Hello everyone,

The other day I was thumbing through my copy of Down East Magazine an came across an article about being "green in Maine".  I realized then that many Mainers have been living the green life well before it became the "cool" thing to do.

For Mainers all over the state when the snow melts and the ground thaws out there is a mass exodus to find last year's seeds that were stowed away for the winter, start new seedlings on the window sill or in the green house or plan a trip to the local hardware store to buy those veggies for summer.

Now, if you have never been blessed with being in Maine May through October you are missing out on what I personally call the garden show.  In addition to Maine's already God given beauty, this mass gardening just only serves to provide an even more dramatic backdrop to the mountains, lakes,rivers and the ocean.

However, the mass gardening that seems to abound through out the state is for many a source of income and a way to help supplement their food budgets through the long winter.  It is a system that serves Maine well.  In addition to private gardens that are filled with every veggie, flower, fruit that can be imagined there are hundreds of pick your own farms as well. 

It is through this simple way of life for many that Maine has help the world to become a better place and to help reduce their effects on the environment.  Many small towns provide space for farmer's markets where local growers and bring their wares.  It is in these farmer's markets you can find just about anything you could possibly want, homemade bread, fruit, veggies, homemade soap, flowers, even homespun wool thread. 

This is a win win situation for all.  When people produce their own food via gardening the need to buy from other countries goes down, with that goes down the need for long distance transportation, the need for large amounts of fuel to keep the produce rolling and that leads to less traffic.... and on and on the benefits keep coming. Then with the extra goods they are made available at local farmer's market for others to buy thus continuing the cycle of green.

Also, you will find that many gardeners still use "ol time" recipes for pest control and fertilization.  In other words, they use more organic forms of gardening, not necessarily because it is better, it is just how it was always done. 

For example, my Grammie, used to spread black pepper around her garden to keep cats out, planted marigolds in the garden to keep deer out and used manure from a local farm and made her own compost.  She always had the (in my opinion the best garden on the block).  For many these time honored traditions continued to be used because they work and why fix it if it isn't broke.  In my opinion, this why I think that there has been such a surge of certified organic farms (some offer pick your own or shares) not so much as to make money but to continue the tradition.  Which has help put Maine on the green map.

Another, time honored tradition in Maine that makes them green is the art of canning or preserving the summer bounty.  When the garden is bursting and with goodies and the berries are ripe in the fields you will find Mainers everywhere hauling out there canning jars, pots and lids to start the process.  Most gardeners, always make their garden just big enough so that they can give some away, sell some and can or freeze some.  Whenever, you run into someone you know you are often regaled with how many jars of pickles they put up last week, or how their chow-chow turned out or who has the best deal on mason jars.  This is once again an extremely green thing to do, but once again for most Maine caners and gardeners it is a labor of love. 

Lindy