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 |