We wanted to give you an extra week’s warning about the annual Springvale Farm Walk on July 22 (Open Farm Day throughout Maine) so you don’t miss this very European-style event. For the sixth year, the walk will traverse an approximately four-mile mowed path through farmers’ fields, taking visitors on a self-guided tour of 10 farms close to downtown Sanford, along Hanson Ridge and the Deering neighborhood. You’ll traverse fields normally closed to the public, getting a closeup view of berry farmers, apple orchards and vegetable production.
Something new this year: A number of the farms have come up with refreshing beverages to cool you as you walk. Yes, of course these recipes have local ingredients. Lee Burnett, who organizes the event and works for the conservation group Forest Works, dropped off five of the beverages for Source staff to sample, and they were delicious. We were intrigued by a sample of switchel, a vinegar-based drink with a long history of cooling farmers on hot days, as well as a refreshing sun tea made with Persian cat mint, chamomile and red shiso, sourced from Noon Family Farm.
Michele DesAutels of Ferment Farm, home to three orchards, blueberries, asparagus and 10 acres of hay, created her own lemonade recipe using blueberries and mint from the farm. She was trying to keep the carbon footprint of this drink as low as possible – seems particularly appropriate for a walking tour – and says someday, when the farm fulfills its dream of adding a greenhouse, she hopes even the lemons will be local.
Ellen McAdam of McDougal Orchards got her rhubarb tea recipe from Burnett; he came up with the idea for the walk originally, as a means of promoting trails in Sanford.
“Lee brought some of the rhubarb tea to a Farm Walk planning meeting several years ago and we really loved it, so I begged for the recipe,” McAdam said in an email. She trimmed a little sugar from it, to make it more “refreshing on a hot day.”
Bring a backpack and shop the farms along the way. Items for sale will include produce, meats, dairy and prepared food. At Noon Family Farm, famous for its lamb, a barbecue will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you’ve been to the Common Ground Country Fair, you know how long the lines typically are for the Noons’ lamb, so enjoy the chance to eat it on the actual farm.
WHAT: Annual Springvale Farm Walk
WHEN: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 22 (Rain or shine, this is Maine’s Open Farm Day)
WHERE: The 4.5-mile trail begins at McDougal Orchards and ends at Blueberry Bend but you can hop on at other points. There are multiple parking options with shuttles to take you to starting points (and the option to do a 9-mile circuit if you please).
• Mousam Valley Mushrooms, 21-B Blanchard Road
• Rivard Farm, 110 Blanchard Road
• McDougal Orchards, 202 Hanson Ridge Road
HOW MUCH: Free, although donations are much appreciated to pay for the shuttle service. Dogs are welcome, if on leash and accompanied by owners willing to clean up after them. An $8 breakfast will be offered at McDougal orchards by the Three Rivers Land Trust. Children under 5 get a free breakfast. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page, Springvale Farm Walk.
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