Rural Connecticut boasts a variety of farm-fresh products, and you can explore the state during all four seasons.

Winter is made sweeter when maple trees start to drip sap to make maple syrup. Then, spring is brightened with blooming daffodils and tulips.

You can visit all kinds of animals - from goats to horses, llamas, cows, sheep - and you can enjoy fresh produce direct from the farmers who grew it. Ice cream, flowers, and honey make summer sweeter, and autumn brings apples, pumpkins, mums and gourds. Finally, of course there are Christmas trees.

Then there is the wine. Connecticut is home to nearly 50 farm wineries and about 125 breweries - many set on amazing properties that make for a great day trip.

It seems you can get it all, just by taking a scenic drive on a "road less traveled."

With more than 5,000 farms in the Nutmeg State, the possibities are endless. And the scenery along the way makes for a picturesque backdrop. Author Christina E. Cole wrote "Connecticut: Quaint, Historic Barns and Farms of the Nutmeg State." The book is a sort of road map to many of these rustic gems.

Four seasons are featured on the pages of her book, from tulips in Preston, to piglets in Manchester and sunsets in Southbury. She said putting this book together was like stepping back in time. "The thing I love about the book, the thing that I love doing about the book, is there's a bit of nostalgia to it, and I think that's what made it a lot of fun."

One of the farms featured in her book is Halfinger Farms in Higganum. This year, Jen and John Halfinger are celebrating 30 years of working the land. Jen Halfinger said it's important to support your local farm.

"Individual farmers --we rely on our people coming to us — If people come to us and purchase our farm products and what we're producing, we can keep producing. So it's really a symbiotic relationship and we're helping each other."

Finding these farms can be an experience in itself. Search the word "Farm" on CT Visit and all sorts of great adventures pop up. Or, as Cole said, "Get in the car and just drive. That's how I did it. " Enjoy the ride and the view.