Are you still making weekly or bi-weekly stops at your favorite farmers markets? If not, why not? In addition to more local food options, we now have longer seasons to enjoy the fruits of local farm labor.
While some markets close down earlier, at locations like Copley Square, farmers will be hauling great food onto their market stands and setting up for sales until Thanksgiving.
If you are someone who thinks that seasonal markets end after Labor Day, thankfully they don’t. Many Boston-area outdoor markets remain open into October and a few operate until Thanksgiving. Fall is a season of abundance at your favorite farmers market.
Autumn is also a great time to take a longer walk, a bus or subway ride, or even a drive to visit a different farmers market or a nearby farm stand.
Stocking Up
This is the time of year when I stock up on my favorite winter pantry items such as jams, preserves, honey, syrups, and pickles from vendors I may not see over the winter. It’s easier to carry home one or two items a week than to try to do it all in November.
If you miss out on doing this, be sure to check the Boston Public Market. I’ve seen some of my favorite pantry staples available in the area around the Siena Farm Stand. Now I don’t have to worry about running out of Old Friends Farm Ginger Syrup, Kitchen Garden Sriracha Sauce, or Raspberry Infusion Sweet Vinegar from Silferleaf Farm. You’ll also find local honey and other bee-related products at the market’s Boston Honey Company stand. These products make wonderful holiday gifts, hostess gifts, and local surprises when you visit friends in distant places.
Farmers markets that are still open with their closing dates:
East Boston/Central Square: October 19th (Wednesdays)
Cambridge Center (Kendall MBTA): October 26th (Wednesdays)
Mission Hill/Roxbury, Brigham Circle: October 27th (Thursdays)
Charlestown: October 26th (Wednesdays)
South End/SOWA: October 30th (Sundays)
Jamaica Plain (677 Centre Street): November 5th (Saturdays & Tuesdays)
Brookline/Coolidge Corner: November 17th (Thursdays)
Union Square, Somerville: November 19th (Saturdays)
Roslindale/Adams Park: November 19th (Saturdays)
Central Square, Cambridge: November 21st (Mondays)
Copley Square: November 22nd (Tuesdays and Fridays)
Harvard University Farmers Market, Cambridge: November 22nd (Tuesdays)
South Station/Dewey Square: November 22nd (Tuesdays and Thursdays)
Davis Square, Somerville: November 23rd (Wednesdays)
Boston Public Market, North End: Year-Round (7 days a week)
What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?
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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino