Somerville Downtown Farmer’s Market

June 7, 2012

Today I had the opportunity to check off one of my summer goals.  My cousin and I grabbed a quick lunch at Stewart’s and then headed to Somerville for their downtown farmer’s market.  I had never been to an outdoor street market, but it was fun!  It was nice knowing that what we bought was all locally grown/made.  The vendors were nice to talk to and we got a learning experience while we were there. 

At Stony Hill Garden and Farm Market, I bought a variety of locally grown fresh vegetables like kale, arugula, radishes, asparagus and red potatoes. 

At Bamboo Hollow Honey Farm, we got to sample a variety of delicious local honey.  We got to learn about where the honey came from, how the bees pollinate and I got a lesson in straight bee pollen.  I purchased some buckwheat honey and honey sticks in a variety of flavors.  The buckwheat honey is very interesting.  It’s dark in color and high in antioxidants.  It’s not a sweet honey.  The flavor is definitely unique, but I imagine it’ll be delicious in my Asian cooking and teriyaki sauces. 

We got to sample some limeade frozen treats from Baby Bear Organic Baby Food and Frozen Treats.  I would have loved to try their strawberry basil and frozen hot chocolate pops, but we had other places to go so frozen pops wouldn’t have traveled well in a hot backseat.  However I was told they delivered!  I will definitely check into that.  We bought some vegan baked goods at Ester’s Treats.  I got a vegan raspberry-peach muffin that I can’t wait to have for breakfast tomorrow! 

From the farmer’s market, we left for Westfield.  I bought mango-passion fruit margarita mix from Williams-Sonoma.  Then we went to Alan’s Orchard so my cousin could pick up her fresh box.  Alan’s sells locally grown and organic foods.  I got some Griggstown feta and spinach chicken sausage.  I wasn’t sure Mike would like it at first, but we had it over the weekend and he commented on how good it was.  I also bought a small bottle of raspberry apple juice and a carton of blueberries.  We then walked to Trader Joe’s where I completed my food shopping list and then some.  We rounded off our trip with Starbucks and then headed home.

Dinner tonight was delicious!  I had marinated pork chops in Lawry’s Steak & Chop marinade and threw them on the grill with the fresh asparagus I bought today.  I’m honestly looking forward to my leftovers tomorrow!

After a successful trip to a farmer’s market, I can’t wait to visit others and see what a variety of local vendors have to offer.  It doesn’t get any fresher than your own backyard.

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