Blue-Zee Farm sprouted up slowly over the past few years by Mark and Renata Scarano, who moved to the Blue Hill peninsula to farm full time. Last year they were joined by their daughter Julia and have turned the 100-acre farm into a productive mixed vegetable and blueberry venture. Their two greenhouses allow them to start many of Maine’s hot-weather crops earlier in the season than most home gardeners can. This is why they were one of the first farmers in the area this year to have such whopping eggplants and peppers.
Mark comes from farming stock, having grown up in Maryland on a grain and vegetable farm. In 1992 he started the Dutch Buggy Farm in Kennebunk and later moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to start another farm. In 2005, Mark decided it was time to return to Maine and began looking for land in the Downeast area. Renata, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, had been living in NYC and working on Wall Street for a number of years. Always ready for an adventure, she made the move from the big city to a life in Maine in 2006.
But where does the name “Blue-Zee” come from? The “blue” part originates from being in Blue Hill and the fact that they grow blueberries. The “zee” is derived from “zihna,” which in Portuguese refers to things small or little. When Julia was in utero, she was known as “baby-zihna” or “baby-zee.” So it seemed fitting that soon after Julia was born, Blue-Zee should emerge as this farm’s name.
Allison Watters
Blue Hill Co-op Community Market and Café