I mostly liked this book, but trying to articulate what it was even about is rather difficult, so I won't even try. I enjoyed reading about the various agricultural operations in the town of Hardwick, Vermont; however, the broader theme of "Is it possible for a town to sustain itself entirely on its own, and if so, how can we replicate the model elsewhere?" was something I had a harder time following. It just didn't seem to be organized as well. The book sometimes reminded me of [b:The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals|3109|The Omnivore's Dilemma A Natural History of Four Meals|Michael Pollan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393804353s/3109.jpg|3287769], except I liked that one much better. ( )

From the title, it sounds like a celebration of the new locavore culture, right? Well, kind of. It’s more of a balanced consideration of the changes happening in a community based in a historical agricultural context. There is an exciting new agripreneurial in Hardwick, VT, but Ben Hewitt spends some time appreciating the sturdy, older food culture that makes the new possible. It’s a fascinating look at how personality and drive can create dynamic change. ( )

This is a book I have been meaning to read for a long time. My immersion in the local food movement came the year after I graduated from high school, at Maggie's Farm, a year-long small-scale sustainable ag and homesteading intensive in my community. I was touring Hardwick while Ben was doing the research for this book [walking around Jasper Hill Cellars and such].

To make things even more intimate, my family has been going on vacation up in the Northeast Kingdom for the past decade or more [my mom's from VT], and we had dinner at Claire's shortly after it opened.

In 2010, I got introduced to Slow Money, the intersection of local food and local economy, and haven't looked back since. So Ben's questions of what underlies the adoption and long-term viability of local food systems and a local economy couldn't be more pertinent for me. I actually live in a community not unlike Hardwick [a comparatively strong local food system in an economically depressed rural area], in North Central MA.

This book is excellent. It's a snapshot of a place, a place, and a movement. Ben works his way through a series of portraits, looking at various facets of this picture: the entrepreneurs, the old-timers, the hippies. Many perspectives are captured.

This book is not the decisive map for how to save a town. But I wouldn't want to read such a book anyways. Ben as the vital questions that underlie culture and history. Regenerating a community is a process, not a product. ( )

Mr Hewitt presents some very valuable information and insights regarding Hardwick, Vermont, and their burgeoning local foods movement. Unfortunately, he dilutes the impact of his text by excessively interjecting internalized questions that occur to him during interviews, farm visits, etc, even when he has no means to answer them later on. Bottom Line: If you line out 50% or more of the sentences ending in a question mark, you'll get all the important information he presents in half the time and you won't lose any critical facts/perspectives. ( )

The author reviewed in a personal way the many pieces of a community food system in Vermont. Some very interesting observations: 4 characteristics of a viable food system: 1 - based on sun, 2-feeds the locals, 3-person can make a living, and 4-the process is circular (not linear) seeds to plants to seeds, food to waste to plants to food... ( )