Farmers markets are a dazzling display of America’s heartland year-round, but they shine especially during the summer months, when locals leisurely stroll the grounds, filling tote bags with just-plucked produce, enjoying live tunes and meeting the hardworking people behind the booths.

Now, those folks are inviting us to come to them, opening their dining rooms and barn doors for immersive, communal feasts that offer what we crave most: connection to the land and each other.

Discovery drives it all — seasonal menus from the region’s best chefs, a road trip in sight, and the chance to make a weekend of it, enjoying these towns in late summer splendor. The fact that many of the events champion charitable causes only has us packing our bags faster. From community burger nights to multico

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