OUR STORY
Sam was raised in Central Maine. As a high schooler he always held an earthy job - helping stock wood, mowing lawns, prune apple trees, and occasionally pulling weeds for elderly neighbors. Shortly after graduating in 2008 he began working at a local veterinarian clinic, mostly aiding with kennel work and on occasion sitting in on surgeries. During this time he began "hobby farming". Filling the lawn with gardens, chickens, ducks (and geese once Jess came along). The love for gardening and animals had always existed, but grew into a passion.
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Jess was born and raised in a small suburban town in Upstate New York. Her family had a small garden every year - some vegetables and lots of flowers. After graduating high school in 2009 she began Music Industry education (with a concentration in Live Sound Production) at a local community college. After moving to Maine in 2012 to further that education at NESCom in Bangor her passion for homesteading took over and she started educating herself in growing food, starting with a job at Snakeroot Organic Farm in Pittsfield. There she learned the in's and out's of market farming - from seeding to transplanting and running a tractor to building a maple sugar house.
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When Sam and Jess met in late 2014 it didn't take long for her to convince him to turn the hobby into an income. It first began with breeding chickens, ducks, and geese. And in August 2016 Malachite Eli was born! In 2017 the trio moved to Snakeroot to apprentice and get a more real-life view of running a farm business. During their time there they had a chance to dabble in egg production and raising Christmas geese and Thanksgiving turkeys. Jess took time to learn about native and non-native medicinal plants and turning them into various healing salves. In the spring of 2019 they moved off of Snakeroot and to a farm in Troy where they leased an old farmhouse and land. They immediately began turning over land to plant veggies on about 1 acre and started raising broilers for Skowhegan and Newport Farmers' Market.
In 2020
They expanded their vegetables in a couple different plots in Unity, raised their first set of hogs. Malachite added a couple Oberhasli does as a fun project for a 4-year-old. Also, began attending the Wednesday Camden Farmers' Market.
In 2021
The farm stopped attending the Newport Farmers' market and started going to Camden on Saturday in addition to Skowhegan and Camden on Wednesday's. At the very end of 2021 they found a farm in Knox, ME for sale and moved in to begin the purchasing process through the FSA.
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In 2022
They spent half of the year setting up at the new farm in Knox. Almost reluctantly for half of the year because they hadn't closed on the property until late June. After the closing a weight was lifted and they could really begin setting up the farm they'll finally grow roots at. Literal and figurative roots...
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In 2023
In April Cosmo Jasper was born! They also dropped the Camden markets and began the Freedom Farmers' Market held at the Lost Kitchen. Continued building out our veggie wash room and future farm stand.
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In 2024
They parted ways with the hog operation to focus on the poultry. Growing more chickens and turkeys, while adding ducks and geese to the lineup. The switch was also needed to focus on building up the gardens which had been extremely difficult with the immense amount of rain that came down in 2023.
About Ramble On Farm
Ramble On Farm grows fresh vegetables and pasture-raises broilers, ducks, turkeys, and geese who are all fed non-GMO grain.
Our vegetable production is focused on an intensive planting of lettuce mixes and baby greens. Along with fresh roots like carrots, beets, and radishes. You will also see favorites here like snap peas, cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, and broccoli. In the winter months when we can't get into our gardens, we grow microgreens and shoots indoors. We try our best to choose varieties based on flavor rather than maximum yield. Typically these two do not go hand in hand. We want our customers to know they can always rely on us for having the tastiest, most nutrient-dense food.
Our chickens are raised in chicken tractors, a pen without a floor, that we move once or twice a day so our birds always have fresh greenery and insects. Our turkeys are raised in a fenced in area of about a half acre with a shelter. They are rotationally grazed to give them fresh grass and cut down on the chance of parasites. Our two LGD's take care of watching over the birds through the day and night (their real job happens at night) protecting them from our heavy coyote and fox population. We've also been known to have skunks that come and cause a ruckus. The birds are supplemented with non-GMO grain. We process the birds at the farm we previously leased in Troy, they have minimal stress throughout their lives always being cared for by us.