Potato farming in The Valley

The photo above (photographer unknown) is showing the way that harvesting was done in the past.  It is a potato digger and the man with the red hat is carrying a potato basket which was used to put the potatoes in to empty into the potato barrel.  A very simple, backbreaking job. Once the barrel was filled, you put your tag on and went on to the next one.  The barrels were hoisted onto the potato truck with a hoist and manpower.  The size of the sections of potatoes to be pick by individuals or families was determined by the farmer or the foreman and he would place flags at the beginning and end of each section. The Hermal Martin family of St. Francis continue to harvest in this manner. It is interesting to participate in or to just watch.

We also do "gleaning" of potatoes, which is, when allowed by the farmer, people going into the fields and picking whatever is left after the harvest of that field.  I have done this myself and loved it.  I preferred the "b" size which are very small and today are being sold on the market as a specialty item.

 This photo (photographer unknown) is of  Dennis and Mitch Pelletier of G.B. and D. Farms in St. John Plt..  They are cultivating potatoes in The Valley.  Their method of farming is modern with a winrower which makes the rows and digs the potatoes, then the harvester comes along and picks the potatoes up.  From there the potatoes are quickly sorted by women (most of the time) on the harvester, eliminating rocks, et al., then they are conveyed from the harvester to the potatoe truck which is following along beside (slightly ahead) the harvester.  Whoever is driving the harvester must be very concious of everything going on around him. This is a very stressful job.

I hope you have enjoyed my little description of potatoe harvesting.  Good night and God Bless.

Our wanagan

This is our boat, known as a "wanagan", which Blacky built.  We absolutely love it.  It has all the comforts of home and we slowly cruise the lake we have it on.  This is a shot from Mad Rock in Eagle Lake at Eagle Lake, Maine.  We enjoy fishing and just cruising around, visiting with fellow boaters, etc.. This was last year (2010) and we were docked at the Old Mill Marina owned by Nathan Theriault.  We thoroughly enjoyed our excursions there including the Eagle Lake Sporting Camps which were built in the early 1920's by a Michaud.  Many Eagle Lake locals call them the "Michaud Camps" however, I do not because others may think I am talking about the Michaud Camps in the Allagash.  There is another Eagle Lake and that also is located in the Allagash.  Confused, yet?
It was the first time I was able to leave my home and go anywhere for the day and was a tremendous breakthrough for me, personally.
We have a Franklin Fireplace in the cabin for heat when needed and also use it to barbecue, which is quite safe on open water.  Our safety lights on the boat were made from original old kerosene lanterns, painted black, except on the front portion of glass which is red on one and amber on the other.  These are required by State law for running at night.
We have not stayed overnight, as yet, because of my oxygen requirement.  Blacky is working on that.  We do have battery operated electricity on board, but do not know if it is enough for my oxygen also.  I am very sure, he will come up with something that is safe for us to use.
Last year we had guests from Maryland, Canada and Maine take a day cruise with us.  It was enjoyable for me when I did go.  The larger parties were done by Anthony and Blacky or just Blacky.  Note:  this is not a business.  We do this just for the enjoyment of showing them our boat and the lake.
That's it for now.  May the Lord Bless and keep you!

The Valley-Part three-Acadian recipes

Today I am introducing you to one of the best known recipes of the Valley, Ployes, which I love.  I have to admit, when I first had them, I was not a fan however, it did not take long for me to acquire a taste for them, especially when prepared properly.  The following is the recipe many use in the Valley:

Preheat a metal skillet, on high. Do not grease it!

1 cup buckwheat flour           3/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup white flour                1-3/4 cups boiling water
1 tbls. baking powder            1 tsp. salt

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the cold water and stir to form a thick dough. Add the boiling water and stir well, making a light, smooth batter.

Check the skillet for correct heat by dropping a small amount of  the batter on the surface..it should crackle or sizzle on contact.

When the skillet is hot enough, spoon batter on the surface, one at a time, and spread with the back of a spoon to make a 4-8 in. thin pancake.  Cook the ploye without flipping over.  Batter will become yellow with small holes.  When surface of ploye is dry, remove and stack on plate...keep covered until ready to serve.

Serve as a bread alternative with butter or as a desert with either molasses and butter or maple syrup.

Note:  They should be served warm and moist.  It is best to use real butter.

I hope you will try this wonderful recipe.  If you must, turn them and serve as regular buckwheat pancakes.

Holiday Orien

Holiday, better known as Holi, is my cat.  She is actually the boss around here and lets us know it very clearly.  Just look at the below photo.  It is her way of saying "kiss my butt" and at the same time saying "aren't I the cutest cat you have ever seen?"
She starts my day off when she wakes me up at 6 am or 5 am or 4 am.  You get the picture.  She may want to eat, cuddle in my lap (what there is of it now), or hang around and bug me.  She even controls Blacky, who, she calls Dad.  They sit side by side in separate chairs watching tv in the evening while I am at the computer.  It is a sight to see!
She was a "barn kitten" that we adopted from friends when she was 8 weeks old and has been our buddy ever since.  She is getting along in years now (9 yrs.) and has arthritis which has slowed her down a little.  Yet, every so often, she is that cute kitten again, running, jumping and playing with her toys.
She and I have a lot in common concerning weight:  we both have added pounds over the years. There's nothing like the adage: "Those who gain weight together, stay together" or something like that.  ha! ha!

She does hunt outside in good weather and still loves to bring her finds to us whether it be, a vole, mouse or bird and usually alive.  It makes a very interesting burst of energy from us to run and try to catch her gifts to us.  So far we are the winners of the race.  She once brought in a flying squirrel and it was hiding under my swivel rocker on the board that went across it.  Blacky had to literally pick up the rocker and take it outside so the squirrel would leave.

Snow removal in the Valley

This is what we use to remove the snow from our road.  Blacky runs it and without such a machine we would be snowed in.  We use a normal pickup with plow to clean out the tight spots, a snowblower  for even tighter spots and, of course, shovels for quick pathways.  It is also necessary to remove ice and snow from our roofs to prevent collapse or ripping the roofing.  It makes a very busy few days after a severe snowstorm or nor'easter.
This is Blacky's backhoe, which, of course, was not designed for snow removal, but he is a very good fabricater and does whatever has to be done to get a job completed.  It is the way of many Mainers and especially here in the Valley.

April Snow-continued

As, I  lasted stated, the wonderful people of Allagash help the deer herd survive the winters in our Valley.  This photo is one of many taken by those who live in Allagash and I am proud to show it to all of you out there.  Our deer herd struggles each winter because their habitat has changed and they are no longer able to find enough food on their own.  If any of you come up to Northern Maine or we call it, "the other Maine", in the winter months, you must go to Allagash and view the deer.  It is a wonderous sight.

April Snow

Yesterday we had a late-in-the-season snow storm leaving us with 6 inches of the heavy, wet stuff and this am an additional 2 inches before switching to rain/snow mix.  The temperature is 21 degrees.  I think it is wonderful.  Am I crazy? Maybe a little but I simply love winter as much as any other season.  The bugs aren't biting and our annual invasion of carpenter ants have not arrived.  Aah!  The sun is out and the world around me is bright.  The Good Lord is smiling down upon us!!!  More to follow about the feeding of the deer.

The Valley-Part two

Good evening everyone,

I am including some photos of my beloved valley  so you may see for yourself why I love it here.  Our day begins with watching our birds at their feeders and discussing various topics.  We are continuing to get snow showers which is the norm for this area of our State.  Our beautiful St. John River is clog with ice that resembles Alaska's ice fields.  The "valley people" are a little on edge because of the chance of another year of severe flooding which devastated us 2 yrs. ago.  My actual area is very rural with one road in and out, which is not good when that road is flooded.  We are use to it, however, and use any means we have to deal with the danger.
I will be on again tomorrow, so, until then, May God Bless you all.
 

"The Valley"

Hello everyone,
I live in northern Maine with Canada directly across the beautiful St. John River.  Our little valley is surrounded with such beauty all year.  In the Autumn it bursts with colors God painted and will simply take your breath away.  Spring is messy with a lot of snow runoff and mud but look up at the trees budding and watch the colorful birds arriving for their mating season and you don't see the mud, etc..
Summer brings every shade of green known, the blues of our beautiful lakes and our streams full of brook trout (yummy).  Winter is a wonderland that is hard to describe and everyone is either downhill sking, cross country sking, snowmobiling, ice skating, ice fishing or just enjoying snuggling down by the warmth of a fire and reading.
I will be including photos as I go along and hope to hear from you all out there.  Until next time, May the Good Lord bless and keep you.