Important update for Calareso's Farm Stand shoppers: the farm stand now sells the insanely…read moredelicious Wrap City Potato Chips!!!

Wonderful to support local farms instead of big corporations. Prices are comparable to Whole Foods…read morebut items on sale (example $1.75 for raspberry) are a steal. Did you try a sample of cider donuts on the way in? And did you buy a bag or two on the way out? They make fresh and yummy cider donuts there. Produce are fresh and there are many varieties of plants (hanging plants, herbs, etc). Make sure to grab your plants first before entering the store as the registers are inside. They have own parking lot.

Really nice farmer's market, with a decent selection, and Marblehead prices, so bring your wallet…read more Great Harvest Bread is gone, but A&J King of Salem has replaced it, and they're just plain better. Cheese from West River is great, as is the produce and baked goods from Cider Hill Farm. I can't wait for June. Come early, and be prepared to park far away. It's crowded.

Marblehead Farmer's Market isn't the largest around, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in…read morequality. For one thing, it's one of the few farmer's markets open on Saturdays, which is great for my schedule. On the other hand it means that it's real busy. We've never not been able to get a parking spot at the Marblehead Veteran's Middle School where it's held, but we've had to do the "wait and stalk the lady with the bags" thing. Oh and get there early, but I guess that applies to all farmer's markets; the best stuff goes quick. Most of the vendors are regulars but there are always new people coming and going. Our favorites include the two stalls selling cheese, one from Vermont selling cow and sheep cheese and the other from Mass. selling goat cheese. I forget the name of the goat cheese farm right now, but the lady who makes and sells it is so nice and remembers us from year to year. Great Harvest Bakery (which is located in Beverly) also comes every week with some great bread. There's at least four fruit and vegetable stands, an organic beef stand, an organic pork stand (mmm, great bacon and chops); a Vietnamese farm stand,and more. They also have people selling crafts and usually some kind of entertainment for the kids. It's a real lively family-friendly hootenany. It's not just food shopping; it's a fun excursion. Oh and let's not forget that the fresh fruit and vegetables are fantastic! The market is open Saturdays, June to October, 9 am to noon.

There need to be six stars here…read more Farm Direct Co-op believes in providing people on the north shore with healthy and local food. Truly farm to my table. Folks, they have a coffee share, a pasta share, a meat share, a mushroom share - goes on and on. The fruit is amazing! Service is exceptional. If you need it they get it for you. The nicest humans you may ever meet. Ambiance is smart and ethical business people meet hippies. The best food and the best people. I cannot recommend the team enough - A++ Caveat -- its not inexpensive. Good food that pays local producers fair prices is not inexpensive.

After a several month stint on the FDC waiting list, I became a member this spring and the whole…read moreexperience has been awesome. In case you are not familiar with the co-op thing, members pay a certain amount of money to join the co-op, and in turn, get a bounty of fresh, locally-grown, mostly organic food items each week. It cost me about $600 for the season, and that includes weekly baskets of fruit, vegetables, cheese, and herbs from mid-June to mid-October. It also includes one fall basket and one winter basket. The quality of the food I've received thus far has been amazing. Everything is super fresh and super delicious. We've had everything from bok choy and salad turnips to bell peppers and blueberries, and it's all been outstanding. Plus the cheese! Oh, the cheese. It's all been SO good. There's been goat cheese, gouda, raw cheddar, monterey jack - the list goes on. We've also gotten a couple different types of vinegar from the Herb Farmacy too. Every week brings with it a new surprise. The best thing about being a part of this CSA (other than supporting local farms, the benefits for the environment, the quality, etc) is that the different types of items have forced me to go beyond my comfort zone and try new ingredients. I never would have bought Swiss Chard, for example, at the grocery store, but I've discovered how good it is since getting it through my share. So it's opening up all sorts of new culinary worlds for me. I know there's a pretty serious wait list for next season (at last count, I think they said there were 140 names on it), but if you are looking for a CSA in or around the North Shore (they have pick up locations in Melrose, Salem, and Marblehead every Thursday), check it out!

I think this is the best Farmers Market around. It is Saturdays until 1 in summer and fall…read more I can come away with ingredients for meals, something to eat right away or shortcut prepped meals. They even have protein balls in many flavors for a quick healthy snack. In addition there are lovely breads, jellies and pastries, coffees and juices. I've got gifts both for others and myself there. There is always a community group and some music to add to the atmosphere. Parking can be tough during the first hour or so. There's is plenty of you don't mind a little walk I recommend arriving early, taking a walk around Lake Quannapowitt (3 mi), then grabbing some items at the market.

Amazing place! Great vendors. Good variety. Lots of small business to support. Highly recommendread more

We wait anxiously every year for Marshall's Farm Stand to open for the season. I really appreciate…read moretheir honesty: they tell you whether the produce is their, local, or shipped in. Best of all is their sweet corn. They get it from local Essex County Farms (whenever possible) and they tell you what farm grew it. Always fresh picked, it is SOooo good. Face it, even 24 hours after picking, the sugar in corn has started to convert to starch. They are also one of the few places in the area where you can get Richardson's Ice Cream in a pint or 1/2 gallon tub. The 1/2 gallon is barely more expensive than a 2-scoop cone at the ice cream stands!

Marshall's Farm Stand is located far away from the hustle and bustle of Gloucester and Essex so…read moreit's somewhat hard to find. Depending upon which end of Concord Street you enter, you may not find it. If you go in closer to the beach and fire station, then it's right up the street. If you try from the far end near Essex you'll be in for some turns and bumpy roads. Selection is pretty good. The tomatoes are awesome. They sell a wide assortment of plants and other gardening supplies. They have a nice freezer section with home-made quiche. Fine selection of breads and pastry items, including delicious monkey bread. The place even has a cute cat roaming around outside. The one drawback is that it's not open year round, and last time I was there (last year) it was still cash only. I absolutely hate cash only. No one I know carries enough cash to buy a big order at a grocery store. I'm forgiving of places that have an ATM on sight (like the Clam Box) but when your farm stand is in the middle of nowhere and you're cash only and you have so many awesome items then that's just cruel and bad business. I definitely recommend checking out Marshall's Farm Stand. The selection is very nice for a small farm stand. Just be sure to have some cash handy and don't lose faith if it feels like you've been driving forever- Concord street is a very long street!

I'd place this market in at least top five of Eastern MA markets. And I'm a farmers market…read moreconnoisseur so this is a legit ranking. It's huge by farmer's market standards and has everything you could think of. Aside from the standard selection of veggies and fruits there's flowers, cheese, yogurt, granola, honey, baked goods, sausage, wine, jams, pasta, pasta sauce, pickles, meat, fish, and spice blends. Plus there were three vendors selling ready made food while I was there. If I lived nearby I would be spending every week and a lot of money here. My favorite booth was the Cape Ann Backyard Growers, which is a group of backyard farmers selling their produce. One of the backyard growers was a 10-year old girl who was a better salesperson then most adults. She offered me some rose tea sweetened with honey and told me about all of their products. I ended up buying some dried bayberry leaves (tastes like bay leaves) from her backyard for $1. I swung by Trupiano's sausages because of Jenna A's review and noticed that every minute someone came and bought sausages. Quite a following. Check out Maitland Mountain Farm's pickles- the giardinera (pickled veggies) are amazing. And the flowers she grows are the most beautiful flowers I have seen at a farmer's market. Plus, she sells little boxes of edible flowers. I forget the name of the vendor I got English Muffin bread from but it's very good. If you're a tourist, still check it out like I did. Parking is free at that time and the park is beautiful.

The Cape Ann Farmers Market aims to promote local agriculture and small scale production, help…read moreboost the Cape Ann economy, and forge community ties to propel Cape Ann into a more sustainable future. Okay, sure. Honestly, that's not all that important to me. I come here for two reasons: bread and sausage. My family loves Trupiano's sausage. It was once sold in some local store, but now, you can only get it here at the farmers market or from Trupiano himself. My parents swear that this is the best sausage EVER, so keep that in mind. I, personally, love the baked goods available here. My favorite is Swissbäkers, a bakery out of Reading. You just can't go wrong here. Try the chocolate croissants or the Choco Weggli. But besides the meat and baked goods (and fruits, veggies, fish, homemade jam, honey, etc), they have plenty of other stuff. Activities for kids, musicians, craft booths -- last year, we bought some bag clips from preteen girls who were raising money for cancer. Sweet, right? This year, it'll be open until October 7th. The hours are 3 - 6:30pm every Thursday. If you're a local, definitely check it out. I try to go every week.

Such a cute little market! Came here spontaneously and absolutely loved it! Def a must!read more

I love this market. The produce selection is great, plus there's usually fish, meat, wine, pasta,…read moresoup, bread, and confections for sale. There's cooking demonstrations and live music, and the atmosphere is really fun. I look forward to visiting whenever I'm in town.

Found them on FB & took a road trip up there. With plenty of parking by the produce stand, we went…read moreto town. There were variety of vegetables & baked goods. What we bought if we were a regular supermarket would have cost us over $50. Here got it for $20 & change. Very please we went. Go there & see for yourself.

The growing season has begun.... Peters Farm has always…read morebeen a must for me for buying fresh vegetables and fruit. However moving out of the area changed that. So being that I was in Salem I decided to stop in. It was great to see that they had fresh, leafy lettuce, mint, and radishes. There were some very good looking strawberries. But I passed on them in need of vegetables & herbs. If I'm not mistaken each item I bought was $ 1.00 it just over it. * They do NOT take credit cards... Cash or check only. And just so you know there is no ATM close by that I know of. Anyway, what I got for the amount I paid I feel was a real bargain for fresher produce than at the supermarket! I wish I lived closer... I would stop in 1-2 times a week!