08/25/2026
August is winding down and it's been full tilt preparing for what's just around the bend.
I have managed to find a little time to re-read Ben Hewitt’s The Town That Food Saved. This time through, I keep thinking about how many of the ideas he explores are playing out right here in Washington County.
Hewitt writes about Hardwick, Vermont, and a community trying to rebuild a local food economy around farmers, producers, neighbors, and the resources already present in their region. One of the most interesting questions running through the book is whether a local food system is truly “local” simply because food is grown nearby, or whether it also needs to be accessible, interconnected, and capable of strengthening the wider community.
That question has been on my mind a lot.
This year Starboard Farm made a great connection with the Bucks Harbor Prison garden program.
On paper, a family farm and a correctional facility might seem like two very different places.....
BHP has a fantastic program where inmates learn sustainable growing practices, produce thousands of pounds of food, and donate part of their harvest to community food-security organizations.
If you're passing by the farm slow down and take a peek at the beautiful mound of pumpkins, spaghetti squash and sunflowers growing. Thanks to Kenny, Bill and the crew at BHP this generous sharing of resources between our farm and our "neighbors" is a prime example of the philosophy behind Ben Hewitt's book.
Recycling resources within our community instead of allowing them to flow out....
I believe we Downeasters understand that kind of interdependence better than many. Farmers depend on fishermen. Neighbors depend on neighbors. Knowledge is shared from one generation to another. Seeds get saved. Equipment gets borrowed. Someone has an extra flat of seedlings. Someone else has compost, labor, or experience to share.
Proof that everyone has something to contribute!!
