Farmer's Market

Waking up early on a school day is something that most of us sit and groan about. Getting up, rushing around like a maniac in order to make it on class on time, for some reason, doesn’t have much appeal. But when my twin-sister comes to visit me in Boston, waking up early on a Saturday morning is definitely worth the struggle.

The phrase ‘the early bird catches the worms’ never really meant much to me growing up and it definitely made no sense while in University, where sleep is considered a luxury. However, after visiting the Farmer’s Market with my sister for the first time during the Summer, I began to understand and appreciate the phrase a bit more as visiting the Market began more frequent. The Farmer’s Market is located near the north end and is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 6am to 6pm. At sunrise, most of the stands are being set up, and I hear that some very dedicated shoppers begin to arrive, but as the day progresses and ten o’clock arrives, the Haymarket it swamped with people trying to find a great bargain. However, by the early afternoon, all that is left is ruined fruit and desperate sellers trying to get rid of their product. But whatever time it is that you choose to go, visiting the Haymarket and walking around is definitely an experience which will usually circulate around some unusual event.

As you walk around the stands, you will find yourself constantly being called to by the sellers ‘Fresh strawberries for only one dollar!’, ‘10 lemons for a dollar!’. Some prices and deals may even shock you, and as you walk up to the stand you’ll think, ‘man, what a sweet deal’. Yet what an experienced shopper will tell you at the Haymarket, is that a whole new battle is about to start.

Trying to buy fruits at the Farmers Market is a great experience here in Boston, as it is in any other place. You’ll be faced with those who don’t want you picking out the produce, those who don’t want to bargain, and even those who may yell at you and claim you have no idea just how great their product is! But once you get the hang of it and learn just how to get what you want, you’ll learn to enjoy the experience tremendously. And while you walk away with $20 worth of fruits and vegetables (a months worth of food) you’ll realize, just how great it was to wake up early in the morning, that is, if you got out of bed!