I’m Jake Newman. The Portland Logbook is my love letter to this city: the food worth hunting down, the history that refuses to die, the corners you only find if you’re paying attention.

Don’t Sleep on Apple Season

I always blow it. I wait until October to think about apple picking, and by then the trees are stripped bare. What’s left is soft or gone, and I’m left consoling myself with cider donuts.

The truth is apple season doesn’t wait for October. It kicks off in late August and peaks through September. That’s when the fruit is crisp, the baskets fill easy, and the varieties are wide open. By mid-October you’re gambling. Portland is full of locals warning the same thing: if you want crunch, go early.

So where to go? McDougal Orchard in Springvale is a yearly favorite: apples, cider, donuts, the works. Brackett’s Orchard in Limington wins for views, the kind that make you stop mid-pick and take it all in. Sweetser’s in Cumberland doesn’t always offer U-pick, but its heirlooms are treated like treasures by locals.

Randall Orchard in Standish is close to Portland and easy for a quick trip. Snell’s in Buxton has a low-key vibe. Thompson’s in New Gloucester is where the donuts rival the apples. Douglas Hill in Sebago gets love too: dog-friendly, family-run, with views that stretch out over the lakes and hills.

If you’re heading out, a couple tricks: call or check the farm’s page before you drive, since varieties ripen at different times. Go early in the day if you want first pick. And when you’re plucking from the branch, twist instead of pull. A ripe apple slips right off.

Apple season is one of Maine’s short joys, a harvest worth marking your calendar for. Don’t wait until October like I used to. This is the moment. Get out there while the trees are still heavy and the apples still snap.

🍎 See The Orchard Map of Maine! 🍏

Portland’s Most Unusual Pet

Walk the West End today and you see rows of brick homes with neat lawns and clipped hedges. Hard to imagine, but the story goes that a neighbor once kept a moose tethered out front of his house. Yes, a moose. Eight hundred pounds of antlers and attitude, standing on a city lawn.

Did it happen? No record points to a specific address. But the rumor has lasted for generations, and it makes sense. In the 1800s, Portland was more pasture than pavement. Cows grazed on Munjoy Hill. Horses filled backyard stables. And when the circus came to town, elephants walked straight up Congress Street. A moose in the yard doesn’t sound impossible.

What we do know: Mainers have kept moose before. In 1942, two calves in Caribou were raised and trained to pull a sleigh. Photos prove it. The Maine Historical Society even filed them under “unconventional pets.”

So maybe Portland’s “pet moose” was real, maybe it wasn’t. Either way, the tale sticks because it feels true to this place, a city that’s always balanced on the edge of the wild.

Pet moose in the West End: real or rumor?

🐾 Adoptable Buddies of the Week! 🐾

🐶 Blaze – 2 years, 45 lbs
Big coat, bigger personality. Loves food, the outdoors, and a good wrestle match with other dogs. Smart and curious, so he’ll need structure and plenty of play.

🐱 Neva – 5 years
Sweet and spicy mix. She takes time to trust, but once she does, she’s loyal. Best as the only cat in a quiet, patient home.

🐰 Sonny – 4 years
Shy guy, bonded with his buddy Sage. Needs space to roam and people who get that some pets take longer to settle in.

🐕 Interested? Check them out here