Best Boston Farmer's Markets?

[gourmandadventurer]

Hi there

I'll be in Boston area during spring and would love the insider scoop on which farmers' markets you think are the best in terms of selection and breadth of vendors...and if you happen to know the days please let me know or I can look them up.

Thanks!

[grant.cook]

Depends on what part of town you are in, but I've always been impressed my my FM in Arlington..just off of Mass Ave on Rt. 60 in Arlington Center. They have meat and fish vendors, and several good large-selection product vendors

[BostonZest]

I love touring farmers' Markets. Brookline is great, Copley Square (my home market) is slowly evolving into one of the best, Cental Square and Union Square have a distinctive vibe and reasons to go out of your way for them.

My hope for the summer is to tour many of the markets and report on them. I would love to tour with a local chowhound who considers a particular market as their home market and will be happy to meet you at Copley ( and the new Prudential Center Market) to introduce you to the things I love about each.

[threedogs]

"I would love to tour with a local chowhound who considers a particular market as their home market and will be happy to meet you at Copley ( and the new Prudential Center Market) to introduce you to the things I love about each."

Oh - I'd love to do the same. That's a great idea for a chow-crawl! My own local farmer's market is tiny (in Lynn) and while I find it terrific for my veggie needs, it might not be worth including, though.

I've been determined to hit the Boston/Cambridge ones, but haven't been able to yet.

Can't wait for summer!

[BostonZest]

I'll see if I can set up a a couple of Market Strolls this summer. I'll wait until the markets are perking-- maybe mid-July.

[hotoynoodle]

copley square just keeps getting better, but i'm always a little disappointed in the government center one -- which is convenient for me. with all that commuter traffic, you'd think there'd be more stalls.

[gourmandadventurer]

You're right! For some reason I was thinking since the Northwest ones open earlier that Boston's would. Thanks for cluing me in. I'm glad to find out now!

[Karl S]

A clue to our growing degree days: our crocuses are just fading (at least the ones in sunny open areas), and daffodils are just starting to bloom in the most exposed areas.

In late May/early June, local crops are greens, asparagus, and strawberries. Except for tomatoes forced ahead by a month or so in greenhouses (which is a common practice among the farms catering to the farmer's market trade), which might appear in July, our season for tomatoes and corn is August and September, increasingly into early October (thanks to climate change that has added about 10 days onto our growing season in the past generation).

[porcospino]

Copley Square Farmer's Market, and others (check website listed above) begin the Tuesday before Memorial Day, so that's May 19th this year. Not much early on, but there are vegetables to be sure.

[mtm7654]

Amen to BFP. That said try: massfarmersmarket.org

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

You're forgetting Boston's frosty northern climate: the farmers markets don't get up and running until after Memorial Day, and things don't really start hopping until the end of June. I'm not sure if there even ARE any farmer's markets before then.