Coventry Regional Farmers’ Market

My name is Bill and we operate Raw Youniverse, the all raw, organic fruits and greens smoothie booth at The Coventry Farmers Market in Coventry, CT. This market is truly the most to do and see, highly attended farmers market in CT. We just love being a part of this market, each and every week.
The 2016 market will continue its well developed tradition and expand beyond as the dedicated and highly committed «family» of vendors bring back the magic and deliciousness once again. We are all thrilled, excited, pumped and already getting ready for the start of the 2016 season.
It’s really a destination not to be missed for the first time and then to be returned to several or more times between the beginning of June through the end of October. The market is ever new and changes throughout the summer. We have so many loyal and happy return customers each week that we become friends and we get to know them and their families and they’re mixed in with the brand new, first time attendees each and every week. This fact always amazes me, that there are people who have not been there yet. But, it shouldn’t I guess, because this Prefect Sunday Drive is an event, it draws not only from surrounding states but from around the world.
There are actually a multitude of reasons why, but I think the 3 main ones are:
1 — The diversity of vendors who truly love being there and take such pride and care in offering the best of the best food products, services, art and craft work.
2 — The beautiful woodsy, bucolic, country farm setting of this, one of a kind, authentically New England, Nathan Hale Homestead.
3 — The largest variety of ever changing imaginative and provocative themes, food vendors, art, product, musical entertainment, services and knowledge along with the freshest picked, highest quality seasonal fruit and vegetables, meat and cheese and ready to eat food products that you’ll find in CT/​New England in one place.
Mark your calendars for 11 am, June 5, 2016. Plan on arriving early to do yoga or just to stroll around. Bring your families, friends and summer enthusiasm. We’ll be there and ready for you.

What’s better then the CRFM? Winter and crew run the best market in the country. Different themes every week, over 75 regular vendors and more guest vendors, plus the choices. My favorites: Keifer’s Kettle Korn-​they have a different special flavor every week and their fresh squeezed lemonade is the best anywhere, Norm’s Best Mushrooms-​the hot ones are the best!!, Lizzies Food Wagon-​try the Shroom Breakfast Sandwich, Amor– the Beet, yes Beet Burger is to die for, Merianos-​Apple Sticks!!!, Soliel & Sun-​ANY of their breads, my favorite is the Olive. Love this place-​wish it was year round and did I mention they are dog friendly?

I am so glad to hear that the town is going to continue the market and that this will not be the final year! I visited the market on Sunday for the Cheese Fest and Potters Fest, after not having been to the market in a few years. It was the perfect cool, sunny day, for browsing. Although I didn’t buy any pottery, I admired the intricate work of many of potters wares and even spoke to one of them about possibly taking classes. After walking around all the booths once, I went back to look at all the produce, then went over to the food trucks and ordered lunch. What I love about the Coventry Farmers Market is that unlike some other markets or festivals, they don’t charge an admission fee or anything for parking. For those of you who are new to this market, many, but not all of the vendors accept credit cards. So, you might want to bring some cash. Do bring a cloth or recycled bag with you to put any produce or other goodies in to carry around. And, if you have a well behaved dog, you can bring your dog, as long as it’s on a leash. All in all, a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

I love this farmer’s market! A ton of great vendors come here. If you come, come early so you’ll find parking. Bring a lot of money, it’s on the expensive side. Is it worth it? Yes, absolutely. You pay a little more but you’re supporting small businesses. If you go you need to check out Nora’s cupcake, whole harmony teas, faddy’s, pure love granola and Maharaja’s. Those are my go-​to stops every time I go.

The market is NOT closing and this is NOT the last year, despite what its current director may suggest. It is simply changing from the current set of volunteers to a new group run by the town of Coventry.
This is by far the best market I’ve been to, with excellent vendors, great music and food, and lots of activities. Bring a blanket and enjoy!

Produce have a lot of varieties. Very fresh!
I love their different themes every week.
Parking takes a long time, and there is always heavy traffic during market time.

Tip #1 — Come prepared with bags and cash.
Tip #2 — Come early, people camp out in front of the farmer stands before it opens at 11am to get first dibs on local fruit and veggies.
Tip #3 — Don’t come super hungry otherwise you’ll buy everything.
There is such a good variety of locally made products here, ranging from dairy products, fragrant loose leaf tea mixes, cold pressed drink mixers to breads and sweets, you’ll get your fill of goodies here. I got CT-​tapped maple syrup and my friend got vegan cornbread mix, maple syrup sugar and maple syrup cotton candy.

A local gem! Super fresh produce, breads, cheeses, and other foods as well as locally made art and clothing, etc. The food trucks tend to be a little overpriced but everything is delicious. One of my favorite stands is Christine’s pickles. The variety of pickles and spreads is amazing and really can’t be beat. There’s no better place, in my opinion, to spend a Sunday morning. It’s also a great place to bring kids – there are usually goats and animals to pet and live music! One tip: wear waterproof boots, because if it has rained recently the ground can get pretty muddy.

One of my favorite things about living in Coventry.
A great variety and selection in vendors and the themed weeks are always a lot of fun. The only issue is parking so be mindful of that and carpool!

Has to be one of the best farmer’s markets there is. Definitely worth the trip from anywhere. It’s not just a market, it’s an experience.

I love the CRFM. I only wish the town wasn’t taking it over. All the vendors are so pleasant & I love supporting local farms. The food trucks are tasty as usual. It’s a nice ride up & relaxing time strolling around. If you haven’t been, nows the time to go.

I had been looking forward to this farmers’ market all summer, so I definitely had high expectations — all of which were met.
I was told last weekend had a crowd on the bigger side, but we had no trouble parking in the first row of parked cars at noon. There were definitely lots of people around, but the lines moved quickly, and there was lots of great people watching. And dog watching. (Seriously, I haven’t seen so many big dogs in one place since NYC.)
You’ve gotta check out the cannoli truck (the Mounds was probably the best cannoli I’ve ever had), the alcohol barn (samples of many liquors with a small price), diFiore pasta stand, various stands that have samples of local cheese, bloody marys… come hungry!
They definitely have a well-​oiled machine here and lots to offer. It is a unique and fun experience — definitely worth checking out.

Best farmers market in CT… just mad I waited this long to go. Have to give a thumbs up to the Amor Truck. Best vegan food ever… so good that I will drive the hour and ten minutes again real soon.

Thrilled that I got to try the Amor Food Truck for the first time today! My entire meal was vegan, but it was an explosion of flavor (I can’t always say that about tofu).
I picked up some sriracha-​flavored kettle corn from Kiefer’s stand, and I’m hooked! While I love sriracha, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this… but the sweet and savory combo is perfection!
As usual, I picked up a bag of Savor cookies. This time I got the Naugatuck flavor: birch, maple, and cranberry. Delicious! I love the sandy texture of these cookies… oh-​so-​buttery, with a satisfying bite to them.
Coventry Farmers’ Market, I still love you, but I’m removing one star due to traffic and parking being horrendous. I know, I know… I could time it better and arrive before it opens to beat the traffic. But here’s the kicker: I’ve become spoiled by how easy breezy it is to hop on over to South Windsor or Ellington’s farmers’ markets without having to go out of my way to avoid backed-​up traffic. Even though those markets are smaller, I like that I can arrive at my own pace, and there’s less of a crowd to deal with.

I’m upset with myself for not going to this Farmer’s Market years ago, as I’ve been hearing about it forever and have only now just discovered how much I’ve been missing out.
So you’ve got your typical CT stands selling produce, meats, cheeses, syrups, jams, teas, smoothies, baked goods, handcrafted items, clothing… you’ve got live entertainment, you’ve got adorable baby goats and baby chicks and alpacas (could have just said «livestock» or «farm animals,» but that doesn’t paint nearly a cute enough picture), you’ve got a variety of food trucks… I know I’m missing a lot, and vendors vary week to week. But the point is, this is a huge and awesome farmer’s market that will have you leaving with your arms full of healthy, locally grown food and tons of other goodies.
Some tips:
— bring bags/​coolers
— arrive early — there’s a LOT of traffic around opening time
— bring some cash– many vendors take credit cards, but some don’t
— if you want to buy something but don’t want to carry it around, most vendors will hold it for you. Ask for that (I made the mistake of saying I’d come back to purchase some delicious chèvre, as I didn’t want to carry it around in the heat, and they were sold out when I got back. I just bought another variety instead, but you can always ask for something to be held aside for you if you really do intend to go back)
— porta potties are available
— come a little hungry– there’s a lot of sampling opportunity
— food trucks are awesome
This is apparently this market’s final year, and I plan to frequent it as often as I can to make the most of it. Great way to spend a few hours on your Sunday morning and stock up on CT fruits, veggies, greens, beans, and everything in between (s)!

A bit of a drive from anywhere but nice to check out. Great artisinal products (and yes, high price points to match). Parking sucks, traffic is awful, the hours are terrible, and the layout could use some work, but I understand the draw. I’m glad I had the experience but I’ll be sticking closer to home.

It truly is one of the more impressive farmers’ markets I’ve been to, anywhere. You’ll always find a great selection of organic (and some conventional) produce of all types, plus locally-​raised pastured meat and chicken. And Willimantic’s own «The Fish Market» even has local, wild and line-​caught fish for sale. There are several food trucks if you’re hungry and don’t feel like noshing on a head of raw kale. Throw in a few fabric artists (their own wool, naturally!), a dog-​biscuit baker, beeswax candle makers, live music, and everything in between — wrapped around a different theme or focus each Sunday — and this really is one of the best free mid-​day happenings in New England. And that is part of the problem, or perhaps the only real problem worth noting.
Lately the CRFM has received quite a bit of fanfare and excellent reviews and «Best Of» lists. Consequently, the visitors are coming from farther and wider, and it is beginning to bust at the seams. Arrive early, wear comfortable shoes, have some patience, both coming and going. Your reward will be substantial.
I previously said this was a «free» event, and it certainly is if you’re just browsing and enjoying a bit of people (and dog) watching. But bring your wallet, and your own shopping bag (s). It’s not that things are particularly expensive, at least not more than what one would expect an an organic market. But chances are, you find something you’ve just got to have. The themed events often include art shows, brew festivals, alpacas and fabrics, etc, there was even a dog day, complete with a booth for pet portraits.
On our most recent trip the day was devoted to cheese. Goat cheese, cow’s milk cheese, you name it, cheese. There was even a cheese-​throwing contest where contestants had to toss a 40 lb wheel of cheddar across the yard and hit a traffic cone. And in the upper field there was a very nice pottery show, featuring several regional potters.
All in all, you’ll find lots of other good reviews (and some critiques) of the CRFM, with more details about times, vendors, etc. So check them out… then please don’t come visit! ;) At least, wait until after I’m done shopping.

Unfortunately, we went on a rainy day. I can only assume there would be more people and vendors on a nicer weather Sunday.
However, even in the rain, it was pretty fantastic. There was plenty of selection of local stuff, not just veggies or meats, but teas, juices etc.
It’s also pet friendly. There were owners with dogs everywhere! And there wasn’t any dog waste at all. It’s nice when responsible dog owners make a good case for dogs being brought places. We got to spend a morning out shopping and having lunch without having to leave the dog at home.
It’s also pretty secluded from traffic, so in nicer weather I would have been able to let my daughter romp around freely as well.
Additionally, being on the Hale Homestead was pretty cool and I look forward to spending some more time there sooner.

I went to the Coventry Farmers Market for the first time today and didn’t know exactly what to expect. But, I had heard the rave reviews about this place, so I figured I needed to see it with my own eyes. I made the trek out from West Hartford and made quick time until I was about .75 miles away from the market. At that point, I was in sloooooow moving bumper to bumper traffic until I got to the lot that was being used for parking. I think they need some process improvements on the whole parking situation.
Once I actually got to walking around, I was surrounded by a sea of people who were also wandering the market and they all seemed to have brought their dogs (many of which seemed to want to fight or play with each other where there wasn’t enough room). I saw long lines at the food trucks (all of them looked delicious, but I didn’t feel like waiting in a long line).
There were a plentiful amount of tents with a variety of things for sale. Some took debit/​credit cards, but some didn’t. I ended up buying some raw milk, hot sausage, ground beef, pierogies (I had to — i think it’s required if you are originally from PA) and a small piece of cheese. The only thing that I would have liked to have seen more of is farm fresh produce — all the stands seemed to only be selling some varying forms of lettuce/​greens, but this may improve as the summer wears on.
My absolute favorite purchase was a piece if baklava from the friendliest man ever. It. Was. AMAZING. I would go back to this farmers market just for another piece of this heaven on earth dessert. Go there. Get it. Your life will be changed forever.

Visiting this farmers market is truly an experience, live music and all. But the reality is, I didn’t buy anything here. Not only was everything incredibly expensive (I’m used to farmers markets in Minnesota and California, where produce is actually *cheaper* than that found in grocery stores), but also the massive crowds made parking and maneuvering the market difficult. I have to agree with Ray S. that the 3 hour timeframe is much too short.
Come for the experience, if anything.