FOOD & FARM TOUR
November 15th, 2019
Camden, Maine
Join Urban Exodus founder Alissa Hessler on a winter farm tour through the Midcoast region of Maine. We will visit a working goat dairy, a rare bird breeding farm, a four season vegetable farm and a pasture-raised beef business to learn from these industrious and hardworking farmers. Every farmer has had to get creative about how their farm business operates when the weather gets cold in New England. Each farm visit will last roughly an hour and attendees will get to observe daily operations and ask questions. A delicious farm-to-table lunch will be served at the Urban Exodus barn headquarters using seasonal and locally sourced ingredients from the midcoast. Join us for a day of inspiration and learning. If you are considering moving rurally and want a glimpse of what winter is like or if you want to start a farming operation in a seasonal area this tour is for you! For more information jump to our Q&A section at the bottom of the page to learn more about the schedule, what to bring, what's included, etc.
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LOCATION:
Camden, Maine
GUIDE:
Alissa Hessler, Founder of Urban Exodus
COST:
$195 (includes lunch)
FITNESS LEVEL:
Expect 1-2 miles of exploring these farms and walking on uneven terrain, pastures, hillsides, etc.
DATE:
November 15, 2019
9am - 4pm
AVAILABILITY:
This tour is limited to 10 attendees, only two spots remain.
REGISTER
Please fill out the form below to register for this tour. We will then email you the registration paperwork to complete to secure your spot.
What does the day look like?
We will start at the Urban Exodus barn headquarters in the hills above Camden, Maine at 9am. Our first farm visit will begin at 9:30am in Camden at a 4-season vegetable farm. Our second visit will start at 10:45 in Rockport, Maine at a pasture-raised beef farm. We will then head up to the hills above Union, Maine for a visit with farmers who operate a rare bird breeding program. We will return to the Urban Exodus barn for our farm-to-table lunch. Our tour will end at a goat dairy in Waldoboro, Maine. The entire tour will require a 35-mile drive. We will begin in Camden and end in Waldoboro.
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What should I wear/bring?
Bring sturdy footwear that you don't mind getting dirty. These are real working farms so there will be animal poop and mud around. It is cold in Maine in November so we recommend thermal layers under your regular clothes, a warm/waterproof jacket, a beanie, and gloves. We also recommend you bring a water bottle, booklet for taking notes and a small bag to carry personal items and any products you wish to purchase from the farmers we visit.
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Can I take photos?
Yes, you may take photos during the farm tour but we ask that you not interrupt the farmers or ask them to pose for shots. We also ask that you turn your flash off so that you do not scare any of their animals.
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Will we have transportation to the farms?
No, we ask that students drive themselves to the farm locations. We will provide driving directions, parking instructions and arrival/departure times so that no one gets separated from the group. You are free to carpool but we found that most students prefer driving their own vehicles instead of riding in a van.
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Can you tell us a bit more about lunch?
This will be a seasonal feast using farm-fresh ingredients. This time of year we typically offer hearty stews, soups and chilis to warm us up after our day outside. If you have food allergies or are vegetarian/vegan please let us know when you sign up so that we can accommodate your dietary needs.
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Which farms will we be visiting?
Most of the farms we will be visiting are owned and operated by first-generation farmers. While not all of the farmers have been featured on Urban Exodus, you will recognize a few from the website. It isn't easy to start a new farm and we've found that young, first-time farmers who have been able to build a sustainable business have done so through creativity and ingenuity. We do not list the farms that we visit because we do not want to bombard these farmers with other requests for farm tours. They have granted us access to their farms because of the relationships we've built with them.
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Why is Urban Exodus hosting these tours now?
We operate these tours to support and honor the farmers we visit and help inspire and inform anyone interested in farming and/or growing their own food. We've had so many people reach out on the website with questions about farming and rural living that we decided that the best way to help people dreaming of leaving city life behind would be to connect them, through real life experiences, with those who had already made the leap and built something meaningful, sustainable and enduring in the country.