Beat The Heat with Mass Farmers Markets

Belmont Farmers Market shoppers enjoying their fresh popsicles!

Record temperatures...Heat warnings throughout Boston and much of Massachusetts... IT'S HOT.

 

Last week represented the longest stretch of heat since the 80s! Temperatures held steady in the 90s every day and it felt far worse in Boston and areas set away from the coast.

When it’s this hot outside, how do you deal with it? 

 

Ice cream, Frozen yogurt, Popsicles.... anything from a freezer sounds like a good plan to us!

Despite the high temperatures, Massachusetts Farmers Markets have held strong. Everyday vendors bring their fresh produce and homemade products to markets so that you can still enjoy the spoils. Now more than ever, take the time to visit your favorite market or vendor to thank them for their dedication. Then buy some fresh fruit, because we have just the thing for you...

Homemade Popsicles!

You can make popsicles quickly and easily with just a few items and even fewer steps. All you’ll need is fresh fruit of your choice (Raspberries,blueberries or peaches are in abundance at the markets for the next few weeks!), sugar, optional lemon juice, and molds of some sort (you don’t need fancy molds either, small cups and popsicle sticks will yield perfect single serving fresh fruit popsicles). 

 It's Super Easy to Make Your Own Popsicles: 

1. Prep your fruit: If you’re using fresh berries, just wash and remove any stems. Stone fruits, remove the pit and consider removing the skin too if you want to ensure a very smooth consistency. For any kind of melon, remove the seeds. 
2. Fill a blender with all of your fruit and blend until smooth.
3. Add about a tablespoon or two of sugar to sweeten and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to enhance the flavor, then blend again.
4. Fill your molds with the fruit mixture and freeze until frozen solid. Note: If you’re using small cups with popsicle sticks, freeze for about 45-60 minutes to allow the fruit to begin to set before placing a popsicle stick in the middle.

 

Who's selling Fruits at MFM's Farmers Markets This Month?

• Dick's Market Garden: peaches, raspberries, and blueberries
• Farmer Al: blueberries (both pints and humungous buckets full)
• Kimball Fruit Farm: raspberries and stone fruits
• Hamilton Orchard: blackberries, blueberries, stone fruits, pears, and apples
• Cook's Farm: blueberries, currants, gooseberries, peaches, and raspberries
• Foppema: apples, apricots, currants, gooseberries, stone fruits, raspberries
• Hanson Farm: blueberries, melons, peaches, raspberries
• Nicewicz Family Farm: apples, stone fruits, blueberries
• Bug Hill: currants and raspberries

 

What’s your favorite kind of popsicle? Let us know in the comments!