Connecticut Grown: Go Farm To Backyard Grill This Holiday Weekend

GUILFORD, CT — Bishop's Orchard is perhaps among one of the most popular 'farm stands' in the region serving up every season's bounty. And speaking of bounty, the area has an abundance of farms, farm stands and nurseries.

Now is a great time to visit them, most open for business, to gather the ingredients for a Memorial Day Weekend celebration of food, especially for the grill. And dairy, wine and beer, too and flowers for the table, plants for the garden, or window box.

From land to sea, think scallops to squash, all Connecticut Grown.

Find a farm, farm stand, farmers' market near you here.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz visited Indian River Shellfish in Madison. Oyster festivals may have been canceled, but the oysters don't know that. So grab up some oysters for the backyard cookout, too.

Find a great farm, farm stand, farmers' market and more

The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut has partnered with the CT Dept of Agriculture to expand the list of farms, farmers' markets, and farm stands and it's all free of charge and online.

"It is a joint effort to promote the availability of all Connecticut farmers who can provide food and other farm products in this time of crisis," the website reads.

Here you'll find every orchard, farm, farm stands, farmers' market, fishery and more.

"The CT NOFA Farm and Food Guide "is about our nourishment, body and spirit, from Connecticut’s abundant and diverse farmland. Each spring, we pore over the entries, discovering new farms and revisiting the happy memories of old friends, barns, and fields we have fallen in love with over the years. The Farm and Food Guide is a reference, but it is also the story of our state, the story of our food, and the story of countless boots on the ground making daily contributions to the betterment of our communities."

Like Mad Hill Peppers, the Barbarry Hill Farm Stand on Route 1 in Madison. The Lasko Family Farmstand where you can find flowers, herbs, vegetables on Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. Try Montowese Bay Oysters in Branford; they're open from 2 to 4 on Saturday. Rose Orchards has fruits, vegetables, and pies. The Four Mile River Farm in Old Lyme for meat. The Stonington Farmers' Market for farm products available - fresh green produce, root vegetables, apples, cheese, meat, bread, honey, herbs, milk, yogurt, fish, shellfish. Try Glendale Farms in Milford for spring annuals, summer flowering annuals, ground covers, vegetable plants. And check out the North Guilford Nurseries Farmstand, too.

There is abundance.

Oh, and many "farm wineries and farm breweries are also open for glass and bottle sales that can be consumed outside on the grounds by guests while abiding by the guidance in place, including social distancing and face coverings," said state Sen Cathy Osten on her Facebook post.

So get outside, visit a farm, gather the goodies and have a backyard feast this holiday weekend.