CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine — The last few months were "the perfect Maine summer" according to Caitlin Harriman, a farmer in Cape Elizabeth. In fact, as October approaches and crowds start flocking in, she says the whole town of farmers has a lot to be grateful for.
"It was the most beautiful summer we've had in a long time. I'm sure everybody out there recognizes that," Harriman said.
A beautiful summer means different things to different people. For her, it means the more than 30 kinds of pumpkins at her family's farm, Alewive's Brook Farm, can thrive.
"They're where they're supposed to be. They have a nice hard external shell and then the nice meat inside." The perfect patch Harriman is describing is not a sure thing every year.
"They were able to be watered as appropriately as opposed to last year when they were just being watered every day, thanks to Mother Nature."
Harriman's entire family remembers the struggle that was last summer, which brought record-breaking rainfall. "It's more time consuming and things always seem to fall apart," her brother, Tucker Jordan, said.
Jordan said they were working just as hard for half as much. "Plants will rot in the field. You'll get bacteria fungus."
The pumpkins that were harvestable were rotting in under a month, which made selling hard.
"There's nothing you can do as a farmer, but you feel bad giving a product you know isn't going to be able to last as long as it should," Harriman said.
Since the summer, healthy pumpkins like Harriman described have become a common sight again at Alewives. Most of the ones in it's patch this year can last longer than six months.
That wealth, Harriman adds, hasn't been exclusive to just one location. "All the farms in town that grow pumpkins have a hugely successful pumpkin season."
As people already start pulling into the parking lot at Alewive's, it appears farmers aren't the one ones who have been waiting for that success.
"People can head on out there and find their pumpkin and start drinking their pumpkin lattes and eating their pumpkin spice doughnuts and whatever and welcome fall," Harriman said.