Make a Date with a Massachusetts Farmers Market

Sponsored by Mass Farmers Markets

Visiting a Massachusetts farmers market in August means diving into the peak of harvest season, as vendors load their stalls with the widest array of fruits and vegetables bursting with color and flavor. But along with the amped-up bounty of summer, you may notice a few other things going on. People of all ages sporting “I Love Farmers Markets” temporary tattoos. Overjoyed kids clutching awards for growing the tastiest tomatoes in the land. State officials and local politicians mingling with the crowd.

These are just some of the signs that the 25th annual National Farmers Market Week has arrived in the Bay State. Highlighting the vital role that farmers markets play in our nation’s food system, the event runs from August 4–10, though some celebrations happen even earlier. When reached by phone in mid-July, for instance, Brockton Farmers Market manager Jon Van Kuiken was busy planning for more than a dozen special guests on August 2, including Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle. This, in addition to the bustle of the market’s Summer Eats kids meal program, a vaccine clinic, blood sugar and blood pressure testing, cooking demos by UMass Extension Nutrition Education, and close to a dozen local vendors (“the most we’ve had since Covid,” he said proudly).

Randle’s visit is a first for the Brockton market, but it’s far from her only appearance during National Farmers Market Week. She’ll be visiting a number of markets to underscore their importance to the Commonwealth—something that Randle, as a fifth-generation dairy farmer, knows firsthand.

“Massachusetts farmers markets contribute to the local food system and serve as a critical food access point in communities, providing local, fresh, and nutritious produce, dairy, meat, and value-added products to consumers,” said Randle, whose department recently awarded more than $200,000 in sustainability grants to farmers market organizations and also launched a Spanish language course for market managers, among other initiatives.

“With over 200 farmers markets across the Commonwealth,” she continued, “visitors can experience the local flavors and culture of the community while supporting farms, fisheries, and small businesses. Each market is unique, and I encourage consumers to visit their hometown markets as well as explore markets across the state throughout the year.”

A Bumper Crop of Fun

In the Boston area, the nonprofit Mass Farmers Markets operates markets in Copley, Central, Kendall, and Davis Squares, as well as the new Fish & Farm Market at the Boston Fish Pier. All will feature special programming for National Farmers Market Week—but for tomato fans, the place to be on August 5 is Central Square, as it hosts its third annual Youth-Grown Tomato Contest. Even as details on the guest judges and chefs were yet to be announced, the enthusiasm of event partners and participants was running high.

“Tomatoes are more than a staple crop—they’re a great marketing tool,” said Liza Bemis of Hutchins Farm, who has previously served as a contest judge. “Like strawberries, local fresh tomatoes have that kind of special appeal that gets people to actually come out to a farm stand or farmers market, which is a big chunk of the battle. And once they’re here, they’re very happy to buy something!”

For this year’s contest, Hutchins Farm donated seedlings for participants to raise, choosing varieties with an eye toward what kids in the city could easily grow in pots or on patios. “Donating 30 to 40 tomato plants was a really easy ask for us, because seeing the kids come back and show what they did with them is incredibly satisfying,” Bemis said.

The tomato contest is also a high point for The Food Project, a Lincoln-based organization focused on youth development, sustainable agriculture, and community-building. Each year it hires 140 teenagers from Greater Boston and the North Shore to cultivate the land it stewards, and to learn how to build a more equitable food system for everyone along the way. One of its areas of specialty is growing tomatoes, which makes participating in the Youth-Grown Tomato Contest a natural fit, said Boston Farms Manager Danielle Andrews.

“Plus, by the time August rolls around,” she said, with a chuckle, “everyone’s usually feeling a little tired. So having the opportunity to pop into a celebration that somebody else is organizing, but that lets our youth bring a piece of the work they’ve been doing—that’s important for morale. They always come back from the contest feeling boosted by it. And we’re definitely a place that works to incorporate fun and celebration alongside the hard work.”

Andrews added that having The Food Project be a partner in the tomato contest shows how one good cause can help another. “MFM Executive Director Edith Murnane and her staff do an awful lot of work to support affordability at farmers market. So I’m always excited to help with projects they’re doing, because they uplift farmers and low-income consumers in a way that really resonates with me.”

Common Ground

Even while feeling the excitement of the upcoming National Farmers Market Week, farmers market representatives around the state described the connections between local producers, farmers markets, and communities as something to celebrate year-round.

On Cape Cod, the Truro Educational Farmers Market will hold a ceremony on August 5 to mark National Farmers Market Week with MDAR Commissioner Ashley Randle and featuring the Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers. The theme will be “Food as Medicine”—which is an especially meaningful idea for Francie Randolph, founding director of Sustainable CAPE, which runs the Truro and Provincetown markets as well as helps other Cape & Islands markets with food-access programs.

“It’s not just that food is medicine, it’s that local food is medicine,” said Randolph, who is working with Mashpee Wampanoag lead educator Kitty Hendricks-Miller on the event. “Food that is grown with care and in regenerative soils has a much higher nutrient density. So knowing that your neighbor farmer grows this food—and how they grow this food and why they grow this food—plugs you into a much greater system that’s not just about where to get your food, but also how you can take care of your own health and your community’s health.”

At the Brockton Farmers Market, meanwhile, manager Jon Van Kuiken stressed the importance of providing fresh local food to those who might not otherwise be able to afford it. “There are some farms around Brockton, sure, but the market is a great, centrally located place for low- and moderate-income people who have SNAP benefits to come and buy farm-fresh produce,” said Van Kuiken, whose market also processes SNAP reimbursements offered by the state’s Healthy Incentives Program (HIP).

Another kind of food-access program that’s been picking up steam is the kid-focused Power of Produce (POP), which the Andover Farmers Market is planning to pilot during National Farmers Market Week. Youngsters who participate in POP programs receive tokens or other “fun money” they can use to buy food from farm vendors (who are reimbursed in actual money afterward). “The goal is to encourage them to buy their own fruits and vegetables,” said Amy Ferraro Whitsett, marketing manager for the Andover Farmers Market. “And the idea is that if kids actually pick something out, they’re more likely to eat it.” Then she added, with a laugh: “In theory, at least.”

Looking at National Farmers Market Week more broadly, Whitsett described it as a sort of primetime for Andover market organizers to get their messages across. “We’re going to showcase our volunteers, because a lot of people don’t understand how much work it takes to make the market happen,” she said. “And we’re going to be highlighting our core values: health, building community, food justice, economic development, and environmental sustainability.”

Last but not least, they’ll be sharing the simple joy of being at a farmers market. “There was a study that showed how at a grocery store, you might have just one or two positive social interactions, but at a farmers market you’d have more like 10,” she said. “So, it just makes people happier!”

National Farmers Market Week | MA Highlights

Brockton Farmers Market
National Farmers Market Week celebration kickoff with Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle and other state and local officials, starting at 11 am Friday, August 2

Central Square Farmers Market
Youth Grown Tomato Contest, 3-5 pm Monday, August 5

Truro Educational Farmers Market
National Farmers Market Week celebration kickoff with Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle and featuring the Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers, starting at 10 am Monday, August 5 

Copley Square Farmers Market
Musical Performance by Silk Road, 3:30-5 pm Tuesday, August 6

Davis Square Farmers Market
Fermentation Day, all day Wednesday, August 7

Kendall Square Farmers Market
Foodie Bike Tour, Thursday, August 8

Fish & Farm Market at the Boston Fish Pier
Seafood Throwdown Chef Duel, noon-2 pm Saturday, August 10