Boston Area Farmers Markets: 2011
April 27, 2011
The always-awesome Copley Square Farmers Market. Begins May 17th, 2011; runs every Tuesday and Friday throughout the summer/fall. // Flickr/WBUR
It’s been a very rainy April this year in Boston: over 4 inches have fallen thus far, with a bit more likely before the month is over (last April we got under 2 inches). It’s what we’ve heard is supposed to happen this month. April is wet, and then, just when you can’t stand it any more, things turn beautiful. If you’ve been around the greater Boston area in the past few days, you’ve likely already noticed this phenomenon coming to pass: flowers are blooming, tree buds are blossoming, green shoots are appearing in spots which before were dominated by browns and grays. It’s official: May is upon us.
It’s ridiculously exciting, really. It means that the sun will once again warm us. It means that chirping birds will once again wake us. It means that… oh man: Farmers Markets are back.
If you’re not a frequent Farmers Market customer, 2011 is the year when you’re going to become one. It can’t be overstated how important it is to support local farmers and sustainable growing practices, and purchasing food at Farmers Markets is the most direct, simplest, and easiest way to do this. The Farmer brings his or her produce to Boston, and you buy it from him. That’s it. There’s nothing else to it. You can talk to them if you want. Or, you can just buy it and leave.
There’s basically no more important thing you can do as a food consumer than to directly withdraw your money from the corporate/multinational food system and place it directly in the hands of a local grower. That’s all the power you have, and it’s more than enough to make a difference. When you stop buying eggplant grown in Chile and start buying eggplant grown in Massachusetts, less eggplant will be grown in Chile and more eggplant will be grown in Massachusetts. You don’t have to overthink it: what you do makes a difference. People define how the world works. So, act how you want the world to act. Let’s have local farms. Let’s exercise greater control over our lives. It’s better. So is the food.
Here, then, is your 2011 Opening Day Schedule. Don’t see anything here in your area? Leave a comment! We’ll help you find one. Or head to the official Mass Farmers Market website and search for one near where you live, work, or commute. The Boston area has a lot of Farmers Markets; everyone, including you, has the ability to get to one on a regular basis. If you can go to the grocery store, you can go to the Farmers Market. It’s slightly less convenient, but it’s way, way more fun. Go with your girlfriend/boyfriend. Go and meet a new girlfriend/boyfriend. Go after work. Go on your lunch break. Go on a weekend. Find yours, get to know it, fall in love, never look back.
(And it always bears repeating: Haymarket is not a Farmers Market).
- Monday, May 2nd: South Boston, Boston, MA. Open Mondays from 12:00pm to 6:00pm. It’s a small market, but I believe it’s the first to open. It’s located at 446 West Broadway St., right next to the Bank of America. Accessible via the Red Line (Broadway stop) or the 9 and 10 bus.
- Tuesday, May 17th: Copley Square, Boston, MA. Open Tuesdays and Fridays from 11:00am to 6:00pm. The market is located right on Copley Square, at Boylston St. and Dartmouth St. in Boston. Accessible via any Green Line train (Copley stop) or Orange Line train (Back Bay), as well as any Commuter Rail trains or buses that stop at Back Bay. Bus routes that stop at Copley include the 9, 10, 39, and 55.
- Sunday, May 22nd: Charles Square Farmers Market, Cambridge, MA. Open Sundays 10:00am to 3:00pm and Fridays (starting June 3rd) from 12:00pm to 6:00pm. The Market is located at Bennett St. and Eliot St. in Cambridge, right on the plaza of the Charles Hotel. Accessible via the Red Line (Harvard stop), as well as any bus routes that stop in the area, including the 1, the 66, 71, 73, 77, and 86.
- Monday, May 23rd: Central Square, Cambridge, MA. Open Mondays from 12:00pm to 6:00pm. The Market is located in the parking lot on the corner of Norfolk St. and Bishop Allen Dr., behind Harvest Co-op Market. Accessible via the Red Line (Central stop), as well as any bus routes that service Central, including the 1, the 47, the 70, and the 91.
- Wednesday, May 25th: Davis Square, Somerville, MA. Open Wednesdays from 12:00pm to 6:00pm. The Market is located at Day St. and Herbert St., right around the corner from Redbones. Accessible via the Red Line (Davis stop), as well as any bus routes that service the area, including the 87, 89, 90, and 96.
- Thursday, May 26th: Dewey Square, Boston, MA. Open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30am to 6:30pm. The market is located at Atlantic Ave & Summer St. in Boston, right across the street from South Station. Accessible via the Red Line (South Station stop), as well as the Silver Line, any commuter rail train that services South Station, and bus routes such as the 4 and the 7.
- Saturday, June 4th: Union Square, Somerville, MA. Open Saturdays from 9:00am to 1:00pm. The market is located at Somerville Ave. and Washington St. in Somerville. It’s accessible mostly by bus: the 85, 86, 87, 91, and CT2 all stop right next to it.
