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THE BRIGHTON FARMERS MARKET: bringing community together and increasing food access

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Katie Delaney

Oct 11, 2023

 

            On a warm October afternoon, the sound of banjo and singing filled the air at the weekly Brighton Farmers Market. The market drew large crowds of people of all ages to the Brighton Common, eager to shop locally, grab food, and enjoy the great outdoors.  

            “We aim to come here every single week,” shopper Lynette said, grocery cart in tow. 

            Each Wednesday from 2-6:30 p.m. from June through October, the Brighton Farmers Market brings the community together to shop for locally grown produce, sustainable meats, specialty foods, and more. Since 2016, the market has been helping small businesses, getting people access to healthy foods, and promoting sustainability.

            The market is run by the Allston Brighton Health Collaborative, a public health nonprofit that works to improve community health and access to food and other resources. Jessi Rubin, the Farmers Market Manager at ABHC, said “the farmers market is really a gathering space for community residents.”

            At the market, dozens of kids colored the sidewalk with chalk, while adults browsed the selections, chatted, and listened to the live music. 

            Farmers markets can bring a community together, and can help local farmers and sellers by giving them a direct connection to customers to sell their goods. 

            One such local farmer is Daniela Marquez. She and her husband run Whitemarz Farm in Lunenburg, MA and have been selling at the Brighton Farmers Market for three years. On this Wednesday, she was selling flowers, apples, mushrooms and pumpkins—what’s left in the fall season. 

            “We really like that we can talk with the people and see what they think,” Marquez said. “I really enjoy the environment, like it's really friendly. Everybody's having good vibes, supporting local businesses.” 

            Corinn Colford is a different kind of vendor at the farmers market—she’s an artist. Through her business, Corinn’s Creations, she sells her paintings and upcycled items, like cow-print flower pots and painted mason jars. Many of her sales are online, but she much prefers being in-person, at places like the market where she can connect with people and do live painting. 

            “It's cool to see people walk by and get their reactions and they actually get really curious and ask questions,” Colford said. “I always try to make art more accessible to people like this.” 

            For customers, shopping at farmers markets is also a more sustainable way to shop than buying from retail stores. On average, food travels over 1,000 miles from the point of production to a retail store, while farmers markets only allow vendors to sell food produced within 200 miles, some only 50. Reducing this distance helps decrease the carbon emissions from transportation, and keep food fresher. 

            Local produce is typically picked within 24 hours of being sold, making it more nutritious and better tasting. Shopper Chris said he likes that the food at the market “hasn’t been sitting on the shelf for weeks or months before it gets to us.”

            Jessi Rubin said that shopping from local farmers is a great way to support local, sustainable agriculture. “Every dollar goes towards that local grower continuing to operate every year so they can sustain the land that we live on, and properly grow the food that we need to sustain ourselves,” she said. 

            Farmers markets can also help fight food insecurity, providing communities with healthy food. One of the key goals of the Brighton Farmers Market, according to Rubin, is to increase food access, particularly for low-income individuals.

            In Boston, all SNAP shoppers can take part in the Healthy Incentives Program. Through this, they can earn a dollar-for-dollar match on their EBT card when they buy fresh fruit and vegetables, making it easier for lower-income people to shop locally and have access to healthy produce. 

            “The farmers markets really become a place for people that didn't always think they could access farmers markets,” Rubin said. 

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