The hill where the grapes grow sweeps gently downward, and there’s a view of the hills in Farmington, N.H. in the distance.

On an orchard farm in Springvale, a dozen miles away, a brown-and-white calf moos in a pen, and children laugh with delight.

Whether the endeavor is making wine in a remote spot in Lebanon near the New Hampshire border, or raising fruit, vegetables and more on a seventh-generation property in Springvale, both are farming. And these farms, along with dozens more statewide, marked Open Farm Day by doing just that ”“ opening their farms with an invitation for people to stop by and get a glimpse of farm life.

At Prospect Hill Winery, owners Anita and Richard Carle spoke about their vineyard, which they’ve been building since the first two vines were planted in 2002. The couple have lived on the property for 36 years, in a 200-year-old Cape Cod home, restored by Richard Carle, a furniture craftsman. Anita Carle was a kindergarten teacher for 30 years and now works as a literacy teacher part-time. And the couple make wine, which can be purchased at the farm or in select wine shops from Waterville to Wells.

The couple planted 15 vines in 2002.

“They did really well, and we said we’d make wine for our own use,” said Anita Carle.

In 2003, they took part in a workshop at a Southampton, New Hampshire winery. They planted more vines, made more wine and opened the winery in 2009. The couple uses only their own grapes, largely French-American hybrid varieties developed for cold weather climates by Cornell University and the University of Minnesota.

Harvest comes in September, when family, friends and neighbors take part. White wine is released six months after production; red, 18 months, said Richard Carle.

On Open Farm Day, Lou and Judy Morin of Biddeford stopped by to have a tour and a taste. The couple has visited several wineries, and so when they saw Prospect Hill Winery on the Open Farm Day list, decided to visit.

“The taste was good,” said Judy Morin. The winery hosts tastings from 1-5 p.m. on Sundays, May through November.

Meanwhile, McDougal Orchards, owned by Ellen and Jack McAdam, was the first stop on the Farm-to-Farm Trail Walk, which gave participants the ability to take in 11 farms on a 3.9-mile hike in the Springvale section of Sanford. McDougal Orchards is steeped in history: The farm is located on part of a 450-acre land tract purchased at a tax auction for 52 pounds and 10 shillings by Joshua Hanson in 1779. In addition to apples, the McAdams grow tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, sweet and tart cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums and pears. And there’s usually cider doughnuts, too, made by “Capt.” Jack McAdam.

On Open Farm Day, visitors could walk the farm, visit the baby calf and some goats, or check out the vast barn, where they could pick up some ripe, red tomatoes or munch on a doughnut.

One little girl in a fuchsia jacket did just that, quickly downing a fragrant, yummy doughnut ”“ and gave a thumbs up.

About an hour before Open Farm Day was to wind down, thunder roared, lightning lit the sky and the rain came down.

Maureen Manna, who spends summers in Wells, had just finished the 11-farm tour, stepping into the barn just before the rain commenced.

“We enjoyed it very much,” she said. “It was interesting.”

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.