Eric List and Christine Trefethen each holding a goat. Courtesy of Morning Glory Farm

BETHEL — What started out as a garden about 20 years ago has gradually morphed into a full-fledged farming operation for Bethel residents Eric List and Christine Trefethen.

“Farms,” as it’s known by now, was born from the idea of trying to live as energy independent as possible, something List and Trefethen take to heart. The first chapter to this point began near the turn of the century with a garden, something they had while their current house was being built. The garden was just the start of things though. Next came the chickens, which they first got 10 years ago. A pattern of getting more animals started to develop.

“I got the idea that I wanted goats too,” Trefethen said.

She wanted dairy goats so she could make cheese. With List being a builder, constructing a home for the goats was not an issue. He used mostly re-purposed materials, from an old garage and other job sites, to build the barn.

After the goats came the sheep, and then a cow.

They were asked to watch over a baby cow for the winter, for an elderly woman who could no longer take care of it. They agreed and instantly fell in love with the animal. Not too long after, they were asked to buy the cow, which they now call Fern. They ended up breeding her, and the cow that came after her. The farm in total now consists of two goats, four sheep, three cows and close to 25 laying hens.  They also get 80 to 100 meat birds in the summer.

Farther out back in their yard are four hives of bees, which have been useful for many purposes.

Their daughter Sophie makes lip balm, body bar lotions, deodorant and candles from the beeswax.

“We don’t have to buy any of that stuff, she keeps us all supplied,” Trefethen said.

A lot of the honey has been used recently to make mead, something List has been experimenting with.  He said the mead came out well and in the future, he wants to try and make a hard cider that he can sell.

They already make and drink their own Kombucha. Trefethen said she hopes to sell it, but that every batch has to be tested to make sure the alcohol content is where it should be . The same goes for the cider they hope to sell too.

Their bottled hot sauce has already gone through the licensing process and can be found in several area stores like DiCocoa’s Bakery & Cafe, The Local Hub, Bethel Beverage, Fare Share Co-op, The Mountain Grocer, Good Karma, The Good Food Store and even the Local Grocer in North Conway, N.H.

“You have to get a food license, you have to get your kitchen approved and licensed and then you have to get a license for distribution. It’s a process,” List said.

They already have two flavors for sale and are working on a third — peach habanero.  This is their second year commercially selling the hot sauces. Much of the credit behind the making of the hot sauce goes to List and Newry resident Anna Sysko. The two collaborate on the recipes and production. The farm does a lot of the growing, while Sysko works more on the production side. She did all of the smoking for the hot sauce, and is responsible for some of the ingredients that go into the sauce. The production happens at DiCocoa’s because it is a commercial kitchen and where Sysko works.

“She was the driving inspiration for getting us going on trying it as a business,” List said.

The big picture for Trefethen and List is having a small energy “footprint” in the area. A goal of theirs, this summer, is to trying to live within a 50-mile radius from their house in terms of food. They plan to produce and store as much food as they can and rely on local resources for the rest of their needs. The couple generates more than 90 percent of the power they use.

“Our goal is to be as self-sufficient as we can be,” Trefethen added.

They also hope that Morning Glory can be used as a “teaching farm.” The farm is involved with the Worldwide Opportunities On Organic Farms (WWOOF) program, which is an organization that lets farms connect with young people with a desire to learn about sustainability, farming and their food system. Through this program, Morning Glory has invited people to come live with them for a few weeks, and in some cases, a month. These people get an understanding of how the operation works while returning the favor by doing some labor.

Ten months out of the year someone other than List or Trefethen is staying at the farm. Guests wake up at five, do barn chores, shovel manure and learn how to milk a cow if they want to. The farm has become their life.

“That’s where we feel like we have the biggest impact — providing an opportunity for people to get connected with their environment and food, and appreciating the impact that growing and distributing food has,” List said.

The farm has also done work with the Maine Organic Farmers Growers Association (MOFGA), in providing their fruit trees for workshops.

The Eddy School is currently working on a documentary on Morning Glory, and come to the farm monthly to work on the project. The farm has also hosted a group of students from Boston College. Trefethen hopes to attract more groups to the farm moving forward.

At the very least, both List and Trefethen hope when people leave Morning Glory, they try and adopt even just a small part of what they do there.

“Once people come and get their hands dirty they appreciate the immensity of the work that is involved in producing food,” List said.