Featured Stories & Articles from Cape Cod Travel Magazine: Farm Stands on Cape Cod

Even though Cape Codders have been farming this land for centuries, the Cape is far more well known for its fresh seafood. While visitors may be familiar with our fried clam plate, the famed Eastham turnip, well, not so much. Yet local growers have long realized that this sandy peninsula could yield a stellar product.

With richer soil near the mainland, farmers on Upper and Mid Cape farms have focused on traditional crops and grazing animals. And with much sandier soil, Outer Cape farmlands were more agriculturally-challenged. So these farmers figured out which crops would not only survive, but actually thrive, including asparagus and those sweet-tasting Eastham turnips.

Today, with land at a premium, the Cape’s farms are not as plentiful as they once were, but the local food movement is helping to change that. From roadside farm stands to full-fledged farmers’ markets to working vineyards, one can find the local ingredients for a memorable Cape Cod meal. Whether you are looking for a healthy snack for the beach or the fixings for a traditional clambake, it’s here.

The list of locally harvested products, and goods made with them, is lengthy. From spring greens to autumn squash, the season runs from May through November and includes: lobster and many varieties of fish and shellfish, lamb, eggs (including quail), honey, asparagus, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, peaches, corn, peas, potatoes, garlic, squashes, tomatoes, beans, jams and jellies, various wines and, in the fall, cranberries, turkeys and the Eastham Turnip.

UPPER CAPE
Buzzards Bay Farmers’ Market
70 Rte. 28, Buzzards Bay
Open Fridays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., July through October.
Takes place in the shadow of the railroad bridge spanning the Canal. Perfectly situated for a walk or bike ride afterward.

Bay End Farm
200 Bournedale Rd., Buzzards Bay

508-759-8050

Open Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., late June thru mid-October.  An organic farm started in 1906 located a mile from the Bourne Rotary.

Falmouth Farmers’ Market
Peg Noonan Park, Main St., Falmouth
Open Thursdays 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. from mid-June thru late October.

A great in-town location, right behind the public library, with a memorable playground nearby.

 

Coonamessett Farm
277 Hatchville Rd., East Falmouth

508-563-2560

Open April 1 thru Christmas. Hours in high season are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Another pick-your-own farm with a huge variety of vegetables and fruits with day or seasonal passes charged in addition to produce. They also have a restaurant and farm stand along with a variety of farm animals on-site.

 

Sandwich Farmer's Market
Village Green on Rte. 6A, Sandwich
Open Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., mid-June thru mid-October.

Located about a half mile east of Sandwich center right across the street from the fish hatchery, a kid-friendly place where they can feed the fish.

 

Crow Farm

192 Rte. 6A, Sandwich

508-888-0690

Open May thru Christmas, Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sun. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the high season, call for hours in the cooler months.

Selling homemade baked goods along with a variety of fruits and vegetables.

 

 

MID-CAPE

Mid Cape Farmers’ Market
232 Main St., Hyannis
Open Wednesdays 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., mid-June thru early September.

Right in downtown Hyannis with great shopping and restaurants and the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum.

 

Osterville Farmers’ Market

155 West Bay Rd., Osterville

Open Fridays and Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., mid-May thru mid-October.

Located on the two-acre grounds of the Osterville Historical Museum.

 

Cape Cod Organic Farm

3675 Rte. 6A, Barnstable

508-362-3573

Open Monday thru Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from June thru October.

The largest organic farm on the Cape, with a variety of seedlings, vegetables, fruits and eggs.

 

E&T Farms

85 Lombard Ave., West Barnstable

508-362-8370

Open Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call ahead for live fish orders.

They have greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers seasonally, and aquaponic greens, live tilapia, honey and beeswax candles year-round.

 

Kelly Farm

Rte. 6A & Marston Lane, Cummaquid

508-362-8136

Open July 1 thru Oct. 15 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

A farm stand with a mixture of organically grown items, along with baked goods and jellies. Phone in with orders for organic pies and produce.

 

CapeAbilities Farm

458 Rte. 6A, Dennis

508-778-5040

Open May through December, daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Prize-winning tomatoes are picked daily and the farm stand is stocked with a mixture of their own and other local fruits and vegetables along with heirloom tomatoes, pepper and flower plants.

 

Tobey Farm
352 Rte. 6A, Dennis
508-385-2930

Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day from late April thru Christmas Eve.

Lots of their own fruits and vegetables and hayrides starting Columbus Day Weekend until October 30.

 

Hart Farm Nursery & Garden Center
21 Upper County Rd., Dennis Port
508-394-2693

Open daily from the beginning of June until Thanksgiving, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Huge garden center open since 1947 with a seasonal farm stand featuring a variety of home-grown and native produce and native corn picked daily.

 

LOWER CAPE

Orleans Farmers’ Market
Old Colony Way, Orleans
Open Saturdays 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., mid-May through Columbus Day Weekend.

The longest running farmers’ market on the Cape with lots of various individual sellers.

 

Satucket Farm Stand
76 Harwich Rd., Brewster

508-896-5540

Open every day Memorial Day thru Labor Day, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Selling fruits and vegetables and a variety of baked goods from area bakeries.

 

Dry Swamp Bog

22 Great Oak Rd., East Orleans

508-255-1081

Open June thru October, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

A farm stand selling blueberries and a variety of their own vegetables along with Eastham turnips and cranberries in the fall.

 

OUTER CAPE
Provincetown Farmers' Market
Ryder Street, Provincetown
Open Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. from mid-May through December
Located in the heart of Provincetown between Pilgrim Monument and the pier with various individual farmers selling their produce.

 

Rich’s Farm Stand

124 Rte. 6, South Wellfleet

Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from late June thru late October,

Located right in front of the last working Outer Cape cranberry bog, selling local produce and, in the fall, cranberries and Eastham turnips.

 

 

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