Well, we are back. Way earlier this year, for several reasons: We pulled in to our driveway on April 18. We watched spring go backwards while we were on the road north, leaving daffodils and cherry blossoms behind in Washington, D. C., almost a month ago. Now here on Deer Isle, daffodils are in full bloom, and cherries and apples have yet to appear. Only a few trees show any signs of green yet.
After we have been in residence a day or two, we always head to Ellsworth and one of our very favorite stops, Ellsworth Feed and Seed, tucked in behind the L. L. Bean Outlet on High Street. We stumbled on it a few years ago, and it is So Cool!
Elllsworth Feed and Seed is not a fancy place, which is part of why we like it so much. Despite it being housed in a sort of newish metal building, it feels like an old fashioned store. It is CRAMMED with stuff for the farm and garden.
So cold it was on the day we were there, as you can see by the mud and puddles in these photos. The last time we visited, there must have been a dozen tractor trailer boxes being used as extra storage for hay, straw and the like. Plus multiple stacks of bags of fertilizer, peat and potting soil.
Inside is a warren of crowded aisles. Most delightful (and terribly hard to resist) are the baby chicks for sale:
Three different kinds were in this display, and a poster beside listed many varieties and when they would be available, including ducks and turkeys. Every once in awhile a man would appear with a cardboard box that cheeped, and he would pour in a dozen or two more of the fluff balls. Another poster featured handmade chicken coops for $500. And as if that weren't enough, you could order a piglet. Or two or three:
The sign says: "Pick up service provided when your pig is ready to be butchered." Now that is service.
We were there for seed potatoes:
There were plenty of varieties to choose from. We got some of the old fashioned ones that I recognized from my Aroostook County past: Kennebecs, Green Mountains, and Cobblers.
Then to the bird seed department, which had mixtures so tasty looking that you could put out for hors d'oeuvres.
Then to the cash out, not so bad a hit as other places that are a lot more expensive, but you have to pay in cash or check. I always forget that they do not take credit cards. And then see if you can make it out the door without buying more, like these strawberries:
After we have been in residence a day or two, we always head to Ellsworth and one of our very favorite stops, Ellsworth Feed and Seed, tucked in behind the L. L. Bean Outlet on High Street. We stumbled on it a few years ago, and it is So Cool!
Elllsworth Feed and Seed is not a fancy place, which is part of why we like it so much. Despite it being housed in a sort of newish metal building, it feels like an old fashioned store. It is CRAMMED with stuff for the farm and garden.
So cold it was on the day we were there, as you can see by the mud and puddles in these photos. The last time we visited, there must have been a dozen tractor trailer boxes being used as extra storage for hay, straw and the like. Plus multiple stacks of bags of fertilizer, peat and potting soil.
Inside is a warren of crowded aisles. Most delightful (and terribly hard to resist) are the baby chicks for sale:
Three different kinds were in this display, and a poster beside listed many varieties and when they would be available, including ducks and turkeys. Every once in awhile a man would appear with a cardboard box that cheeped, and he would pour in a dozen or two more of the fluff balls. Another poster featured handmade chicken coops for $500. And as if that weren't enough, you could order a piglet. Or two or three:
The sign says: "Pick up service provided when your pig is ready to be butchered." Now that is service.
We were there for seed potatoes:
There were plenty of varieties to choose from. We got some of the old fashioned ones that I recognized from my Aroostook County past: Kennebecs, Green Mountains, and Cobblers.
Then to the bird seed department, which had mixtures so tasty looking that you could put out for hors d'oeuvres.
Then to the cash out, not so bad a hit as other places that are a lot more expensive, but you have to pay in cash or check. I always forget that they do not take credit cards. And then see if you can make it out the door without buying more, like these strawberries:
