Global warming in Northern Maine cuts both ways. Winters there can be brutal, so warmer is good, but care for the land is sacred because the land has been the source of people’s livelihoods for so long. Timber, dairy farming and potatoes drive the economy in Aroostook County along Route One. These industries all have carbon footprints, which add to the greenhouse effect.

And speaking of greenhouses, the hottest cottage industry is growing pot now that it has become legal to do so in Maine. When it is too cold to tend potatoes, you can always look in on your hydroponics! Apparently, the proceeds can help to save the farm and to ease the farmers’ aches and pains.

Since the end of World War II, more and more Maine potatoes have been processed, instead of eaten fresh from farm to table as they were before our freezers started to resemble small closets. So the question becomes how to keep up the production of these commodities while mitigating the environmental impacts of the harvest. How will the spuds run to get to your table asap, unprocessed and fresh? And will consumers be willing to give up their tater tots and frozen fries to help save the planet?

This Mock-Rocker was written by Peter Evans and Vanessa Silberman after Peter spent a week in Aroostook County, Maine while the potato harvest was in full swing in 2019. Peter met farmers, merchants at roadside stands, and watched in astonishment as dozens of fully loaded potato trucks passed him each day on Route 1.