This Year's Braintree Farmers Market Strawberry Festival a Sweet Success

The end of the strawberry growing season was considered a sweet success –topped with real whipped cream – at Saturday's 2nd annual Strawberry Festival in Braintree. 

Sponsored by , a local group dedicated to sustainable living through green initiatives, the festival drew more than 3,000 visitors and hosted more than 20 area vendors at . 

"We did this last year. It was very popular," said Donna Ingemanson, chair of Sustainable Braintree's Farmers Market Task Force. "We have so many vendors who tried to get into the market. We couldn't let in any more." 

From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., visitors were treated to strawberry shortcake and whipped cream courtsey of C.N. Smith Farm, the Farmers Garden hosted an entire tent with strawberries for sale and other vendors featured organic fruits and vegetables, breads, home-made jellies, eggs, honey, and pies, and much more. 

Each Saturday through October, Sustainable Braintree hosts the market, which is a prime venue because of Town Hall's spacious lawn, shade trees, and a long driveway for vendors to set up tents. Saturday's Strawberry Festival was the farmers market that, by any other name, tasted just as sweet.

"It's called the Strawberry Festival because it's strawberry season, but it's getting close to the end of the season. That is why we are celebrating it," Ingemanson said. 

"It's a great turnout today," added Cheryl Edgar, President of Sustainable Braintree. 

"[The farmers market] started out as little seeds. We kept nurturing it. Now, we are victims of our own success," Ingemanson said, adding that the market is successful partly because it is so accessible, and there is little overlap among vendors and the organic products they sell.   

In a unique twist, the festival on Saturday also featured Market Mula, a kind of local currency that customers can use to purchase produce.