A reminder for you locavores that the Lowell Farmers’ Market is on hiatus this week since the JFK Plaza is set-up for music, food and dancing at the 2015 Lowell Folk Festival. Open on Fridays from 12-5pm, the Farmers’ Market will be back on schedule next week with “Earth Fest” as the theme of the day.

When out and about this morning I stopped at the Farm Stand on East Street in Tewksbury where I purchased tomatoes, peppers, fresh raspberries and a peach/raspberry pie from Sweet E’s Pie & Cake in Chelmsford.

 From Farmer Dave’s East Street Farm Stand, Tewksbury

Even with these weekly farmers’ markets happening in just about every city and town and thanks to Mill City Grows – in Lowell’s neighborhoods, the traditional farm stands – open most days of the week – still have loyal customers. Time was – before the trendiness – that many families relied on farms stands for fresh seasonal produce and specialties. When we moved to North Tewksbury (44 years ago this month), I became a regular at Strawberry Hill down the road on Rte. 133 in Andover for vegetables, hanging plants and farm-grown flowers. Growing up in the 50s on Burnham Road in outer Belvidere, there was Mary’s farm stand right at River Road so convenient for us… corn was her main crop! The Brox Farm stand on Rte. 113 in Dracut was a favorite for my mother… although she enjoyed driving about (well, riding as she didn’t drive) to pick and choose certain things in certain places. Out Rte. 110 in Chelmsford was a spot for peaches, in the Fall it was Drews in Westford for apples and cider and on to other stands in Pepperell, Groton and elsewhere. Tomatoes, green beans, lettuces, fruit… whatever caught her eye! She picked blueberries and strawberries herself for many years. Her pies, short cakes, blueberry cakes and hand-cut fruit salads were the best! Funny how food triggers wonderful memories.

From the Lowell Farmers’ Market…

Whatever your choice – to plant and grow your own produce in a home or community garden, to frequent the weekly farmers’ markets, pick-your-own, or be a regular at the local farm stand… from the Merrimack to the Connecticut – Massachusetts locally-grown is a lure for locavores and families looking to eat healthy. Do check out the information for the Farmers’ Markets on Thursdays in Chelmsford, on Saturdays in Tewksbury and for the Mill City Grows Mobile Market.

Mill City Grows tent at the Lowell Farmers’ Market at JFK Plaza