Echo Farm is a charming, inviting, log farmstead, which has been stripped down and restored to some of it’s former beauty. Apart from the farmhouse which now has a small greenhouse added to the south end, there is a summer kitchen, which houses an entire wool museum with various eras of carding tools, spinning wheels and a loom. A small country store, showcasing a wooden cash register, harking bac
k to the days of the old general store and gas station in the village of Wilno, can be located in the former granary. Here you will find a small selection of jams, pickles and herbs from the garden and produced at the farm (in season). Around the corner from there is the potting shed, where seedlings or locally produced seeds are available at the beginning of the gardening season. In addition to the buildings that were always in existence, there is a beautiful stage/fairground area that has been used primarily for community fund raising as well as weddings, birthday parties and other community events. It is located in a hay field, away from the original farmstead. What started out as an inexpensive way of raising the family, became, over the years, a passionate obsession. In the early years, I was totally awestruck by the stone fences, log buildings, cleared fields and indomitable spirit of the people who were here before me. Riding on the residual energy of the pioneers, with a feeling of kinship, I couldn`t allow all of their back breaking work to collapse, as it was doing. This began the life time odyssey of saving it all as best I could. What an amazing journey for a city girl, to learn many renovation skills, including demolition, reconstruction, insulating and chinking between the logs. On top of this there was also milking, butter and cheese making, maple syruping, animal husbandry and last but not least, gardening. I delight in sharing the tips, skills and downfalls of these many areas of accomplishment. Arriving here in the early seventies as part of the back to the land movement, I`m fairly sure we weren`t even aware there was a movement. It acquired that name somewhere along the line. I believe we were looking for a cleaner and safer place to raise our children. Seriously, I didn`t have a clue whatsoever about gardening, animal husbandry or carpentry. Previous to this time, my only experience of gardening came from my mother, who religiously planted plastic Kresge’s flowers…”.in season”. This required no digging or weeding and she never had to worry about groundhogs, rabbits or the neighbourhood pets destroying or eating anything. Over the years Echo Farm has been a destination for horticultural society tours, Rural Rambles, canning and pickling workshops a petting farm and even involved in a work training program for teenagers under eighteen. It has also been a supplier of food for such places as the Madawaska Kanu Center, the Red Canoe Café, farmers markets and to many individuals who purchased boxes of vegetables, meat and eggs on a weekly basis. Nearing retirement, I spend the bulk of my time instructing others in the various aspects of food production, preservation and storage, but am still frequently persuaded to supply others (on a smaller scale than in the past)
Having taken the past few years off for community volunteer work and for a process of reassessment, I am feeling the call of the land is too strong for me to withstand and realise it is time to get my nose back to the grindstone. More and more often, people are seeking out producers of local organic food, also, those who simply want to learn how to do it for themselves. There are also those who are cruising around the back roads, seeking out interesting places to explore or visit. Formal or self- guided tours are available and if you should desire to get your hands or knees dirty, someone will be happy to show you which ones are the weeds. Bring a picnic lunch and cool down in the shade of an apple tree or a twig arbour, explore the many buildings and their offerings or examine examples of bent twig fences and chairs. You may be inspired to go home and do some of your own. Come and relax where time appears to have stood still….if you sit or stand quietly, you might experience the sound or the feeling of an” Echo of The Past.”
For an informal experience appointments are not necessary just come any morning and wander around, you will probably find someone in the garden or barnyard, there will also be some canning and pickling going on in the kitchen.
