Dianne BunisAnthony Levick, owner of Manadnock Berries, sells a variety of berries such as currants, gooseberries along with traditional blue and raspberries, plus preserves and berry sauces, fresh peaches, apricots, at the Groton Farmers' Market.
The word under the blueberry bushes is that this year’s crop is the best in recent memory — certainly the best of the century. Expect a sample of the current crop to be available at the Groton Farmers Market opening on Friday, July 6th. The Market will be open every Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. through October 5th. The Market will be held in the field behind the Barn at 160 Chicopee Row in Groton, just 1.5 miles north of Main Street.
Vendors who have already registered for the 2012 Market include farmers with vegetables, herbs, flowers, plants, fruit, frozen meat, and berries, as well as food products made or processed in the Groton area with local ingredients such as breads, baked goods, honey, eggs, maple syrup, jams and jellies. Returning are a berry farmer and a vendor for spinach-pie and other ready-to-eat specialties, as well as a baker of gluten-free baked goods. Also new this year is the potential for farm-brewed beer and wine sales. The Market has been certified by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and its vendors are eligible to accept WIC coupons and Elder Coupons.
The market will again offer live music supported by the Town of Groton Lecture Funds on most of the afternoons, with several musicians returning from previous years. The exact schedule will be available at the Barn during the first market (and will be posted in The Groton Line when it is available. — Ed.). The Farmers Market is supported by a grant from the Peter E. Bertozzi Trust from the Town of Groton.
This is the ninth year of the Market, which has grown steadily as more customers appreciate the benefits of locally grown food and want to meet the people who produce the foods they eat. Groton has a long and rich history of agriculture which the Williams Barn Committee has worked to preserve, through the restoration of the Barn, silo, and engine shed and through its mission of using the restored Barn for the benefit of the community. Tours of the Barn and walks on the surrounding town trails are encouraged during the market.
