Written by Dietetics Student Dana Purcell
Shopping at farmer’s markets is a great way to find fresh produce and support local farmers! Farmer’s markets provide fruits and vegetables when they are ripe and in peak season. This means that the produce will not only be the tastiest, but it will be the most nutritious as well! Markets are typically open through the summer and fall so you are able to try a wide variety of fresh foods throughout the CT growing season. This gives you the opportunity to try new foods that you typically would not. Supporting your local farmers also means that they are able to keep growing and producing foods right in your community. You will be able to get your hands on produce that is even more fresh than that in the grocery store! Not only that, but you may be able to buy organic produce at a lower cost than you could at the grocery store because transportation costs are much lower.
Here are some neighboring towns that offer local farmer’s markets. There are many more in CT:
(Market info found from https://portal.ct.gov/DOAG/ADaRC/Publications/Farmers-Markets)
Check out this interactive map on the snap4ct website to find even more farmer’s markets near you! https://www.snap4ct.org/ct-farmers-markets.html
| Town | Day | Time |
| Andover | Saturdays | 10am-2pm |
| Ashford | Sundays
Wednesdays (5/5, 6/2, 7/7, 8/4, 9/1, 10/6 |
10am-2pm
4-7pm |
| Bethel | Saturdays | 9am-1pm |
| New Haven-Edgewood Park | Sundays | 10am-2pm |
| New Haven- Wooster Square | Sundays | 9am-1pm |
| New London- Williams Park | Fridays | 2-5pm |
| New Milford | Saturdays | 9am-1pm |
| Norwalk- Rainbow Plaza | Wednesdays | 11am-3pm |
| Norwich- Downtown | Wednesdays | 10am-2pm |
| Putnam | Saturdays | 10am-1pm |
| Seymour | Saturdays | 12pm-4pm |
| Stafford | Sundays | 10am-1pm |
| Stamford- Museum & Nature Center | Sundays | 10am-2pm |
| Tolland | Saturdays | 9am-12pm |
| Wallingford | Monday-Saturday
Sunday |
9am-6pm
9am-2pm |
Did you know many farmer’s markets in CT accept SNAP/EBT? At participating farmers markets, you can swipe your card and will be given market tokens that you can use at the stands. You can search on the map for the markets that accept SNAP/EBT so you can enjoy everything the markets have to offer!
https://www.snap4ct.org/ct-farmers-markets.html
If you are interested in purchasing a share of a farm’s harvest, certain farms offer CSAs or Community Supported Agriculture. This allows consumers to purchase a share from a farmer and then in, in turn, receive a portion of the harvested crops. If you are interested in a CSA, check out some of the participating farms below:
| Farm & Town | Website |
| Sub Edge Farm- Avon, CT | SubEdgeFarm.com/CSA
|
| KDCrop Farms- Chaplin, CT
|
http://kdcropfarms.weebly.com/
|
| Cold Spring Farm- Colchester- CT | http://www.coldspringfarmct.com/
|
| Starlight Gardens- Durham, CT | http://starlightgardensct.com/
|
| Newgate Farms- East Granby CT | http://www.newgatefarms.com/
|
| Beckett Farms- Glastonbury, CT | http://www.beckettfarms.com/ |
| Hindinger Farm- Hamden, CT | https://www.hindingersfarm.com/ |
| Full Heart Farm- Ledyard, CT | http://www.fullheartfarm.com/
|
| Cobble Stone Farm- Mansfield Center, CT | http://cobblestonefarmcsa.com/ |
| Autumn Harvest Orchard, LLC- Norfolk, CT | https://autumnharvestorchardllc.com/community-supported-agriculture/ |
| Shortt’s Farm- Sandy Hook, CT | http://www.shorttsfarmandgarden.com/
|
| Dondero Orchard’s- South Glastonbury, CT | http://www.donderoorchards.com/
|
| Killiam & Bassette Farmstand- South Glastonbury, CT | http://kbfarmstead.com/
|
| Bordua Farms LLC- South Windsor, CT | http://www.borduafarms.com/ |
| Oxen Hill Farm- Suffield, CT | http://oxenhillfarm.com/ |
| Mon Soleil Market Garden CSA- Union, CT | http://www.monsoleilct.com/ |
| Stefan Farms- Windsor, CT | https://www.facebook.com/Stefanfarms/ |
(CSAs found from https://portal.ct.gov/DOAG/Marketing/Marketing/CSA-Listing)
This material is funded by UDSA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
This institution is an equal opportunity employer