Vendor Highlight: 3 Bug Farm
An Interview with 3 Bug Farm
Written by Jan Heimlich
For Emilia Carbone, growing flavorful, nutritious organic fruits and vegetables is about balance. It’s why she and her husband Jed named their place 3 Bug Farm.
“We try to balance everything,” says Emilia. “The dragonflies, swallowtail butterflies, and bees can only thrive in a balanced, complex ecosystem.” That means being selective about mowing to allow for wild spaces and letting plants bolt to increase the population of beneficial insects, such as aphid-eating flies.
The Carbones also incorporate balance in raising their four sons who range in age from five to fourteen and work on the farm. The boys are homeschooled and part of their education is helping with washing and packing produce, taking turns making deliveries with their parents to retail businesses, and keeping the business’ Lincolnville self-service farmstand stocked. “The kids know during our busy time we may switch to only three mornings a week for homeschooling and the other two farming,” says Emilia.
It’s a life she has always known. Growing up in the Portland area, her mother, a master gardener, would take her around town visiting low-income families, teaching them how to grow their own food. “I got cookies during these trips so I like going,” Emila remembers. “My mom and I ate from a tiny garden in the city and she taught me about composting.”
Finding balance between 3 Bug Farm’s wholesale and retail business has been challenging. The farmstand sells the most products, and each individual retailer places unique orders that meet the needs of their customers. In addition to what they grow, the Carbones also sell a variety of locally sourced products at the farmstand.
“What’s new for this year is allowing our customers to create the perfect picnic,” Emilia explains. That includes organic berries and stone fruit, fresh baked bread and tortillas, meats and cheese, and fruit and nut bars.
3 Bug Farm also offers customers an easy way to pay for produce at the farmstand using Bug Bucks. Customers pay $150 via their website or Venmo or by scanning a QR code at the farmstand. In exchange, they receive $160 worth of Bug Bucks that they can use like paper money to buy fresh produce during the growing season, and any bucks that are not used roll over to the following season.
Visit the 3 Bug Farm stand at 11 Wiley Neck Rd, Lincolnville Maine 04849. Learn more about 3 Bug Farm on their website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.