Belmont Farmers Market Reduces Hours Thursday, Closing At 4 PM

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Photo: The Farmers Market will close easly this Thursday due to the expected high heat temperatures.

The extreme heat wave blanketing Belmont and most of the US east of the Mississippi River will force the Belmont Farmers Market to cut its Thursday operating hours in half for the safety of vendors, volunteers and patrons.

The market will open at its usual 2 p.m. time and run until 4 p.m., closing two-and-a-half hours early.

Temperatures are expected to hit highs in the 100s F and high 90s F on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Due to the heat, there will be no activities at the Events Tent.

The Farmers Market takes place every Thursday at the Belmont Center parking lot, 10 Claflin St.

Belmont Farmers Market Opens For Its 21st Season

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Photo: Select Board’s Carol Berberian cutting the ribbon to open the 21st season of the Belmont Farmers Market

With the official opening of the Belmont Farmers Market on Thursday, June 4, Town Moderator Adam Dash declared, “It’s now officially summer in Belmont.” No truer words could have been spoken.

The day saw 90 degree temperatures under a cloudless sky that had vendors dousing themselves with water and some patrons placing their overheated smart phones on ice as the heat played havoc with humans and machines.

But the conditions did not thwart patrons from flocking to Belmont Center on the first market day of the season. While produce stalls are still weeks away from trucking in the first harvest of vegetables and fruits, vendors did a brisk business selling baked and cooked goods, meat, fish, and beer. The day included music, kids story time with the Belmont Public Library, and information on food security.

“After five months of planning, it’s great to finally be doing,” said Hal Shubin, chairman of the market, at the opening ceremony. The Farmers Market is part of the Belmont Food Collaborative, a nonprofit umbrella organization that includes Belmont Composts, Belmont Helps, Belmont Food Pantry, and Community Gardening. A large component of the Collaborative’s mission is in support of food security.

“A recent report shows that 40 percent of the households in Massachusetts doesn’t always have enough food. Think about what that means for your family,” said Shubin, who pointed out the market started its food assistance program in 2011, raising more than a quarter million dollars in extra money for individuals to buy healthy local food and to support area food banks.

The market also promotes children being involved in the market with its POP Club which allows members $3 a week to purchase produce of their choice.

Among the speakers at the opening was Liza Bemis, a fifth-generation farmer and co-owner of Hutchins Farm, a historic 112-acre organic farm located in Concord that has been a vendor since 2008. She spoke of the importance of the state’s Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) in which SNAP/EBT users are provided extra funds – depends on their household size – to purchase fresh, local fruits and vegetables from participating Massachusetts farmers markets.

“The immediacy of the impact from the HIP program really surprised me,” said Bemis after her operation was certified by the state.

“I had no idea there was such a need in the greater Belmont community, and how many folks wanted to be customers, but hadn’t been able to access our produce. As other farmers became HIP certified, and the program grew in recognition, it was amazing to see how this program could impact both customers and farmers. It was a textbook win-win program, how to get more fresh food into customers’ diets, and how to strengthen the economic stability of local farms by expanding our customer base and increasing our current customers’ purchasing power.”

At 2 p.m., Select Board member Carol Berberian was given the honor of cutting the tomato red ribbon and the opening bell was rung for the first time this season.

As SNAP Funding Runs Out, Belmont Farmers Market Tries To Help The 1,100 Local Residents Who Could See Their Food Security Lapse

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Photo: The red tokens representing the what the Belmont Farmers’ Market matches in federal SNAP funding

The rain had already begun falling on the final day of this season’s Belmont Farmers’ Market on Thursday, Oct. 30. The dank, wet afternoon could have been the reason for the much smaller numbers of shoppers arriving at the market’s long-time home in the back of the Claflin Municipal Parking Lot in Belmont Center.

But the conditions didn’t deter a steady stream of patrons coming to the Market Manager’s tent where red, white, and blue tokens – which resemble poker chips – were being handed out. Soon those markers would be used at the more than a dozen vendors waiting in the rain.

The red plastic vouchers represent he federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – formally known as food stamps – provides a boost in the earning power of each household’s food purchases. Under the BFM’s food assistance program, every week SNAP recipients can have their benefits matched up to an extra $25 to purchase any food items under the program’s guidelines.

“We have an average of almost 60 SNAP transactions every week. And last year, we had almost 300 separate households, families, individuals that came in to get benefits,” said Hal Shubin, the Farmers’ Market manager.

In addition, under the Massachusetts Healthy Incentives Program (HIP), SNAP recipients receive $40 of free produce every month. And the Belmont Food Collabrative created HIP Plus, its own program – those are the blue tokens – which gives anybody who wants it $20 a month to buy fresh food from any vendor.

The programs makes a difference for many patrons who come to the market from late spring to the end of October, said Shubin. “We have had people tell us that they can only eat well because of the match, because they’re getting that much extra money.”

A young man carrying his young daughter in his arms so her shoes wouldn’t get soaked said he hadn’t been to the market “lately” but want to come before the market closed for the season and due to the news he heard over the past few weeks.

“She really likes apples,” he said. “And I wanted to use the [program] before it’s gone,” he said.

The news he heard was as dreary as the weather. Due to a stalemate on funding a national budget, the federal government shut down that began Oct. 1 resulte in the funding for SNAP run out on Nov. 1. The program is used by more than 20 million households representing 412 million people across the country. A typical monthly SNAP payment is approximatley $188 per person, or about $332 per household.

And that number includes Belmontians, said Shubin. The Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance reported in September that, there are almost 700 households in Belmont that receive SNAP benefits, about seven percent of the town’s households.

“That’s about 1,000, 1,100 individuals in those households,” said Shubin, pointing out that while many are older residents, the number includes those who work full-time, new citizens, and children, which makes up nearly 40 percent of recipients nationwide.

“People think Belmont is very well-to-do town. It’s really more of a mix of people than that, and there are people who need help with putting food on the table. And again, not just food, but this is good food that we have here,” said Shubin.

And demand for food assistance is only growing. When the Farmers Market started the SNAP match program in 2011, it matched $1,000 for the five month season. In 2025 it will approach $28,000 “and we haven’t gone through this last day yet. So the need has been going up,” said Shubin.

The BFM’s SNAP match programs helps people in Belmont and surrounding communities. “We had one woman that used to come from Littleton, because we’ve got one of the very best SNAP matches of any Farmers Market around,” said Shubin.

SNAP recipients are not just buying food, “they’re supporting all of these vendors,” said Hal pointing to the tents pitched in the lower parking lot. “I don’t know if it brings the vendors [to the Farmers Market], but it helps to keep them here.”

“I was at [a SNAP] rally at the Massachusetts State House a couple days ago, and one of the farmers which used to in Belmont told how important it was for his business to receive SNAP dollars and supporting the farmers.” With the pressure of commercial and residential real estate development, “all the farms could turn into condo developments or shopping centers. Supporting the farms and the farmers keeps the open space as well, and they employ people. So [the SNAP program] goes really far,” said Shubin.

While a pair of federal judges on Oct. 31 ruled the federal government must use reserve funding to keep the SNAP program running, President Trump has frozen SNAP benefits for the Nov. 1 release date, impacting all who receive SNAP benefits.

A long-time member of the Belmont Food Cooperative, the Market’s parent organization, and market manager, Shubin said while he doesn’t have experience in the federal budget – he’s a software engineer by trade – he has a hard time getting his head around how the country has come to this point.

“We’re non-partisan here, so I’m not going to get into any details. But I can’t tell you why anybody thinks that it’s good to make people be hungry. It’s not even balancing the budget,” he said.

“Where do people go? If they had SNAP benefits and they’ll lose it for, maybe, I don’t know, how long? We don’t know when it’s going to come back. Where do they go? What do you tell people?” said Shubin.

The BFM is attempting to do its part. As the Nov. 1 deadline approached, the BFM created a four-page handout of food pantries, community fridges, meals programs, Meals on Wheels, even a food pantry for pets. It also lists local Winter Farmers Markets that have SNAP and HIP benefits (although the SNAP match doesn’t matter that much until there is a resolution). Brookline’s Allendale Farm will be conducting a free Farmers Market in Jamaica Plain for a couple of Thursdays in November, and looking for other people to join them, said Shubin.

“So folks are starting to help, but you can’t make up for this shortfall,” he said.

Mini Market Makers Adds To Selection At Belmont Farmers Market

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Photo: Some of the participants in the inaugural Mini Market Makers event at the Belmont Farmers Market

There will be more than the standard fare being sold at this week’s Belmont Farmers Market.

On this coming Market Day, Thursday, Oct. 9, besides the cornucopia of fall produce, baked goods, meats and prepared foods, patrons will have the opportunity to purchase hand soap, paper airplanes and … slime from vendors between 8 to 12 years old participating in the Farmers Market’s inaugural Mini Market Makers Day.

Mini Market Makers Day
Thursday, Oct. 9, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The Farmers Market will be open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The Mini Market concept began when Market volunteer Merri Suzuki said her 9-year-old daughter was inspired to raise money for her school, the Carroll School, by selling a rather unique product. “She loves slime,” said Suzuki of the mixture of household items that acts like both a solid and a liquid.

And with the help from her best friend, Suzuki’s daughter asked if they could sell her home made goo at the Farmers Market.

“I had them work on a business plan together to present to the Market Committee, and the committee loved the idea,” said Suzuki.

And that initiative proved to be the impetus that led to five additional young entrepreneurs asking to sell their own crafts at the market, including handmade jewelry, 3-D printed items, crayons, Pride-themed crafts, hand soaps, and paper airplanes. [See the complete list of Mini Market Makers here] Just like Suzuki’s daughter, most of the kids are donating the proceeds to a cause of their choice “which is exciting,” she said.

Using a similar program run by the Lexington Farmers Market as a template, Suzuki said each participant were asked to present a formal business plan once they were accepted, answering questions such as what was the product, why were they doing it, and what was the price point of their product.

As for the Market, “they said ‘let’s give it a try for this one year, and see how it goes,” said Suzuki.

Suzuki emphasizes the goal of this venture is to empower the kids and give them a taste of running a real business.

“When my daughter and her friend were doing their plan for slime, they were like, ‘this is hard!’ We really made it a very short, cut and dry, process, but they still had to answer hard questions, like calculating the profit from their sales.”

On Thursday, the kids will be located at three tables under a vendors tent. Suzuki helped prepare the kids for the big day by answering their questions and will be there to support them during the event. At the end of the day, “we’re going to do lessons learned, like what went well, what didn’t go well, and what would you do differently going forward,” she said.

And the future business leaders were eager to get started, said Suzuki. “The ones that I’ve spoken to so far are very excited.”

If I Were A Bell: Belmont Rings In National Farmers Market Week [Video]

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Photo: Mini bells to ring in National Farmers Market Week in Belmont

Around 2 p.m. on Thursdays from late spring to the end of October, a bell rings in the weekly farmers market to open the day’s activities. For 20 years, the market – which brings a slew of vendors selling produce, baked goods, prepared foods, and sundries – has been a staple of the community, bringing approximately 1,000 patrons to the back of the Claflin Street parking lot in Belmont Center.

This past week, on Aug. 7, the market commences not the ringing of one bell buy with the sound of dozens as nearly 100 mini-replicas were given out to celebrate National Farmers Market Week.

The day’s big event was the dedication of the new storage shed, partly paid through a grant from Mass. Department of Agricultural Resources, and the sponsorship of Belmont’s Hillside Garden Ace Hardware. Hal Shubin, chair of the market committee, invited Gary and Troy DiGiovanni from Ace and Mary Jordan of the MDAR to cut the red ribbon as the clammering of tiny bells could be heard.

But the farmers market, one of the more successful in the state, is more than just a place to buy corn, tomatoes, fish and loafs of bread, said Shubin.

“It’s a place to congregate,” said Shubin. “There’s music, there’s community information, folks have office hours from Town Hall and Beacon Hill. They say that you’re more likely to run into people you know at a farmers market than a supermarket. It’s just a fun place to be.”

Belmont Farmers Market Opens Its 20th Season On Thurs., June 5

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`Photo: Belmont Farmers Market opens for the 2025 season on Thursday, June 5

Celebrate 20 years of the Belmont Farmers Market at its Opening Day on Thursday, June 5, in the Clafin Parking Lot, Belmont Center. The ceremony starts at 1:40 p.m., and the opening bell will be rung at 2 p.m.

The market takes place, rain or shine, on Thursdays in June to Oct. 30, 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (6 p.m. in October).

Special speakers and guests will help start the 20th season with a bang. The ceremony begins at 1:40 p.m.; the opening bell is at 2:00.

The market will host the fourth annual Food Assistance Information Fair to explore its efforts to help feed our neighbors.

Coming back this season is the POP Club, where young shoppers/club members $3 in POP Bucks to buy any produce or food-producing plants that they want! Parents say it helps kids try new foods, and they have more fun at the market. And they’ll enjoy our Activity Days on the last Thursday of each month.

You can contact market reps at https://www.belmontfarmersmarket.org/contact-us

Managing Belmont’s Farmers’ Market [Video]

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Photo: Patrons can find Mirela at the Belmont Farmers’ Market from the first week of June to the last week in October

It’s a not-so-hot summer Thursday as Mirela strolls the Claflin Street parking lot in Belmont Center, where the Belmont Farmers Market is located and where she’s one of the Market’s two managers.

From a small town near Barcelona, Mirela has been giving her time to the Market – one part of the Belmont Food Collabrative – for nearly a decade with its mission to make healthy food part of everyone’s home, said Mirela.

“[The Belmont Farmers Market] is an important part of the community, and I feel wonderful working here,” she said.

Volunteers like Mirela and her staff provide the structure that allows the Market to offer local produce, meat and fish, baked goods, prepared meals, breads, and freshly made goods to more than 800 patrons each week.

Starting in the first week of June and ending the last week of October, Mirela sets up and takes down the stalls and tents used by the Market, makes sure the nearly two dozen vendors are happy and hydrated (with water provided by the Market), and answers a litany of questions from patrons. Mirela also works to find new vendors by visiting other farmers’ markets during the year. 

The Market also provides food assistance to shoppers, including doubling SNAP benefits up to $25 per week and participating in the state’s Farmers Market Nutrition Program, which offers coupons to WIC families and eligible seniors. In 2023, these programs added more than $59,000 to shoppers’ budgets.

Last year, the Market started its free POP Club, targeting the youngest patrons. Each week, nearly 70 kids between 5 and 12 years old are provided $3 in POP Bucks, which can be used to purchase fruit and vegetables—”No cookies!” said Mirela—to make their own healthy food choices and learn where their food comes from while making the Market a fun experience.

And this week the market is asking POP participants how the program is doing with a POP Club Survey

Farmers Market Opens For 18th Season On Thursday, June 6, With Food Assistance Fair

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Photo: Belmont Farmers Market opens for the season on Thursday, June 6.

The 18th edition of the Belmont Farmers Market will get underway at 1:45 p.m., Thursday, June 6 – rain or shine – at its traditional home in Belmont Center’s Claflin Parking Lot. A slew of new vendors selling produce, drinks, prepared meals, baked goods and a while lot more will be available.

The market is open on Thursdays in June to October from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (6 p.m. in October)

The day will be highlighted with the third annual Food Assistance Information Fair and food drive.

This season sees the return of the popular children program: POP Club: The Power of Produce. Enroll your kids in the club, and they get $3 every week to spend at the Market on any fruits, vegetables, or food-producing plants that they want to buy. It’s free for all children between 5 and 12 years old.

Don’t forget bring non-perishable food donations for the Belmont Food Pantry. The pantry will thank you.

Belmont Farmers Market is a project of Belmont Food Collaborative, Inc

Belmont Farmers Market Opens Thursday, June 1 With A POP And A Food Assistance Fair

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Photo: Opening Day for the Belmont Farmers Market is Thursday, June 1.

Mark your calendar: the Belmont Farmers Market will open for the season on Thursday, June 1.

The Opening Day celebration will take place at 1:30 p.m. in the Claflin Street Parking Lot in Belmont Center with a ribbon cutting, a speech and the ringing of the market bell.

The market is open weekly on Thursday afternoons, 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., until the last week in October.

Market favorite vendors are back, bringing produce, baked goods, prepared foods and knife sharpening to Belmont each week. In addition,

In addition, the Just Hummus food truck will be a Market regular throughout the summer.

Opening With A Pop

This year the market will participate in the POP Club, a nationally-recognized program aimed at empowering kids to make healthy food choices and learn where their food comes from. Each week, POP Club members get a $3 POP Club coupon to spend at the Market on fruits, vegetables, or food-producing plants of their choice.

Signing up is simple. If your child is between the ages 5-12, fill out this POP Club form or stop by the Manager’s Tent at the Market to grab a POP Club Passport. Then collect your $3 coupons, get a stamp, and go shopping.

Food Assistance Fair To Inform Shoppers How To Stretch Budget

The Market will host their second annual Food Assistance Information Fair as part of the Opening Day celebration. The fair’s primary goal is informing shoppers about the many benefit programs that can help them stretch their food budgets.

BFM’s food assistance doubles SNAP benefits – formerly Food Stamps – up to $25 weekly for each shopper. They are one of the few farmers’ markets that double Farmers Market Nutrition Program coupons (FMNP) for eligible seniors and WIC families.

The Market’s food assistance program grew significantly in the 2022 season:
• $26,000 in matching funds for SNAP and FMNP, an increase of 60 percent over 2021.
• $22,000 in produce purchased from HIP farmers, an increase of 15 percent over 2021.

Donations from the community and sponsorships from local businesses pay for the matching program, while the Commonwealth reimburses vendors for HIP purchases. Spending those additional funds at the Market also supports local farms and businesses.

The Market is a project of the Belmont Food Collaborative, Inc. BFC is a nonprofit whose goal is education about food and nutrition, and helping families in need get fresh produce.

Editor’s note:

A reader asked: Why does the Belmontonian use “farmers” rather than “farmers'” in the title of the market? Here is an explanation from Kevin Hessel, a top-notched copy editor:

“[Farmers Market] is a descriptive phrase, not a possessive – a market for farmers, not a market belonging to farmers – so there’s no need for a possessive apostrophe, which is the only thing an apostrophe here would seem to indicate. Boys basketball, girls basketball, teachers union, farmers market, etc.”

“Descriptive phrases like children’s hospital (a hospital for children, not a hospital belonging to children) get an apostrophe because the plural children doesn’t end in s, also e.g. men’s basketball, women’s basketball.”

“A complete explanation of the applicable rules is under the apostrophe entry in the Punctuation chapter of the [AP] stylebook.”

Final Farmers’ Market Of The Season This Thursday; Added Venders, Knife Sharpening, Kids In Costumes

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Photo: The final farmers’ market until June.

The final Belmont Farmers’ Market of the 2022 season will take place on Thursday, Oct. 27 in the Claflin Street Municipal Parking Lot (a block from Belmont Center) from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Children that come to the Market dressed in their Halloween costume should stop by the manager’s tent for a special gift bag!

This final market day will have four extra vendors in addition to the normal lineup, for a total of 22 vendors. So empty out those freezers so you have room to stock up on awesome local products. Remember, Thanksgiving is less than a month away.

Siraco Sharpening will also be in the parking lot just outside the market on Thursday. Siraco will be in the parking lot at 9 a.m. for early drop-offs. They’ll sharpen your knives, scissors, garden tools, and more.