Fenway Park is the oldest and most famous stadium in Major League Baseball. The stadium was built in 1912 where it has been home to the Boston Red Socks. It is a very well known stadium for baseball, concerts and much more. But what you might not know is that it has a rooftop farm.

Fenway Farms Fresh Produce opened in 2015 and provided fresh and organically grown fruits and vegetables to the restaurant and concessions inside Fenway Park. They grow everything from carrots and broccoli to strawberries and kale. The rooftop farm produces 6000 pounds of produce each year.

For the chef’s at the stadium this farm is a dream come true. Executive Chef Ron Abell says ” It’s the best product around” and “he’s spoiled”. On any given day he can whip up any kind of new dishes or sides. They are delicious and healthier than your typical stadium food.

The Farm is located on the third floor of the stadium behind the third baseline. There are 2400 square feet of growing area available and it is located only 100 feet from the kitchen.

Fenway Farms was actually not the first produce grown in Fenway Farms.  Back in 2000 the then pitching coach for the Red Socs John Cumberland planted 18 tomato and basil plants in the bullpen. He was doing this to try to reverse the teams “World Series drought”. The team ended up winning the World Series 4 years later.

While much of the produce goes to feeding the fans at Fenway Park, the farm has also partnered with Lovin Spoonfuls, a local charity that saves fresh food from being wasted and gives it to local meal programs. The farm donates it’s excess produce. This is so important because an estimated 20 percent of families in Massachusetts have food insecurity.

Lovin Spoonfuls partners with many farms and grocery stores to bring fresh food to people who may not otherwise have access to the fresh produce. They are working to eliminate food waste in the Boston area. Each day they pick up perishable food that otherwise may have been deemed unusable but is actually just excess food that would likely get thrown away. They then transport it to non profits and programs to give the food to the people who need it.

Places like Fenway Farms and Lovin Spoonfuls are so important because 1 in 3 Massachusetts residents is food insecure and eats very unhealthy because they simply cannot afford fresh healthy food. This is a very serious issue in Boston and the United States that we need to start addressing more.

What Fenway Farms is doing is a great start to combating these serious problems our country faces and bringing fresh food to Boston.