Wooster Square Market
Farmers and Vendors
Andrew’s Local Honey
Location: Fairfield County
www.cthoney.com
Produces: 100% pure, local, raw, kosher honey, honey comb, whipped honey, royal jelly, local pollen
Andrew’s family has been keeping bees since at least the 1800’s, when Andrew's great grandfather kept bees in northern Ontario, Canada. Andrew’s Local Honey is a small family business located in Fairfield County. Andrew’s Local Honey provides top quality local honey, pollen, and other products from the hive.
Barberry Hill Farm
Location: Madison
Produces: Cut flowers, vegetables, wool, free-range eggs, potted plants, and orchard fruits.
Growing Practices: Sustainable. Barberry Hill Farm mulches municipal leaves, which provide a rich layer of topsoil and helps keep plants' roots moist. Consequently, Kingsley doesn't have to add any additional soil amendments and doesn't even need an irrigation system to keep his 20-acre farm running!
Beltane Farm
Location: Lebanon
www.beltanefarm.com
Produces: Goat cheese (fresh chèvre and aged cheeses), and goat milk (raw and pasteurized).
Practices: Sustainable. Beltane Farms is a community of 40 goats (all named and all with their different personalities) that are fed grain and local hay when they aren't browsing the nearby bushes and thorns. The goats are treated humanely and animal care and health is put above all so none of the animals are given any injections or antibiotics.
Motivation: Paul wanted to feel connected to the Earth, the seasons, and animals, and found that making goat cheeses was his way of affording this mission. The partnership with the animals, the daily ritual of milking, the seasonal quality of the milk and cheese, and the sharing of all of this with the community is why Beltane Farms exists. Beltane Farms products are available at several farmers' markets across the state and at local stores, but if you get a chance see if you can schedule a visit to the farm.
Colton's Corner Farm
Location: Cheshire
Produces: Apples and pears.
designSmith Dahlias
Location: Hamden
Produces: Dahlias and cut flowers.
Dolan Brothers Shellfish Company
Location: Branford
Produces: Littleneck clams, oysters, lobsters.
Eagle Wood Farms
Location: Barkhamsted
www.eaglewoodgourmetfood.com/
Produces: Beef, pork, shrimp, salmon.
Four Mile River Farm
Location: South Lyme
www.fourmileriverfarm.com
Produces: Natural aged beefs, porks, eggs, and landscaping products.
Growing Practices: Farmer's Pledge. All Four Mile River Farm products are produced naturally and the number of animals is kept low so that the care each animal receives is higher. Animals are fed local foods, graze on free-range fields that are naturally fertilized, and sleep on locally produced and environmentally friendly sawdust. None of the animals are injected or given any antibiotics.
Motivation: Nunzio and Irene are proud of being able to raise animals in a natural stress-free environment and provide the community including farmers' markets, local stores, and restaurants, with non-industrial animal products. Four Mile River Farm believes in small farms and is proud to continue working as a small farm.
Gilbert's Gourmet Goodies
Location: Newtown
www.gilbertsgourmetgoodies.com/
Produces: Wheat-free pumpkin and banana breads; wheat-free chocolate chip, sugar and snickerdoodle cookies; wheat- and milk-free fruit tarts.
Herban Gourmet
Location: Madison
www.herbangourmetmarket.com
Produces: Prepared foods sourced locally, much of which is organic: Quiche, vegetable and meat wraps, burritos, salads, brownies, honey cayenne or maple cinnamon butter, spices, infused vinegars, blueberry or raspberry lemonade, and more. Many of their prepared food offerings change weekly
Killam & Bassette
Location: South Glastonberry
Produces: Vegetables and fruit.
Northfordy Farm
Location: Northford
Produces: Vegetables, maple syrup, free-range eggs.
Growing Practices: Sustainable and Farmer's Pledge. Before the USDA takeover of organics, this farm was certified organic and since then none of their practices have changed. Peter sits on the board of NOFA and is very active in promoting truly sustainable agriculture—organically grown local foods, not organic industrial agriculture. They use organic practices such as cover cropping, crop rotating, mulching, composting, and only occasionally uses mineral soil amendments. As for pests, the focus is on soil fertility and growing healthy plants that can defend themselves and attract the "good" insects. In addition, Northfordy is also proud of their system of intercropping to prevent infestations and to mimick nature's biodiversity--- only in a desperate situation will organic sprays be used.
Motivation: Providing sustainable food to the local community and advocating for sustainable local foods is what motivates Northfordy.
Rose's Berry Farm:
Location: South Glastonbury
www.rosesberryfarm.com
Produces: Vegetables, cut flowers, berries, apples, potted plants, fresh eggs, baked goods, jams, vinegars, pies, and sauces.
Growing Practices: Rose's uses Integrated Pest Management (IPM) on its over 100-acre farm.
Motivation: Rose's Berry Farm has been around since 1910 and continues to provide great tasting berries to Connecticut along with many other offerings now. Rose's sells to markets, their farm stand, and offers "pick-your-own" at different times throughout the year.
Sankow's Beaver Brook Farm
Location: Lyme
Produces: Sheep's and cow cheese, various cuts of lamb, curries, stews, yogurt, and wool products.
Snooty Food
Location: Oxford
Produces: Specialty organic spreads.
Sourcing Practices: Certified Organic ingredients are used in SnootyFoods products.
Motivation: Jane has always been interested in food especially organic foods and international foods so SnootyFoods is really a combination of the two. SnootyFoods sources organic foods and will soon be operating out of an organically certified kitchen, and sells to local businesses as well as farmers' markets.
SoNo Baking Company
Location: South Norwalk
www.sonobaking.com/
Produces:Pastries, Bread, and Tarts
Star Light Gardens
Location: Durham
Produces: Salad greens, microgreens, cut flowers, vegetables.
Growing Practices: Certified Organic and Farmer's Pledge. StarLight Gardens has 5 greenhouses in Durham and an adjacent field. All of the products are certified organic and so David uses organic fertilizers such as green manures, compost, and alfalfa meal. There is no pest management system because there aren't many pests but there is a gauze-like cover to protect some of the vegetables.
Motivation: David's dislike of industrial agriculture and its use of petrochemicals, along with a love of fresh foods, is why he continues to provide our market, his farm stand, and a few local restaurants with fresh vegetables and cut flowers.
Stone Gardens
Location: Shelton
www.stonegardensfarm.com
Produces: A wide variety of vegetables including corn, tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchini, greens, beets, eggplant, cucumbers, garlic, as well as fresh eggs and much more.
Growing Practices: Stone Gardens utilizes Integrated Pest Management, only spraying when necessary.
Motivation: Started by Fred and Stacia Monahan ten years ago, Stone Gardens has grown tremendously in recent years. Providing their customers delicious, fresh, and healthy food is one of their top prioritie, and they are renown for their sweet corn.
Sugar Maple Farm
Location: Lebanon
Produces: Maple syrup, maple butter
Sun One Organic Farm
Location: Bethlehem
Produces: Organic vegetables, potatoes, squash, strawberries, mints, and herbs
Sweetie Pie's Bakery - Best Buddy Biscuits
Location: West Haven
sweetiepies-bakery-catering.com/home
Produces: Natural, healthy dog and cat treats
Trinity Dairy Farms
Location: Enfield
Produces: Milk (plain and flavored), yogurt (plain and flavored), butter, cream.
Practices: Sustainable. Trinity Dairy Farms uses all organic farming practices but cannot pay for certification. The cattle are pasture-fed most of the year and fed local-hay in the wintertime. Trinity uses rotational grazing and uses only manure on its pasture. Animal welfare is the basis of this family's lifestyle as is respect for the animal, so cattle are not given any injections or fed antibiotics.
Motivation: This family has done dairy for 90 years and Trinity Farms has been in Enfield for the last 25 years. A passion for the science of dairy is what inspires this family and they are proud of their meticulous practices. All members of the family have a role in the process of making and selling dairy, so it truly is a family-run business. Dairy farming is what keeps this family alive with a sense of freedom and faith in their heritage.
Two Guys from Woodbridge
Location: Hamden
Produces: Herbs, wheatgrass, lettuces, salad mixes, and microgreens.
Growing Practices: Certified Organic and Farmer's Pledge. All of the produce from Two Guys From Woodbridge is hydroponic-grown in their greenhouse. Seeds are organic and there aren't many amendments added to the produce because there aren't any pests. The hydroponic system that Perry uses consumes only 1/3 of the water of a conventional farm, and he tries to be as eco-friendly as possible by recycling and reusing anything possible, and by recirculating water.
Motivation: Two Guys prides itself on delivering produce that is extremely fresh and high-quality to the local community. Unlike mass-produced salads and herbs, their products are picked freshly and sold at the market and at local grocery stores. The greenhouse where all of the produce is grown sits on the plot of the oldest property in Hamden and now serves its original purpose.
Voda Soap
Location: New Haven
www.vodasoap.com
Produces: Handmade artisan soaps
Sourcing Practices: Whenever possible Voda Soaps are made from certified organic raw ingredients. Debbie uses mainly coconut, olive, and palm oils but uses specialty ingredients such as mango butter. Local herbs are integrated into the product when in season.
Motivation: Exploring various creative careers and arts Debbie stumbled upon a soapmaking book and followed one of the book's recipes—immediately her friends started buying from her. Soon her products and their packaging became the creative career. The vision for Voda Soap is to provide customers with a luxurious natural product from which they can benefit. Linking herself with women-owned business circles, Debbie's soaps started selling and are now available in many retail stores across the country and are sold online. A trained herbalist that dreams of having her own apothecary, Debbie intends to release new products so be sure to check her out.
Yale Farm
Location: New Haven
www.yale.edu/sustainablefood
Produces: Vegetables, herbs, fruits, flowers.
Growing Practices: Sustainable growing practices. The Yale Farm uses untreated and organic seeds and nourished them in mulches and composts
Motivation: The mission of the Sustainable Food Project Farm is to educate the community about sustainable foods and to allow Yale students and the Greater New Haven community an experience in sustainable agriculture. YSFP wants to promote sustainable agriculture, provide a place where students can learn to use their hands and connect to the Earth physically, and enrich the academic experience. The larger project aims at featuring more local food from local farmers in the Yale dining halls.