Farm stands replace farmers markets this summer

Text by Ruth Melville
Photo by Savage Freize

While it was disappointing that Norfolk Farmers Market decided that it couldn’t safely open this summer, local farmers kept growing vegetables, raising cows and milking goats. You can still get vegetables, meats, and herbs and flowers from many of the market regulars; you just have to take a little drive out of town—often down some beautiful country roads—to find them. 

Most people in Norfolk are familiar with Ford’s and Freund’s, both just west of town on Route 44. It is a much-anticipated highlight of summer when the Ford stand opens in July, as soon as the corn is ripe. Ford’s is open every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., until the end of October. Besides corn, they also sell local fruits and vegetables, homegrown flowers, local honey and maple syrup and eggs, along with beef, pork and bacon.

Just down the road is Freund’s Farm Market, which over the years has expanded from a farm stand into a small grocery store, carrying vegetables, plants, herbs, flowers, a wide variety of fruit and a huge array of baked goods (cider donut season is coming soon), plus refrigerator and freezer cases with prepared foods, ice cream and much more. Freund’s is open every day throughout the year, and during the pandemic, you can arrange curbside pickup by contacting them at farmersmarketorders@gmail.com or 860-824-0650.

Husky Meadows Farm sells certified organic vegetables from its stand at 30 Doolittle Drive every Saturday morning, from 9 a.m. to noon. On a recent Saturday they had, in addition to a selection of seasonal vegetables—including some more unusual ones like tomatillos and shishito peppers—biscotti, little financier cakes and roasted tomato sauce from the farm kitchen. I can tell you from experience that it’s better to get there early before they sell out of popular items.

Heading out of Canaan, going north on Route 7, you come to Zinke’s small self-serve stand under a tent at 14 Clayton Road. Tables are set out with the day’s harvest of tomatoes, potatoes, flowers, and microgreens. 

Not far from Zinke’s, east of Route 7 in Sheffield, is Dandelion Hill Farm, at 204 Hulett Hill Road. The farm has seasonal vegetables and eggs, chickens and acorn-fed, free-ranging pork, plus raw goat milk, goat stew meat and a mild goat cheese with a high butterfat content. The farm is usually open daily (except Thursday), from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and you can order ahead online.

Dandelion Hill also has a stand at the farmers market in Sheffield, on Friday afternoons, 3-6 p.m. The stalls at the market are well separated, and social distancing is encouraged.

Just south of town are two Norfolk Farmers Market favorites: Lost Ruby Farm and Broad Field Farm. Broad Field Farm, 33 Parker Hill Road (the farm stand is on Winchester Road), has gorgeous tomatoes, and, on the day I was there, flowers, herbs, chard and kale. The stand is not open every day, and you’re advised to check on Instagram, @broadfieldfarm, before heading over.

Lost Ruby Farm sells fresh chèvre and aged goat cheeses made from its small herd of pasture-raised goats. You can find a full range of their cheeses on their website, lostrubyfarm.com. They request that you preorder online for pickup at the farm, Thursday to Sunday, 4-6 p.m. If you order before 5 p.m., they’ll place your order outside in the preorder fridge the next morning.

Lost Ruby cheeses are also available at Freund’s, Orchard Hill Bakery in Riverton and  the farm stand at Mountain View Farm, which is on Route 7, about three miles south of 44. The farm’s self-serve stand also has raw milk, eggs and a wide variety of frozen meats, including duck breast and liverwurst. They have a Facebook page, and to preorder you can call or text Lara at 860-491-0040.

Also in Falls Village is Rustling Wind Creamery, at 148 Canaan Mountain Road. Their store is open for self-service from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day, and you can preorder by calling 860-824-7084. They sell their own raw cow and goat milk, free-range eggs, homemade butter and yogurt, jams and pickles and hand-knit sweaters and hats made from their own wool.

Where I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, we didn’t have farm stands, but we did have farm trucks that had a regular spot by the side of the road—just like Carbon’s farm stand on old Route 8. You’ll see the truck on the east side of the road, about half a mile north of the green in Winsted. On a recent visit, Mr. Carbon, who has been in business for over two decades, had a nice assortment of seasonal vegetables, and the corn we tried was delicious. The truck is there seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but only until Sept. 13. For more information, see the Carbon’s Farm Stand Facebook page.

Almost all of the farm stands I visited request that you wear a mask and sanitize your hands before touching the produce. If the stand is self-service only, you’ll have to pay with cash or a check, although Dandelion Hill also accepts Paypal and Venmo. And it’s always a good idea to call ahead to make sure the stand is both open and has what you’re looking for that day.