Food stands near Gillette Castle
If you feel hungry after visiting Gillette Castle or the Historical Society Museum in East Haddam (CT) there are a couple of interesting food shopping sites I have patronized and can recommend.
Staehly's Farms at 278 Town St. (Rt. 82) just north of the Castle) is not only a farm stand carrying a large stock of fresh fruits and veggies in season, but also has some luscious looking pies and a nice selection of locally produced cheeses. (today I scored some nice aged Pleasant Son cheese from Sankow's BeaverBrook Farm and some blueberries for dessert.)
Just a little further west on 82, down the hill toward the Goodspeed Opera House (a little hard to see at the intersection with Boardman St.) is Curds and Whey, an artisanal cheese and bread shop in a remodeled barn. I was happy to see many of my favorite makers (like Cypress Grove and Cato Corner Farms) in their well-stocked coolers, and ended up with some very nice Old Snales cheese, a prizewinner from Britan's Lyburn Farm.
There is also a nice farm stand just north of the intersection of 82 and 156 with Connecticut-grown corn.
(Shameless Plug: While at the Gillette Castle State Park, be sure to take in a free short Gillette play at 1 pm Sat. or Sun. through July 31, reprised in air conditioned comfort indoors at the Historical Society on Town St. at 2 pm.)
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Not a food stand exactly, but if you head across the bridge at Goodspeed in East Haddam and take a right at the end of the road, look for the "Blue Oar" on your right. Its at a marina right on the river and has some interesting fare and a beautiful view. Its all picnic tables, so bring your own accesories if you want them, and BYOB also (bonus)!
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