Five for the following: CT touristy…read moreHarvest Week Vegan wrap Apple cider But the breakdown PARKING I've been during the off season and it's painless to park here. Today was maybe the kickoff to harvest month and some events. IT WAS PACKED. Not to worry, everyone was civilized and there were plenty of attendants. Lots of parking all over. SERVICE Everyone to a person was ready for this crazy rush. Filled with kids and regulars, I think the staff knows what to expect cuz they were all pretty chill. FOOD First: The sandwiches and wraps came with chips AND AN APPLE. Perfect. Dad had the Cuban Sandwich (I've never seen it on a pumpernickel and rye swirl bread) but he loved it. Vegan Macintosh wrap with Portabello and hummus was fantastic. Hit the spot for a cool autumn day. GIFTS Maple sugar candy isn't made here anymore, but the candy is made by a larger company out of New Hampshire. DONUTS They didn't run out of apple donuts today, but they were definitely a hit with almost everyone. ACTIVITIES Today was an event day, with hundreds of families taking part in Clydesdale Horse wagon rides, kiddie train rides, and lots of other family activities. (Seasonal) If you're in the Middlesex area - put it on your list.

Wonderful visit to the Lyman PIck Your Own Orchards on a late Saturday morning in mid-September…read more We've visited lots of Pick Your Own Orchards over the years and most have transitioned over into a festival-styled space with offerings including hayrides, playgrounds and pettings zoos, all for a premium all-inclusive price. Depending on the family, this may not be ideal for some. Some also have, sometimes unreasonable, picking requirements...such as each member of the group over a certain age MUST purchase a picking bag...which, for a family of four, would result in an expensive family visit to the orchard with LOTS of leftover and unused apples. Again, this may not be ideal for some. Lyman was a breath of fresh air. Their entire operation is quite massive and separated: pick your own orchards, massive farm shop, golf center, and pub/grill are in different locations within their entire property. We arrived to the Pick Your Own Orchards area at around 11am on a lovely Saturday morning in mid-September. We expected it to be busy but it wasn't...there were lots ot parking (free) spaces in the dirt/grassed lot and even the picking orchards weren't very crowded...lots of space to pick. After parking, we went to the stand to purchase our picking bag. The options, currently, are $16 for half-peck bag, $26 for a full-peck bag and $47 for half-bushel. For our family, two adults and one small child, we shared a full-peck bag (no "per-person" requirement) which fit about 9 pounds of apples. After choosing our bag, we proceeded to the ochards to pick. There were Gala, McIntosh, Blondee, Jonamac, Spencer and Honey Crisp apples to choose from. Lots of trees to select from at that time...both on the higher and lower branches were available. All staff we encountered, including the parking lot and payment counter attendants were friendly, helpful and efficient. They post updates regularly (sometimes every few hours) on all of their social media platforms and have a hotline, which is very helpful, particularly for harvest and weather updates. Their detailed and thorough website has lots of information so you know what do expect during your visit. Again, great time here at Lyman's no-nonsense PIck-Your-Own Orchards. I can understand why they have been voted the (and among the best) orchards in Connecticut and the entire Nation. We also visited their Farm Store which was also great. Huge store with lots to choose from including fresh product, jarred jams and syrups, and sizeable hot food and bakery sections. Very reasonable prices throughout. After you are finished shopping, there are lots of tables and chairs toward the back of the building where you can sit, relax an eat. There is also a ice-cream window there with some interesting flavors. Would love to return to check out some of their other offerings. The two-hour drive from NYC was definitely worth it!

The family is just amazing. Down to earth and they all come together and support each other. So…read morethank you for letting me share in this journey of yours.

Hidden Gem! Amazing Pies and baked goods. By far the best Apple pie, apple crisp & cider within 100…read moremiles. They are selling cookies this year and are to die for!

Super nice family that is very helpful in guiding you I. What type of squash you may want, a type…read moreof pumpkin depending on what the use is for. Delicious fresh veg that I believe are all grown Organically. A local Bakery also drops off yummy goods for purchase. The freshly made bread crumbs are delish and the spinach & feta pastry roll is awesome.

When will you open for the 2025 season? I so look forward to coming for berry and flower picking…read morebut your website says "temporarily closed." My former berry picking destination in Northboro has gotten too expensive!

We stopped by this adorable family owned farm on a mini getaway to New England in search of some…read morefall weather which wasn't happened back home yet. We set out to pick fresh floral stems and pumpkins. We were greeted with so much more....The sweet playful house pup who immediately brought us an apple for a game (or 25) of catch. He made this whole experience so much sweeter for my girls! We had a blast chasing him around the gorgeous rows of vibrant flowers and filled apple trees. We could've stayed for hours playing with him alone!! We purchased mini apple cider donuts the girls gobbled down in two seconds flat. They LOVED these! $4 for a bag of a dozen, fresh and hot off the press sugary, perfectly snack sized donuts. They also offer grass fed beef, pork and chicken. We met the owner who kindly poured us samples of their delicious fresh, raw cider and showed us the original mill which is housed in their awesome, simplistic barn. (If you're traveling, remember to bring a cooler with ice as the cider is unpasteurized.) She also suggested I purchase a "Long Island Cheese pumpkin" which I had never heard of before! Have you?! She gave me instructions on how to bake it and make what she said will be the best pumpkin pie ever! (I'll keep you posted). She also gave me some local suggestions on things to do (Old Sturbridge Village, Mass) which we did and had a fantastic time! Thank you!! Prices we thought were very fair and it feels so good supporting small, hardworking business owners. This farm is on the smaller size, but it's absolutely full of that unmistakable pure New England charm and quality goods! We would come back here in a heartbeat and had a VERY memorable, awesome first trip! If you're in the area or maybe looking for a weekend escape, this fabulous farm is located in a quaint town that offers so much, yet is so far away from it all. You won't be disappointed making an entire trip out of heading this way.

Their mini cider donuts are amazing! Best I've ever had. Small, warm, and crunchy. Had to go back…read moreand get another bag. Property is beautiful as well

As newbies to the New England area, we try to immerse ourselves in whatever the area has to offer…read more After seeing multiple friends post recipes with local blueberries and raspberries, we made a mental note that we'd like to visit a pick-it-yourself patch and see how it went. Then one day we drove right by Grants, made a speedy u-turn, and trundled up to see what the deal was. At the front, there was a farmer's market of sorts with pre-picked produce at a slightly higher price, but with marked convenience. We were told it works by weight, and were handed baskets for raspberries, and buckets for blueberries, so off we went! The raspberries were first, with encouragement to taste as we went. The raspberries were plentiful, juicy, sweet, and soft, just bursting with flavor. After our baskets were full, we went to the blueberry enclosure, and had a great time picking the plump, tart berries in handfuls from the forehead height bushes, just teeming with the blue gems. There was also pick your own tomatoes and strawberries, but we were so excited to get home with what we had, it was enough for us! For two completely full baskets of raspberries, and a giant bucket of blueberries, it cost us a mere $7something. It would have cost us twice that at the market for just the blueberries! Cash only but a great price, and a super fun time, I would highly recommend it. Family friendly, easy access, and a perfect way to encourage healthy local eating, Grants is the best!

BE waring when buying pre picked strawberries!!!! I bought one for $7.00 a pint and half of them…read morewere rotten!!! They may count on no one going all the way back!

This place is your classic farm shop! Had great veg and everything that makes fall-cider, apples;…read moreparticularly russets as this is the only place that grows them in our neighborhood ... The coffee shop is great as well if you want quiet time and a pastry! Great to have a place like that in the country.

I love coming here and not just in the fall! Their coffee is flavorful, their baked good are…read moredelicious, and everything is decently priced. More people should be coming here to check out the bakery alone! Typically staff are really nice, sometimes you get one or two who aren't in a good mood, but that happens to all of us.

My boyfriend and i LOVE coming here! Pumpkins, apples, peaches and blueberries! Also love the…read moreselection of local and buells products inside to look through! We look forward to coming every year and always leave very happy! Staff was also super friendly and they always are! Grabbed myself a tye dye shirt this time around! We will be back!

Great place! Fresh apples and pies. Great ambience and friendly folk. Loved the pumpkin donuts!read more

Such a nice berry farm! Crops were well cared for, labeled (huge plus) and most of all, delicious…read moreberries! The only place I know of that has blush and black raspberries. I picked 4lbs of black and 4lbs of red raspberries (and a handful of blush!) Fair pricing! For me, worth the drive!

I love, love, ok ADORE, red raspberries. So picture my girlish glee when passing this charming farm…read morestand while on a camping trip to CT. (I believe I giggled) Quick U-turn and I left some time later with several boxes of berries, herbs and assorted veggies. Depending on when you visit, you can opt to pick your own berries, flowers and other goodies. Something about hunting for those red gems on a warm summer day - bliss! Of course they do sell everything pre-picked if that's your style. Service can range from super friendly (the owners) to casual indifference (high school kid) and while the prices aren't dirt cheap, the product couldn't be more local or fresh. They also do a CSA which if I lived closer, I would absolutely buy into. I wish they were closer, but it's a nice drive occasionally from RI, especially with those luscious raspberries calling my name!

The vegetables are grown on the family farm and are as fresh as you can get. You can see them…read moregrowing in the fields adjacent to the farm stand. The folks who work here are friendly and down to earth. They started taking credit cards this summer which is great for a big purchase. Prices are reasonable for the area. While it is possible to buy vegetables for less in a supermarket, they are not going to be direct from the ground. Supporting a local farm family is good for the farmer and the local economy.

a variety of freshly grown fruits n veggies! corn, apples, peaches.... love the farm.. great photo…read moreops too!!

A fantastic place to go for cheese and things to go with it. It was great to stop by the farm and…read moreenjoy the quiet, calm atmosphere on a nice August day. The gentleman who we worked with recommended some different cheese options, provided samples and advised us on total quantity for our party size. Would go again.

I'm going to hit you with some cold hard math. Blankety blank percent of the time I'm in a nice…read morerestaurant, and they offer a cheese or charc board with CT cheese, that CT Cheese is from Cato Corner. Seriously. Blankety blank percent. That has to say something! I've had Cato Corner cheese in restaurants. I've bought it at farm stands and markets. But I've never had the pleasure of buying it at their Colchester farm. The small shop at the farm has all their cheese and some other items such as (1) CT Maple Syrup, (2) a CT made Manchego Bread that was fresh and satisfying, (3) cute little savory and sweet cracker-cookie hybrids that were a nice counterpoint to the good salty cheeses, (4) various meats in a cooler, and (5) dog treats that my dog, Pasta, loved. It's not the biggest CT produce season right now. Perhaps they have in season produce in the summer as well, but I couldn't say. I bought the Womanchego and Bloomsday cheeses. One would imagine that Womanchego is basically Manchego with a Wo added to the front to be fun. If I tried this cheese without knowing the name. I'm not sure I would have thought it was a Manchego, but it was good. It's a pale yellow, semi-hard and mild cheese, and it has small holes throughout. It was a bit earthy. Buttery. Creamy. Not really sharp. It was a good eating cheese. The Bloomsday looked similar, but it was sharper and seemed saltier in a good way. I'd be more likely to buy the Bloomsday again. In any event, they had probably over 10 cheese varieties in a number of different styles. I'm not sure if they offer cheese samples since nobody seemed to ask for samples while I was there, and I was in a hurry since my son was with me. I'm giving Cato Corner 4.5 Stars, which is partly based upon the fact that it's fun to buy directly from a farm at the farm, and upon the friendly service. You could see cows inside a structure. Wrong or right, that makes me think the milk and cream they use for the cheese is super fresh. Seems like a good bet. Maybe it doesn't matter that much since cheese is aged, but a lot of scoring businesses is how you feel about the presentation of the product. Cato Corner, with its CT farm and cool branding, makes me feel good. So 4.5 Stars.