Farming at Perseverance Wild Blueberry Farm

Spring

Spring is a magical time in northern Maine, coming after the long, character building winter!



Lou on the newest tractor.













Nancy moves her office to the pickup truck, and heads out to the fields, where wild irises thrive with the blueberries.







 
Bees are crucial to blueberry farms as they pollinate the flowers so the fruit can set.









And even the moose are happier in the spring!




Summer

Summer is beautiful in Northern Maine.  The black flies leave around July 4th.  There is plenty to do in preparation for the ripening blueberries.  In addition to ensuring all the tractors, winnowers, and other equipment is ready for harvest, the blueberries need to be inspected daily for any agricultural surprises.  Then, in mid-August, we jump into action for the 3 week harvest window.  The blueberries are picked, winnowed, and trucked to Ellsworth for freezing.  Pick-your-own is open for the entire 3 weeks.


A mechanical harvester collects and winnows berries for the freezer plant.













Antique winnowers are used to clean the hand-raked berries.  The old gas engines have been converted to electric. 
The results are PERFECT!













One last check, and the blueberries are ready to retail.




A large part of the crop gets a three hour drive to Ellsworth for freezing.










Fall

In the Fall, the plants are cut back in preparation for the winter.  In our free time, we "harvest" ROCKS.  Friends, family and employees enjoy the annual "Get the biggest rock out of the field without killing any blueberry plants" Contest. These rocks come in all sizes and shapes, and are also available for sale - please call with inquiries! 





The flail mower (left) is used on our manicured and developed fields.  The rougher fields have to be mowed manually.





All of the fields enjoy de-rocking in the fall, winter and spring!


Wow - you won't find boulders like this in Florida!  Yet another reason to love Maine.



Everyone chips in, even Nellie.


These old rock walls are located near the True Ames homestead on the farm.  They were built without the benefit of modern equipment, using hand labor, stone boats and a team of horses.  Everyone worked long and hard, only to have to do it again year after year as Mother Nature works the rocks back up through the soil with frost action.  It's amazing what was accomplished with a minimum of equipment and with a lot of good old fashioned labor and Yankee ingenuity.


















Winter