By Kendra McDonald
The shelves are packed with a variety of local foods, crafts, and home décor, almost all of which are farm-fresh. With the feel of an old-time country store, Mill No. 3 Farmstand is located conveniently at 85 Westminster St. in Fitchburg. It’s a locally owned shop with offerings that include freshly made deli sandwiches, organic, not-so-common foods, and seasonal plants.
During a recent lunchtime visit, I found the service there to be great. Employees at the deli counter greeted me immediately, made my order quickly, and then sent me on to the checkout where I was able to chat with the friendly cashier. They accept all credit cards, with the exception of American Express. They even accept the Fitchburg State Gold Card.
The food turned out to be as good as the service. For the first course, I ordered a cup of cream of broccoli soup for $3.29. It was served hot, and was just the right consistency – thick enough, but not too thick – with appetizing chunks of broccoli in the 8-ounce cup.
At the deli, I ordered The Fitch ($6.29): a sandwich of grilled chicken, lettuce, and Caesar dressing; I added bacon and provolone cheese. Served as ordered on a white wrap, it was presented in a woven basket with a pickle spear on the side. Other sandwich choices included the Mill No. 3 ($6.49), featuring roast beef, lettuce, tomato, onion, sprouts, and herb cream cheese; the Cleghorn ($5.99) with bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo; and the Brickmill ($6.29) with cracked pepper turkey, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and spicy mustard.
To go along with my sandwich, I purchased a Snapple ($1.69) and a bag of kettle-cooked Deep River barbecue chips (99 cents).
For dessert, I looked through a variety of hand-packed sweets, finally choosing yogurt-covered pretzels ($2.10). At the snack bar, visitors can also find banana chips, wasabi peas, and all sorts of trail mixes. Mill No. 3 also offers locally made products such as scones, breads, and pie fillings.
Where to enjoy the meal? There are many tables inside their attached greenhouse to enjoy the meal. And if it is not cold outside, one can sit at picnic tables near a waterfall on the side of the building. Although the farm stand is a walk-in type of place, they do offer large deli platters and urge people with very large orders to call ahead.
There are plenty of places to park out front and they are open seven days a week. Hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday thru Friday; 9a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays; and 9a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.
The business is owned by Dan and Denise Mulloy, who opened the store in 1996 after selling items out of the back of a truck bed.
After my experience at Mill No. 3 Farmstand, I would definitely go back and recommend it to anyone.  The service is great and the environment makes it a warm, welcoming place to be.