Peaking Peaches, Basil and Corn at Belmont Farmers Market

Photo: Peaches are peaking. 

August abundance continues at the Belmont Farmers Market. There’s peaches and blueberries for breakfast. Tomatoes with basil, mozzarella and fresh bread for lunch. And corn on the cob with a green salad for dinner. Perhaps with hamburgers and sausages from the grill. All this and more is available on Market Day this week.

 
The Belmont Farmers Market is open from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays throughout the summer until the final week of October. The market is located in the municipal parking lot at the intersection of Cross Street and Channing Road in Belmont Center.

Schedule of Events
  • 2 p.m.- 3 p.m.: Magic by Ryan Lally
  • 2 p.m.- 5 p.m.: Belmont Public “Pop-up” Library
  • 3 p.m.- 3:30 p.m.:  Yoga for Kids by Groundwork yoga + wellness
  • 4 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.: Storytime by the Library
  • 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.: Music by The Hoot Owls
Monthly and occasional vendors at the market this week are:  
Carlisle Honey, Carr’s Ciderhouse, Soluna Garden Farm.

Weekly Vendors: 
Boston Smoked Fish Co., C&C Lobsters and Fish, Dick’s Market Garden Farm, Fior D’Italia, Flats Mentor Farm, Foxboro Cheese Co., Gaouette Farm, Goodies Homemade, Hutchins Farm, Kimball Fruit Farm, Mamadou’s Artisan Bakery, Nicewicz Family Farm, Sfolia Baking Company, Stillman Quality Meats

Events, Demonstrations for Kids at the Belmont Farmers Market

Photo: Belmont Farmers Market.
 
The Belmont Farmers Market has an afternoon filled with activities for children on this market day with a clay demonstration for adults and children, story time  and food-related fun with ChopChop magazine.
 
The market is open from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays throughout the summer and lasting until the final week of October. The market is located in the municipal parking lot at the intersection of Cross Street and Channing Road in Belmont Center.

Schedule of Events:
  • 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Belmont clay and glass art studio Indigo Fire will demonstrate clay work techniques.
  • 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Story time. The Belmont Public Library is back for their weekly story time with stories and songs about farms and food.
  • 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Kids cooking magazine ChopChop will be leading fun, food-related activities for kids, as well as giving away seed packets and copies of the magazine.
Weekly Vendors: Boston Smoked Fish Company, C&C Lobsters and Fish, Dick’s Market Garden Farm, Fior D’Italia, Flats Mentor Farm, Foxboro Cheese, Gaouette Farm, Goodies Homemade, Hutchins Farm, Kimball Fruit Farm, Mamadou’s Artisan Bakery, Sfolia Baking Company, Stillman Quality Meats.
Monthly and Occasional Vendors: Carlisle Honey, DC Farms Maple Syrup, Westport Rivers Winery. 
Food Truck: Jamaica Mi Hungry.

Early Summer Harvest at Belmont Farmers Market

Photo: Early in the season. 

The Belmont Farmers Market is open Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The market is located in the Belmont Center Municipal Parking Lot at the intersection of Cross Street and Channing Road

At the market today, Thursday, July 9:

Weekly vendors: C & C Lobster & Fish, Gaouette Farm, Mamadou’s Artisan Bakery, Dick’s Market Garden, Fior d’Italia, Stillman Quality Meats, Boston Smoked Fish Co., Goodies Homemade, Sfolia Baking Company, Hutchins Farm, Kimball Fruit Farm, Foxboro Cheese Co., Flats Mentor Farm, Nicewicz Family Farm, Westport Rivers Winery

Guest vendors: Carr’s Ciderhouse, Seta’s Mediterranean Food, Spindler Confections, Soluna Garden Farm.

Food Truck: 
Jamaica Mi Hungry.

Performances in the Events Tent
• 4 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.: Storytime, sponsored by the library
• 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.: Sara Fard, music educator and local performer
• 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.: Arlington Philharmonic Chamber Players

Tastings in the Events Tent:  Savinos Grill, in Cushing Square, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Belmont Food Pantry:
 The Farmers Market collects non-perishables to help those who use the Belmont Food Pantry. Please bring something to the manager’s tent.

Traffic: Belmont Center construction will affect traffic, but the Market is open.

A Decade of Fresh Food, Belmont Farmers Market Opens Season

Photo: Sophia Ries, 5, rings the Market Bell as the Belmont Farmers Market starts its 10th season on Thursday, June 11, 2015.

The weather in Belmont Center on Thursday, June 11 – hot, hazy sun with temperatures nearing the 90s – was more suitable for a midsummer afternoon in the tropics than your typical late spring day in New England.

But it wasn’t just mad dogs and Englishmen willing to go out in yesterday’s midday sun. Dozens of Belmont residents flocked to the Claflin Street municipal parking lot where a small encampment of vendors welcomed the opening day of the 2015 Belmont Farmers Market.

To officially mark the market’s 10th year, Heli Tomford, founding president of the Belmont Farmers Market, joined the market’s Tomato mascot – this year, it was Sophia Ries, granddaughter of one of the market manager, who showed four fingers and a thumb when asked how old she was – for the ribbon cutting and the ringing of the Market bell. 

With a “snip” of the big scissors and a wonderful fanfare by trumpeter Ned Searls, Belmont’s weekly market opened for the season that runs until the last week of October. The market is open Thursdays, rain or shine, from 2 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.

This year’s collection of vendors is a mix of the reliable favorites – such as Kimbell Fruit Farm,  Fior D’Italia and Mamadou’s Artisan Bakery – and new businesses including Fille de Ferme and Carr’s Ciderhouse, as well as Belmont-based providers such as Goodies Homemade, Leslie Wolf Baking, Seta’s CafeSfolia Baking CompanyToltec Coffee and the Underwood Greenhouses

Each week brings a slew of new entertainment, from musicians, artists, story tellers, as well as one of the market’s favorites, the talented young magician, Ryan Landry. 

Speaking of the market’s success – with an ever growing number of vendors and customers – Tomford said a great deal has to do with “the change in our public mindset on what we eat.”

With young people and families more conscious of what they feed themselves, there is now a preference for locally grown or made produce and staples, she said. 

Tomford – who recently returned from teaching English at a Buddhist monastery in Myanmar (formerly Burma) – compares eating well to owning a high-performance vehicle. “We have this wonderful machine, your body, but you will not get the best performance if you fill the tank up with regular gas. You need to use the [premium] kind.”

Tomford noted that the market is run through the Belmont Food Collaborative, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization created to promote good health through access to fresh and local food. 

“The market is not just for the benefit of our vendors and ourselves, but to benefit the greater community,” she said, pointing to the market’s acceptance of SNAP benefits up to an extra $25 per Market day.

“Everyone should have access to good food,” said Tomford.

Final Farmers Market of the Season Today; Have an Apple! Sharpen Your Knives

The Belmont Farmers Market bids adieu to its ninth season as it holds its final market day today, Thursday, Oct. 30.

Come down and say goodbye to your favorite vendors. Stock up for the winter. Stop by the Manager’s Tent for a free apple and fill out an survey card: Tell the organizers what you like about the Market, write a note for a vendor and say what changes you’d like to see at the market next season.

The Belmont Farmers Market is located in the Belmont Center parking lot at Cross Street at Channing Road.

The market is open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

This week’s guest vendors include Sugar + Grain, Fille de Ferme, The Amazing Smokehouse and Seasoned and Spiced. Find all the weekly vendors here.  

Siraco Sharpening Service returns for a final visit. If you’re going to be cooking or carving pumpkins, you’ll want sharp knives! And you can put your gardening tools away sharp for next year. But, please, don’t bring lawnmowers. For big items, go to Siraco’s drop off sites which includes the quilt shop on Brighton Street.

The food truck is Benny’s Crepe Cafe.

IN THE EVENTS TENT

• 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.Face Painting with Amber Espar.

• 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Story time thanks to the Children’s Room of the Belmont Public Library.

• 4:30 p.m to 5:45 p.m.: Joe Zarro, Belmont resident and pastor of the Plymouth Congregational Church, will be singing and playing the guitar.

Help the Belmont Food Pantry by bringing non-perishable items each week. Find out about the Belmont Food Pantry, and see how the Market supports it.

Rain? Today Remains the Penultimate Market Day in Belmont This Season

It may be the second straight week in which it’s raining on Thursday but that will not stop the vendors and staff of the Belmont Farmers Market from showing up for the penultimate Market Day of the 2014 season.

The Belmont Farmers Market is open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Belmont Center municipal parking lot at the corner of Cross and Channing.

It might be late October, but there is plenty that’s “in season” at the market today: acorn squash, amaranth, apples, broccoli, carrots, chard, collards, cucumbers, delicata squash, eggplant, garlic, kale, onions, parsley, peppers, potatoes, pumpkin greens, radishes, scallions, summer squash and turnips.

Occasional vendors Bedford Blueberry Goat Farm, Coastal Vineyards, Matt’s Amazing Smokehouse, Seasoned and Spiced and Soluna Garden Farm join the regulars this week: C&C Lobsters and Fish, Carlisle Honey, Dick’s Market Garden, The Farm School, Fior d’Italia pasta, Flats Mentor Farm, Foxboro Cheese Company, Goodies Homemade, Hutchins Farm, Kimball Fruit Farm, Mamadou’s Artisan Bakery, Nicewicz Family Farm, Sfolia Baking Company and Stillman’s at the Turkey Farm.
In the Events Tent:

  • Music by Bridget Curzi; 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Storytime; 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Clay demo and “clay play” by Indigo Fire; 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Rain Won’t Stop Today’s Belmont Farmers Market

While rain is on the way, the Belmont Farmers Market will take place today, Thursday, Oct. 16 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Belmont Center municipal parking lot at the corner of Cross Street and Channing Road.

The fall harvest is under way with apples. pears and root vegetables in abundance.

Guest vendors today are Westport Rivers Winery, DC Farm Maple Syrup, Sugar + Grain, Underwood Greenhouse, Seasoned and Spiced, joining the weekly vendors.

There will be no food truck this week.

In the Events Tent

• Face painting for kids and adults with Belmont resident Amber Espar from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

• Storytime in the Events Tent
 will tales about food & farms, for preschool and older children, 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• The Hoot Owls return to play old time string band music, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Got Ideas for Next Year’s Farmers Market? Find Out How to Help

The Belmont Farmers Market ends on Oct. 30. And the Belmont Food Collaborative has begun thinking about the next season. Do you have suggestions or comments? What did you like? What would you like to see changed? The Collaborative is interested in all comments. You can reply here, or use the “contact-us” page on our website to send a private message.

The Belmont Farmers Market is located in the town center parking lot at Cross Street at Channing Road. The market is open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

This week’s guest vendors include: Turtle Creek WineryThe Amazing SmokehouseSara Ran Away with the SpoonSoluna Garden Farm and Bedford Blueberry Goat Farm. And find all of the weekly vendors here.  

The food truck is Benny’s Crepe Cafe.

IN THE EVENTS TENT

2 p.m. to 3 p.m.: Bridget Curzi returns to sing and play guitar, 2:00 – 3:00.

3 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Fred Astaire Dance Studio demo by two professional dance teachers.

4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Story time thanks to the Children’s Room of the Belmont Public Library.

4:30 p.m.: Ryan Lally, one of Boston’s rising young magicians returns with magic for kids and adults.

Help the Belmont Food Pantry by bringing non-perishable items each week. Find out about the Belmont Food Pantry, and see how the Market supports them.

Final Four: Last Month of Thursdays at the Belmont Farmers Market

It’s the final month of market days in Belmont as the Farmers Market’s last day is Oct. 30, so take advantage of the bounty while you can. Stock up on apples, and make and freeze pies that you can pull out and bake mid-winter.

In season are pumpkins, winter squash, and apples as well as the bounty of the late summer harvest: acorn squash, amaranth, apples, broccoli, carrots, chard, collards, cucumbers, delicata squash, eggplant, garlic, green beans, kale, mint, onions, parsley, peppers, potatoes, pumpkin greens, radishes, raspberries, scallions, summer squash, tomatoes, turnips, and zucchini.

This week’s occasional vendors are Belmont Municipal Light Department, Sugar + Grain and Seasoned and Spiced which join the market’s regular vendors.

There is no food truck this week.

The Farmers Market is located in Belmont Center parking lot at the intersection of Cross Street and Channing Road.

October Farm Share Event

The Belmont Food Collaborative (parent organization of the Belmont Farmers’ Market) is hosting its Second Annual Fall & Winter Farm Share Fair in Watertown on Thursday, Oct. 16.

You can share in fresh produce throughout the winter months. There is a wide variety of produce available and a farm share is a great way to take advantage of getting it “fresh from the farm.” The Fair will be held at the Watertown Public Library, 123 Main Street, Watertown, from 5:30–7:30. Among this year’s vendors are: Boston Organics, C&C Lobsters and Fish, Farmers to You, The Food Project, Pioneer Valley Grain CSA, Red Fire Farm, Shared Harvest CSA, and Something GUD. Visit belmontfarmersmarket.org for updates on this year’s line-up.

In the Events Tent:

The Hoot Owls, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: This old-time string band is back for its third appearance this season, with Ruth Rappaport on guitar, Celeste Frey on banjo and Don Stratton on fiddle.

Eight Thumbs Sax Quartet, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Members Andy Didonato on baritone sax, Phil Norris on alto sax, Murray Burnstine on tenor sax, and Ed Biggs on soprano sax have played together for decades in various musical groups, forming “Eight Thumbs” in 2005.

Storytime 4:00 – 4:30 pm
All tots welcome to hear stories about farms and food.

SNAP Benefits and Belmont Food Pantry

The Market accepts and doubles SNAP benefits up to $25, so spread the word so that more can take advantage of fresh food. Also, bring nonperishables to the Farmers’ Market tent to benefit the Belmont Food Pantry. Check the Food Pantry’s web site (https://sites.google.com/site/thebelmontfoodpantry/) for what’s needed. Collection at the Market tent is weekly.