Happy Solstice from Brigid Spring

The land is covered in a patchwork of snow and the woodshed is filled to the brim with a little under seven cord, cut and hand-split by Crash, because it was easier to use his maul than fixing the broken robotic splitter. The freezers are full of vegetables, pork and chicken, raised right here. The goats went out for a walk on this cold morning and Juniper (close-up below) discovered a couple frozen apple treats. We’re feeling grateful for a bountiful harvest and the warmth of the wood stove keeping us cozy on this frosty day, working on creative projects and planning for the next growing season.  

Back in August, we held our first High Summer Feast, enjoying a farm-to-table gathering on a most pleasant day - overcast with a warm breeze to keep the bugs away. We plan to make the feast an annual tradition. The 2025 feast will be held on Saturday, August 16 (rain date 8/23). Save the date! 

​In late summer, we welcomed our new farm dog Rosie into the family. Rosemarie Appledore Barry is a rat terrier/chihuahua, just like Clover, except she’s an apple head versus deer head chihuahua. Clover has been showing her the ropes and they’re best friends. 

The cabin rental was a great success this season, with several couples driving up from Massachusetts to enjoy glamping getaways, as well as new and returning Mainers. We screened-in the kitchen, making it an even more pleasant place to cook and hang out. This fall, we installed a wood stove to extend the season and our last glampers of 2024 came in mid-November, staying cozy even when overnight temperatures dropped to the mid-twenties.

The cannabis growing season was the best in Shana’s fourteen years of growing. There’s an abundance of new flower with nine different varieties, including OG Kush (Crash swears this is the best grass ever and he's a professional) Lemon Diesel, Haze Berry, Sour Kush, Blue Dream, Northern Lights, Royal Moby, Durban Poison and Brigid’s Dream. Shana is seeking new members to join the Brigid Spring Society, a small group of medicinal cannabis connoisseurs who want to know their farmer and the land where their flowers grow. Refer a friend or family member and she’ll gift you with your choice of a variety pack of five pre-rolls or a bottle of tincture. (We’ll gift bacon and/or sausage if you’re not a cannabis user.)

This year's three pigs were the largest Crash has ever raised, and thanks to Maine's Food Sovereignty Law, we’ve got amazing pasture-raised pork for sale this winter. We’re offering chorizo and breakfast sausage for $10/pound and bacon for $12/pound. Shana makes deliveries in the L/A, Brunswick, and Portland areas every month, and can arrange to deliver to your house or a meeting spot.

The pigs lived in and worked the area just southwest of the house, clearing vegetation the goats ate down in 2023 and digging up a million roots and rocks. We plan to plant 1,700 basket willow shrubs here. Basket willow is cut back annually, providing long, straight rods for basket-weaving, birdhouses and feeders, sculptures, furniture and more. This winter, Shana is taking a series of basket weaving courses with willow artist Hanna Van Aelst, to learn from one of the best. 

Brigid Spring is offering willow weaving and herbalism workshops in 2025, including Introduction to Willow Weaving: Heart, Star & Brigid’s Cross,  Lemon Balm Immersion, and Making Herbal Extracts. We'll send a brochure in late January with details and a schedule of workshops.
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​In the coming year, we’re also planting a beautiful outdoor space made with living willow, hops and flowering perennial vines. It’ll serve as an outdoor classroom and locale to hold tiny weddings and elopements officiated by Crash, with live music played by Shana. If you know anyone looking to tie the knot or renew their vows, hand-bind, or for other commitment ceremonies, please let them know about the magic here at Brigid Spring.

​We hope you have a healthy, happy, prosperous New Year!