I think Steve is a gentleman farmer. Not that he is a gentleman. In fact, he is nothing at all of…read morea gentleman. He is rough, and grubby and he tends to be rather foul mouthed and sometimes offensive and rude. But I still think he is a gentleman farmer and I will continue to do so until someone explains to me otherwise. Basically, he has the touch when it comes to food. He gets it, and in turn it gets him. The result is that his vegetables taste the best, and that is why I get up at 8:30 on Saturday morning to be at the Union Square Farmer's Market by opening so as not to miss anything he brings. Need I say more?

I come from a family whose approach to vegetables can be summarized as "Boil it for an hour, until…read moreyou're sure it's dead and won't jump up and bother you." This works well with potatoes, but considerably less so with other veggies. Several years ago, I saw a flyer for the Parker Farm share at the Harvest Co-op Supermarket. I decided to take out a share, and it was one of the smartest decisions I have ever made. Stephen's farm share is one of the best values for money I can think of, if you live near one of his drop-off points (or even if you don't). Even with a small share, you will spend your summer trying to figure out what to do with all the fresh, locally grown produce that the share provides. I solved my "I have too many vegetables" problem by sharing my share with friends. Getting a farm share with Parker Farm is like getting lots of birthday presents every week, except they are all vegetables. Thanks to being one of his farm share customers, I have tried out many vegetables that I would not otherwise have tried, and have discovered that I actually like some of them (beet greens), as well as discovering that some vegetables are beyond redemption as far as I am concerned (collard greens, I'm looking at you.) Fortunately I have been able to pass along what I can't/won't eat to friends in the area. If you take out a farm share, you will also be learning a great deal about what it's like to try to farm here in New England. One year, a series of torrential rains washed out all the sprouting corn in Stephen's fields. Another year, Stephen had to let go many of his workers, and one week, we all showed up for our farm share, but no Stephen. (He made it up later, in case you're worried.) By the way, his Facebook page, which you can view by Googling "Parker Farm, Lunenburg," is a total hoot. And if those photographs of Stephen with mud on his jeans up to his knees do not convince you that farming is damn hard work, nothing will.

Really fun place with lots of events, friendly staff and return customers. We came for a felting…read moreparty and the people next to us lived nearby and came to all the events because they're just fun activities. The alpacas were fun to see but impossible to pet because they're so skittish.

I loved visiting this farm and learning so many details about the alpacas from the owner. They…read morearen't especially interactive animals, but interesting to observe. Also bought some alpaca wool socks there as a gift. The second floor of the barn is a little shop.

Their peaches are the juiciest you will ever eat! Better than any other orchards. The trees grow on…read morea hill and are always in the sunlight. Nice homey feeling. Jim and Tracey , the owners, are the nicest people .

Customer service was TERRIBLE charged my credit card twice because their old system went down and…read morethe second time it was denied and I wasn't able to receive my (35$ quart of maple syrup) . I went in as I always do when traveling back to Lunenburg where I grew up. I have always loved this spot as a local and it usually saves me a trip for buying local goods before I fly back to where I'm located now. I usually purchase their overprice maple syrup or a unique blueberry wine when I'm in a pinch and two other spots were closed that day, Hollis hills and Roots. However after waiting for the young cashier for legit 15 minutes going back to get her manager THREE times to find this overpriced maple syrup in their system. I was very pleasant in a good mood saying I wasn't in a rush because I had 30 minutes and it was the last thing I was doing before flying out. Then I payed for the syrup and their system crashed. They had to spend another 5 minutes getting it running again, when they went to run my card a second time it was denied. I said that's strange it hasn't EVER happened. So they said your going to have to figure it out, so I went to my car signed into my chase app and discovered I was already charged, so I went back inside and tried to show them that purchase along with others that had gone through that week. It clearly said 35$ from Lanni Orchards. At this point the young cashier went to get her manager for the 4th time, this time she refused to even come look or talk to me and told her employee to say there was nothing they could do?! I will not be wasting anymore time or resources at this location. I didn't get the syrup I was charged for an then had to waste even more time fighting that charge?! I wasn't even a grumpy person though I felt infuriated after this transaction. Also wasted all my time and I didn't even have a enough time to stop at the Hanford's down the street.

This 100-acre farm is located in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It used to be a historic farm called…read moreMarshall Farm. It's located on a hill so the views are spectacular. We went in the fall and it was a perfect New England day; spooky season in full effect, sweater weather, and autumn decor. There was live music, picnic tables, and animals you can pet; there were goats and sheep. A feed dispenser was nearby, just insert some coins. The bar/restaurant line was not too long and it moved quickly. We had kettle popcorn, hot dogs, beers and cider. These were good and there were so many options; pizza, beer, ice cream, salad, nachos, etc. They are also a pick your own farm; from strawberries, flowers, pumpkins, apples, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, peaches, it all depends on the season. They even have a sugar house which produces maple syrup and other treats. We had an enjoyable time when we went and look forward to going back.

Such a pretty spot. Got a 1/2 gallon of cider. Unfortunately they had just ran out of apple cider…read moredonuts when we arrived at 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon so we settled for some ice cream. It was huge for the price. We sat outside and enjoyed the views of the mountains and animals!

5 stars for the peach pizza alone. We sat outside in the open back yard area of the Carlson orchard…read morebrewery/restaurant. There was an open lawn and games like corn hole for waiting customers to play with. We were helped almost immediately by the servers which was great since we had our two active toddlers with us. We ordered the peach pizza and fries. Both were delicious and were brought to us in under 10 mins after ordering. We met another family with kids due to the open seating. Our bill was brought to us right away and we were helped frequently through lunch. What more can you ask for?! Oh good music, they had that too :)

First time at Carlson Orchards this fall for apple picking! They have a variety of apples and the…read moreplace is huge. We got there a little later so a lot of apples were gone. Apples are actually good tho. It is definitely packed but the crowd dispersed well in the field. Their cider donuts are soooo good especially when eaten hot. I also got their cider and hard cider to-go and they were GREAT. My friend and I got in line for their hard cider flights and food but the wait was soo long so we decided to turn back. Overall, a cute fall activity for friends and family and good cider!

The owner of the ranch is such a genuine, friendly, and caring individual. She shared her story…read morewith us during the tour and you can really tell how passionate she is about this establishment and the alpacas. Most of the alpacas were friendly and you can clearly see how happy and well taken care of they are. I love visiting places where they care for their animals and treat them like family. Definitely a must visit if you're in the area. They do free 1 hour long tours, but donations are welcome. Make sure to make a reservation so they know you're coming.

The sweetest ranch run by the sweetest people! We drove out here on a beautiful fall day and had…read morethe most magical experience. The alpacas are clearly loved and so well taken care of here and it was an honor getting to meet them. The gift shop has so many delightful and quality goodies we could have spent hours looking at everything. A lovely memory!

Beautiful orchard about an hour from Boston. Not crowded, huge selection of apples. Came at the end…read moreof season (late Oct) and split a 1/2 bushel (20 lbs of apples) $40 with 2 other friends. We had such a blast picking out our apples - there were so many options and all ready to eat! We chose this orchard over many other options because it's dog-friendly. Definitely a hidden gem kind of vibe! There are some clean port-a-potties onsite and they have a small farm stand with cider but sadly no donuts!

This place is a gem! Blueberry season usually starts around mid-July and ends around early…read moreSeptember! This place is huge and definitely very safe to come during this pandemic. Make sure to wear a mask and stay 6 ft apart. You know the norm. This orchard is perfect! This place is very organized, clean, and well marked. You pick your own blueberries at $7/pint. This is a great place for a date without breaking your wallet. Blueberries here are ginormous and easy to pick! Plenty of parking which was a plus! We will definitely come back during the apple season!

A super cute farm to visit, but be sure to check the hours on their website before you come!…read more On a super hot Saturday, my boyfriend and I saw that the farm was open (according to Yelp and Google) and decided to make the trek to see some alpacas! When we arrived though, we found out that the farm is usually closed during the summer (unless you email the owner in advance) and that their website is the only reliable site to see the hours! Luckily, the owner was around and super nice and gave us a tour anyway! There were goats, a mini horse, a mini donkey, and an alpaca herd worthy of the trek we took! All the animals were really friendly, and the owner was incredibly informative. The highlight was probably an extra cuddly mini donkey that ran to my boyfriend and insisted on being pet! Overall - it was a fun adventure and I highly recommend it! I'm sure it's even better once the weather is cooler!

A herd of 12 alpacas , 2 friendly goats, 2 Shetland sheep, 2 mini donkeys and 2 awesome owners,…read moreShelly and John. They weren't really open, it is mostly a fall place but they said to come on over and we got a personal tour. They have a cute gift shop, which takes square, and very very very reasonable alpaca fur items!

The owner was polite and courteous and the store was clean and they had lots of plants! Their raw…read morehoney is delicious, it has a wonderful flower flavor and they have 5 LB - (80 oz) jars for $50.00 but they also have smaller jars as well. We are very happy to have such a place so close to home!

I recently visited Marshall farm for plants and flowers. I purchased their farm free range chicken…read morefrom the freezer in their store. It's expensive but so worth it. It's the best chicken I have ever cooked on my grill. Not like rubbery store bought. Check it out! You can see the chickens free ranging in their property.