2016 Massachusetts Tomato Contest Draws 88 Entries
Farmers from Sharon, N. Easton, Tewksbury, Holliston and Pepperell take top honors
at 32nd annual event
BOSTON – August 24, 2016 – Massachusetts environmental officials joined tomato
farmers from across the state today at the KITCHEN at Boston Public Market for the
Commonwealth’s 31st Annual Tomato Contest. Designed to increase awareness of locally
grown produce, this year’s contest drew 88 entries from 16 farms.
After the entries were judged by a panel of food writers, chefs, produce experts and
state officials on flavor, firmness/slicing quality, exterior color and shape,
Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR) Commissioner John Lebeaux announced that
the top prizes went to farmers from Sharon, N. Easton, Tewksbury, Holliston and
Pepperell.
«The Tomato Contest is a great, fun tradition that helps strengthen consumers’
awareness of Massachusetts-grown produce,» said Secretary of Energy and
Environmental Affairs (EEA) Matthew Beaton. «Despite facing challenges due to the
ongoing drought conditions, Massachusetts farmers are still growing high-quality
produce, as shown by the outstanding tomatoes entered in today’s competition. I
encourage all Massachusetts residents to support their local farmers by buying
locally grown food products.»
«The annual Tomato Contest is a great opportunity to celebrate our growers from
across the Commonwealth,» said DAR Commissioner John Lebeaux. «Our farmers and food
producers grow the highest quality products and today were able to showcase some of
their most flavorful, plump and tender tomatoes right off the vine.»
In addition to the presentation of awards, today’s Tomato Contest included a Healthy
Cooking Demonstration by UMass Extension, tomato tasting and information on
nutrition and local farms. The contest is sponsored by DAR, the New England
Vegetable and Berry Growers Association and Mass Farmers’ Markets and was hosted by
the Boston Public Market Association and Trustees of Reservations.
«This tomato contest is a great opportunity to showcase farmers from across the
Commonwealth who produce nutritious and local food all season long,» said Senator
Joseph A. Boncore (D-East Boston). «The contest is also a great way to support our
hard working farmers, while highlighting the versatility of the KITCHEN in the
Boston Public Market.
«We are thrilled to host the Annual Tomato Contest for the second time at the Boston
Public Market,» said Cheryl Cronin, CEO of the Boston Public Market. «The Market was
developed to support our region’s agriculture and give local farmers more
opportunity to reach the Boston audience and showcase their beautiful produce. Our
mission is to provide healthy food to our community and educate the public about
food sources and nutrition — this tomato contest is a great example of the
programming that we offer our customers each day at the Boston Public Market.»
«We are excited to hold MDAR’s Annual Tomato Contest again this year in The KITCHEN
at the Boston Public Market. As a founding partner of the Boston Public Market, The
Trustees educates Massachusetts residents and visitors about the benefits of eating
seasonal food, supporting local agriculture and promoting healthy living,» said
Lieza Dagher, Trustees’ Program Director of The KITCHEN at the Boston Public Market.
«We are delighted to partner with the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural
Resources to showcase to our community in downtown Boston the diversity of flavor,
color, shape and size of tomatoes grown by farmers across the Commonwealth.»
Of the more than 7,700 farms in Massachusetts, 759 annually produce more than 9.2
million pounds of tomatoes on 685 acres with a value of approximately $12 million.
Consumers can find farmers’ markets, farm stands and other opportunities to buy
local here
Massachusetts Tomato Contest Winners, 2016
Slicing Category
Place
Farm Name
Town
Variety
1
Ward’s Berry Farm
Sharon
Black Velvet
2
Langwater Farm
N. Easton
BHN 1021
3
Langwater Farm
N. Easton
BHN 589
4
East Street Farm
Tewksbury
Rocky Top
5
East Street Farm
Tewksbury
BHN 589
6
Ward’s Berry Farm
Sharon
BHN 589
7
C & C Reading Farm
Bryantville
Big Beef
8
Brox Farm
Dracut
BHN 589
9
Farmer Daves
Dracut
BHN 589
10
Farmer Daves
Dracut
Rocky Top
Cherry Category
Place
Farm Name
Town
Variety
1
Langwater Farm
N. Easton
Sungold
2
East Street Farm
Tewksbury
Tumbling Tom Red
3
Ward’s Berry Farm
Sharon
Sungold
4
Stillman’s Farm
New Braintree
Black Cherry
5
C & C Reading Farm
Bryantville
Sunsugar
6
Farmer Daves
Dracut
Sungold
7
Brox Farm
Dracut
Green Tiger
8
Langwater Farm
N. Easton
Sunpeach
9
Still Life Farm
Hardwick
Pink Tiger
10
Still Life Farm
Hardwick
Sun Sugar
Heirloom Category
Place
Farm Name
Town
Variety
1
MacArthur Farm
Holliston
Yellow Brandywine
2
Kimball Fruit Farm
Pepperell
Mortgage Lifter
3
Ward’s Berry Farm
Sharon
Striped German
4
Five College Farms
Hadley
Cherokee Purple
5
Kimball Fruit Farm
Pepperell
Cherokee Purple
6
Five College Farms
Hadley
Striped German
7
Five College Farms
Hadley
German Johnson
8
Langwater Farm
N. Easton
German Johnson
9
Sienna Farms
Sudbury
Striped German
10
Harper’s Farm & Garden
Lancaster
Arkansas Traveler
Heaviest Category
Weight
Farm Name
Town
Variety
Weight
2.68
Kimball Fruit Farm
Pepperell
Mexico
2.68
2.45
Langwater Farm
N. Easton
Striped German
2.45
2.26
Ward’s Berry Farm
Sharon
Striped German
2.26
1.97
Harper’s Farm & Garden
Lancaster
Brandywine
1.97
1.83
Red Fire Farm
Granby
Striped German
1.83
1.77
Ladybug Farm
Hubbardston
Oxheart
1.77
1.72
East Street Farm
Tewksbury
Amana Orange
1.72
1.68
Brox Farm
Dracut
Amana Orange
1.68
1.64
Farmer Daves
Dracut
Striped German
1.64
1.36
Five College Farms
Hadley
Striped German
1.36