When Yoko Takemura and Alex Carpenter purchased 21 acres in the Quiet Corner of Connecticut in 2016, they knew they wanted to start a small, certified-organic farm. Originally from Japan, Takemura fell in love with vegetable growing when she joined a community garden in Brooklyn, NY. Carpenter grew up loving nature and spent many of his childhood days running through his family’s gardens. When the couple met, their mutual passion for growing healthy food led them to create Assawaga Farm.
They devote themselves to the earth and keep it intact by following organic and no-till farming practices, including the use of cover crops, farm-made compost, vermicompost, compost teas and extracts, and natural mulches. Chemicals are never used on the property, and biodiversity is strongly encouraged. Beyond “organic,” Assawaga Farm is minimizing its use of fossil fuels and plastic, which is heavily used in organic agriculture.
With a strong environmental conscience, the couple grows a wide range of vegetables and herbs on three-quarters of an acre, emphasizing Japanese varieties not commonly found in the U.S., such as Mizuna, Komatsuna, Japanese peppers and eggplants, and plenty more. Customers can purchase unique and more common produce varieties they can feel good about via a weekly farmer’s market on Thursdays, and their farmstand, open on Sundays.