Ten Apple Farm is a place where farm dreams come to life. At our diversified homestead in Gray, Maine, on eighteen acres of land, we tend a small herd of Alpine dairy goats, assorted poultry, and a large kitchen garden. The farm is forever in process, and we’re gradually rehabilitating our apple orchard, while renovating our 1901 farmhouse with attached barn, built on the traditional New England plan: Big house, little house, back house, barn. We hand milk our goats and make yogurt and cheese, some of which we age in the house’s stone cellar. Throughout the year, we keep our herd of Alpine dairy goats, a flock of heritage laying hens, a pair of heritage Mangalitsa pigs, and in the summer we raise chickens, turkeys, pigs, and sometimes ducks and lamb for meat. Every year we work to expand the garden and the growing season, with a goal of modest self-sufficiency. To that end, we put up as much food as we can for the winter: Freezing, canning, pickling, and drying throughout the summer and fall. The food we raise on the farm is primarily for our family’s consumption and to share with the many guests who visit us on the farm throughout the year.
We moved to this farm in 2005, when we were expecting our first child. Since then, our family has grown, and our household now includes Margaret and Karl, our daughters Charlotte, Beatrice, and Sadie, our dog Banjo, Truffle the cat, Daffodil the rabbit, and Dr. Bessie the guinea pig. We try to live simply, to revel in the natural world, and to celebrate our connections with humans and critters. Every day on this farm is a learning experience, and we’re eager to share what we’ve discovered. We welcome visitors–to the website and the farm–and we encourage you to be in touch if you’d like to learn more about the many ways you can experience the farm. We offer regular goat hikes, goat milking & morning chores, workshops on basic homesteading skills, cooking classes, and personalized half-day or full-day farm experiences for individuals and small groups. Hope to see you on the farm soon!
…