Farming Archives - Portland Food Map

2025 Maine Apple and Cider Season

September 1, 2025September 24, 2025 | Posted in Farming, Cider

Today is the first day of September and the unofficial start of the apple season. Fall is the perfect time to plan a Maine road-trip. See the guides below for where to find great orchards and heirloom apple varieties, Maine’s cider tasting rooms, apple events, and other pomological resources to help you enjoy all that the season has to offer.

The Maine Heirloom Apple Guide is a co-production with the intrepid apple expert Sean Turley at The Righteous Russet (instagram). It provides all the information you need to go out for a self-directed exploration of Maine orchards and the many heirloom apples they offer. Use it throughout the fall to go exploring so you can take advantage of the entire season.

The Guide to Maine Cider is a directory to 26 Maine cider producers. They’re located all over the state from Kingfield to Cornish and Portland to Hancock. Stop by cidery tasting rooms like Absolem in Winthrop, Bon Vent in Hancock, or at one of the retail shops highlighted in the guide to experience the taste of autumn in a glass.

Other Resources and Events:

Anoche – A cider bar located at 43 Washington Ave in Portland.
Out on a Limb – An heirloom apple CSA for consumers, and a wholesale source of apples for restaurants and bakeries. Contact them at info@outonalimbcsa.com to sign-up or for more information.
Maine Apple Sunday is taking place on September 14th all throughout the state. Check the event page for a list of all participating orchards.
An Apple Tasting takes place each year at Apres, the 2025 date is TBD.
The 6th Annual Apple Tasting at McDougal Orchards will be taking place in October, the specific date is TBD.
Great Maine Apple Day is taking place October 19th, noon – 4 pm, in Unity.
Maine Pomological Society – is the professional organization for Maine apple orchards. Their website has a directory of 50 apple orchards in 13 counties.
Maine Heritage Orchard is a 10-acre orchard run by MOFGA in Unity that is home to more than “360 varieties of apples and pears traditionally grown in Maine”.
For more information on Maine cider and cider makers see these articles in the Maine Sunday Telegram, Down East and Press Herald, from the Maine Farmland Trust.

Rosemont’s Know Your Farmer

March 19, 2025 | Posted in Farming

As part of celebrating their 20th Anniversary, Rosemont Market has published a set of Know Your Farmer videos that highlight a number of the farms they work with:

Goranson Farm in Dresden
Tide Mill Farm in Edmunds
Stonecipher Farm in Bowdoinham
Winter Hill Farm in Freeport
Shovel & Spoon in Limington
Kelly’s Orchard in Acton

Fizz Interview with Sean Turley

December 5, 2024 | Posted in Farming

Margo Mazur interviewed author and apple expert Sean Turley for a recent edition of The Fizz. They talked about the history of apples, the importance of teaching apple identification, and his new book Practical Pomology.

Three years later, they’re publishing a book I’m very excited to tell you about. Practical Pomology is a field guide for the apple-curious, whether you’re a seasoned forager and cidermaker or someone who just loves that big apple tree in your neighbor’s yard. It’ll teach you how to recognize the difference between seedling and grafted trees, identify the apples you come across, and ultimately understand their traits. What you do with that long lost fruit is up to you.

Maine Pears & Review of Oun Lido’s

September 16, 2024September 16, 2024 | Posted in Reviews, Farming

Yesterday’s Maine Sunday Telegram included a 4 star review of Oun Lido’s,

With his menu, chef Kim does much the same, borrowing deeply personal food memories and transforming them into sophisticated, yet comforting Cambodian and Cambodian-Chinese dishes. Among the most exciting plates are neorm, a crunchy, herby noodle salad with a bonus egg roll; kathew cha, an umami-bathed, stir-fried noodle dish; and loc lac, a complete meal of rice, sunny-side-up egg, shaved sirloin strips and a chromatic salad of cucumber and heirloom cherry tomatoes.

and a feature article about pears in Maine.

Maine has had a passionate coterie of apple “explorers” for several decades, Bunker foremost among them, who are intent on finding and preserving the state’s heirloom apple trees. Today, Maine’s heirloom pear trees – threatened by age, development, climate change and related pests and disease – are just beginning to get similar attention.

Maine Apple and Cider Season

August 27, 2024September 16, 2024 | Posted in Farming, Cider

Sunday is the first day of September and it’s also the start of the Maine apple season. Here are guides to some outstanding apple orchards and a full list of Maine cider producers to help you plan some fun road-trips this Fall.

The Maine Heirloom Apple Guide is a co-production with the intrepid apple expert Sean Turley at The Righteous Russet (instagram). We hope this provides you with all the information you need to go out for a self-directed exploration of Maine orchards and the many heirloom apples they offer. Use it throughout the fall to go exploring so you can take advantage of the entire season.

The Guide to Maine Cider is a directory to 28 Maine cider producers. They’re located all over the state from Kingfield to Cornish and Portland to Franklin. Stop by cidery tasting rooms like Absolem in Winthrop to or stop in at one of the highlighted retail shops that stock good selections of New England and imported cider.

Other Resources and Events:

Out on a Limb Apple CSA
Anoche – Portland’s very own cider bar located at 43 Washington Ave
Maine Apple Camp (August 30th – September 1st)
Maine Apple Sunday (September 15th)
Apple Tasting at Apres (October 10th)
5th Annual Apple Tasting at McDougal Orchards in Springvale (October 19th, 5-7 pm)
Great Maine Apple Day (October 20th)
Maine Pomological Association
Maine Heritage Orchard
Cider Club Portland
For more information on Maine cider and cider makers see these articles in the Maine Sunday Telegram, Down East and Press Herald, from the Maine Farmland Trust.

Farming in Maine

July 12, 2024 | Posted in Farming

Today’s Press Herald takes a look at the challenges facing Maine farms and how they’re responding to changing weather and business conditions.

Funding for Vertical Harvest

April 25, 2024 | Posted in Farming

Vertical Harvest, the hydroponic farm under construction in Westbrook, has received $59.5M in funding, reports the Press Herald.

Vertical Harvest Farms, an indoor farming company focused on microgreens, said $59.5 million in financing will advance its work to develop and operate the 51,000-square-foot vertical farm. The Westbrook business is expected employ 47 workers, with half the workforce including people with intellectual and physical disabilities, CEO Nona Yehia said.