I'm a local photographer who has used Patch Orchards multiple times without issue, until this week,…read morewhen I had a shocking experience with them. As usual, I arrived with my clients, politely said hello and stated I was there to take photos by the Christmas trees. Christine (whom I had never met) said nothing about rules or purchase requirements and explicitly told me I could take photos. Afterward, my clients warmed up with their baby in the car and planned to cut a tree, but Christine assumed we weren't buying anything and escalated the situation for no reason. I left with my clients down the hill to take a few last shots and as I was getting into my car, Christine brought her husband Mike down in his truck to "scare me off". They flew past me, tried to block me from leaving the road, yelled at me to "never be seen on the property again," and accused me of "taking photos without buying anything" as if that were a crime. It was aggressive, threatening and completely unprofessional. This is a farm open to the public - visitors are NOT required to make a purchase just for stepping onto the property. If they have rules for photos, they can communicate them like adults instead of resorting to intimidation and theatrics. I won't be returning (for my own safety), and others should think twice before giving them business. If you do visit, apparently you'd better buy something immediately, since that seems to be their unspoken rule.

I love coming here for the delicious apples and other produce, apple cider donuts, maple products…read more(maple creamees, syrup, butter, candy, to name a few). The apple cider donuts are tasty when you get them hot and fresh. Their apple cider, both fresh and hard, is tasty too. The family that owns the orchard is kind and personable. If you like corn mazes, theirs is worth checking out. The views are also top notch.

Cute little farmers market in the little town center. We found the information on the town…read morewebsite. We are staying at a resort about 10mins out of town and have a full kitchen, so our goal was to get things to make for dinner. We found a local meat provayor and some local baked breads and deserts. There was. Family bluegrass band playing on the bandstand. Plenty of nice locals greater us and were extremely friendly. It was a great place to spend and hour or so just enjoying the nice Vermont day and relaxing.

Best produce anywhere! The veggies and fruits are beautiful and delicious and all grown locally…read more The bedding plants and flowers are great as well - the Killdeer perennials I've planted always look gorgeous and are much healthier than plants from other nurseries. The carrots are especially awesome, but they also have perfect tomatoes, the best corn ever, great arugula, mixed greens etc. Strawberries and blueberries are amazing as well. They also have cheeses, milk, local meats, baked goods - if I lived in the upper valley I would do almost all my grocery shopping at Killdeer. No need to shop elsewhere!

Update: Killdeer has raised prices significantly since my review. So I mostly shop elsewhere now…read more Killdeer is still good for the occasional purchase -- but has priced itself out of the "everyday essentials" category, and into the "luxury novelty" and "tourist trap" categories. So, a half star off for mediocre value. Another half star off for business practices, based on Killdeer's sanctimonious statements trying to justify their policy of importing foreign workers from poor countries to do their farm labor, instead of hiring local workers. Come on guys, you import foreign laborers for one reason: to maximize corporate profit. There is no difference between what you do, and what mid-western meat-packing plants do. And that's okay -- I feel Killdeer is entitled to hire whoever they want, as long as it's legal. But I resent the Karl Rove-ian style "Clear Skies" doublespeak spin.

We found this vendor at a farmer's market in Vermont last weekend, with a sign proclaiming…read moresomething along the lines of "the best bacon in the world". We took that as a challenge, and gleefully have to admit that yes, it IS the best bacon in the world. I believe that a pound of nitrate free bacon was about $7-9/lb, and it didn't last. That's about the price for any nitrate free bacon, and here it was actually from some happy, heirloom pigs. It is fattier than some of the bacon you might find elsewhere, so just keep a jar handy to save the drippings to add to potatoes or possibly to deep fry a healthy french fry (http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/lard-the-new-health-food). When we return to Vermont for the 4th of July, we will be picking up a few pounds to take back. It is so very good.

Amazing produce and a great farmer! Recommend highly getting your eggs and bacon here!!read more

Stopped by today to pick a few tomatoes. Also grabbed some garlic that looked like it was fresh out…read moreof the ground. Chatted with Boris, who was very friendly. Waiting a few days for the tomatoes to ripen-- hoping and expecting that they will be delicious. Very nice man. Also has kale, basil, and other greens. Highly recommended. Nice to take your kids here, too, so they can learn about where their produce comes from. I, personally, had never seen garlic bulbs still attached to the stalk. Pretty cool.

We really enjoyed the apple cider and apple cider doughnuts here! Didn't explore the rest of the…read morefarm as it was a little chilly, but I could see that there were a ton of family-friendly activities, including hayrides, games, a corn maze, and pumpkin-patch photo opportunities. We tried one each of the available doughnuts: Plain, cinnamon sugar, and maple drizzle. All were fresh and warm and well worth the maybe 20-25 minute wait (and there was a guy singing/playing guitar for us, which was nice!). The dough was light and fluffy, rather than dense and cake-like, which was a positive for me. Our favorite was the maple drizzle, which wasn't overly sweet and added a nice subtle maple flavor. I also liked the cinnamon sugar, though it was quite sweet! The plain was good as it stripped away the accoutrements and allowed me to enjoy the crunch of the doughnut "crust".

Great spot nice vegetables donuts yummy great pies fun atmosphere love this farm highly recommendread more

Let me just say that Vermont is so pure and good (in terms of quality of life). My lovely friend…read moreJules wanted to give us the Vermont experience by taking us around to the local farms and having us live our best Vermont lives for the week that we were spending with her family (bless them for hosting us!). Greenhouses are plentiful here and you can pick up some potted flowers for your home garden, as well as your own herbs and veggies! You can also pick up some good old groceries here, like meat or dairy products (fresh eggs and milk anyone?). If you're anything like me and my group of friends, we like to be photographed anywhere and everywhere so the flower greenhouse was the spot to be in. Call us obnoxious, because we are actually so obnoxious, but we also appreciate the beauty of local farms! The Vermont way of life values buying local goods and honestly, I don't mind living this small town lifestyle for a bit. Not forever though, as I'm a city boy through and through.

We LOVE this place! Best espresso, delicious homemade fresh baked goods, super friendly staff in…read morethe cafe. Store is great source for fresh veggies, some fruit, artisanal dairy, cheese, meets, cooking supplies. I'm so glad to see them survive and thrive!

Barden Farm has a brick and mortar farm market right in downtown New Hartford. There is a parking…read morearea with street parking as well. The building looked historic and the farm market was a delight. They had flowers, fresh produce, various goodies, and even an ice cream shop in the back. The people working there were friendly also. I love that small town vibe. On this visit, I purchased tomatoes, onion, lemon cucumbers (yes, that is a thing and it's delicious), and whoopie pies. The ice cream was good too, I had the banana pie. They also had candy for sale. There were a couple of tables you can enjoy your ice cream at. Overall, another awesome farm market that is affordable and has high quality products.

Great Black Raspberry Jam!!! We were visiting green mountain Vermont this October and stopped at…read morethe farm stand. It was a delightful experience. We are living in northern Colorado. I was glad to be back at my roots (born in Randolph) and very much enjoyed this stop. We finished the jam this morning and I am looking for a way to buy more online. Sincerely, Bob C.

One of my favorite farms stands. The best pies in the area , made fresh every morning. Super hiker…read morefriendly.