On a recent Saturday morning, after coffee at the Charles, I was struck by the beautifully displayed fruit and vegetables in one of the farmers market stalls on Mt. Auburn Street.
I asked the proprietor if it would be OK to take some photos, then, like every other visitor to the stand, asked him what on earth those shiny pale white, pink and reddish berries were. 
One customer guessed elderberries, but the proprietor, Frank Buso, said they’re currents ($4 a pound). Buso said he grows them–and everything else in the stand–at his farm in Lincoln– located on Battle Road in the Minuteman National Park. [Click here for Minute Centennial Celebration events]. 
Busa’s is one of a handful of farms leased at very low cost (approximately$25 an acre) from the Park itself. The goal,according to Park spokesman Lew Sedaris, is to help preserve the scene of the 1775 Revolutionary War battle fought in Lexington, Lincoln and Concord –much as other national parks preserve their natural settings.
Busa started his Lincoln farm two years ago–after his family sold its farm, also called Busa’s, in Lexington. Now, Busa sells fruits and vegetables at farmers markets in Bedford, Lexingtonn Arlington and Cambridge.
Compared with Haymarket–where you take a chance
on freshness– Busa’s and the other Harvard Square stands are a bit pricey–$4 for a pint of blueberries, $2 for a head of lettuce, a bunch of scallions or basil. Hot peppers are 5 for a dollar, and tomatoes go for $3.00 a pound. But everything at Busa’s looks delicious. Although I’d already done my shopping for the week, I found the stand worth visiting for both the conversation and the view.
Photos and text c. Anita M. Harris, 2009.
–Anita M. Harris
New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group of Cambridge, MA. We also publish Harriscomblog.
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