Agri-tourism has a place in northern Maine

    Even here in The Crown of Maine, it is not difficult to find a child who imagines that meat magically appears in a plastic-wrapped, Styrofoam plate or who finds nothing strange about purchasing a kiwi at the local Big Box store in April. Many “little people” (and sometimes “big people!”) don’t seem to have a very clear idea about where food comes from and what it takes to capture the sun’s energy on your plate or even in a flowerpot. But what are you going to do … introduce the child to Mr. Potato Head just before you bake him and plunk him down on the child’s plate?     Agri-tourism is a great way to encourage your children and grandchildren to connect with food sources while literally getting their hands dirty. Mark and Gloria Goughan have spent the more than 30 years of their marriage developing this concept on their farm to share with the general public.
    The first things you notice as you drive east along the Fort Fairfield Road in Caribou on the way to Goughan’s Berry Farm are the fields themselves. Once upon a time, they were a monoculture of potatoes like so many others; slowly but surely, that has changed. The smooth rolling hills are now checker-boarded with variety such that driving past is rapid-fire visual stimulation like staring straight at the rotating mirror ball at a 1970s disco. Everything looks intriguing or innovative or fun and calls to you as you approach. “Oh, look! High bush blueberries! Oh! They have raspberries in bloom. Hey! Beehives! Fresh. ripe strawberries over homemade ice cream … yes! They are growing salad on the hoof … excellent. Row covers! A sawmill!? I’d love to see that work. An animal barn … what’s in there? Whoa! Check it out … a waterslide!”
    If you do make it to the parking lot without running off the road, more looking than driving, there are other things to draw your eye. Nine greenhouses filled with planters, potted plants, and hanging baskets beckon you to add color to your house, porch, and yard. An A/V theater setup offers an education in the process (both past and present) of making maple syrup; the room itself sports a wood-fired evaporator and a tapped tree complete with an old-fashioned spile and a sap bucket. The walls hold a collection of tools of the trade for close examination.
    A store outside the door is a crazy kind of concession stand that promises “down-home” taste treats—ice cream, honey, maple syrup, a whole raft of different jams and jellies, rhubarb, greens—a delicious and ever-changing display. Everything is set up to be accessible, to be touchable, and to encourage questions and investigations from folks who visit.
    The folks at Goughan’s are impossibly busy, like most other farmers and growers at this time of year. But they are not too busy to bring a selection of “ripe and ready” to the Presque Isle Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. They are also not too busy to host farm tours or birthday celebrations.
    Gloria says, “The people are the best part.” They are clearly working hard to make their farm a four season destination to encourage folks to come back again and again. Later in the fall, there will be a corn maze and a pumpkin patch to delight young and old. Later still, visitors can watch a Balsam wreath be handcrafted and select a beautiful live Christmas tree from a generously sized lot. Later still, you may be able to get Mark to come out of the sugar bush or the woodlot on a snowy winter day to talk to you about his plans for their future … there are Agri-tourism ideas perking all the time!
    Editor’s note: This weekly column is written by members of the Presque Isle Farmers’ Market. For more information or to join, contact their secretary/treasurer Steve Miller of Westmanland at 896-5860 or via e-mail at beetree@xpressamerica.net.