Boston’s Haymarket runs on Fridays and Saturdays on Blackstone Street. It’s hard to miss with the white canopies and masses of people all out vying for cheap fruit. Obviously, hay is no longer something you’ll find here, but they certainly have an impressive assortment of produce. Nearby is the Faneuil Hall Marketplace, where you’ll find a variety of prepared food, bread, meats, sweets, and wares.
Historically, people have been meeting on Blackstone Street to buy and sell food since Boston was in its infancy; the buildings behind the market have been used by butchers since the 1660s. Officially, the market has been in existence since 1830.
I have to say that the Haymarket is one of the more lively places I’ve been to buy fruit and vegetables… and cheap!
People are haggling left, right and center… and the little old ladies out with their white wire pull carts and ancient shopping bags were better at bartering than some of the people I witnessed in India and Morocco. And I… the person who can barter rickshaw drivers down to the skin of their teeth… was gobsmacked by their skill.
One man was giving away clamshells of strawberries for $2 but no one would take them because his price was too high! When the dust settled, the ending price was $1. I’m still gobsmacked and ashamed to say what I would pay for strawberries in Canada.
P.S. We’re in Boston.
