

Route 27

Wiscasset

882-4080

www.morrisfarm.org

This is an organic farm that has free-range chicken and sheep in pasture. They have many educational programs for adults and children, they sponsor the Tour de Farms bike event and have an annual fall festival in October. They also have a small farm stand where you can buy their products.

North of the Border

605 Bath Road

Route 1

Wiscasset

882-5432

Anyone who has driven down Route 1 through Wiscasset has seen North of the Border. It has a few old barns filled with art, antiques, pottery and all sorts of things to tempt you. They also sell seasonal plants and garden pottery.

Red’s Eats

Corner of Route 1 and Water Street

Wiscasset

882-6128

I would be remiss if I didn’t add in this Maine landmark. They are open during the summer and you will always find a long line stretched out with people waiting to get one of their famous lobster rolls. If you haven’t eaten there yet, now is the time.

Nezinscot Farm Store

Gloria & Gregg Varney

Route 117, 1 mile north off Route 4

Turner

225-3231

www.nezinscotfarm.com

Visit this farm to see the new lambs and other farm animals they raise. They have a cheese room, a lunch room and upstairs they have a fiber shop for spinning, where you can buy some of their yarns. They also have a tea house, a teepee and a yurt on the property. This is a must see!

Sunnyside Gardens

Edith & Joel Ellis

500 North Parish Road

Route 117

Turner

225-3998

www.sunnysidegardens.com

When I stepped into the gardens, I felt like I had stepped into an enchanted place. They will be having a garden tour at 1 p.m. of their English-style gardens at their 1820s farmhouse. They have specimens for sale. While you’re there, look for fairies, you just might see one.

 

The Ivy Cottage

261 Auburn Road

Route 4

Turner

225-5938

While in Turner, you’ll want to stop in at Ivy Cottage and see all they have to offer, from garden plants and accessories to specialty foods, curtains and hand-painted wine glasses, just to name a few. Don’t miss it.

Sunshine Daydream Farm & Gardens

Michelle Delucia & Eric Fisher

377 Center Conway Road

Brownfield

935-4075

www.sunshinedaydremgardens.com

Nestled in the woods a mere 7/10ths of a mile from the New Hampshire border, this organic farm raises angora bunnies, and merino sheep. They have a few free-range chickens and a large organic vegetable garden and greenhouse. Also there is a fiber shop where you can buy hand-dyed rovings and yarns, dyed with flowers that are grown at the farm.

Stone Mountain Arts Center

Carol Noonan

695 Dug Way Road

Brownfield

www.stonemountainartscenter.com

While in Brownfield make arrangements to stop and catch a show. Today the Punch Brothers will be performing: “… expanding the frontier of an emerging style of what might be called American country-classical chamber music,” according to The New York Times.

Peary Mountain

Brownfield

http://outdoors.mainetoday.com/hiking/trails/pearymountain.shtml

Go to the Web site for directions to this mountain. About 2 miles round trip, but the view at the top makes it worthwhile. Get good directions, as there are four ways to hike the mountain.

Windy Hill Farm

Ron and Linda Winship Sr.

115 River Road

Windham

892-2793

This farm will have a petting zoo for the kids to enjoy and a collection of antique tractors for dad. They have a farm stand where you can buy Maine-made products and the farm’s own honey.

Charlie Beiggs Restaurant

754 Roosevelt Trail

Route 302

Windham

892-8595

www.charliebeiggs.us

This is a great restaurant in Windham for a great meal and a brew. A nice way to end the day after visiting Windy Hill Farm.