Editorial
Contribution by Division of Agricultural Markets Staff Julia Grimaldi and
Bonita Oehlke
I don’t know about you, but the fact
that there are now so many opportunities to savor the bounty of MassGrown products during the winter
months is, well, just awesome! There are
40 winter
farmers’ markets to choose from across the state that offer an extensive
selection of seasonally unique produce and products. Farms are selling storage
crops such as crisp apples, several varieties of winter squash, onions, purple
potatoes, sweet potatoes, candy cane beets, yellow carrots, and watermelon
radishes, as well as a variety of greens such as salad greens, spinach, kale
and collard greens grown in a ‘hoop house’ (a structure used as a greenhouse to
extend the growing season).
And that’s not all. More and more local
businesses are adding to the variety including fresh seafood and shellfish, farm
wineries, farmstead cheese makers, pastured raised meat, poultry and egg
producers, bakers, honey and maple products, hand crafted pastas, sauces,
prepared foods, dry goods, and even fibers.
Dave from Inman Square shops at the Cambridge Winter Farmers’
Market because farmers’ market carrots and radishes “taste better”. One of the new vendors at the farmers' market is Green River Ambrosia from Western
Massachusetts who hand crafts unusual mead products made with local honey,
ginger, and fruit from Valley farms.
Like the bees that bring us honey, our winter
farmers’ markets are cross-pollinators themselves.
Many not only sell their own products,
but also sell products from neighboring farms. Misty
Brook Farm in Barre sells organic meats and vegetables, grains and Robinson’s Farm cheese
located in Hardwick. Red Fire Farm in
Montague & Granby sells all of their own produce as well as maple syrup
from Williams Farm Sugarhouse
in Deerfield and yogurt from Side
Hill Farm in Ashfield. Silverbrook
Farm in Dartmouth, like many of the growers selling at winter farmers’
market, is growing a nutritious assortment of greens grown and micro-greens.
“We really enjoy this market every
weekend, the Cambridge community is very supportive of our work and I like
seeing repeat customers,” said owner/grower Andy Pollock.
A growing number of markets also accept EBT-SNAP
coupons (formally called food stamps) to help families stretch their food
dollars and provide nutritious foods to them all year long. The Cambridge
Community Center (5 Callender Street) which hosts the winter market on
Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. through April also has a Food Scrap program
where you can drop of compostable materials for repurposing.
Oh, and did
I mention venues for celebration? The Wayland
Winter Farmers’ Market which runs on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
through March , hosts over 40 vendors in an airy, open greenhouse at Russell’s
Garden Center, surrounded by luxuriantly growing plants. The market
recently hosted the 3rd Annual Massachusetts
Farm Wineries Day which
featured nine Bay State wineries made from honey, grapes and other local fruits
and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources’ Wine and
Cheese Trail brochure. Peg Mallet, the enthusiastic and effervescent market
manager, welcomes visitors and encourages more to join the ranks of dedicated
customers!
