Central Square Farmers Market

This farmers market was tiny tiny tiny. Situated in parking lot just besides Central Square, there were maybe 10 vendors? Idunno but all the farmers markets I’m used to are much larger than this one! I was fairly disappointed when I came.
Don’t expect to do all your grocery shopping at this farmers market but maybe if you just have a couple things you’re looking for and you know the vendor is here!

Lots of produce! They even have brussel sprouts still on the sprouts (TIP: not worth the hassle — annoying to cut, difficult to clean, ended up cutting myself fairly badly).
There’s also Union square donuts and a booth that sells fresh pasta — their beet pecorino ravioli is delicious.
Produce is only slightly more expensive than hmart.

I’ve been coming to this farmer’s market for a few years now. It closes at 6pm so it can be a tight squeeze to make it back from work, but even if it’s 5:50 I can usually run by and grab a few apples, tomatoes, corn, beets, etc. It would be great if it was open til 6:30pm.
There is a variety of produce (in addition to above: squash, grapes, onions, potatoes, all sorts of lettuces, herbs, peppers) at this market along with bread and baked goods, cheese, pasta, chicken, eggs, and fish. For anyone getting off at the Central Square T stop this is a convenient pit stop. It’s located behind the H-​Market is — there is usually a sign by the T exit telling you to take a left for the farmers market.
The prices are pretty reasonable. Definitely worth a stop by.

I love this local farmer’s market! The only major downside is that it’s located in a parking lot, which on a summer day means it gets a lot hotter than if it was on the grass like Harvard’s and the lettuce tends to wilt super fast because of this. Everything else is pretty fantastic though. The vendors are incredibly helpful and often remember me from week to week and season to season. Once you hit end of June, the produce is plentiful until the market closes in November.
Don’t just barrel through here. Walk around, talk to the vendors, and ask them how they would prepare it something that’s new to you. One season doing this will turn you into the one everyone asks what a random veggie is at your local overpriced restaurant. Score. Btw, this market doubles your EBT dollars if you have it and lets you use credit cards (go to the market manager)

It’s sooooo small! But what’s there is bangin’. Pretty much everything there is organic, and in pristine condition. The chicken guy is a little too pushy, but the chicken is juicy and succulent. The maple syrup is awesome, they have a couple of unusual options such as a light grade A, my favorite the deep grade B, and a rich and sulfurous grade C. It’s worth a visit.

I was strolling through here one Sunday morning, fairly hungover and grumpy, but then I came to the Farmers Market! Free wine samples?! YESSS!
Then I came across the fresh pasta and organic tomato sauce… YESS!
I bought the sauce… some garlic pasta (it was light green colored)…some fresh bread… i held off on buying wine. and I got some flowers for my kitchen.
The pasta/​sauce/​bread were reasonably priced, and were excellent! The wine was very well priced and very yummy. All the people working at the stands were SO nice, they made me want to hangout there all day.
I heart Farmer’s Markets.– Try the fresh pasta.

CENTRAL SQUARE… YOU’LL FIND ME HERE…
and here’s Why YOU Should Visit Your Local
Farmers Market for Fresh Baked & Fresh Grown Food!
BUY DIRECTLY and you’ll save cash
because the farmer doesn’t have to pay the store.
TIP: Sorry, but you have to read my other Farmers Market Reviews
to discover my MONEY MAKING TIP. Your fellow Unilocalers
reported my reviews for having the same TIPS repeated in them!
(I SAY TO THEM…“Get A Life”…Someone elses. *smile*)

$ 2 a pound for Heirloom Tomatoes? Yes please! I would stop by on a Monday afternoon for these alone. They are wonderfully tasty and cheap compared to Whole Foods and markets of that ilk. While you’re here stop at the old asian couple’s table (I forget the name). The supply a variety of tasty treats for a quick lunch. The curry puffs are bomb! A little on the spicy side when they are fresh but taste great nonetheless.
The downfall of the market is the size. It is pretty small and they don’t have that great of a variety. But, if you live close to Central you should definitely have it on your shopping to-​do list every week!

i love it i love it i love it! i am hoping this will be the only supplement to my CSA share that i need… if i can remember to get there every monday.
the meat vendor was not there this week due to a death in the family but i’ll be buying from them shortly. all of the other farms represented here are awesome and there’s also chocolate, bread, locally-​made hummus and pita, flowers, and of course all of the fabulous fruits and veggies you could ask for. look for «no spray» or «chemical-​free» because lots of them use organic practices but don’t pay for the certification.
if you can’t find anything outside (like mushrooms, today, though there are wild-​gathered sometimes!) then head in to harvest to round out your meal-​planning.
go!

I loved this one — follow my reviews of various fresh markets in the area and you will learn quickly what’s good and what’s not worth it. Fresh markets are so expensive, and this one is moderately priced and VERY diverse.
1. Tomatoes — oh, how I love 4 – 5 varieties — I buy one of each so I can have a delicious salad and they don’t go bad, so I can eat all I buy.
2. Delicious breads — some even without yeast, mind you. Lovely and inexpensive. I found the ones at the Arlington fresh market too pricy.
3. Various other produce (delicious yellow plums, fantastic salad ingredients, and AMAZING melons whose smells waft into the room as you pass by because it’s perfectly ripe and delicious and ready)
So friendly, so wonderful — so many lovely samples of homemade chocolate, homemade hummus, the mediterranean dips and so on).

Great farmers market with the best prices on tomatoes yet. Amazing heirlooms in all colors, just waiting for a trip home to your kitchen where they will make you very happy in a fresh salad or a simple sandwich with lettuce, mayo and maybe some bacon. Bunches of fresh basil and arugula will tempt you will their amazing scents and freshness. Bread, fish, jams and jellies, cheese and more are waiting for you to discover their rich, local goodness.
While there is a lot of wonderful corn, there are some customers who shred the husks off and toss them on the ground, throwing back an ear if they do not like what they see. This is really annoying for the rest of us.
Very friendly people work here, often offering free samples, including the local wine, lemon cake and pasta sauce.
My only concern with this market is the total chaos surrounding one of the vendors who evidently engages in some bartering. There are often twenty or thirty ladies mobbing this one spot, especially in the earlier hours, yelling and shouting. You can hear them before you see them. It must be hard for the other farmers.
Local farmers need our support, and we need this yummy goodness during our brief harvest time. Liven up your visit to Central Square with a dose of local goodness.

I was writing a review of the Farmer’s Market in Union Square and realized I hadn’t reviewed this one yet. I used to go every week before I moved away from Central. They had a great selection of produce and a convenient location, right behind the Harvest Co-​Op, buy your farmer’s market stuff and then head to the Co-​Op for the rest. The other thing that this market had that I haven’t found at others in the area yet was fresh eggs.

Why, oh why, is there such a dirth of organic growers at Boston’s farmers markets? Central Sq is no different. One organic farm is there, which sells lovely produce, but I’d love to have a bit more variety. And I would be especially thrilled if an organic fruit farm came in!

Love that each Monday this wonderful market takes over a parking lot just a few short blocks from my apartment. From delicious produce & veggies, to freshly baked breads, to farm-​fed meats & fabulous wildflowers, they’ve got you covered. I love supporting the local community in my ‘hood and our farmers market is no exception. I’ll be sad when they pack up for the winter but can’t wait to greet them when the city thaws and spring rolls around… but I’m glad I bought my last haul of incredible swiss chard, crisp apples, and fantastic crusty bread to tie me over :)

Shaina’s Fabulous Pad Thai and many other veggie filled dinners have been inspired by this quaint little Farmer’s Market.
A+++ on location, and actually, I like the size too. I feel like I am in my own private grocery aisle. The vendors are awesome, giving me one carrot for free or one leek for like 40 cents if I ask real nice. The patrons are pretty cool too. One girl told me her recipe for stuffed pumpkin blossoms and I shared some of my mint with her. It’s an incredibly friendly and quaint neighborhood market and they always have pretty much everything there is to offer for the season. Also, the bums mostly keep outside of a 30ft. radius, which I sort of appreciate. (No offense, bums.)
Oh also, there is a meat person! And a soap person! And some bread people and plant people! So yeah! It’s not just veggies here, folks.
And if they don’t have what I need, I can always grab two or three ingredients (rice noodles, peanut sauce, etc.) in the Harvard Co-​op next store.
Don’t make me work till six, boss-​man! The farmer’s market closes then and I need my vegetables to stay strong. Pretty pretty please?

This is my local farmer’s market
It’s just a couple of blocks away and I never miss it if I can help it
This year there are more vendors and way more shoppers than I’ve ever seen before.
I miss Farmer Steve, but I’ll muddle through somehow…
Yay, the word is spreading!!!
See you there :-)

I just made a big phat batch of pesto with the two massive green bunches of basil I got at the Central Square Farmers Market and it is
Fantastic. The Arugula I got is quite spicy and crunchy too.
I purchased three medium basil plants too, which were a great deal
at 3 $ each. I forget the name of the farm, but the two young ladies working the produce table were very nice.
I don’t want this place to blow up too much, I love first pick! But, hip hip hooray for the season of the full blown Mass Farmers Market!
-

Although small, this market is composed of helpful and friendly farm stands. During the summer months, I am able to purchase all of my weekly fruits and vegetables at a higher quality than I could get at a commercial grocery store and for much less. Pretty and Tasty Heirloom tomatoes for $ 2.00 a pound!
On a number of occasions, the people operating the stands have invited me to sample their produce. What do those miniature plums taste like? try one! What about this corn; it looks a little skin? (Hands me a whole ear of corn) Try it! Fresh corn is amazing ! And she was right.

It may not be the biggest farmers market or even my favorite (that would probably be Davis Square) but it is getting better and better. Kimball Farm is probably my favorite all-​around farm, and Keown Orchards does the best apples of anyone when the season approaches. Farmer Al from Jamaica is so funny, and then there’s the Asian veggies which I’ve never even tried (by the time I get there, I’ve used up my shopping budget). This week there was a meat and eggs vendor, so life is complete — haven’t tried it yet, but it looks great. Hutchins Farm is there as well, and although I’m not insistent on organic, their lettuces and corn are really delicious.
It may not be enormous, but I don’t really need five of every type of farm — these farmers grow some great stuff. It’s also a more interesting crowd than a lot of other farmers markets.

Now the question is would I appreciate this place so much if I didn’t live a short walk away? The answer is a definite no. But my stars are warranted because these farmers acknowledge that despite all the wacko people milling about in Central, there’s also part of the population that interested (though perhaps equally as crazy) in supporting local agriculture and organic produce.
I’ve noticed that my veggies go droopy much quicker here in Boston than they did in Cali which I attribute to the shipping times etc. So buying groceries here works for me as things are cheap and fresh even though the selection is limited. They have several stands offering a good range of green stuff, from spinach to kale, sugar snap peas, herbs and cucs. There’s also a bakery stand (stay away from the Russian poppy seed bread, just a warning.) My favorite is the same day picked strawberries which are just bursting juice out of their thin, seedy skins. I’ll see you here with my canvas tote on Mondays!