It's finally here!
TODAY is the grand opening of the public market that we've all been waiting for! Finally, Boston gets its own year-round indoor market.
I've always been jealous of other cities that have great public market spaces, like Seattle's Pike Place Market, Philadelphia's Reading Terminal, and San Francisco's Ferry Building.
Now, finally, FINALLY, Boston gets its own.
This public market is special and different from most public markets in that it's the first public year-round market to have 100% of the products locally sourced.
Celebrate New England!
I had a chance to stop by the soft opening last night and I must say, I am REALLY impressed. It looks fantastic. There are many vendors selling all sorts of really high quality products. After all, around 300 vendors applied for the coveted 40 permanent spots in the market. Since it's a year round market, vendors had to show what kinds of creative produce they would serve during New England's notoriously cold winters.
The result is a very carefully hand-selected list of exceptional vendors with locally-focused products.
It's a food enthusiast's dream.
I was thrilled with the variety and quality of the products. Fresh fruits, summer vegetables, pasture-raised meats, local honey, artisanal cheeses, chocolates, and much, much more.
There are seven local farms selling produce inside the Public Market: Corner Stalk Farm, Harlow's Vermont Farmstand, Red Apple Farms, Corner Stalk Farms, Silverbrook Farms, Stillman's Farms, Lakeside Organics, and Siena Farms (where I get my CSA!).
At Red Apple Farms, not only do they sell cider, they fry up fresh apple cider doughnuts and pass out free samples! These were soooooo good. Heh, I ended up buying a dozen to take back with me!
There are two bakeries inside the market. Pictured above: a delectable selection of creative doughnuts (maple bacon or orange creamsicle anyone?) from the ever famous Union Square Donuts in Somerville, MA.
You can also get French style bread and pastries from Mamadou's Artisan Bakery in Winchester, MA.
I was so impressed with the quality and variety of meat vendors in the market. I saw a lot of pasture-raised meats, house made sausages, and all sorts of cured hams, salamis, and the like. There were plenty of free samples, and they were really tasty!
In total, there are four meat vendors in the market that sell everything from grass-fed meat and house-cured bacon to charcuterie and handmade sausages: Daniele (Rhode Island), Chestnut Farms (Hardwick, MA), Lilac Hedge Farm (Berlin, MA), and Stillman Quality Meats (Hardwick, MA).
If you'd rather have seafood, check out Red's Best from Boston, which sells classic New England favorites (fried seafood, clam chowder, lobster rolls and the like), as well as a solid raw bar offering.
It was hot outside yesterday, and thus I was excited to see ice cream from Crescent Ridge (Sharon, MA)!
In fact, there are four businesses that sell dairy products: Crescent Ridge (Sharon, MA), Cellars at Jasper Hill (Greensboro Bend, VT), Appleton Farms (Ipswich, MA), and Wolf Meadow Farm (Amesbury, MA).
For beer, look no further than Hopster Alley (Newton, MA), which has a great selection of local beer, handcrafted spirits, and hard cider. There's also the Massachusetts Farm Winery and Growers (Westport, MA) for wine, George Howell Coffee (Acton, MA), and Mother Juice for healthy juices (Cambridge, MA).
And then there are the numerous specialty product vendors, who really add personality to the market, like Nella Pasta (Quincy, MA) who sells interesting fresh pastas like Sriracha Casarecce (pictured above). The moment I walked up, they had just made their first batch of gluten-free pasta, made from a mixture of buckwheat, quinoa, and brown rice.
Q's Nuts (Somerville, MA) sells all different types of sea salted nuts sold by the pound.
I totally fell in love with the gorgeous wooden bowls from Peterman's Boards and Bowls (Gill, MA).
I couldn't resist trying some free samples from Somerville's Taza Chocolate.
All in all there are ten specialty vendors in the market: Taza Chocolate (Somerville, MA), Soluna Garden Farm (spices and teas from Winchester, MA), Mange (fresh fruit vinegars from Somerville, MA), Sweet Lydia's (handcrafted sweets from Lowell, MA), Nella Pasta (Quincy, MA), Q's Nuts (Somerville, MA), Stow Greenhouses (fresh flowers from Stowe, MA), Peterman's Board and Bowls (Gill, MA), Boston Honey Company (Holliston, MA), and American Stonecraft (stone bowls, slabs, etc from Lowell, MA).
If you want prepared foods, check out Inna's Kitchen (Jewish deli from Newton Center, MA), Beantown Pastrami Co. (deli sandwiches from Gloucester, MA), Noodle Lab (Japanese ramen and Shanghainese handmade noodles from Jamaica Plain, MA), Boston Smoked Fish Company (smoked seafood from Sudbury, MA), and Bon Me (Vietnamese-inspired cuisine from Boston, MA).
There's even a fun play area for kids. Check out the awesome plush vegetables!
Finally, there is a large, 3,200 square feet public kitchen that will hold cooking demos, lectures, family activities, and more.
Stay tuned!
Details
The easiest way to get to the market is to take the T to Haymarket Station. It's pretty much right at the station. There is also a parking lot right at Haymarket.
Boston Public Market
100 Hanover Street
Open Wednesdays to Sundays 8AM to 8PM, all year round!
I can see this quickly becoming a new must-visit destination for any food tourist coming to Boston. Not only is the market fun to peruse, it represents such a diverse selection of unique and special New England products.
Definitely come check it out!
