Volunteers Make the Market Work

Rick Gallagher grew up in Braintree and now volunteers at the market.

The Braintree Farmers Market is an extremely vibrant market in large part due to the commitment of our community's support.  The market is hosted by Sustainable Braintree which is a non-profit environmental organization and the market is organized and operated primarily by volunteers who share the vision and importance of this community event.  Volunteers come in all shapes, sizes, ages and backgrounds and we all have a desire to keep the market in our neighborhood.  Volunteer Market Shifts last from 1 to 2 hours so that folks don't need to take too much time from their busy schedules to help us out.  If you'd like to volunteer you can sign up at the Sustainable Braintree Market Tent while the market is operating or email our Volunteer Coordinator, Marie Vega, at mariev@sustainablebraintree.org.  Volunteers don't just work-they make it work.

We're Here for You!

Summer Squash & Peaches are now available at the market.

Nicole Maniez, yoga teacher and licensed acupuncturist from MVP Health & Wellness and the Lane Center, will be offering Family Yoga for all ages this Saturday, July 21st, from 8 to 9 am in front of the Braintree Town Hall.   Please join her for a fun and mindful activity for the whole family! You will leave this class with a smile on your face and relaxed body. Please bring a yoga mat and wear loose clothing. A few yoga mats will be available for those that don't have one.

The Braintree Farmers Market will be on the cutting edge this coming Saturday as Patti Small rolls in with her On the Edge Sharpening truck tricked out with her mobile blade sharpening workshop on board. Patti makes her presence know throughout Eastern Massachusetts by keeping an active schedule with local farmers' markets.  If you like to support small businesses this one is about as small as it gets since Patti is the CEO and the only employee.  Her tools of the trade include a whetstone, ceramics and a variety of polishing stones.  Load up your knives, scissors, shears, salon scissors, gardening tools and just about anything that needs sharpening.  Drop them off with Patti as you arrive at the market and pick them up when you leave.  It's like having brand new knives all over again.

Visiting us again this week is Stir it up Cuisine with their taste of the Caribbean Pepper Jelly and Pepper Jelly Cheese Torte.  For those of you who met them at the Strawberry Festival you know what I'm talking about.  If you haven't tried them yet this Saturday is your chance to spice up your life!

Breakfast at the Braintree Farmers Market

Unbelievably delicious granola from The Providence Granola Company.

Good morning sunshine and hello breakfast at the farmer's market.  While visiting the market you may have realized that the assortment of vendors have a wide variety of products to explore.  The market has been designed to provide our visitors with a one-stop shopping experience with all locally grown and made items.  There's no better place to find your breakfast foods for the morning, or for your entire week ahead, than the Braintree Farmers Market.

Start with a sampling from The Providence Granola Project.  This is one of our newest vendors and they provide us with a wide array of healthy granola and muesli choices with flavors like Ginger Zinger, Mochaccino Hazelnut, Cherry Chocolate, Pina Colola, Maple Rosemary and Keith's Originola.  The very first year they started their artisan business they won a "Best of Rhode Island" award and some of the area's premier restaurants started putting them on their menus.  Along with their outstanding products they are also very proud of their refugee employees that are the backbone of the company.

Fresh picked local berries right from the grower.

 Add creamy homemade yogurt from To Dine For to your granola.   This popular new vendor has a wide assortment of Middle Eastern delights that will have you coming back each week to try something new.

 On top of the yogurt add fresh fruits from our growers.  Each week brings new varieties of berries and fruits that are in season to the market.  Try something new each week to keep your taste buds on the cutting edge of flavor.  It's amazing how something so simple can look so beautiful, taste so good and be so healthy!

Honey direct from the beehives at C.N. Smith Farm.

For a sweetener try the local honey from C.N. Smith Farm.  This is raw honey, meaning it hasn't been heated to make it look nicer on the shelf, which preserves it's natural enzymes, vitamins, antioxidants and other natural nutrients.  Pasteurized honey is known to be just as unhealthy as as eating refined sugar.  Purchasing locally sourced raw honey is an alternative way to treat seasonal allergies.  Many folks consume raw honey that is made near where they live because it contains small amounts of pollens when consumed build up their immune system to help ward off allergies.  

This season we are thrilled that The Cupcakerie is providing market customers with hot and iced coffee.  We've had many requests for this convenience so join us for your morning brew made from locally roasted New Harvest Coffees.  Enjoy your java while checking out the market or sit and relax in our cafe area on the green.

So get into a healthy breakfast routine at the Braintree Farmers Market.  If there's something you can't find please ask us at the Sustainable Braintree/Market Manager Tent and we'll point you in the right direction.

Each Week Brings New Items to the Market

Shopping for fresh-picked local berries at the farmer's market.

The market is now in full swing as the farmers will continue to add new harvested items to their repertoire of local produce.  Now that strawberry season is ending blueberries have started to arrive.  The season for these two favorites is very fleeting so stop by the market to ensure that you won't miss out.

 

Sue George from Harvard Sweet Boutique.

Harvard Sweet Boutique has just joined the market as a full-time vendor.  Check out their delish sweets and treats made from scratch.  This coming Saturday Sue will be bringing her all-natural lemonade made with fresh strawberries.  It's predicted to be hot so try this new drink offering that will have you chillin'.  Other beverages like hot and iced coffee can be found at The Cupcakerie tent along with free cold water cooled by solar power at the BELD tent.

This coming Saturday, June 30th, Braintree's Fourth of July parade will start on Washington Street  at 11:45 a.m. and pass by the market about noon.  Please arrive at the market early to ensure that you will not get caught in parade traffic.

Strawberry Festival this Saturday June 23rd 2012

It's strawberry season locally so be sure to get to the market early so you won't miss out on these sweet & juicy jewels of the market. Purchase strawberries direct from a local grower and support small farms.  This Saturday, June 23rd, the market will host a Strawberry Festival that was so popular last year we now have it included in our schedule of events for every season.

Sweet & juicy native strawberries picked fresh on the farm.

The events tent, sponsored by BELD, will be up and there will be tables and our new chairs provided for our visitors to sit and enjoy freshly made strawberry shortcake with real whipped cream created by the folks at Ever So Humble Pie Company with strawberries from C.N. Smith Farm.  The Farmer's Garden will have an entire tent filled with their strawberries fresh picked and ready to take home.  Music provided by Ramshackle.

Cully arriving on our Opening Day in 2009.

 

 

This year's festival is dedicated to the memory of Carlton N. (Cully) Smith from C.N. Smith Farm.  Cully was the inspiration behind the Strawberry Festival and he was a tried and true leader at the farm.  He unexpectedly passed away this past winter.  Stop by the C.N. Smith tent to see the Local Hero Award that was given to the farm in recognition of Cully's community service.  We miss you Cully!

Try out our new Braintree Farmers Market Moolah.  Enjoy the convenience of shopping with our own market currency which you can purchase with a credit card or EBT/SNAP card at the Market Manager Tent.  Market Moolah tokens can be used to purchase goods at the market without having to use cash.

Market Opens this Saturday June 16th

Opening Day at the Braintree Farmers Market

The Braintree Farmers Market hosted by Sustainable Braintree opens this Saturday, June 16th, from 9 to 1 and operates every Saturday through October with an indoor Thanksgiving Market on Nov. 17th.  The market is located at the Braintree Town Hall Mall, One JFK Memorial Dr., Braintree, MA.  Due to renovations on the Historic Library Building the market may be shifting around the parking lot, rest assured, we'll always be at this convenient location throughout the season.  We've been waiting for this day since the season ended last year in November.  Look for your favorite farmers and vendors and enjoy even more variety with an array of new vendors.  This season there will be even more of an influx of Visiting Vendors to entice you to the market with a variety of new local food products.  Join us on our experimental adventure as we make an effort to provide the best in local produce and artisan food products that are are made in micro-batches, many times, by the person you make your purchase from.  Many large corporate food companies try to make you think your getting these types of offerings by copying our format and wording but you should know-the Braintree Farmers Market is the real deal.

This season the market is offering a new service called Braintree Farmers Market Moolah.  Enjoy the convenience of shopping with our own market currency which you can purchase with a credit card or EBT/SNAP card at the Market Manager Tent.  Market Moolah tokens can be used to purchase goods at the market without having to use cash.  This program was spearheaded by Jonathan Stidham who is one of our volunteers that invested his time and efforts to make shopping at the market more convenient and provide healthy food choices for all income levels.  Thank you Jonathan.  This program has also encouraged the market to hire its first employees to process payments.  On Opening Day say hello to Lauren Crook who'll be more than happy to sell you market tokens and tell you how much she loves the farmers market.  Lauren grew up in Braintree and is now raising her own family here and we're thrilled to have her on board.  Angela Cavanaugh will also be joining us in this position.  Angela has been a dedicated volunteer since we first started dreaming about the market in 2008.

It's strawberry season locally so be sure to get to the market early so you won't miss out on these sweet & juicy jewels of the market. Purchase strawberries direct from a local grower and support small farms.  On June 23rd the market will host a Strawberry Festival that was so popular last year we will now have it included on our schedule of events every season.  The events tent, sponsored by BELD, will be up and there will be tables and chairs provided for our visitors to sit and enjoy freshly made strawberry shortcake with real whipped cream created by the folks at Ever So Humble Pie Company with strawberries from C.N. Smith Farm.  This year's festival is dedicated to the memory of Carlton N. (Cully) Smith from C.N. Smith Farm.  Cully was the inspiration behind the Strawberry Festival and he was a tried and true leader at the farm.  Cully unexpectedly passed away on Dec. 31, 2011 from a heart attack while clearing land.  Stop by the C.N. Smith tent to see the Local Hero Award that was given to the farm in recognition of Cully's community service.

Pick up your complimentary summer issue of edible Boston Magazine at the Market Manager's Tent along with a Braintree Farmers Market card that lists our special market dates as a reminder of events you won't want to miss out on.  See you on Saturday.

Visiting Vendors at the Farmers Market

In addition to our tried and true vendors and farmers we'll be adding Visiting Vendors throughout the season to keep the market changing and evolving.  If there's a Visiting Vendor that you think would make a great permanent fit to the market please let us know at the Market Manager's Tent.. 

Buxton Hollow Farm will be visiting the market on Opening Day, June 16th, for one market day only.  For those of you who enjoy growing your own garden without the use of chemical fertilizers here's your chance to try their compost tea technology.  Create your own microherd of microbes, bacteria, nematodes and fungi with the Buxton Hollow Farm Compost Tea in conjunction with their Compost Tea Pot.  Serve up your plants the technology that encourages healthy soil which, in turn, creates the optimum environment for thriving plant growth. 

Harvard Sweet Boutique will also have a spot on Opening Day and will be joining us for the very first time as a Visiting Vendor.  This vendor was looking for markets earlier in the year and we scooped them up and are looking forward to tasting their gourmet baked goods that are made from scratch.   They offer over ten varieties of cookies, artisan brownies such as espresso, sea salt caramel, chili, raspberry, chocolate almond toffee and more.  Owner, Sue George, has also created an online boutique where you can purchase her products and send them out to all your friends and family who just can't make it to the market.