Sustainable Agriculture and the Restaurant Business

Groton is a small, almost rural town located in northern Massachusetts' Nashoba Valley area, near the New Hampshire border. The town was founded way back in 1655 (yes, it is that old) and has a population of just over 10,000 people. Small- and medium-sized farms and orchards dot the countryside in Groton and surrounding towns, growing many different varieties of vegetable and fruits. Every summer, a popular farmer's market is convened on one of those farms, gathering farm families from the area to sell their bountiful harvest.

Also located in Groton is an up and coming steakhouse, Gibbet Hill Grill, located on a beautiful 80-acre farm land. What sets this restaurant apart from the rest is that it is also a working farm, growing almost 50 types of vegetable for use in the restaurant. Imagine the chef walking a couple of hundred yards out the restaurant door and personally picking whatever vegetable that's ready for harvest for use on the menu. Now that is fresh!

A few days ago, a local newspaper, Lowell Sun, published an enlightening article on this unique restaurant. It is a good read. Link to here for the article.