Tucked into a sunny greenhouse, in the lull of the year between New Year’s and Easter, the Niantic Winter Farmers Market is an oasis of handmade and homegrown goodness.

There, about a dozen full-time vendors are joined by a rotating list of up to six more local businesses each Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Smith’s Acres garden center at 4 West Main Street in Niantic.

vwhose aromatic bars boast brilliant colors and billowy-swirled tops sprinkled with botanicals.

Your nose will guide you to Short Rib Café, cooking just outside. Expect elevated market fare like sesame and ginger seared Ahi tuna with Asian noodle salad and stir-fried veggies; chipotle marinated chicken quesadilla with tomato, smoked maple bacon, pepper jack cheese, sour cream, salsa and ranch dressing; and short rib mac and cheese topped with crispy fried onion.

Market Master and Smith’s Acres owner Teri Smith is partial to Castello of Niantic’s lobster ravioli; Issa Catering’s traditional Middle Eastern hummus; and Whisktopia cupcakes like the “Bourbon Bacon” which is chocolate cake, bourbon whipped cream, bourbon cream cheese frosting and candied cayenne bacon.

“And everybody loves Jon Fish’s pates and his smoked salmon and smoked mussels,” Smith says. “The salmon comes in different flavors like candied, hot, maple, orange and even organic coffee flavored smoked salmon. My nephew’s 2-year-old asks for smoked salmon when he comes to the market!”

You can also browse:

There is a free, hands-on activity for children on most market days such as planting a seedling to take home, painting terra-cotta pots or making an edible bird feeder.

Offerings in the market are complemented by produce in the adjacent farm shop—Smith’s Acres’ own apples, potatoes, cabbage, squash, greens, dry beans packaged in generously sized glass jars, and honey from hives on the farm.

The selection of Connecticut specialty food on the shelves there is notable, too: Mystic Cheese Company; Ivy’s Gourmet granola; Savor Fine Foods cookies; Bureau’s Sugarhouse maple kettle korn; Pan De Oro tortilla chips; Tony D’s Pasta Shop pastas, sauces and ice cream; Sweet Grass Creamery milk and yogurt (the black raspberry and peach melba yogurt flavors are house favorites); and pies and cookies made at Seabird Enterprises by individuals with physical and developmental disabilities.

In March, the Smith’s Acres greenhouse itself is bursting with spring as well, with pots of forced bulbs, pansies, primroses, herb plants, cold weather vegetable starts and New England seed packets for sale.

Playful mermaid Niantic Farmers Market logo bags designed by artist Rita Rivera are available for purchase.

This winter market is a project of the nonprofit Niantic Main Street. It is the off-season counterpart to the popular summer farmers market, held on Methodist Street on Thursdays from 3 to 6 p.m., from early June through mid-October.

Visit nianticmainstreet.org to sign up for an e-newsletter providing updates about the farmers markets and other events and activities.

Artisans interested in participating in the Niantic Farmers Market can email Market Master Teri Smith via terismith179@gmail.com to inquire about guest vendor opportunities at both the winter and summer markets.

The Niantic Winter Farmers Market is held Saturdays through April 1, 2 to 5 p.m., at Smith’s Acres, 4 West Main Street, Niantic. If it’s stormy, call ahead at 860-691-0528 to confirm market hours and the attendance of specific vendors.

Also in New London County, the Stonington Village Farmers Market is held from 9 to noon on Saturdays, inside at the Velvet Mill at 22 Bayview Avenue in Stonington.