Small Trips: Supporting Local in Huge Ways

Want to hear what really shocked me last week?!

We live in Connecticut's Quiet Corner (2.5 hrs from NYC and 1.5 hours from Boston).  While sitting around a table of fifteen local adults, I discovered that only three of them had ever been to Boston or New York City.

What?  You're. Kidding. Me.  More people had been to the Bahamas than to a city an hour and a half away. 

I was floored.

It doesn't matter how many times I've seen it. Having lived all over the world, I am still amazed every time I realize that many of the people I live next to have never experienced popular things to do in their local area. Tourists can travel from all over the world to see special sites, and yet it often is the person who lives twenty miles away that has not taken the time to visit. Supporting local is not just about buying knick-knacks and small, artisan products. Supporting local is also about ways people interact with their community.

My recommendation to those who truly desire a way to embrace small businesses and the local economy? I'd encourage them to figure out ways to use a local geographical map or local tourism bureau to discover things sitting in their own backyards. Activities like making use of skiing passes, restauranting with friends, attending a local performance, hiking a local state park, checking out a local farm, touring a nearby winery, and seeking out a local museum with friends are excellent ways to give gifts that support local community... and in the process often builds it, too!

 When we first settled into Connecticut, we discovered a fantastic program called "The Sky's the Limit," a 2015 hiking challenge put out by the CT State Parks Department. Connecticut, like many New England States, is famous for its hundreds of miles of hiking trails; as part of a No Child Left Inside initiative, their challenge was to get hikers who visit CT's highest peaks to take pictures at the base and the top of their climb to show proof of accomplishing all 14 peaks.

I can't rave enough about The Sky's the Limit Challenge. We got out to see pieces of the entire state, becoming more familiar with the changing topography and the special nuances that separate one region from another. Soon our friends were coming with us, and wanting to explore their state, too. Once we completed that challenge, my son Jonas had bigger ideas about finding peaks and parks throughout New England. And thus our 2016 personal challenge to get to every state in New England was on!

This past week we traveled to Peterborough, New Hampshire. We camped for two days in the Greenfield State Park (it's so nice! I recommend it!), where we hiked, canoed, fished, and climbed two Monadnok mountains. Jonas discovered wild blueberries, a New England treat, and spent the weekend collecting them to feed his newly acquired addiction, his invention called the "blueberry s'more." We learned about a new place, supported the small businesses that in turn helped us enjoy a fantastic trip, and made lasting memories that may just bring us back again soon.

It wasn't the Bahamas. I'll give you that.

But, wow.  There is real joy that comes from getting to know the amazingness that lies around you in your own backyard. I heart New England.

The Coventry Farmer's Market

As may already know, New England can serve as a regional model for local economies everywhere. We have a dense population that values New England's cultural identity and connections to history. We have natural capital, industrial and intellectual capital, agricultural bounties from every corner of every state, and most importantly, a groundswell of support for a burgeoning movement to grow economies that are local, fair, and green.

"But what is all this jibber jabber of big words leading to??" you wonder.  Easy.  It serves as a simple explanation of why New England farmer's markets are some of the best in the country.  If I'm not convincing you, maybe pretty little pictures of one of New England's largest farmer's markets, located in Coventry, Connecticut, will.

Whether you live in the city or suburbs, a farmers’ market is not too far from you if you live or visit anywhere in New England. From spring until late fall, you can find local growers set up with their canopies and colorful displays of just-harvested fruits and vegetables in town squares, parks and other public spaces. Throughout the winter, many move inside and keep right on connecting farmer/tradesperson to consumer. 

Here my son Jonas runs into a local friend while walking on a Nathan

Hale Homestead rock wall from the 1700s. What a fun space to bond with

neighbors and enjoy some local delectables!

I may be a little biased, as I live right down the road from the amazing homestead-turned community gathering called the Coventry Farmer's Market.  Here one can easily find an array of products, including baked goods, honey, flowers, jams and jellies, maple products, farmstead cheeses, grass-fed meat products, eggs, drinks, organic and heirloom fruits, herbs, and veggies, spices, sauces, and salsas, housewares, knitted goods, and wood products. But what's more is I can not only run into people from all over the region as well as local friends, but I can find my child animals to pet and ponies to ride, artisans to meet, hot dishes and cold drinks to partake of, and local musicians to hear. The market is located at the Nathan Hale homestead, the historically preserved homestead of Coventry native Nathan Hale.  (Who is Nathan Hale? Touted as America's first spy, he's also that dude quoted as saying, "I regret I have only one life to live for my country.") With different themes and community events going on every Sunday afternoon, I guarantee you you'll enjoy taking in the local goodies found at this incredible gathering place.  As YankeeMagazine.com puts it, the market feels like "a momentous celebration, with cooking demonstrations, sustainable-living programs, kids’ activities, musical guests, and local artisans."  Nothing could be so quintessential New England.  Check it out this season!

Row upon row of booths fill the Nathan Hale Homestead grounds for the Coventry Farmer's Market. Visitors can also tour the Nathan Hale home and gardens.

The Nathan Hale Homestead is located at 2299 South St., Coventry, CT. The market is held Sundays 11am-2pm, June-October.