ALFRED — A “wolf tree” is a large, prominent tree that often stands alone in a field, dominating the landscape. It was from the wolf tree on their Alfred farm, that Tom Harms and his wife Amy Sprague, conceived of the name of the their 50-acre farm, Wolf Pine Farm.

Like the wolf tree the farm is named after, Harms and Sprague have carved out a unique niche for themselves which sets them apart from most other Maine family farms.

The family, which includes Harms, Sprague, and their two young daughters, 6-year-old Delia and Maggie who is 4, has one of the family farms in Maine that sell local, mostly organic produce directly to consumers during the winter.

During the winter, said Harms, he sells vegetables produced on his farm. He also works with about 20 other groups and is able to offer his customers a diverse variety of foodstuff, including vegetables, grains, beans and other locally-produced food.

The number of venues for small family farms selling local produce directly to consumers, either at farmers’ markets or through shares purchased from the farm, is growing, said Melissa White Pillsbury, the organic marketing coordinator for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.

With fresh, local produce being more widely available than ever during the spring, summer and fall, four-season farming in Maine “is the next frontier,” said Harms.

For the majority of 10 years the couple has owned Wolf Pine Farm, they sold their produce during warm weather seasons using the Community Supported Agriculture model.

Under the CSA model, consumers buy “shares” of food ”“ a portion of the produce ”“ directly from a farm or group of farms for a set price. By cutting out the middle man, farmers can reap more of the profits to support their businesses, and consumers can purchase local produce often at a lower rate than they would pay for the same type of mostly organic produce at the supermarket.

As the last of the shares were passed out during the fall, Harms said many customers asked him where they could get fresh, local produce during the winter months, said Harms.

That give him and his wife the idea to try to fill that demand.

The first year, Harms said, they continued selling shares during the warm weather and experimented by selling 100 winter shares.

That went so well, the next year the couple sold only winter shares and sold out their 400 shares.

This is the second year they are selling only in the winter and have increased the number of shares available to 600.

Some of the produce for the winter shares, which can picked up at the farm or delivered, is grown at Wolf Pine Farm.

On a recent warm fall day, Harms showed off his field of winter squash which is nearly ready for harvesting. His crop includes: The tasty delicata squash that has a creamy pulp tasting of corn and sweet potatoes; the mild-tasting Sweet Dumpling, that has a sweet and tender flesh and is great for stuffing and baking; and more familiar squashes like butternut and pie pumpkins.

Winter squash, like much of the produce that will be in the winter shares, is harvested in the fall and stored through the winter.

But using some simple, low-cost techniques some farms are experimenting with winter farming.

Harms recently planted six-rows of spinach. That will produce about 60,000 plants. The crop will grow in the fall. As the temperature falls, Harms will cover each row with several layers of covering to retain some of the warmth and protect the spinach from windy weather. Then in the dead of winter, Harms will begin to harvest his crop and include these freshly-picked, local greens in the winter shares at the time of year when most Maine consumers are getting their greens from far away places.

Winter farming in cold climates is a young, but growing trend, being pioneered by, among others, Maine residents Eliot Coleman and his wife Barbara Damrosch. Both Coleman and Damrosch are nationally known experts on organic farming. They own Four Season Farm in Harborside.

Local produce is already grown year-round in traditional greenhouses. But these can be expensive to build and heat for small farmers.

In the late 1970s,  Coleman wrote in his book, “The Winter Harvest Handbook,” he began a serious investigation of winter harvesting.

Coleman has been an innovator in this field, experimenting continuously to find the best techniques to make cold winter farming simpler, and more productive at a lower cost.

The techniques for winter farming developed at Four Season Farm range from a plastic-covered, mobile greenhouse, to the simple, low-to-the-ground “quick hoop” method.

These techniques can be used both on farms that plan to grow food they can sell to customers and by individuals who just want to plant enough for themselves and their families so they can have fresh produce in the middle of the winter.

Coleman, in a telephone interview earlier this week, said the best crops for winter harvesting are hardy greens like arugula, chard, endive, lettuce, several varieties of Asian greens, and spinach.

“These crops don’t mind freezing,” said Coleman.

Using the techniques he describes in detail in his book, Coleman said, “You can eat amazingly easy,” during all seasons of the year, even in Maine.

Its still only a few farms that conducting winter farming to sell their food through the CSA program or at farmers’ market but, said Coleman, “More and more farmers are getting into this game.”

As the trend of CSA’s is taking hold, more people interested in farming in general, said White Pillsbury. Because of this, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association is offering new programs for beginning farmers as well as those with several years experience.

And there is a demand for local produce, she said. “The limiting factor is the supply.”

For those who undertake the farming lifestyle, which is not an easy one, it’s often a philosophical choice about the importance of providing local produce to consumers.

“The idea of local produce is a good thing,” said Coleman.

It’s good for the environment, he said.

Using  a simple study on winter farming, measuring minimal factors, Coleman said, producing food locally consumed only 5 percent of the energy that is expended by bringing food in from California.

Harms said he and his wife chose to farm because, “For me, it’s an extension of promoting a more locally-based economic system. “We think that creates healthier communities and healthier relations,” he said.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.