FAIRFIELD, Maine — In a child’s picture book about a farm, the barns are always red, the pumpkins and apples are bright and glossy and the farmers are smiling.
In reality, though, the apples sometimes have worms or dark spots, barns are different hues and the farmers, well, they don’t always smile.
But at The Apple Farm, located in the rolling, fertile hills of central Maine, the storybook image of apple farms comes alive. In the busy fall harvest season, as groups of schoolchildren wander around the rows of apple trees in search of the perfect fruit to fill their small bags, the old red barn stands at the heart of the action.
When Marilyn and Steve Meyerhans purchased the farm in 1973 as a couple of hopeful back-to-the-landers, they became part of an agricultural tradition on the land that began when Maine was still part of Massachusetts. The couple moved into a renovated ice house and began caring for and expanding the orchards with a focus on the old-timey and delicious apple varieties that come from the area, including Northern Spy, Golden Russet, Pearmain and Winter Banana.
They also took care of the barn, Marilyn Meyerhans said this week during a small break from the apple picking, cider making and other excitement happening on the farm.
The barn was built in the early 20th century by local men, who first used dynamite to blast a foundation into the ledge, then used the pine trees they found all around them to create the structure. They used their own muscle power to hoist the timber and erect the wide, two-story barn. The original wide pine boards, now scuffed and worn, are still the floor. The farmers who came before the Meyerhans used to drop apples into a dirt basement through a trapdoor that is now covered by a rug.
“Apples keep really well in those conditions,” Marilyn Meyerhans said.
When the couple first bought the property, they kept their apples in that dirt basement and spent a lot of time working down there. But it was dark and unwelcoming, and they decided to try and make the ground floor of the apple barn more functional. So they insulated it more and cut down three big pine trees on the property and milled them into boards to line the walls.
That lightened the space. But even with the extra insulation, it still was too bone-chillingly cold to work in the barn after winter settled into central Maine. The Meyerhans ended up building other structures where they do more of the storage, packing and cider making central to their business. But they kept the barn with its wooden rafters and old-fashioned feel and fill it every fall with crafts from local artisans, fresh produce, cheese, cider and, most of all, baskets of apples.
This year the cozy space has been decorated with strings of twinkling white lights, and it is easy to see why customers rent it for birthday parties and even weddings.
“I’ve tried really, really hard to make people feel like it’s their place,” Marilyn Meyerhans said.
The Apple Farm is at 104 Back Road, Fairfield. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from August to December. For more information, call 453-7656.