Photo from Norwich Farmers Market

In the constellation of 70 or so farmers markets in Vermont, a few stand out as regional anchors: Burlington, or course, as well as Capital City in Montpelier and Brattleboro in southern Vermont. In the Upper Valley, the big daddy is the Norwich Farmers Market, which has occupied a field on Route 5 every summer Saturday since 1977.

Norwich is such a staple — and has so many craft vendors — that it can be easy to overlook it in favor of smaller, more ecletic and fringe markets, especially if you’re always in search of new experiences (like me). Yet when I paid a visit last Saturday, it was clear why Norwich holds the alpha position among its peers. It’s well-designed, well-stocked and large enough for you to find everything you might need for a week of eating. It’s also a testament to the robustness of the Upper Valley food scene, at least when it comes to purveyors.

Each one of the wooden booths here look like they might blow over during the next storm, but they’ve actually been standing for years. These were the highlights for me last week:

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Corin Hirsch was a Seven Days food writer 2011 through 2016. She was also a dining critic and drinks columnist at Newsday from 2017 to 2022, and contributes to The Guardian, Wine Enthusiast and other publications. She’s spoken often on colonial era...

One reply on “Grazing At the Norwich Farmers Market”

  1. Corin,
    Great to see Norwich getting some attention. I’m there every Saturday if I can be. I love Woodcock Farm cheese.
    You don’t mention the veggies from Your Farm and from Echo Hill Farm, which are just the best. Ever.
    I’m a member of Your Farm’s Market Table CSA, which is the best CSA I’ve ever joined. For your fee, paid up-front, you pick up what from the stand at the market, when you need it, and your our purchases are charged against your account. Perfect for people like us who can’t always be there to pick up a share and travel enough to make a regular share-based CSA a no-go. We’re omnivores, so we eat pretty much any vegetables, but with this plan, you can avoid what you don’t like. You can buy extra if you need if for guests. Plus, you get first-quality produce (and Your Farm’s produce is spectacular). Awesome!
    And there’s breakfast at the market, or at Market Table in Hanover, afterwards.
    Saturdays, summer, #VT. Love it!

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