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Ford Farm on Route 44 in East Canaan offers a variety of highway-side farm products.
Alec Linden
When she noticed the gap between local consumers and producers, Reeve took matters into her own hands by launching NOCA Exchange, an online platform connecting farm producers and clean eaters across the region.
Just weeks old, the platform is still in its experimental phase, she said, but she’s looking forward to its future as more consumers and farmers join.
The website currently features a map and directory of farm stands and farmers markets across the region. Through an accompanying Facebook group, Reeve, local farmers and community members share updates about what products are in season and available for purchase.
As of June 12, Reeve said NOCA Exchange, named after her home town of North Canaan, had about 17 farms on board, ranging from flowers to beef and beyond, plus a Facebook audience of more than 70.
The end goal, she said, is hopefully “a little resource for somebody who might want to go for a cruise on a Sunday afternoon and hit a back road” in search of wholesome goods. “Because who knew that there are turkey and quail eggs for sale in East Canaan, just off of 44!” she exclaimed.
Ultimately, Reeve hopes the Facebook group will promote connections between farmers and buyers, but she’s letting the community steer.
“We’ll see where it goes!” she said.
NOCA Exchange not only features small farm stands but also established, popular farm-sourced markets like Freund's Farm Market & Bakery in East Canaan.Alec Linden
Reeve recalled that the idea had an unlikely genesis: a conversation at a CrossFit Gym.
“It took months before I realized that a member of the gym’s wife owned Beavertides Farm in Falls Village, and they did beef and lamb and beeswax,” she said. “It just spurred some curiosity.”
After learning another acquaintance happened to own Howling Flats Farm in North Canaan, Reeve said she realized that there was a gap between the wealth of farm-produced foods and buyers in the region.
“Maybe some people know,” she said, “but I think a lot of other people don't, so this is just bringing awareness to that.”
Reeve said the core of her interest comes down to her own family’s values of “making smarter choices, trying to support the community, and prioritizing grassroots movements wherever we can,” and that she believes others in the region feel the same.
Part of the appeal of buying local is seeing where your food comes from, an increasing rarity in a world dominated by global food markets.
“I can go to the stand and largely see the field where the item was grown,” she said, “and there's just something kind of magical about that.”
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Reenactors raise a massive flag on the liberty pole Saturday, June 13, commemorating the patriotic demonstration that took place in Canaan before the Revolutionary War.
Ruth Epstein
The patriotic celebration extended beyond the ceremony with a community picnic called “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Appleness” at Bunny McGuire Park. American favorites like hot dogs and apple pie were served.
Kathy Keane, the chair of the town’s 250th Anniversary Committee, addressed a crowd that gathered on the grassy corner of Routes 44 and 7, near where the original flag raising took place in 1774.
“What will it be like 250 years from now?” Keane asked, reflecting on future generations. “Our greatest resources are our kids. We need to celebrate our past and our future.”
First Selectman Jesse Bunce welcomed attendees. He had cut down the tree, which was donated by a descendant of one of the town’s first settlers, Isaac Lawrence, and formed it into the pole, placing it 10 feet into the ground to ensure its stability.
Historian Tim Abbott gave a synopsis of the pole’s history. In June 1774, the Port of Boston was closed by the British in retaliation for the Boston Tea Party. The closure was part of the Intolerable Acts imposed upon the colonists, which included restrictions on property rights and the honoring of bills of credit.
“Connecticut folks began saying that if it can happen in Boston, it can happen here,” Abbott said. “In August 1774, Canaan decided to show its dissent.”
He said details of the Canaan liberty pole were gleaned from the Connecticut Courant. It was described as being 78-feet tall and 15-feet wide, dimensions replicated in the current pole. It was scarlet in color, with the words “LIBERTY and PROPERTY” printed in large capital letters.
Young "militia men" line up at Saturday's flag raising on the liberty pole in North Canaan. Ruth Epstein
Abbott said many colonists believed their ability to govern their own affairs was being undermined by British authorities. The liberty pole served as a way of signaling that local residents felt neglected and opposed policies being imposed from afar.
“We know it was put up around this spot,” Abbott said. “It’s also known that after the flag was raised, those involved went to a local tavern to toast their deed and then they went peaceably home.”
Abbott also described the involvement of several Canaan residents in storming the court house in Great Barrington in August 1774. The court was overseen by British-appointed Judge David Ingersoll, who was dragged to the Canaan pole, forced to recant his support for the King and later imprisoned in Hartford. The courts in Great Barrington remained closed for six years.
North Canaan resident Christian Allyn spoke about the Canaan Exchange Club, which is celebrating its 100th year, and was one of the sponsors of the liberty pole installation. The club’s motto is “Unity and service for patriotism.”
Other sponsors were the Canaan History Center, the 250th Anniversary Committee and the town.
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