MAINE, USA — Nothing says summer in Maine more than fresh produce. This summer, if we can call it that, along with a rough winter and spring, has impacted berry farms and beyond.
“This is probably the most challenging season we’ve ever had,” said Michael Goss, farm manager at Goss Berry Farm. “We had some pretty cold weather this winter. That took our peach crop and did a little damage to our raspberry crop. We had a late freeze on May 18 that did more damage to our strawberry crop and our blueberries. And the rain just hasn’t stopped since June.”
Though many of us are hunkered down for winter, it’s a critical season for the berry farm.
“We’ll cut this out in the winter. This we’ll put over here. Tie it up, and then we’ll have a crop on it next year,” explained Goss.
Major drops in temperatures or moving from one extreme to another can have a big impact.
“Each fruit lateral that you see…the fruit coming off, it forms right at the node. They call this the node, where the leaf meets the stem,” explained Goss. “They’ll be a fruit bud sitting right there. Those are what you don’t want getting too cold in the winter. They’ll die, and then you won’t have any. They’ll look like this. These are the nodes that should’ve been fruit buds and then they didn’t come out this year.”
Temperamental weather aside, the raspberry and blueberry crops are out in full force, something Goss Berry Farm has been providing since the 1980s.
“My parents started. They bought the property back in the '70s, and I think they started in the early 80s, just selling strawberries on a picnic table down by the roadside with a little self-service box on the honor system,” said Goss.
But raspberries are their main crop, with several varieties growing on their 12 acres.
“You can pick your own raspberries. We have blueberries. You can cut your own flowers. We’ll get you a jar and some snips, and you can cut flower to bring home in a few weeks,” said Goss. “We have a small little potato field, and the kids love that. It’s like a treasure hunt through the soil.”
It's certainly a labor of love, but Goss is happy to be back on the farm after some time away.
“I went away for college … to Orono. And I got my degree in engineering. And then, after college, I went and worked at the shipyard for a few years. But I think once I went away to college is when I realized, I kind of miss the farm. And you don’t realize it until you leave. It’s being able to … just be in out here in nature. It’s peaceful, and I enjoy it,” said Goss.
Goss Berry Farm is open daily through the berry season. Be sure to check their Facebook page for updates on picking conditions and what’s available.
More NEWS CENTER Maine stories