New Milford is home to ‘Best Farmers Market;' to open for season

NEW MILFORD, Conn. — May is an exciting month for many in the community. 

It marks the opening of the New Milford Farmers Market.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the market that was named the Best Farmers Market in Connecticut by CT Magazine last year.

“I absolutely love the farmers market and make it a point to shop there often,” said resident and small business owner Kimberly Cross.

“There’s something really special about knowing where your food comes from, and even more so when you get to shake the hand of the person who grew it/prepared it,” Cross said.

Nearly 20 vendors will participate in the 2025 market. It will be open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon, beginning May 10, on the Village Green and run through the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

The market features vendors from New Milford or adjacent towns.

“It’s not only farms but the value-added agricultural products that are taking local agriculture and turning them into something,” said Lisa Agee, who coordinates the schedule and vendors.

Participating vendors include Riverbank Farm (organic produce, cut flowers, and more) and Averill Farms (apple cider donuts and more), both of which were instrumental getting the market going 35 years ago.

Other vendors are Mountain View Farm (organic produce), Goatboy Soaps (handcrafted soaps), Wave Hill (bread), Fieldstone Nursery (plants and more), Fort Hill Farm (organic produce), Kimberly Farm (produce and more), Freshwater Farm (produce and more), The Striped Cow (dairy and beef), Hoadley Hills Farm (meat), Villarina’s Pasta Shop (homemade pasta), Gerry’s Cakes (baked goods), Oracle Mushroom Co. (mushrooms), Cross Culture Kombucha (kombucha), and Farmers & Cooks (produce, seasonal items, and more).

“We have so many favorites—Wave Hill Breads is a staple in our house, and Hoadley Hills Farm and Kimberly Farm always have top-quality dairy and produce,” Cross related. “I’m also newly obsessed with New Curds On The Block—they’re doing amazing things with cheese. Oracle Mushroom Co. is another favorite for unique, locally grown mushrooms.”

“Honestly, it’s hard not to find something to love,” Cross summed up of her visits to the historic village center.

Agee, whose Goatboy Soaps business has been a vendor at the market for about 15 years, described the market as a “happy place to be.”

“I like the customers and the values of the market,” she said. “I like the way we all fit together and work together.”

This year a record number of vendor applications were received.. Organizers adhere to guidelines for participation. 

“We don’t have a lot of extraneous stuff,” Agee said. “It’s how and why it ends up being the best farmers market because we restrict it to farmers and value-added farm products.”

Other markets may include vendors that buy products and sell it as their own. That doesn’t happen at the New Milford market, she said.

“When you get it here, you get the real deal,” Agee said.

In addition, there are no duplicate vendors. And three organic farms are represented. 

“That’s really unusual,” Agee said of the organic farm participation.

Resident Flora Quammie related how fortunate the town is to “have so many participating local farms.” 

It’s part of the reason she said she loves going to the market, where she has discovered some of her favorite vendors. 

“Usually, I buy veggies from Fort Hill Farm, apple cider donuts, apples, peaches, and honey from Averill Farm, and random items as I see them,” she said.

Mountain View Farm in Kent has been a vendor at the market for about 20 years. Owner Vince LaFontan described the New Milford market as “the best one” in which he and his wife, Maria, have participated.

The farmer cited the market’s diverse products that make it easy for patrons to do all their shopping — milk, bread, meat, produce — in one place. An added bonus is that the market is made up of regional farmers, with New Milford being the hub.

“It’s a terrific market,” LaFontan said. “Plus the New Milford Green is the most beautiful Green in Connecticut, so it’s a pretty site for a market.”

Shannon Dominguez-Kimberly in New Milford said Kimberly Farm values being a part of the “amazing community” through its approximate 10 years of participation in the market.

The market affords local farmers to meet “so many new people every week and catch up with old friends and customers.”

The farm sells a line of baked products, farm-fresh dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt, eggs, a full line of vegetables in the summertime, and more.

“It’s such a great market to be a part of and we are so glad we are able to participate every year,” she said.

Deborah Rose/A variety of produce from farms in the area are available to purchase at the weekly market.

Deborah Rose/Patrons can find an assortment of items at the market, including breads and baked goods.

Courtesy of New Milford Farmers Market/An assortment of flowers and plants are among the products sold at the market.

Courtesy of New Milford Farmers Market/Several farms that participate in the market sell an assortment of fruit.