WHEN FARMERS TAKE ON ROLE OF FIREMEN RESCUING CATS. During one recent snowstorm, Caleb’s sister, Amy, ventured outside only to hear the cries of a somewhat desperate barn cat stranded atop the snowy roof. Old-timer Neveah (that’s ‘Heaven’ spelled backwards) had apparently discovered an unfinished nook or cranny in our new building addition through which she could slither to cold freedom in the outside world. The impact of the blowing cold snow seemed to have shocked Neveah from the ability to retrace her steps and find her way back inside. So, Amy climbed onto some scaffolding and came to Neveah’s rescue.
Today marks the end of Amy’s Christmas break. She just completed her first… More

SHIFTING GEARS: OUTSIDE WORK-SEASON ALL DONE AND THE SHIFT TO INSIDE JOBS. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
Well, Maine’s Winter cold highlights the fact that it’s past time to shift our purposes from the outside to inside work. On Wood Prairie Family Farm that means swapping from construction to grading potatoes.
This shot was taken last month. Our goal had been to button up the outside of our new packing shed and office addition. We met that goal, making as much progress as the building season allowed.
After the Amish-made Raised Seam Metal Roof panels were installed, attention was turned to strapping the building’s… More

THE ERA OF SPRUCE GUM IN MAINE. ‘Spruce Gum’ was sourced from Spruce resin. By nature somewhat bland and astringent, it possessed what one might call an ‘acquired taste.’ Commercially, beginning in the 19th century it was available as a pellet-like precursor of modern-day chewing gum.
Maine’s Waterville-based general-store-like ‘LaVerdiere’s Super Drug Store’ – which morphed into ‘Rite-Aid’ and now ‘Walgreens’ – used to carry everything from cough medicine to shoelaces to snowshoes. As recently as the 1970s, LaVerdiere’s carried Spruce Gum and sold it in matchbox-sized boxes akin to those pictured here.
Have you ever tried Spruce Gum and what did you think? Caleb, Megan & Jim

AND THE COLD RUSHES INTO MAINE. Took this shot midmorning while under sunny skies the outside air temp was -8oF when we were bringing in an empty dirt hopper. Inside our underground potato storage it’s a balmy 38oF. The smoky clouds develop instantly from relatively ‘warm’ moist potato air hitting the cold outside air. No thunder or lightning, though!
Many years ago, an Aroostook potato farmer friend told me he had been taught a trick by his potato-farming-father. On the coldest day in January, build up a big fire in the wood stove in the potato house and once it’s going strong open up all the potato house doors to change the air. Out goes the high CO2 air accumulated from potato respiration since harvest. In comes the clean dry high oxygen air. Potatoes in this way store better and Seed Potatoes have more vigor in the Spring due to less stress. Caleb, Megan & Jim

“SISTINE CHAPEL OF THE ANCIENTS” DISCOVERED IN COLUMBIA’S AMAZON RAIN FOREST. An article about the recent discovery in an extremely isolated region of the Amazon.
“Hailed as ‘the Sistine Chapel of the ancients’, archaeologists have found tens of thousands of paintings of animals and humans created up to 12,500 years ago across cliff faces that stretch across nearly eight miles in Colombia.”
‘The Guardian’ offers this good report. Caleb, Megan & Jim https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/nov/29/sistine-chapel-of-the-ancients-rock-art-discovered-in-remote-amazon-forest

PHOTOGRAPHER RUSSELL FRENCH BEGINS HIS “ABOUT ORGANIC” SERIES ON ‘INSTAGRAM.’ Our friend, Russell French, longtime and talented photographer in Portland, has begun a series on Instagram entitled “About Organic” (https://www.instagram.com/p/CYafEZaMgWJ/).
Here is Russell’s thumbnail description: “About Organic – Jim Gerritsen. ‘The better we understand nature, the more we advance and the greater our success.’ You’ll want to read Jim’s full statement as he has contributed a great deal to the success of the organic community in Maine. See the link to my website (https://russellfrench.com/about-organic) in my profile. Farmers like Jim and Megan and now their kids are the cornerstone to… More

NEW ‘WOOD PRAIRIE SEED PIECE’ IS HOT OFF THE PRESSES! Our new ‘Seed Piece’ edition spelunks into the curious black & white Winter world of organic Maine potato farmers. Don’t miss it!
Our new ‘Wood Prairie Seed Piece’ may be found here:
https://www.woodprairie.com/newsletters/010722.html
Caleb, Megan & Jim Gerritsen
Wood Prairie Family Farm
Bridgewater, Maine
(207)429-9765
www.woodprairie.organic

WINTER’S WORK – GRADING AND SHIPPING POTATOES. This time of year we finish up pre-grading our crop of Organic Maine Certified Seed Potatoes. This months-long-effort allows us to better handle the seed-shipping-tsunami which kicks in next month as Spring begins its northward march from its Deep South origins.
In this photo Jim has fed to Caleb the green ‘Roura’ self-dumping metal hopper filled to overflowing with rocks and dirt generated from the cleaning and grading process. Outside on a snowy day, Caleb is using the New Holland Skidsteer Loader to haul away the green Roura.
Waiting patiently for its afternoon truck ride is a pallet of tablestock potatoes headed to an outlet in southern Maine. Caleb, Megan & Jim

IMMEDIATE JOB OPENINGS AT WOOD PRAIRIE FAMILY FARM IN MAINE! Happy New Year! Peak Seed-Shipping-Season is ahead and Wood Prairie is now HIRING!
Come join us! Enjoy working together on a down-to-earth 45-year-old organic family farm in our year-round organic seed mail order & web business located right here on the farm in beautiful Northern Maine.
New satisfying, inside-work job openings include: 1) Year Round Full-time Seed Assistant, 2) Seasonal Full-time Seed Assistant (Summers Off!) and 3) Part-time Seed Assistant. Starting pay is $15/hour.
Find details here: woodprairie dot com/jobop/
Everyone – please help spread the word by Sharing & Liking so friends in Maine may learn about this unique opportunity to earn a living while working with us. Thanks! Caleb, Megan & Jim

“THE ANCIENT ‘COMPUTER’ THAT SHOULDN’T EXIST.” How is it possible that a highly sophisticated mechanical device – discovered in a shipwreck by divers off a Greek island and determined to be over 2000 years old – could have been used as a computer-facsimile by ancient astronomers to ascertain planetary movement? https://historyofyesterday.com/the-ancient-computer-that-shouldnt-exist-10bece69602c
Does this ‘computer’ revelation lend credence to the jaw-dropping work of prolific journalist Graham Hancock which suggests conventional archeological timelines are WAY OFF and that instead, sophisticated human civilizations have existed for eons. However, it is Hancock’s contention that civilization on planet Earth suffered a global cataclysm and staggering reset 12,800 years ago when a disastrous comet hit the Earth and caused massive worldwide destruction, chaos and erasure. If you are opened-minded to considering such theories, then this 2016 Joe Rogan interview with Hancock and Randal Carlson will knock your socks off! Jim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H5LCLljJho