40 New England Farmers’ Markets That Are Worth the Drive

Even as summer starts to wind down, farmers’ markets across New England remain a top draw for their last batches of fresh produce, along with the mainstay meats, seafood, eggs, cheeses, breads, baked goods, jams, syrups…the list goes on. If you’re out and about this fall (and of course, you will be), add these terrific New England farmers’ markets to your leaf-peeping itinerary.

Connecticut Farmers’ Markets

Coventry Farmers’ Market

Tucked between Willimantic and Storrs, Connecticut’s largest farmers’ market takes place Sundays at the Hale Homestead, the 1755 birthplace of patriot Nathan Hale. Locally grown produce and homemade treats abound, and the schedule is packed with special events including a pumpkin harvest celebration, a holiday market, and Dog Day, which features pup-related events and treats—and even rescue dogs to adopt. Depending on when you visit, you might also learn about 18th-century hearth cooking and the games Nathan Hale played here as a boy. coventryfarmersmarket.org

Danbury Farmers’ Market

Danbury might have earned renown as the “Hat City” in its manufacturing heyday, but farming still looms large in southwestern Connecticut. A cornucopia of local produce spills onto Danbury Green on Saturdays, with heritage growers such as South Glastonbury’s Killam & Bassette Farmstead and the ninth-generation Mitchell Farm being joined by newcomers offering microgreens, CBD salves, and fresh-ground coffee. Check the website for recipes using the latest harvests. danburyfarmersmarket.org

Greenwich Farmers’ Market

Yes, it’s a commuter parking lot, and yes, that’s I-95 across the way, but the countryside comes to Greenwich on Saturdays, bringing fresh produce, artisan breads, organic raw cold-pressed juices, microgreens and edible flowers, lamb and chicken, and—offered throughout the season as they ripen—stone fruit and berries from South Glastonbury’s Woodland Farm. The apple pie from Oronoque Farms Bakery has been voted best in Connecticut. greenwichfarmersmarketct.com

Kent Farmers’ Market

It’s not unusual for day-trippers from New York City to make the 90-mile run to the Housatonic River Valley town of Kent to load up at its Friday market. They’ll head back to the city with fruits and vegetables harvested at the gateway to the Litchfield Hills, along with handmade cheeses, organic baked goods like madeleines and scones, gourmet mushrooms, locally crafted salsa and chips, and honey from a nearby bee farm. kentct.com

Old Saybrook Farmers’ Market

One day a week isn’t enough for the folks who organize Old Saybrook’s market, held right downtown on the shoreline community’s vibrant Main Street. On Wednesday and Saturday mornings, nearly a dozen vendors offer bread and brownies, free-range eggs, farm-raised pork and chicken, herbal blends for salad dressing, soaps made with goat and sheep milk, handcrafted cheeses, and 20 kinds of pie. oldsaybrookfarmersmarket.com

Putnam Farmers’ Market

Agriculture thrives in the northeastern portion of the Nutmeg State known as the “Quiet Corner.” Eight local growers are on the vendor roster for this year’s lineup of Saturday markets, offering veggies, berries, eggs, dairy, and meat—perennial plants and cut flowers, too—with Sugarz Bakery in nearby Danielson providing oven-fresh treats. Handcrafted jewelry, soaps, and textiles help round out the artisan section. putnamct.us

Wethersfield Farmers’ Market

Just down the road from Hartford, the grounds of the 1774 Solomon Welles House are home to Wethersfield’s Thursday market, where eggs from free-range poultry, meat from pasture-raised livestock, organic produce, and small-batch cheeses star alongside fresh-cut flowers and CBD products. The schedule is sprinkled with special learning events on topics ranging from beekeeping to pizza making. wfmarket.org

Maine Farmers’ Markets

Blue Hill Farmers’ Market: There’s no shortage of good things to eat and drink at the Blue Hill Peninsula’s biggest farmers’ market-fresh produce, of course, and even homemade pasta and coffee from Maine’s first solar-powered roaster. But this Saturday event is also strong on local handicrafts, including Blue Hill Spoonworks’ wooden spoons, Creeping Thyme Farm’s handmade toys, and the region’s most famous artisan product, represented by Brooklin’s Random Pottery. bluehillfarmersmarket.com

Brewer Farmers’ Market

Over on the Brewer side of the Penobscot, the Bangor area’s largest farmers’ market takes place on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays in front of the Brewer Auditorium. Amid all the produce, maple, and honey (and bagels and international foods), there’s what we’d expect in Maine: wild blueberries in season, fresh from the barrens. Brewer also offers a crop we wouldn’t expect: Maine cranberries, in three varieties. brewermaine.gov

Camden Farmers’ Market

Just a few blocks back from the waterfront, Camden’s twice-a-week market—spring to fall on Saturdays, and Wednesdays through September—highlights such treats as Brazen Baking’s creations, made with Maine-grown and milled grains; Blue Barren Distillery’s spirits, flavored with local botanicals; and Frontier Maple Sugarworks’ syrup, aged in bourbon barrels. All this, plus an array of fresh produce … and Hubbard Brook Farm’s dozens of styles of handmade baskets. camdenfarmersmarket.org

Damariscotta Farmers’ Market

One of the central Maine coast’s most eclectic markets is a staple of summer and fall Friday mornings, with produce from the surrounding countryside complemented by cheeses from Lakin’s Gorges; Broad Arrow Farm’s pasture-raised pork, sold fresh or transformed into mouthwatering charcuterie; Slice O’ Country’s jams, pickles, and condiments; and more than 10 kinds of mushrooms from Wild Fruitings. Colombian street food from Portland’s Maiz is on hand to satisfy grazers. damariscottafarmersmarket.org

Ellsworth Farmers’ Market

Travelers heading for Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park mingle with locals at Ellsworth’s Saturday market, stocking their campsite larders with fresh fruits and vegetables, free-range meats, cheeses, preserves, and maybe a few exotic goodies (think: sourdough cinnamon rolls, chocolate babkas, Indian samosas) to munch in the car. There’s also artisan handiwork including pottery, knitwear, and note cards for travelers to bring back home. Facebook

Lewiston Farmers’ Market

Lewiston’s Sunday market, held downtown on the banks of the Androscoggin, offers all the farm-fresh produce, baked goods, meats, and cheeses that you’d expect, but with a multinational flavor. Somali immigrants, experienced in the agricultural traditions of their homeland and now adapting to having just one growing season, have joined in the local New Roots Cooperative and are amply represented at the market. lewistonfarmersmarket.com

Portland Farmers’ Market

“Since 1768,” the market folks say, and surely the produce was organic back then, just as it is now. Held at Deering Oaks Park—a place beloved by Portland native Henry Wadsworth Longfellow—the Portland market hosts more than two dozen vendors, with some setting up on Wednesdays, some on Saturdays, and other harvesting enough produce for a double appearance. There’s always humanely raised chicken, beef, and pork, and Maine’s coastal bounty shows up in the form of Emily’s Oysters. portlandmainefarmersmarket.org

Massachusetts Farmers’ Markets

Copley Square Farmers’ Market

Tucked between two icons of Boston’s Back Bay—Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library—the green space at Copley Square hosts more than three dozen farmers, bakers, and prepared-food vendors on Tuesdays and Fridays through late November. With offerings ranging from fresh organic produce to take-home meals, and from gourmet chocolates to local fish and shellfish, this is the Hub’s biggest and most popular farmers’ market. massfarmersmarkets.org

Nantucket Farmers and Artisans Market

“Nantucket grown” is the mantra of Sustainable Nantucket’s Saturday market, which showcases produce harvested from farms scattered throughout the island. Surprisingly, more than 50 thrive here, some on land leased from the Nantucket Land Bank—market shoppers can even buy cranberries from a local bog. Vendors include beekeepers, flower growers, and suppliers of artisanal salt (of which, we understand, there’s plenty close by). sustainable-nantucket.org

Newburyport Farmers’ Market

The Sunday market at Newburyport’s Tannery Marketplace brings together vendors of locally farmed produce (even organic mushrooms), smoked fish, cut flowers, handmade pasta, fresh-roasted coffee, baked treats, prepared ethnic foods, and much more. The North Shore’s artisans join in, too, with an array including goat-milk soap, sea glass jewelry, and alpaca woolens. thenewburyportfarmersmarket.org

Northampton Farmers’ Market

If it grows in the Pioneer Valley, you’ll find it in downtown Northampton on market Saturdays. Unlike many seasonal markets, this one goes beyond a plentiful offering of farm-grown foods to include garden perennials, houseplants, and bouquets—and even fig trees, courtesy of Twin Oaks Farm. Zawalick’s Sugar House’s maple syrup, cream, and candies are special treats, as are the berries and other fruits from Westhampton’s Outlook Farm. northamptonfarmersmarket.com

Orleans Farmers’ Market

Is there room for agriculture between Cape Cod Bay and the Atlantic? Since 1994, Orleans’s Saturday market has answered with a resounding yes. It features fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs from farms, greenhouses, and market gardens from Buzzards Bay to Truro. These share space with seafood vendors, artisan food producers, craftspeople, and musicians right downtown. orleansfarmersmarket.org

Pittsfield Farmers’ Market

The first teen-run farmers’ market in western Massachusetts has a triple mission: providing a retail outlet for the region’s growers, empowering young people eager to bring healthful food to the Pittsfield-area community, and improving food access for families in need. It’s all part of Roots Rising, a local organization that also gives teens a chance to work on the farms represented at the Saturday market. farmersmarketpittsfield.org

Williamstown Farmers’ Market

Home to a big name in the Little Ivies, Williamstown hosts one of western Massachusetts’s favorite Saturday markets. Look for just-harvested produce, cheeses and meats from small farms, plus Svenfish’s wild-caught seafood. Don’t miss the naturally leavened sourdough bagels from Hexagon (no, they’re not shaped like that). Berkshires artisans contribute quilts, woodenware, jewelry, ceramics, and other examples of their region’s renowned creativity. williamstownfarmersmarket.org

New Hampshire Farmers’ Markets

Keene Farmers’ Market

This Saturday market keeps it strict: All produce vendors must be based in Cheshire County or one of its surrounding counties, and all prepared products must use local ingredients. Those rules aren’t hard to follow, with organic growers from Rindge, Walpole, Westmoreland, Fitzwilliam, and other southwestern New Hampshire towns well represented. Even the crafts lean local: jewelry from Spofford, and Adirondack furniture from not the Adirondacks, but Swanzey. keenefarmersmarket.com

Lancaster Farmers’ Market

Growers from New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont gather at this Saturday market, where crafts play an equally appealing part. Before stocking up on produce (and maybe while devouring a cupcake or three from Liv’s Sweets and Treats), check out the little wooden-faced, knitwear-garbed “North Country Personalities” from Mt. Crescent Crafts, pick up a custom birdhouse, and plan a pampering with lotions and balms from Lancaster’s own Carmella’s. lancasterfarmersmarket.org

Lebanon Farmers’ Market

Colburn Park, the handsome heart of Lebanon, hosts a Thursday evening market that proves this busy stretch of the Upper Connecticut Valley still has plenty of room for organic farming, sugaring, dairying, and small-scale meat producers … and for the Bagel Lady, a perennial market presence. A party atmosphere prevails, with weekly live music, a children’s art tent, craft demonstrations, and dogs—at this market, they’re welcome. lebanonnh.gov/farmersmarket

MWV Farmers’ Market

The initials stand for Mount Washington Valley, and the 14 growers and prepared-food vendors at this North Conway market prove it’s a bountiful valley indeed. Sheilagh Flynn’s colorful, richly detailed tiles are a craft highlight, and spirits from Cathedral Ledge Distillery and Tamworth Distilling reveal a local flair for an ancient alchemy. Held on Tuesdays, the market runs till 7, so the Smokin Rednecks barbecue truck is good to have around as dinnertime approaches. mwvfarmersmarket.com

Peterborough Farmers’ Market

Wednesday is market day at the Peterborough Community Center, where southern New Hampshire’s farmers, gardeners, and small-scale meat producers share space with craft bakers (Flag Leaf’s croissants, pastries, and naturally leavened breads are a standout), artisan cheesemakers from Bending Branch Farm, and—most welcome in these days when inland seafood shops are a vanishing breed—Liberty Fish, offering sole, cod, halibut, swordfish, scallops, and more. Facebook

Portsmouth Farmers’ Market

The Saturday morning event alongside City Hall is the biggest and most varied of four markets run by Seacoast Eat Local; the others are on different days in nearby Durham, Dover, and Exeter. Arrive hungry to cruise vendor booths abounding in locally grown and harvested produce, fresh-caught seafood, and crafts, then head for a picnic table with a sampling of international specialties from Karimah’s Kitchen (Lebanese), Bucovina (Ukrainian), and Tulsi (Indian). seacoasteatlocal.org/portsmouth

Tamworth Farmers’ Market

Tamworth is a small town, but its Saturday market features one of the more eclectic arrays of local products to complement the ubiquitous vegetables, sourdough, maple, and honey. Duck eggs? Goat-milk ice cream? Mead? You’ll find them all here, along with highbush blueberries, cultivated and foraged mushrooms, organic milk and yogurt from grass-fed cows, kombucha, and even jerky for dogs. They’re serious about music, too, with regular folk, bluegrass, and blues performers. tamworthfarmersmarket.org

Rhode Island Farmers’ Markets

Block Island Farmers’ Market

If one farmers’ market a week is good, two is better. That’s the idea out on Block Island, where Wednesdays and Saturdays are market days. There aren’t all that many farms on the island (the participating 1661 Farmstead, also known for its menagerie of exotic creatures, is an exception), so fresh produce shares space with local scones, pickles, mustard, yogurt, and crafts including jewelry, pottery, and knitwear. bifarmersmarket.com

Burrillville Farmers’ Market

Balmy Rhode Island’s long growing season is why melons like cantaloupes and watermelons make an appearance here, while they’re harder to find in northern New England markets. Open Saturdays at the Stillwater Mill Pavilion in Harrisville, this market is where to find berries, too—don’t miss vendors Hickory Hill and Natural Harvest Farm. Rustic Goat and Stonehenge Farm both offer goat-milk soap, but Stonehenge ups the ante with goat-milk caramels. Sweet tooth not satisfied? Look for Gabe’s Family Kettle Corn. burrillvillefarmersmarket.org

Casey Farm Market

In Saunderstown, 300 acres of fields and farmland surround a handsome 18th-century homestead preserved by Historic New England. Maintaining nearly 400 years of agricultural tradition, the Casey Farm operates as a certified organic source of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers, all available at a Saturday farmers’ market through the end of October, as well as through a community-supported agriculture program. Before shopping, take a guided tour of the farm. casey.farm

Hope Street Farmers’ Market

This Saturday market at Lippitt Memorial Park is a farmer-run cooperative featuring produce, pasture-raised meats, seafood, eggs, baked goods, and more. An artisan fair takes place on market days, and there’s always live music to enjoy with a picnic lunch. hopestreetmarket.com

Tiverton Farmers’ Market

The most popular farmers’ market on Rhode Island’s eastern shore roves as far afield as Wayland, Massachusetts, for the Neighborhood Farm’s just-harvested produce, and reaches right across the bay to Narragansett’s Brightside Seafood for fresh-caught fish. Each Sunday during the market season, small-batch producers sell everything from cupcakes and pasta to pet food. Shoppers can also browse Ecuadorian woolens, wooden kitchenware, and pottery. tivertonfarmersmarket.com

Vermont Farmers’ Markets

Brattleboro AREA Farmers’ Market

The Green Mountain State’s original back-to-the-landers and their successors are the soul of Brattleboro’s Saturday market, hosting nearly 60 vendors. Farms along the temperate Connecticut River Valley get a jump on the growing season, and offer their bounty along with homemade granola, artisan spirits and breads, and myriad crafts. brattleborofarmersmarket.com

Burlington Farmers’ Market

The Queen City’s Saturday market has outgrown its old City Hall Park location and is now a fixture of the South End Arts District. With more than 75 growers and food producers offering things such as grass-fed beef, English muffins, salami, ginger beer, and, yes, shrimp raised in Vermont via aquaculture—plus some three dozen artisan vendors—it’s easy to see why more room was necessary. burlingtonfarmersmarket.org

Capital City Farmers’ Market

The golden dome of the State House shines above the crowds, vendors, and musicians at central Vermont’s favorite Saturday gathering. The Montpelier market brims with organic produce, great baking, and fine craftwork, but also hosts surprises like Community Dock, purveyor of wild-caught Alaska salmon and halibut, and a world tour of eat-while-you-stroll treats. Lots of market regulars wind up skipping dinner. capitalcityfarmersmarket.com

Champlain Islands Farmers’ Market

The Champlain Islands’ surprising agricultural abundance stars on two days in two locations: Saturdays in Grand Isle, and Wednesdays in South Hero. Fresh vegetables and fruits from Pomykala Farm and other island growers share space with Black Angus beef from Dreamwalker Farm, handcrafted gelato from Paisley Scoops, black currant specialties from Vermont Currant, and wines from Snow Farm Vineyard. champlainislandsfarmersmarket.org

Norwich Farmers’ Market

More than 50 vendors take part in the Upper Valley’s biggest and most varied farmers’ market, serving Vermont locals and the Dartmouth College community across the river. Saturday’s out-of-the-ordinary offerings include Norwich Creamery’s ricotta and jerk meats from The Karibbean. Artisan products range from VT Fuzzies’ alpaca yarns and knits to Silo Distillery’s small-batch gin and vodka. norwichfarmersmarket.org

Vermont Farmers’ Market

Rutland makes it easy to combine market browsing with a downtown stroll—all the action is right in the city center. After tracking down Rutland’s famous murals, cruise the market for fresh produce, specialties like Mendon Mountain Orchards’ pies, and crafts from candles to indigo-dyed fashions. Wash down an enchilada with an agua fresca (Mexican fruit drink) and maybe have a vegan cookie. The outdoor summer markets are held Wednesday and (the big one) Saturday through the end of October. Note: The Vermont Farmers’ Market also operates in Fair Haven on Thursdays through mid-October. vtfarmersmarket.org

Waitsfield Farmers’ Market

Tucked beneath mountains famed for the Sugarbush and Mad River Glen ski areas, Waitsfield’s market is a prime Saturday destination along iconic Route 100. Shop for fruits, vegetables, and berries from farms throughout the Mad River Valley and beyond, along with artisan breads from the likes of Barre’s Rise Up Bakery, cheeses from von Trapp Farmstead, and spirits from Vermont distillers. There’s lots to nosh, and music is live through mid-October. waitsfieldfarmersmarket.com

Did we miss any of your favorite New England farmers’ markets? Let us know in the comments below!