Calareso’s Farm Stand

I’ve been a huge fan of Calareso’s for almost ten years. Better produce then you can find at Stop and Shop or Market Basket. But since they moved to their new larger location, it has gone down hill. Most of the produce is now on par with what you would find in a regular grocery store. But, expect to pay much more for it. The only exception is lettuce and herbs which are always very reasonable. Produce selection is often hit or miss and I almost always find I walk in with a list of 10 items I need to make dinner and I walk out with only 8 items. If you are looking for a farm stand or grocery store with great produce, breads, prepared foods etc. I would recommend Mann Orchard, Wilson Farms or Wegmans.

This place has all your flower needs and more. Inside they have a fresh selection of produce and the flowers are outside under an awning. Not too large of a space, but certainly not small. Neat experience going here and do recommend it!

I love Calaresos. The quality of the produce is great and their prices are comparable to market basket. Their organic options are definitely slimmer and their gourmet items are more expensive but that’s not surprising.
I also love their flowers and their nursery items. I almost always get my outdoor flowers/​plants from them.
Service is always kind and helpful.

I would love to rate it five stars as we love the veggies, meat and bakery items but beware if you have more than a few items (cart full), you have to bag them yourself to keep it moving. Two weeks ago, we spent over $ 300 and hubby had to bag. We went back today and instead of helping our cashier bag, one of the workers opened a register next to where we were to help someone with two items so hubby had to bag again. Yet, another register opened and had a bagger instead of trying to help us bag what we bought. I bet we spent more than anyone else that was in the four lines put together. We love Wilson Farm in Lexington, too, so maybe it is time to drive a little further from the North Shore and go back there where they KNOW what CUSTOMER SERVICE is!
P. S. — I did ask the cashier if there was a manager on duty and she said there were two. I wonder what they were doing…:-/

Having recently moved to Reading I was thrilled to discover Calareso’s. The produce is spectacular and the fact that they sell Dom’s meats is an added bonus! I feel so welcomed each time I visit and look forward to my weekly trips. Our plants have also lasted all summer long. I’m so impressed with this place!

The best thing Calaresso’s has going for it lately is its flowers. They are reasonably priced and they last. We used to swear by their produce, but lately it has not been holding up as well. Prices are still reasonable, which is always a plus.
My biggest gripe is the wafting and pervasive smell of their new cider donuts that they now fry in the middle of the store. You walk out stinking like fried donuts, and the oil smell has also permeated all of their paper bags. It is rather gross. Maybe move the fryer to a back room because it is not an appealing scent to have lingering in your clothes and wafting over all of your produce!

Update on the new store. It is just a larger building and parking lot, inside the same.
The produce lately has been very average and priced too high, not much better than a grocery store on occasion the green will be wilting on the shelf. The local and organic selections are very lacking. They need some new items to fill up the space.

I go there twice a week! The fruits and veggies always looks beautiful. They taste great and it is worth spending a dollar more. My kids rave about strawberries — they’re crispy and it doesn’t get moldy that quick. The cupcakes melts in your mouth. Its really good. The place is so huge, but seems half empty? The ceiling is super high and its really a waste of cooling/​heating bill. Love the plant nursery — seasonal flowers are amazing.

Great place fresh vegetables at a good price.

Place is awesome, the produce is so fresh! Baked goods are also awesome. A bit pricey, but so worth it. Love the hanging plants in the spring.

I love this place! Very calm & relaxing place to do my grocery shopping.
It has all the things you need without too much distraction from all the things you don’t need. The produce here is perfect and delicious. The fact that I can get all my needs met here without filling my carriage w/​junk food & miscellaneous items really helps keep the weekly bills down.
Great flowers and seasonal décor as well.
The only negative is that it sometimes closes too early for me. I’m a late-​night shopper sometimes — but I miss this place when I can’t make it here in time. The produce at nearby places doesn’t compare!

This place just recently got HUGE’r…they built a larger «farmstand» almost right next door with ample parking for all.
I do like this place but when you walk in, it feels… empty. Like they forgot to finish filling it with stuff.
Sometimes I get a great deal here, sometimes their monkey bread is awesome and just recently, sadly, I had some of their ready-​made salads (crab salad) and was completely disappointed.
Basically what I am saying is that I didn’t ever make a special trip here unless I was close by and wanted something quick to bring to a friend’s gathering.
Nice people tho.

They always have something on special. Look for what is more or less in season. I just bought a quart of the most gorgeous blackberries I’ve ever seen for $ 2.99! They just introduced an organic line but I haven’t tried many of those items yet.
Their ready-​made meals are tasty and much cheaper than eating out. This is a great place to go if you’re looking for a last-​minute meal, or if you need something to bring to a gathering. Calareso’s is our go-​to for produce, breads, seasonal décor, and quick dinners.

although it can be pricey, you get what you pay for. the quality at Calareso’s is outstanding and well worth it. They have a great variety of fresh flowers as well. They are opening a new location right up the street, I was there last week and the worker said it would be double the size and it will be opening around March 2012 (she also mentioned Harrows was not moving with them). I’m really just hoping for a bigger parking lot.

I think if Calareso’s and I were on a first date together in high school, I’d be scribbling ‘Lesley Calareso’ in my notebook all day the next day. WOW. Love at first sight? I think so.
I’ve driven by so many times on my way to Bagel World or other Route 28 specialties. Kept meaning to stop and see what it was but didn’t remember to until today and I am so glad I did.
I’d seen pumpkins and flowers outside and such and had no idea that there was a little market inside. I often go to the Wagon Wheel farm stand in Lexington to get high quality produce and now I am so glad that I know this is here and closer to where I live!
The produce selection is plentiful and so fresh, and the prices are amazing. I didn’t think it was expensive at all. For the quality, I actually thought quite the opposite. Maybe you can get your broccoli crowns for a few cents less at Market Basket, but they will also not be nearly as fresh/​delicious, and you’ll be stuck swatting away screaming children, battling your way through a shopping cart labyrinth before attempting to escape the parking lot without getting smashed by a Buick.
The experience at this farm stand alone is worth any slight discrepancy in price elsewhere (though I really felt like things were even less than average grocery store prices). I can’t wait to go back here again and again! And I know I can stock up on sugar pumpkins to make pies. Yay!

I’ve been here a couple times since moving to Reading and I absolutely love it! I’m all about farmers markets so I was really excited to see this so close to my house. They have anything I could ever need in the way of fruits and vegetables and tons of extras from dips and salad dressings to dough to make your own pizza from scratch. I love their homemade pastries and breads and they carry great sirloin tips! I plan to come here for all of my produce in the future!

$ 1 per box of strawberries? And not even bad ones: They’re HUGE and DEEP RED and WICKED GOOD!
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You can get an enormous bunch of fresh basil for $ 2. TWO BUCKS.
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Quality over quanitiy here, folks. Everything we’ve had from here is simply amazing. You won’t find a ton of selection, but what you will find is of a higher quality than anything else around.
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The world needs more places like Calareso’s.

My wish for Calareso’s is for them to carry some organic vege’s and fruits (as another reviewer noted) If they did I would never have to head to drive out of my way to get organic produce. The produce they do carry is always fresh and inviting just not organic.
(The near by big grocers have horrible organic produce that comes in this plastic Styrofoam prepackaged nightmare)
Back to Calareso’s — This place has saved me many times as it has all the fixings for a quick get together. Decent offering of cheese, bread, crackers, olives, little pre made stuff, yummy desserts and flowers to top it off!
The staff is mainly teenagers but they are the most polite teenagers and they at least give off the impression they care about what they are doing.
It is a little pricey, but the convenience is there and I am all for the no chain support.
overall good stuff.

Calareso’s Farm Stand is on par with most smaller farm stands around the area. I don’t feel like they have a niche item or too big of a selection, but they have fresh fruits and veggies, plus some appealing breads and bakery items. I only stop in if I’m stopping at Harrow’s to get a chicken pot pie.
The prices are pretty high for a farm stand. You can find better bargains in the super market for things like bananas and oranges. The breads, meats, and pastries are all pricey too. They sell an assortment of coffees, with very interesting flavors, however, I’ve bought 2 bags and never enjoyed it. Just not a strong enough flavor.
Again, not bad but not super. Staff is nice, lines can get on the long side depending on the day. Selection is nothing spectacular. It’s your basic, small farm stand. Definitely give it a chance, but don’t go in expecting to be blown away by the cool selection or great prices.

Calareso’s Farm Stand is a little deceiving as they sell way more than just fruits and vegetables. It’s an amazing little place right off Rte. 95 in Reading that sells everything from plants and flowers to locally grown cheeses, olives and spreads, to pre-​marinated meats, to of course fresh fruits and vegetables. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention their amazing bakery selection as well. They have the best chocolate chip cookies around and I can’t leave without picking one up for the ride home!
The selection is great and they often have terrific specials on whatever is in season at the time. I usually make a special trip here after hitting the grocery store for the essentials. It’s fabulous!