As we walked into the building, we noticed the interesting architecture of the place. It's a very cool building. Once we entered the large auditorium, we witnessed all the people milling around the booths stacked high with freshly baked breads, locally grown root vegetables, and farm-raised meats and seafood.
We stopped at Hi-Rise Bread Company (Cambridge, MA), a local bakery that I know from the summer farmer's market at Dewey Square, in Downtown Boston. I didn't buy anything today, but they had some delicious-looking freshly baked breads for sale! I've purchased bread from them in the past, and been totally satisfied every time!
Moving on through the room, we came across Winter Moon Farm (Hadley, MA), and my goodness, these root vegetables were HUGE! I purchased two giant parsnips, as well as some obese beets, both red and golden. I also picked up a watermelon radish, something you don't see very often, but they are so pretty and delicious, I couldn't help myself. I also noticed their sizable carrots and turnips. I will definitely be looking for their booth in future Saturday shopping trips!
In the corner of the room were a few wineries. Among them, we found Turtle Creek (Lincoln, MA). The three lovely gentleman manning the table offered us a taste of their Riesling, which was delicious. The flavors were wonderfully balanced, yet sweet. This winery has 3 acres of land where they grow their fruit, along with outsourcing from California and New York's Finger Lakes. They assured us that even though some grapes may come from non-local sources, they follow the entire process to ensure sustainable methods. I'm looking forward to taking a visit to their winery in the summer months for a tour and tasting.
We finally stopped to talk with Austin Brothers Valley Farm (Belchertown, MA). They had some lovely cuts of meat, and very reasonable prices, and I will definitely be frequenting their booth in the future. They offered a nice variety to choose from, and I will make them my first stop once I make my new shopping list.
There was a second floor to this extravaganza so we ventured up the stairs to find three more vendors. One of these was a seafood vendor. All they had left when we arrived were some beautiful Day Scallops, but the list of originally stocked items was extensive. Hopefully I can get there earlier in the day next time.
All in all, I think I got a great deal on some abnormally large beets, parsnips and radishes. I'm looking forward to my next shopping list, knowing that this exists. I will certainly stop here before the grocery store, because locally-grown meats and produce always taste better. I thought I was out of luck until the springtime, when farmer's markets reopen, but it looks like I was mistaken. What a great find!!!
The Somerville Winter Farmer's Market runs on Saturdays through March 26th, from 10am - 2pm. Some of the booths even accept credit and debit cards!
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