Nice Tomatoes!

From Left to Right: MDAR Commissioner Ashley Randle, and Tomato Slicing Category Winners- Langwater Farm

Tuesday Massachusetts agricultural officials joined commercial tomato farmers from across the state on the plaza of the Boston Public Market for the Commonwealth’s 39th Annual Tomato Contest. Designed to raise awareness of locally grown produce during the peak harvest season, this year’s contest drew 108 entries from 24 farms located across Massachusetts. Several winners hailed from MetroWest and MetroSouth, though none from from Medway or Franklin.

“Late summer is the peak harvest season in Massachusetts which includes tomatoes that our growers have spent a lot of time and effort to produce one of the most delicious local crops available to consumers,” said Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) Commissioner Ashley Randle. “The time is now to visit a farmstand or farmers market and take advantage of so many varieties of fresh locally grown tomatoes. We thank the New England Vegetable and Berry Growers Association for their continued collaboration on another successful event, and to the Boston Public Market for always being such great hosts for this contest that shines a bright light on our fruit and vegetable farmers.” 

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, MDAR Commissioner Randle announced that the top prizes went to farmers from Langwater Farm in North Easton, Freedom Food Farm in Raynham, Russell Orchards in Ipswich, and Ward’s Berry Farm in Sharon.

“As always, the Boston Public Market is honored to host MDAR’s annual Tomato Contest and offer these incredibly hard-working, dedicated farmers a place to showcase the bounty of their labor,” said Cheryl Cronin, CEO of the Boston Public Market. “In New England, we count down to tomato season all summer long and we’re thrilled to celebrate and honor our local farmers.”

“Growing tomatoes in New England can be hard, growing really good tomatoes is even harder, but our farmers start planning their tomato crop when there’s still snow on the ground for the next year,” said Trevor Hardy, President of the New England Vegetable and Grower’s Association. “The best compliment is when a customer says, ‘These taste like the tomatoes from my grandmother’s garden when I was a kid.’ Our tomatoes don’t have to travel very far to get to our customers so we can grow unique heirloom varieties meant for shipping, and for customers, it can be a real summer treat.”

The contest is sponsored by MDAR, the New England Vegetable and Berry Growers Association, and was hosted by the Boston Public Market Association. Massachusetts farmers produce approximately 5.9 million pounds of tomatoes a year on 739 farms and 520 acres of land. This crop is currently valued at about $10 million. Consumers can find farmer's markets, farm stands, and other opportunities to buy local produce here. 

Below are the 2024 Massachusetts Tomato Contest Winners: 

Slicing Category: 

Cherry Category:

Heirloom Category:

Heaviest Category: