Punkatasset Hill — home to Hutchins Farm — has existed as farmland since at least 1775. Local legend purports this is the hill where Minutemen gathered to await the British arrival at The Battle of Lexington and Concord. In 1895, the farm was purchased by Charles Hutchins, a retired minister from Medford, Massachusetts who named it Punkatasset Farm.

The Hutchins family built a diary operation that shipped milk to Boston by horse and cart. In 1912, Charles’ son Gordon, a graduate of the Cornell School of Agriculture, took over the farm. Gordon diversified the farm’s offerings, adding asparagus, apple orchards, and other crops. During the 1950s, commercial farming at Punkatasset Farm was paused. Gordon’s grandsons, Gordon and John Bemis, reinstated the farm as Hutchins Farm in 1973.

Gordon Bemis was dedicated to keeping the farm organic. Hutchins Farm was part of the first pilot project by the Northeast Organic Farming Association to certify organic farms in 1986. It was USDA certified in 2000.

In 1974, Gordon and John implemented the farm’s first self-serve farm stand, where they sold produce left over from commercial sales. The current farmstand was constructed in 1986. Here, guests will find Hutchins Farm’s own fruits, vegetables, and flowers, as well as local meats, eggs, honey, jams, and bread.

Today the farm is run by Farm Manager Brian Cramer and Gordon’s daughter, fifth-generation farmer Liza Bemis. John retired from co-managing the farm in 2015, but Gordon continues to oversee operations, ensuring that all produce is raised through sustainable and organic methods.

Photo: facebook.com/HutchinsFarm
Sources: hutchinsfarm.com, facebook.com/HutchinsFarm