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?

The music was written, recorded and produced on Route 1.  Peter began writing the song in Houlton, ME where he was exploring Route 1 at potato harvest time in October of 2019.  During COVID, Vanessa Silberman joined the effort via Zoom.  They met up in Columbia, SC in December that year to settle on lyrics and the song arrangement, to program the percussion and to record the guitar and vocal tracks.  The mix was finished up in 2020 after a few more virtual sessions.

Lupe Soto  is an avid photographer who supports business throughout northeastern, Maine.  He agreed to use footage he already had of the potato harvest, and to add more stills and video in order to create the music video in late 2021.

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