Gingerly turning through the modest stone entrance to Casey Farm is a Saturday morning ritual for hundreds of South County residents each week.

From Jamestown to Charlestown, South County locals brave bridges and beach traffic to visit what has become a mecca of farmers’ markets tucked conveniently off of scenic Boston Neck Road in Narragansett.

After parking your car in the grassy area abutting the rows of heavens-aspiring crops, or propping your bike against one of the age-old trees dotting the landscape, visitors are met with the therapeutic sound of stones crackling and popping under foot, the smell of the freshly sown earth, and the faint sound of music wafting through the air.

This is the Coastal Grower’s Market at Casey Farm and it is simply a farmers’ market as it should be.

For some, Casey Farm is a sojourn along their southerly trek to Misquamicut, Narragansett, or Sand Hill Cove beaches. But to others, it represents the height of South County’s growing locavore movement.

For the latter group, who passionately support local industry from agriculture and fishing to arts and crafts, Casey Farm represents more than just a farmers market. It represents community, independent businesses, self-sufficiency, and sustainability.

Indeed, a quick scan of the numerous tents, stands, and tables set up under the watchful gaze of the classic hip and gabel farmhouse reveals a multitude of local and organic foodstuffs and crafts to choose from. From local artists touting handmade jewelry to organic flowers, vegetables, and even fresh shellfish, Casey Farm boasts one of Rhode Island’s most eclectically practical farmers markets.

Yes, you’ll find a host of one-of-a-kind items here from hand painted crafts to paintings, but to South County locavores, it’s the ability to stop and shop for a weekend dinner or an entire week without visiting Stop and Shop that makes the Coastal Growers’ Market so popular.

Providence residents will find a familiar presence with the carbophiles from Seven Stars Bakery whose East Side and new West Broadway stores have earned a cult following. This foodie recommends stopping in first thing for a cold locally roasted iced-coffee and pistachio-cherry biscotti or coffee-cake muffin as you begin your stroll through the rest of the market. Then make a bee line to pick up some locally harvested honey from one of the market’s local vendors. Stop to smell the roses from Robin Hollow Farm, a small organically managed cut-flower farm in down the road in Saunderstown. Or better yet, stop to taste the cheeses from Farmstead Foods, a boutique cheese shop based in Providence’s Wayland Square specializing in American and international artisan cheeses.

Watson Farm in Jamestown specializes in organic grass-fed beef and lamb. A short visit to their stand can satisfy even the most carnivorous appetites. Locavore, after all, doesn’t mean herbivore.

And farming isn’t confined to the land. Fresh shellfish farmed from the southern waters of Rhode Island by Matunuck Oyster Farm cap off the morning and hold the promise for a delicious summer meal. Their oysters are grown in perhaps the richest estuarine waters in the state, and are some of the freshest; all of Matunuck’s oysters are harvested, scrubbed, and packaged the day of sale.

Behind it all: Casey Farm

Casey Farm’s history spans over three hundred years and several incarnations. At its height prior to the American Revolution, Casey Farm was at the center of Newport’s international agricultural trade. Following the British occupation and burning of Newport’s critical commercial wharfs during the Revolution, the farm struggled to recapture its heyday.

Its current form began to take shape as far back as the mid 19th century, when the Casey family began to lease their property to tenant farmers while retaining two rooms in the house for their own occasional summer use.

Today, resident farm managers continue the tradition of community farming raising organically grown vegetables, herbs, and flowers through a Community Supported Agriculture program, or CSA. Aimed at both increasing the quality of food and the quality of care given the land, plants and animals while substantially reducing potential food losses and financial risks for the producers, there is no set construct for a CSA.

Casey Farm’s CSA takes the form of a subscription based system in which members donate a seasonal share fee in return for a mix of fresh organic vegetables, fruits, herbs, and pick-your-own flowers weekly throughout the 21-week growing season.

In many ways, the Coastal Grower’s Market at Casey Farm is a culmination of the homestead’s storied history incorporating both resident farming as well as serving as a hub for local businesses throughout the state.

Whether as a one-time visit or weekly pilgrimage, the Coastal Grower’s Market at Casey Farm should be put on every Rhode Islander’s list of summertime ambitions.