WHAT IS YOUR LAST CHORE OF SUMMER? For Wood Prairie Family Farm and other Certified Seed Potato farms, our final pre-Harvest task is the required cleaning of the Potato House – in our case our underground Potato storage – and then disinfecting (with Organically-approved-Bleach) the entire building and all the Potato grading equipment. Maine’s extensive good sanitation measures are designed to prevent the spread of Potato diseases.
Amy, Caleb’s sister, volunteered to tackle this annual barn-sized project. In this fuzzy photo, the Potato cellar has been emptied of everything except Potato grading equipment. Even with fans running hard, Amy’s cleaning efforts created a thick London fog and a blurry picture thanks to the steam from the hot-water pressure washer.
Once the building is immaculately cleaned and disinfected, then the Potato grading line gets washed down and is also disinfected. The Bleach is left in place for ten minutes, then rinsed off with clean water. When this job is completed, the Potato House’s concrete floor is clean enough to eat off of.
Amy’s now back at Husson University in Bangor where she’s entering the third year of her five-year program to earn a Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy (OT). Indelibly instilled with the Maine-farm-work-ethic she’ll continue to work on the farm during breaks, hire out as a substitute teacher in Bangor schools on her open days, plus work shifts in the Husson Student Health Center.
Caleb, Megan, Jim
