Introducing the People
who Bring Local Foods
& Products to the Co-op
Crossroad Farm
Most of the Blue Hill Co-op’s local produce comes from the farmers on the Blue Hill Peninsula but, over the years, produce managers have also looked to farms further afield to fill in the gaps in the produce department. One of the farms that stepped in to help is one of the oldest organic farms in Maine.
Crossroad Farm in Jonesport has been in existence almost forty years. It was begun by Arnold and Bonnie Pearlman, who bought their land in the sixties when it was completely forested. They lived in a converted mail truck during their first winter in Maine and, since then, have turned the woods and rocky soil into productive vegetable gardens. Although many farms in Maine have started in a similar manner, what is special about Arnold and Bonnie is that they lived for the first ten years with no power tools to help them with their task! Even now, the farm’s water comes from a hand pump and the little electricity that is used comes from solar power or generators.
Arnold and Bonnie’s extremely hard work is very evident in the current success of Crossroad Farm. The farm produces nearly every vegetable that can be grown in the state of Maine. Because Arnold and Bonnie are vegetarians and have no domesticated animals to care for, they can focus on an intensive planting schedule and on building up their soil with locally abundant seaweed. The fruits of their labor are then sold to restaurants and health food stores along the coast from Jonesport to Blue Hill.
