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.