MAINE POTATO PICKING CHILDHOOD (cont.)

it was off to the field to your ‘section’ to await the digger. After a short while your body would ache because you chose the biggest basket you could, and now had to lift it full of potatoes repeatedly to fill the barrels.

When the harvest was finished for our farmer, we were done! We always had a few days before we had to be back in school, and we totally enjoyed that ‘vacation’ time! Mom would bring us shopping, each with our list in hand, and we had the best time choosing clothing and toys!

This little yearly blip of time in my life is precious to me. The values of friendships, monies earned and budgeted, and work ethics developed, were priceless to me and to many who also share this experience. It has impacted future endeavors, and has lasted a lifetime.

Mrs. Davis is a retired Teacher of the Deaf, and now works her own health and clean living business from her home. She is originally from the small town of Woodland in Aroostook County, Maine. Mrs. Davis currently resides with her husband in Waterville, Maine. She picked potatoes every fall from the age of 9 years until she graduated high school.

Editor’s note:

A great Maine claim to fame is our famous, high quality potatoes. A glance at the great state’s map depicts 3 clear “Maine’s:” Southern Maine, populated and bustling with coastal communities, meanders its way north, and becomes the mid-section of the state – bedecked with endless lakes, raging streams and dramatic mountains, which at last give way to … “THE COUNTY.” It sounds formidable; Aroostook County is so far north that some of it is geographically “farther north” than some of Canada. It’s POTATO-VILLE. Miles, as far as the eye can see, of flat agribusiness going on much as it has for generations, though keeping younger farmers is a widespread challenge.

From melt-in-your-mouth Maine Potato Donuts, to the oh-yes-we-do Mashed Maine Potato Pizza, a barrel of great recipes are HERE

Canada

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