O, Tannenbaum!
The best Maine Christmas tree is the one you cut yourself.
Most of the year, Boiling Spring Farm in Dayton is the same vision of pastoral tranquility as most farms in this corner of southern Maine. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, though, it turns into a winter wonderland: a layer of snow (hopefully), hot chocolate (always), hay rides, and a red-and-green makeshift store that offers enough wreaths, tree decorations, and pine-scented centerpieces to fill any holiday home. If it's a Sunday, the Pats probably are playing on a television tucked in a somewhat inconspicuous location.Here and in scores of other cut-your-own tree farms scattered across the Pine Tree State, people come in search of one thing: the ultimate Christmas tree. "They come from as far away as Boston just to cut a tree here," says Clement Meserve, who operates the farm just west of Biddeford. "Once it becomes a family tradition, they keep coming back year after year."
To maintain the quiet, Meserve discourages would-be woodsmen from using chainsaws, instead handing them a well-sharpened bow saw or else instructing them how to accomplish the cutting in a few minutes with a saw of their own. (Sorry, Paul Bunyan: double-bitted axes are also discouraged.) Meserve, who cultivates about a thousand trees on each acre of his fifty-acre farm, will also advise visitors on where to find a specific tree to match their needs.
"Each tree gets personal attention," says Meserve, adding that it takes five to seven years to get seedlings to marketable sizes. At some point during the year, Meserve and his wife, Merri, must trim about half the trees to be certain they grow into the shape of the traditional Christmas ones. "If you don't keep up with (the trimming)," explains Meserve, "they won't look like Christmas trees. They'll just grow into all kinds of shapes."
Like any crop, the trees require fertilizing, occasional spraying for pests, and irrigation — although Meserve says most Maine Christmas tree growers eschew artificial irrigation and instead depend on annual rainfall. "I do it because I can," Meserve says, adding that his irrigation system is made possible by the vigorous spring that bubbles (hence the "boil" in the farm's name) out of the side of a hill near the middle of one of his fields. The Meserves, who are both in their fifties, also must frequently mow the grass around the trees, a dawn-to-dusk task that begins in May and continues until the end of October.
The final product at most cut-your-own farms, including the Meserves', is sold for thirty to forty-five dollars per tree, depending on size, quality, and location. Given the amount of time and energy that goes into growing each tree, it's small wonder the Maine Christmas tree business has been shrinking in recent years. "I sell heating supplies to support this," Meserve remarks.
But having grown up on a local dairy farm, Meserve knew he wanted to continue to have a hand in working the land and finally settled on Christmas trees as the most viable — and enjoyable — agricultural pursuit. The holiday season brings more than just financial rewards to the Meserves and the other families operating Maine's Christmas tree farms. "The people who come to cut their trees are always very nice," says Merri Meserve. "That's part of why we keep doing this."
For a list of cut-your-own Christmas tree farms near you, call the Maine Christmas Tree Association at 207-793-4658 or visit www.mainechristmastree.com
3 Steps to the ultimate Maine Christmas tree
1 Buy local. Maine's cut-your-own tree farms are the best way to ensure you're getting a fresh tree, but be sure you don't travel too far. Driving two hours at Interstate speeds with a naked tree strapped to the roof of your SUV can seriously compromise freshness.
2 Shake, shake, shake. If you've not yet cut your tree, give it a good shake. If it's precut, drop it a couple of times on its stump end. If a lot of needles fall off, find another tree. Next, grab one of the tree's outer branches between your thumb and forefinger and slide your hand toward you. Very few needles should come off if the tree is fresh.
3 Water, water, everywhere. Once you get your tree home, cut off the bottom half-inch or so of the stump. Then, immediately put the butt end into a bucket of water until you're ready to set up the tree. Even in subfreezing storage areas, the water will be taken up into the tree before it freezes, helping to keep the needles from drying out and falling off. Once you've moved the tree indoors it will begin taking up water very rapidly — often more than a gallon within a twenty-four-hour period. This thirst will ease as the tree adjusts to your living room, but make sure to keep the water level well above the butt end. An exposed stump will seal with sap in as little as four hours, preventing further water absorption.
To maintain the quiet, Meserve discourages would-be woodsmen from using chainsaws, instead handing them a well-sharpened bow saw or else instructing them how to accomplish the cutting in a few minutes with a saw of their own. (Sorry, Paul Bunyan: double-bitted axes are also discouraged.) Meserve, who cultivates about a thousand trees on each acre of his fifty-acre farm, will also advise visitors on where to find a specific tree to match their needs.
"Each tree gets personal attention," says Meserve, adding that it takes five to seven years to get seedlings to marketable sizes. At some point during the year, Meserve and his wife, Merri, must trim about half the trees to be certain they grow into the shape of the traditional Christmas ones. "If you don't keep up with (the trimming)," explains Meserve, "they won't look like Christmas trees. They'll just grow into all kinds of shapes."
Like any crop, the trees require fertilizing, occasional spraying for pests, and irrigation — although Meserve says most Maine Christmas tree growers eschew artificial irrigation and instead depend on annual rainfall. "I do it because I can," Meserve says, adding that his irrigation system is made possible by the vigorous spring that bubbles (hence the "boil" in the farm's name) out of the side of a hill near the middle of one of his fields. The Meserves, who are both in their fifties, also must frequently mow the grass around the trees, a dawn-to-dusk task that begins in May and continues until the end of October.
The final product at most cut-your-own farms, including the Meserves', is sold for thirty to forty-five dollars per tree, depending on size, quality, and location. Given the amount of time and energy that goes into growing each tree, it's small wonder the Maine Christmas tree business has been shrinking in recent years. "I sell heating supplies to support this," Meserve remarks.
But having grown up on a local dairy farm, Meserve knew he wanted to continue to have a hand in working the land and finally settled on Christmas trees as the most viable — and enjoyable — agricultural pursuit. The holiday season brings more than just financial rewards to the Meserves and the other families operating Maine's Christmas tree farms. "The people who come to cut their trees are always very nice," says Merri Meserve. "That's part of why we keep doing this."
For a list of cut-your-own Christmas tree farms near you, call the Maine Christmas Tree Association at 207-793-4658 or visit www.mainechristmastree.com
3 Steps to the ultimate Maine Christmas tree
1 Buy local. Maine's cut-your-own tree farms are the best way to ensure you're getting a fresh tree, but be sure you don't travel too far. Driving two hours at Interstate speeds with a naked tree strapped to the roof of your SUV can seriously compromise freshness.
2 Shake, shake, shake. If you've not yet cut your tree, give it a good shake. If it's precut, drop it a couple of times on its stump end. If a lot of needles fall off, find another tree. Next, grab one of the tree's outer branches between your thumb and forefinger and slide your hand toward you. Very few needles should come off if the tree is fresh.
3 Water, water, everywhere. Once you get your tree home, cut off the bottom half-inch or so of the stump. Then, immediately put the butt end into a bucket of water until you're ready to set up the tree. Even in subfreezing storage areas, the water will be taken up into the tree before it freezes, helping to keep the needles from drying out and falling off. Once you've moved the tree indoors it will begin taking up water very rapidly — often more than a gallon within a twenty-four-hour period. This thirst will ease as the tree adjusts to your living room, but make sure to keep the water level well above the butt end. An exposed stump will seal with sap in as little as four hours, preventing further water absorption.
- Photography by: Peggy McKenna
