Markets of New England by Christine Chitnis

 
Markets of New England  by Christine Chitnis
The blurb:
Experience a quintessentially American summer - a village-green, homemade ice-cream, corn-on-the-cob kind of summer - exploring the fifty vibrant farmers' and artisan markets profiled in Markets of New England.  You'll find picture-postcard settings, delicious food, and unique crafts down every ribbon of highway.  Make your way up the coast to Cape Cod, where markets feature baskets of blueberries and flats of oysters still dripping with saltwater; hop the ferry to Sustainable Nantucket's picturesque farm stands; or journey inland to an art festival nestled in the Berkshires.  In New Hampshire, attend a lakeside workshop and a market held on New England's largest town commons; in Vermont, an open studio weekend; in Maine, a clam festival, a county fair, and craft guild shows.  Even tiny Rhode Island has pleasures aplenty: an oceanfront gourmet food tasting, an indie art fair overlooking Narragansette Bay and Newport Harbor, and more.  Markets of New England leads you to the local delicacies, the most interesting purveyors, standout crafts and art, and provides you with all the details you need to know.  The food and crafts are filled with local flavor, the settings pure New England, and the itineraries provide enough delights to fill an endless summer.

Review:
I'd spent many years in New England and regularly visit the Boston area and I ordered Christine Chitnis' Markets of New England to check out if the lesser known markets and craft fairs.

The book is organized by State: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. She also divides the markets into Farmers' Markets and Craft Markets. Most of the states have 3-4 of each, although the offerings for Rhode Island and Massachusetts are particularly plentiful. Chitnis mentions her particular favorites or artisans to look out for, which I found particularly helpful. There is a list of Featured Artisans with their states, contact information and websites.

I'd often visited the Boston Copley Square Farmers' Market and found her description less helpful than someone unfamiliar with the area. She simply mentions several of her favorite vendors, that the place itself is conducive to picnicking, and the variety of the organic produce. What I loved best about the book are its descriptions of Craft Markets and Farmers' Markets that I hadn't heard of and now plan to visit: the Boston Bazaar Bizarre, a craftfest held at Union Square in Somerville in Sept and Dec, the New Bedford Open Studios in October, the RISD Alumni and Student Art Sale in Providence, and the Yarmouth Clam Festival in Maine held during the Fourth of July weekend.

ISBN-10: 1892145960 - Paperback $15.95 
Publisher: Little Bookroom (May 3, 2011), 216 pages.
Review copy courtesy of the Amazon Vine Program and the publisher.


About the Author:
Christine Chitnis is a writer, photographer, and environmental educator. She lives with her husband and son in Providence, Rhode Island. Her writing has appeared in Country Living, Time Out New York, ReadyMade, Edible Rhody, and The Washington Post, among many other local and national publications.  She holds a degree in Environmental Science from the University of Colorado. Visit her at christinechitnis.com