Where do I even start?! I can't say enough great things about our experience hosting our sister's…read morebridal shower at Castle Hill Farm. It was perfect in every way! The weeping willows, the beautifully decorated spacious pavillion, the goats spending some time with us, and the hospitality of the Paproski family. Diana, Stephanie, and Dan could not be more accommodating and helpful! The bride-to-be was on cloud nine and loved Diana, who thoughtfully checked in during the shower. A perfect day and venue! Beautiful memories that we will have forever!

Castle Hill Farm is a farm that opened in Newtown, Connecticut in 1927. It was founded by the…read morePaproski Family who have owned it for four generations. Now a retired dairy farm, Castle Hill Farm was once the second largest supplier of dairy products in Fairfield County. In spite of the farm's retired status, the Paproski Family work hard to preserve their 100+ acres through continuing the production of hay and corn fields, growing Christmas trees and seasonal vegetables. In addition to their Farm Stand, Castle Hill Farm also has a petting zoo, hayrides, a Sunflower Stroll, a Corn Maze, a Pick-Your-Own Pumpkin Patch, and other various attractions at different times throughout the year. The farm is also available to book for events such as weddings and baby showers. My family and I recently visited Castle Hill Farm to see their Sunflower Stroll. First we stopped off in their farm stand which was filled with all sorts of fresh vegetables such as tomatoes, corn, peppers, squash, cucumbers, and even local honey. We decided to purchase some delicious looking Graffiti Eggplant as well as a handmade candle that had an intoxicating vanilla aroma. Afterwards we headed into the Sunflower Stroll. Our son had so much fun looking at all of the pretty flowers and pointing out all of the bees. Co-owner Stephanie Kearns told us about other things the farm will be offering in the coming months, including hayrides, the pumpkin patch, and other Fall Fun activities. Autumn is our favorite time of year so we'll definitely be back! Get out and see the Sunflower Stroll while you still can!

ORIGIN: Founded by Woodbury native James Wargo and opened in…read more2020, Hidden Gem Orchard is aptly named. LOCATION: Wargo leases land that is part of the Southbury Training School property, a campus that was once a fully self-sustaining community. I first came upon it on in 2020 on my way to the nearest highway, and was surprised to find activity in an otherwise abandoned-looking area of the vast property -- at height of a pandemic no less! The orchard is located behind some agricultural structures that reflect a more active past, and invite some interesting photo opportunities. CONCEPT: The founder of Hidden Gem Orchard, James Wargo, has expertise in soil management and crop production. Wargo works closely with esteemed Cornell University pomologist, Ian Merwin, PhD, to grow both new and antique varieties of apples. EXPERIENCE: As a result, a visit is like opening a treasure chest of uncommonly seen and tasted apples, such as Esopus Spitzenberg, a favorite of Thomas Jefferson. A visit to the orchard is tranquil, not a spectacle with crowds, music, and lines. The focus is growing and sharing a love for apples, rather than weekend entertainment. Pick your own in the orchard, or pick up at farm stand. TIP: "Imperfect" apples are available at discounted price. Look out for apple pastries prepared by local baker, Horsehill Provisions.

Love this little farm stand!! We were taking a back road route to New Milford and happened upon…read moreHidden Gem Orchard. They had so many varieties of apples - many we had never heard of. They had signs with descriptions of every apple, incliding best uses (eating, baking, etc). We got a ton of different apples to try. We will definitely go back anytime we are in the vicinity, now that we know about it! Check it out if you love apples!

Wonderful farm store on working farm in Easton. You can walk around and check out the chickens,…read moregoats, cows and horses. It is amazing the variety of local fruits and veggies available. You can also purchase milk, eggs, local honey, bread from a Noralk bakery and yogurt from another local business. There are also some frozen local sausages and ground beef. The staff was so nice and cheery. I will be returning and would highly recommend over going to a grocery store or even a Farmers market. Get it here at the source.

The best selection of fresh fruits and veggies! If you're in the area, you must stop in! In October…read moreyou can find tons of different pumpkins and in the winter they also sell Christmas trees. The staff are wonderful and very helpful.

Jones Winery is one of my new favorites in CT! I went for the first time the other day, and…read moreinitially went to the wrong place! Keep in mind that there is a "Jones Family Farm Pumpkinseed Hill" at 120 Beardsley Rd., and then the "Jones Valley Farm/Jones Winery" at 606 Walnut Tree Rd. My GPS accidentally took me to the Pumpkinseed Farm at first, but it wasn't a big deal because the winery is just a few minutes away. Once I was in the right place, a staff member greeted me and gave me the wine/food menu. They have a lot of different areas to sit, including a patio with tables/umbrellas (where they had live music playing), a pavilion with tables underneath, an upper patio that was covered by a pergola with leaves/vines on top, and an inside bar area with seating. The inside bar area has garage doors that were open, leading out to the upper patio. Even though it was a hot day, I sat under the pergola and it was surprisingly cool underneath! After sitting down, a staff member quickly came over and took my drink/food order. I tried a glass of the Sunshine White, which was delicious! It was on the sweeter side though. Keep in mind that they only sell wine by the glass on the menu, but they do have a store where you can buy bottles to go. I also ordered the Simply Cheese Plate, which came with sharp cheddar cheese, Jones Berry Chutney, and sea salt crackers. This was excellent! They also do have a "Light Fare" menu with things like a hummus plate, cheesecake, popcorn, etc. The service was fast and the staff were friendly. They had a "Bouquet Bar" set up where you could buy fresh cut flowers, as well as a small gift shop. Overall a very cool winery in Shelton, I would definitely recommend!

Owner is a raving bitch. Came on 3rd of July with our Service Animal and owner was nasty and cold…read more Refused to swap out one wine from a wine flight because of an allergy and only offered one flight of wine. Place was not busy so no reason to be so non-service oriented. Wine was just OK never coming back where they treat customers so bad.

Prettiest vegetables I've ever seen, to the point that I recklessly bought purple peppers. This is…read morea small shop, so you're here for specific delights, not for a full grocery trip like Bishop's. There are local baked goods, and I would give six stars to the ham & cheese croissant I'm eating at this moment. (Ham & cheese is hard to get right; these are perfect.) If you're local, why are you not here more often? If you're passing through, as I was, choose some non-perishable produce and the delightful artisanal soaps.

Another 5-stars for this amazing farm! I truly appreciate this place especially this time of the…read moreyear with christmas closing in. They have Arethusas infamous eggnog for sale, locally made toffee n peanut brittle, wreaths with custom designed bows & Christmas trees on a sliding scale for pricing. I love that they give you the option to pay what you can afford for a tree, with the scale ranging from a minimum of $65 up to $90 for a 6-8ft tree. Many people seem to think this is an outrageous price for a tree but I've seen prices much higher than this all around CT. With the stand closing for the season on december 23rd now is your chance to get in there and get some great clearance bargains and wholesale options.

Finally had a chance to go apple picking with a group of friends at this lovely, sprawling orchard…read moreduring Fall Festival Country Music theme weekend. There was a lot going on throughout, including awesome live music, hot apple cider, farm store filled with gourmet products, multiple food vendors, pumpkin cheesecake tastings, and of course the vast orchard where all the apple trees were, which were all located uphill. There were over 10 different types of apples, such as Mutsu, Evergreen, Macoun, Snapdragon, and Honeycrisp. I mostly collected the more unique kinds. I also managed to locate the Pear trees, way behind the hay riding area. I picked Asian and Bosc pears. We went on a hay ride, which was $5 and it was rustic, bumpy, giving a sweeping view of the beautiful orchard grounds. Back in the main area, we had lunch. By this time, lines were pretty long, so we divided and conquered, as well as found a place to sit. I shared Pork Ribs and Fries, which were both very tasty. The Ribs were delightfully tender and well seasoned. Fries were perfectly crispy. One draw back was that most everything at the store and most lunch items were quite expensive. Overall, there were great vibes, and I really enjoyed the views at the farm, apple / pear picking, as well as the hay ride.

One of the best times I've had in a really long time!…read more As a born and raised Floridian, I'd never been apple picking, but a fall trip demanded it so we found ourselves here on the last weekend of the season. We started down at the bottom of the hill with "Apple Cannons" ! Pneumatic launchers that lobbed our apples into an old truck, pumpkins, hay bales, and fun targets. So awesome! Then we headed up to the main event and wow! It was a total vibe! - A live band playing exactly the perfect country music you'd expect at an apple orchard on a cool fall day. - Vendors selling soft & hard cider, juice, various hot foods, and my personal favorite, hot fresh apple cider donuts! - Costumed characters walking around passing out trick or treat candy to the kids. - An Apple orchard! Row after row after row of apple trees, most were picked pretty clean, but we found lots of juicy and delicious fruit waiting for us on the trees. You can wander around and eat whatever you want or buy a bag and take some home... We did both! Inside there's a general store and souvenir shop as well, and everyone we let or talked to was helpful and friendly, but we had all our fun out in the open.

It is a summer tradition to visit local farm stands to enjoy the fresh produce…read more This is a family farm that has some of the freshest vegetables and fruits. The farm workers are friendly and it is always nice to take a ride out to the farm.

Love Treat Farm! The grounds are beautiful and very peaceful! I went there last week to purchase…read moresome fresh veggies! Staff was friendly and helpful when I was asking questions about the produce. Everything was very fresh and bountiful! Will definitely visit again!

I love their chocolate milk! The parking was a bit of an adventure, because you pull in and back…read moreout into the road. It was very cute though, very New England. There were lots of greens for wreathes... And somewhere emu? Must be summer attractions. But for winter, half the store was filled with cute items made in China. The other half had fruit and baked goods. The donuts are famous for a reason, caked with sugar and they stayed fresh for several days. My favorite part was the flavored milk. Mint, eggnog, of course chocolate..... Yum. Give a good shake and enjoy!

Visited in the first week of September, so it was very early in the apple season. The orchard only…read morehad small bags available for purchase at $10..I wish they offered larger bag options. Parking was plentiful across the road, and a tractor ride is required to get up to the apple trees, which was fun for kids. They only had two types of apples available (McIntosh and Gala), along with the last of their peaches. The apples closest to the drop-off point didn't look great, but the trees further up the slope had much better-looking fruit, likely because the slope deterred pickers. The store was stocked with fresh baked goods and, of course, apple cider donuts. There's also an animal farm on-site, which costs extra for big kids and adults (I believe it's free for kids under three). Overall, it was an okay experience. The limited apple selection and condition of some of the trees were a bit disappointing, but the tractor ride and fresh baked goods added some charm. I'd recommend going later in the season for a better variety and quality of apples.