Discover Local Food

Great food is often not just what you eat but the experience that goes into it too. From down-to-earth family farms with roadside stands to bustling events celebrating each harvest, the Sugar River Region is a place where you can try your hand at fruit-picking or pet the chicken that laid your eggs.

Visitors will find tradition rooted in the land, where farmers uphold a commitment to quality whether their farm is large or small. Local food producers are transforming how people think about what’s on their plates.

Shawn Walch, board chairman of the Claremont Growers Collective, says the landscape has become reminiscent of how things used to be, when more people were self-sufficient and sold things in the local community. He’s seeing more people realize the importance of a strong local economy. In 2021, Walch, a farmer himself, co-founded the Claremont Growers Collective, a group that connects local producers and consumers.

“There are lots of farm stands that carry their own products and other people’s products, and that’s important,” Walch says. Members of the collective include farms, processors, nurseries, restaurants, stores and breweries located within a 15-mile radius of Claremont. A map details its producers and where you can find them at claremontgrowers.org.

Some members, like Beaver Pond Farm, have been around for hundreds of years (not to mention nine generations), whereas others are younger operations, like Evie’s Eggies out of Claremont, which on the website is described as “farmfresh eggs from happy, toddler-raised hens.”

One thing everyone seems to agree on: the more people know about agriculture, the better. Many of the farms host

events, workshops and classes, and they take part in cultural events like the Cornish Fair and Sullivan County Farm Day. “People who are exposed to agriculture grow up to be decision-makers,” says Gail McWilliam Jellie, who works for UNH Cooperative Extension for Food and Agriculture in Sullivan County. “If they have that knowledge of farming, that’s important to help agriculture keep growing and the food stream going.”

GET HANDS-ON

The Bascom Road Blueberry Farm in Newport houses a farm stand with fresh produce, including eggs, honey, maple syrup, meat and cheese from both Bascom Road and other farms. Here you can also pick your own strawberries, blueberries and pumpkins. The farm store is open daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. year-round, while berry picking is seasonal. bascomroadblueberryfarm.com

Also in Newport is Beaver Pond Farm (which has been in the same family since 1780), where you can pick your own raspberries, blueberries and apples from its fields on McDonough Road and purchase farm-fresh food like fruits and veggies, grass-fed beef, maple syrup, baked goods and local products at its retail store (1047 John Stark Highway). In the cooler months, you can visit for Christmas trees and wreaths. The store is open Thursdays through Sundays, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Visitors are invited to check out its Facebook page for seasonal updates on berry availability. beaverpondfarm.com

Riverview Farm in Plainfield is a family-run farm with a great view of the Connecticut River that specializes in pickyour-own apples, pumpkins, raspberries and blueberries. Here, visitors can also enjoy cut-your-own and dried flowers, holiday wreaths, a picnic area and barn store. In the fall, it’s the place to be with hay rides and a corn maze, which features a new theme every year. Visit August through October, Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. riverviewnh.com

At King Blossom Farm in Grantham, you can pick apples and raspberries and shop at the seasonal farmstand for fresh produce and handmade jams, sauces, butters, candies, pickles and jellies (which you can also purchase via the website or on Etsy courtesy of The Heirloom Gourmet). Hours vary seasonally. kingblossomfarm.com

FROM FARM TO FORK, TASTE LOCAL PRODUCTS

Edgewater Farm in Plainfield is a small family-run farm that includes a farm stand on Route 12A that’s connected to a commercial kitchen where you can buy produce, salads, pickles, ready-to-cook dinners, baked goods, flowers and more. Stop by in spring for everything you need to get your garden growing from its large greenhouses. In the summer months, it offers pick-your-own strawberries and a CSA. Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. edgewaterfarm.com

At Hemingway Farms in Charlestown, you can find at its farm stand and in its greenhouses fruits, vegetables, flowers, plants, CSA shares and products from local artisans, farms and businesses. In the winter, visit for holiday-themed goodies, including balsam wreaths, poinsettias, table arrangements and gift baskets. It’s open seasonally April to November, weekdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. hemingwayfarms.com

Winter Street Farm in Claremont is a family-owned and -operated, small-scale organic farm that uses notill farming practices and sells freshly picked produce through a CSA and public farmstand. Here you can buy produce, eggs and honey, and also enjoy potlucks and educational workshops.

FARMERS MARKETS

SUNAPEE

Every Saturday through the end of August, 9 a.m. to noon at Ben Mere Park in Sunapee Harbor. sunapeefarmersmarket.com

NEWPORT

Every Friday through the end of September, 3 to 6 p.m. at Newport Town Common. newportfarmersmarketnh.com

CHARLESTOWN

Saturdays until Oct. 11, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., outside Frank’s Bargain Center. (603) 542-2218 or Morningside Marketplace on Facebook