by Crystal Sands
“A true community is not just about being close to someone or a part of the same social web network. It’s about feeling connected and responsible for what happens.”
~Yehuda Berg
I first discovered Doanestead Farm a couple of years ago while my husband and I were walking our two Great Pyrenees down a long dirt road one winter morning. Within walking distance from our own homestead, I had always admired the property, and there, out front was something new to me–a sign that read “Doanestead Farm.”
I took off the handmade knit winter hat I had recently purchased at a local store, Tiller & Rye, a grocery store that sells almost exclusively Maine made food and crafts, and there it was on the tag, “Doanestead Farm.” I was so excited!
In the last year, I have come to deeply understand the importance of community and connecting with those in my rural community who share a love for self-sufficiency and have the skills to back it up. Carrie Doane of Doanestead Farm here in rural Maine is one of those people, and because she is curious, creative, and has an entrepreneurial spirit, you can purchase some of her creations and support what she does. She makes knit hats, soap, shampoo bars, creams, lip balm, seasonal jams and relishes, and some amazing sourdough loaves.
I had the chance to sit down with Carrie this week to talk to her about what inspired her and how she got started with a small making business that has grown from selling some hats and a handful of sourdough loaves to running a farm stand, a website, and placing products in several stores throughout the state. In a weekend, she can sell more than 22 loaves of sourdough in one local shop alone.
When I spoke to Carrie, I loved how much we had in common, and before we could even get to the interview, we had a fantastic conversation about turkeys. This led to a conversation about how she got started. Like me and so many others, it started with chickens.
“It started with eight hens,” Carrie said. She didn’t even want roosters at first. “But now I love roosters,” she added. The next year they raised pigs, and to date, they have raised ducks, turkeys, quail, and more.
In terms of the making, she got started making soap when a couple of ladies at work wanted to make soap. Carrie said, “We have the lard, a friend has goat milk—let’s try it!” Carrie loved it, and she wondered if she might try really doing it for a living and got her home processing license.
The first business she approached to carry some of her work was Tiller & Rye in Brewer, Maine. The owner there is very supportive of local farmers and makers. Carrie said the owner gave her pointers “and it all just blossomed from there.”
Carrie loves what she does and loves making things that are both beautiful and useful for others. She has a farmstand by the road but also takes orders and pre-orders for bread from her Doanestead Farm site. Her desire to be self-sufficient is something I greatly admire, and it feels good to know that she’s just a long walk away.
Carrie’s brother once told her, “Not a lot of people could go back in time and actually make it, but you could.” Right now, especially, that seems like a really good way to be.
If you would like order some of her beautiful products for shipping or delicious bread for local pickup, check out her site here. Doanestead Farm is a treasure here in Maine, but even if you are not here in our lovely state, you can have some of Maine shipped right to your door.
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photo credits: Carrie Doane and Grace Heideman