Farm(er) to Table
Hollis Edwards and his sister, Lea Lane of Eureka Farms in Palmyra, Maine.
On Thursday, April 6, the Community Cafe served up just over 130 lunches to folks from across Mount Desert Island and beyond. Sponsored by The Knowles Company and Tim Murphy Studios, in addition to the large number of “take-out” lunches that went out the door, several dozen guests were able to sit and socialize over lunch, making the Cafe program about much more than just a meal.
A large turnout for the April 6th Community Cae
Also making the Cafe more than just a meal was a special “Pop-Up” shop featuring Eureka Farms of Palmyra. The connection with Eureka Farms was actually formed several months earlier when the various menus were being planned for the 13 Cafe luncheons. Once “Baked Beans” was chosen, it was a matter of deciding where to procure the large quantity of dried beans required to feed 100+ guests. Word of mouth along with a segment on the television show, Maine Life, led to a call to Palmyra.
As it turned out, Eureka Farms proprietor, Hollis Edwards, not only was able to supply us with the particular variety of dried beans we were in search of, but recipe advice as well. In fact, when he learned more about the Cafe program and how popular it had become, he decided he wanted to make the trip from Palmyra to check it out for himself. After some encouragement on our end, not only did Hollis come check it out (along with his sister who lives nearby), but he agreed to bring along a sampling of items from his farm shop for a special “pop-up” shop at the Cafe.
As it turned out, the Eureka Farms Pop-Up Shop, just like the Cafe proved to be a hit. It was a fun addition to lunch and gave folks the chance to shop for all sorts of locally produced goods. If you missed out on your chance to “shop ‘till you drop,” you can visit the Eureka Farms website’s online shop, and “Farmer Hollis” says you can also just give him a call and he’d be happy to ship whatever you’re looking for. Better yet, if you’re up for an adventure, you can visit the Farm Shop in Palmyra— open 7 days a week, all year long.
