Another Great Fall Day meeting and supporting Connecticut Farming at its Best. Remember the Hours…read morewe missed the Organic Garlic. But Came home with Eggplants, Double Yoked Eggs, Candy-cane Peppers, and Onions. Social Distancing and Open Market.

We were there around 8 AM today, and were disappointed by the small number of vendors, especially…read moresince one reviewer said there were 60 vendors here a few years ago. But you will see a good selection of fresh as can be produce locally harvested- lots of tomatoes and cukes and zukes and corn and flowers and lawn/garden plants. If you want to buy a big crate of tomatoes -this is the place. Pricing is loosey-goosey, so you can haggle away. It very much reminded me of the Haymarket in Boston. We got 3 corns, a quart of tomatoes, and two patty pan squashes for a total of $5. It was a fun experience, but I was definitely expecting more.

I love Sardilli's produce and dinner boxes! I don't want to say anything good has come out of the…read morepandemic, but in a way, it's never been easier to be a consumer. Businesses like Sardilli's make Covid life much easier by bringing us top notch groceries in a safe setting and making dining at home all the time even fun. Sardilli's, which supplies restaurants in normal times, has pivoted to provide household consumers with CSA-style boxes of produce, dairy, and meat available for pickup weekly on Wednesday mornings. You can choose from a variety of options: fruit only, fruit and vegetables, berries only (which is great for my berry-eating two-year old), a dairy box, and meat box. Most innovative is the dinner box. Sardilli's partners with local restaurants to produce a family style meal for four for, I think, about $55. The Take 5 (a Hartford business lunch/ catering joint) box was a tremendous deal and was delicious--it included salad, Italian wedding soup, a rich and complicated chicken/ eggplant main course, pasta, and biscotti. The Max Downtown box--which sells out really fast--was also delicious and a great deal. The produce boxes also contain high-quality produce which is much more reliable than the quality you get from grocery store delivery or curbside pickup. The whole pickup process is smooth and efficient. You can find the weekly box contents listed on the Sardilli site or on instagram or Facebook.

During the Covid closings, Sardilli's rose to the occasion and offered veggie, fruit, veggie/fruit…read morecombo boxes and more recently their fish box. The curbside pickup in Hartford (Locust Street) was so organized, seamless and safe. I was in and out of the lot in under 5 minutes. The on line ordering was easy and I got everything promised. The veggies I received were fresh and lasted 2 weeks in my fridge. The fish was excellent. I believe they have a dairy box too. I am thrilled to have this option.

I love a good Asian market. This one has been on my list for sometime now. It is smaller than the…read moreother ones in the surrounding area but still has a lot of good stuff. The parking area is large and offers Plenty of parking. It definitely has that fishy smell when you first walk in, but feel that means you can tell the fish is fresh. They have everything from rice to sauces and unique fruits and vegetables, that I haven't seen anywhere else. I enjoyed walking around, looking at everything and the prices were really good. The ice cream near the check out register was my favorite find!

Appletree is an international grocery store located in West Hartford. It's smaller scale than the…read morenearby Asian market but it seemed to have most of the necessities. Parking was plentiful in the plaza. Once you walk in, you get that Asian market odor lol. There's a very clean, organized, and with lots of variety fish counter. I definitely would buy my seafood there. There were produce with a variety of different fruits and veggies that you can't find in your typical grocery store; I purchased some rambutan on this visit. There were seasonings, a small selection of noodles, and other products. It's not just Asian items but Latin, Caribbean, African, and more. There were dairy products and a bunch of snacks too. Service was good and it wasn't too crowded in there. Overall, a good spot to get some ethnic food items.

What a gorgeous space for a leisurely breakfast. We sat in the warm and sunny greenhouse space on…read morethis bright winter day. Long line at the counter moved quickly and efficiently. Name called out and freshly poured coffee picked up at the coffee bar, food announced by buzzer. My americano was smooth and full bodied thoughtfully served in ceramic. My biscuit sandwich was pretty life changing! The bisuit itself was flaky moist and oh so tender. Homemade sausage was seasoned beautifully. Elevating the sandwich was a baked egg, firm but custardy interior and the side of sriracha syrup. Less than a mile off of 91 on our way to Trillium Canton for our son's 30th birthday celebration! Worthy of a detour.

A 1000 stars for a cozy, grand, eye popping and tummy filling space. The kind of place that I would…read morereturn to over and over if we lived here. I did expect a little more out of my grilled cheese, I expected a fluffy sourdough and more oozing of the cheese, the soup was lukewarm, but delicious. Even so, we just loved stopping here, sitting in the greenhouse room and walking around, looking at all the seeds and the pastries.. If you're looking for a stop on the highway between point a and B, this is your place. There's no way you would be disappointed but a definite that you will be thrilled..

This is a hidden gem! Truckers know about this place so you know it's good. They have an amazing…read morechicken cutlet sub that reminded me of home. The price is great and there is a little grocery shop as well.

Great eggs and bacon breakfast sandwich for this side of town. Do yourself a favor and go across…read morethe street from DD and get a delicious breakfast. I tried the egg sandwich, eggs and cheese , eggs and ham but my favorite is eggs and bacon from Veggie World. Service is very friendly and the ambiance is super casual.

A cute weekly local farmers market close to my work that I love to head to in the summer for fresh…read moreproduce and other locally made products. It's centrally located to the 84 and close to the Capitol. The Firebox is nearby but they also have several food trucks that park during the warmer months. A great way to support your local farmer and small business.

Wonderful setup, wonderful vendors and quality local products…read more I went to the farmers' market last week to pick up some produce (fresh peaches for the grill!) and left with my fill of fruits, veggies, vegan goodies, handmade soaps and a renewed appreciation for the farmers and artisans in this fabulous community. If you have time, get your tush over to the market on Thurs afternoons. You'll find tents of live music, tons of local goodies (grass fed meats, cheeses, baked goods, etc), and representation from great organizations (even the Community Farm of Simsbury was there!) Such a nice late morning/early afternoon break!

Cute farm with a very decent corn maze! They are closing at 5 every day I believe for now, so make…read moresure you give yourself plenty of time to find all the hidden stamps in the maze. Not a very good year for the pumpkins according to the staff so don't expect to take pictures in the pumpkin patch. They do have however a cute area setup in the front with a few props. I wished they had some apple cider or donuts for sale. Maybe next year. If you are looking for a place to eat, I recommend Square Peg Pizzeria up the street.

This place is adorable! I was expecting to see little flower nymphs peeking…read moreat me from behind the vast selection of plants. I love how they've taken a small space and made the most with it. A feast for the eyes. Plants, flowers, cookies, gifts.

I always passed by this store, but never walked in and today I decided to…read more Upon walking in I noticed the hanging poultry. There's a bunch of vegetables and fresh produce, imported snacks and treats. We got some different chips to try, hot and spicy, barbecue, and a prawn flavored. *CHECK THE DATES!!** Picking out the chips we noticed there were a lot out of date by four or five months! Check the dates or make sure there's an expiration date as not, everything had one

5 Star Farmer's Market is a small Asian grocery store that opened in 2009, in Hartford, CT. If you…read moredon't want to go to the larger ones in the area, this is a convenient one stop location for a quick shopping trip. It's located in a large plaza with plenty of parking. They also have a location in Springfield, MA. When you first walk in, to the left is where you can get prepared foods, Peking duck, boba tea, Vietnamese coffee, juice, etc. The ladies working the counter were friendly and helpful. In the back is where you would find the meats and seafood. There's a produce section selling regular fruit and veggies as well as exotic ones. In the middle, you can find all the snacks, sauces, anything you would need to cook Asian Cusine. They also have frozen food items. On this visit, I purchased a persimmon fruit and some snacks. Overall, a nice spot to get some Asian food products!

Today was the last day of the season for Tuesday; so glad I went…read more I bought raspberries and grapes. Both were so sweet and delicious In front of the Old State House. I found a parking in a parking lot on the street behind the building. $2.for 30 mins. I was only there 10. Not bad. Nice stroll there and back. Can't wait for next season

It's too bad there aren't more vendors. I remember in…read moreyears past, walking by and seeing the whole square area full of vendors, this year you'd see 3-5. For my purposes was good enough to get some farm fresh veggies as well as Grandma's blueberry pie. All the produce and baked goods are great quality and you get the added bonus o supporting local which is awesome. Also worth noting the market is only there Tuesday's and Fridays I believe through the summer and early fall.

Easily could be a 5 star establishment but the inconsistent customer service is really making it…read morehard for me to want to return. I love coming here- their variety of plants is unmatched! My husband came here earlier this week and could not stop talking about how nice everyone was. I was so pleased to hear this so when we realized we needed another lambs ear plant I decided to go with him to pick it up. Upon entering you are greeted by everyone. Definitely nice workers (in orange attire). However it stops there once you get to the register. I needed another lambs ear plant to match the one my husband got two days prior. Unfortunately all of these plants were not in the best condition. I needed to get one to match the one we got a couple days before but because it wasn't 100% healthy I assumed they would not charge me full price as there were no other plants in better condition. When I inquired at the register the woman was super nice and tried to see if they had any more. Unfortunately they did not and only had what was out. Meanwhile as she is on the phone talking to the staff, an older gentleman immediately turned away from me and said "I don't have time for this" and huffed at me. He basically made the woman at the register take care of me when he clearly was a supervisor or something and could've acknowledged my concern. After a worker came up to me to assess the plant he seemed a little uneasy when the older gentleman all angry was nearby and said my plant was fine. I'll attach pictures but I really don't think I should've spent full price on something that wasn't this unhealthy two days ago. I'm hoping it will revive like the man said but considering I am a returning customer I found the whole situation off putting. I mean even if they couldn't give me a discounted rate for the unhealthy plant at least tell me when you'd get more in that would be in a better condition. There was literally no conversation. Probably will not be coming here again unless I really need something unique.

Russ was incredibly knowledgeable, helpful, patient, and friendly with my wife and I. I look…read moreforward to going back with more pictures and questions, and leaving with more beautiful flowers and bushes. Fantastic place!!