Assawaga Farm
- Jun 17
- 5 min read
By Cris Cadiz
A good landmark to find Assawaga Farm’s winding dirt driveway if you’re zooming along on Route 44 from Putnam is the small park next to Five Mile River. Just past it on the left is the farm entrance. The word "assawaga" is the original Native American name for Five Mile River. It means "place between" or "halfway place" in Nipmuc. Tucked between two waterways, Five Mile River to the west and the Mary Brown Brook to the east, Assawaga Farm is literally the "place between."
Farm founders Alex Carpenter and Yoko Takemura discovered the property ten years ago as they searched further and further from New York City, where they had met and lived before deciding to start their own farm. Like many, they struggled to find affordable property. “Eventually we found the Quiet Corner, which we didn't know existed,” says Yoko. They were pleased with Putnam’s accessibility to Boston, Providence and Worcester and with the quality of the land.
“The property is completely bound by the river,” says Alex. “This was really good, prime agricultural soil--the best we could find in our budget.” Embraced by two streams, the land featured fertile ground and excellent biodiversity. The property had historically been used for cattle, later for hay, then lay fallow for 15 years. It had never been sprayed with chemicals. The perfect place to start an organic farm. “When we saw the land for the first time, a bald eagle flew over,” recalls Yoko. “And a coyote ran across the field. We were like, if that's not a sign, then what is?”
Fast forward ten years. What was once an empty field surrounded by towering white pines and mature deciduous trees is now a farm with one acre of perfectly neat rows of vegetable and flower beds edged by a hedgerow just under the forest canopy. “We've got 26 different varieties of native or regional pollinator perennials plus a lot of woody things like elderberries, hazelnuts, bush cherries, June berries,” says Alex. There are 16 permanent 100-foot beds. Crops include garlic, onions, asparagus, brassicas, greens, rhubarb, peppers, herbs, plus tomatoes grown in the high tunnel. Assawaga Farm specializes in some Japanese varieties of herbs, greens, peppers, and eggplants, but being certified organic really sets them apart. They also sell berries, cut flowers and open the season in spring with a popular plant sale of veggie, flower and herb seedlings and dahlia tubers.
It is the tidiest farm I’ve ever seen--not a stray weed or misplaced tool in sight. Two large high tunnels, a greenhouse and a post-and-beam barn complete the infrastructure. Alex and Yoko are nearly finished building their own house a short walk from the barn. All of this--plus digging a well and installing the long driveway and parking area--they built from the ground up. “It’s a slightly less orthodox way of going at it,” Yoko admits. “Most farmers are looking for a farm. We don't know many people that buy raw land and build the house they live in.”
Assawaga Farm is a hand-powered, no-till farm and one of the few certified organic farms in the region. Basically, this means they use natural processes and materials to grow crops while promoting ecological balance and preserving biodiversity. They follow additional guidelines: minimizing use of fossil fuels and plastic, avoiding all pesticides including organic ones, and installing perennial wildlife and pollinator habitats. They encourage resource recycling, such as making their own compost and sourcing compost materials (like leaves) from the community. “We are stewards of the land and as such we strive to keep the land productive for many future generations to come.”
Alex says they have steadily evolved the past ten years. “A lot of farmers want to get bigger and bigger. If anything, we want to get more and more compact and focus on the quality and the efficiency of our farm.” Six years ago, they thought it would be just Alex and Yoko; they didn’t want employees. But they started hiring farmhands and don’t regret it. “We realized it's nice to have help and we can be more efficient that way,” says Alex who appreciates being able to quit at 4 or 5PM and take Sundays off. They also enjoy mentoring. “What we're doing is different from a lot of farms, so being able to pass that on and inspire people is important,” he says. “Now we have an amazing crew and our work-life balance in the last couple of years has been fantastic.”
Assawaga Farm’s on-site market happens in the barn every Saturday morning from late May through November. Every Thursday, they pack up a van and head to Brookline to sell produce and flowers to Boston dwellers from June to November. While they’ve always taken SNAP at the Brookline Market, this year Assawaga Farm is taking advantage of a new UConn Extension initiative, Grown ConNECTed for All, which encourages Northeast CT SNAP recipients to buy healthy food at local farms.
SNAP (the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) can be used to pay for food grown or produced by small farms who are SNAP certified retailers. This includes vegetables and fruit, meat and dairy, preserved goods, honey, maple syrup, even seedlings so that customers can grow their own. Accepting SNAP as payment entails a farm to use a smart device that connects to a card reader. This allows customers to meet the farmer where they are, whether it’s at a farmer’s market, at the farmstand or farm store, or even out in the field. Assawaga Farm wasn’t sure they’d get any SNAP recipients at their on-site market, so they wondered if the cost of participation would be a wise investment. However, the program waives fees for farms for two years, helps them with the application process, and provides the SNAP/EBT card reader, all at no cost.
Petros Papadopoulos is a farmhand at Assawaga Farm and proud to help provide beautiful and flavorful produce for their loyal customer base--“people who value food that has never been sprayed with harmful chemicals and that lasts in the fridge.”
“Being a smaller farm a bit off the beaten path adds real barriers to accessing our food, but we work to keep our prices accessible,” says Petros. “Grown ConNECTed has given us a cost-free way to accept SNAP, which means more potential customers can choose our produce without payment type standing in the way. Everyone deserves access to food grown with care; accepting SNAP is a concrete way we can make that real.”
Assawaga Farm’s on-site market in East Putnam is open to all every Saturday from 9AM to 12PM. They accept SNAP and FMNP (WIC and Senior Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program). See their website for a weekly veggie list and to sign up for e-mail updates.
626 Providence Pike (RT 44)Putnam, CT