raditional home grown fruits, vegetables and flowers were selected for their color, flavor, beauty and ability to produce in the presence of common pests. Industrial monoculture varieties are selected for their synchronized maturation, storage tolerance, suitability for chemical ripening and resistance to transportation damage. Maintenance of the old flavorful produce and traditional flowers depend on small scale farmers marketing products close to the farm on natural ripening schedules. On Beau Chemin Farm all of our seedlings, fruit, vegetables and flowers are home grown and certified organic by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.

Tomatoes are a specialty. We are starting fifteen varieties this year. Seedlings will be available from mid May and ripe fruit coming on in mid or late July until frost.

We expect a small amount of asparagus in June followed by snow peas, summer squash, green beans, cucumbers, peppers, egg plant sweet corn and several kinds of winter squash. We also grow some less common vegetables including celery, celeriac and kale.

Red raspberries begin to ripen in mid July and continue for three to four weeks. These fragile fruit should be used promptly. Visitors may buy these organic berries off the farm stand or pick their own.

Home field grown perennials are available from mid May through early summer. Flowers include day lilies, cone flower (Echinacea), lupine, sweet william (Dianthus), delphinium, yarrow, lobelia, coreopsis and monarda (bee balm). Herbs such as catmint, horehound, feverfew and valerian, and woad, an ancient blue dye plant are offered.