🧀 Where you can buy cheese, soap, and pie

💦 PSA: The Frog Pond Spray Pool opens on the Common today! You can stop by to cool off every day from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. this season (can personally confirm it’s not just for kids).

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first...

If you’re walking down the street with a tote bag filled with honey, soap, and farm-fresh cheese, there’s a 99% chance you just went to your local farmers market.

With the summer harvest in full swing, Boston.com put together the ultimate guide to farmers markets in Greater Boston. So pack your reusable bags. Here’s where to go:

🎶 Brighton Farmers Market. In addition to bringing Brightonians over 30 local vendors selling farm fresh meat, fish, bread, cheese, produce, and more, this market is also home to the Concerts in the Common series, where you can listen to live music and take an outdoor yoga class. Bonus: They provide access to free compost. And the market is within walking distance for most Brighton residents. Here’s the full vendor list.

🥖 Copley Square Farmers Market. You know it’s spring when this market hits the plaza outside the BPL. It’s the biggest and the busiest one of Boston’s farmers market scene, with many vendors taking both SNAP and HIP benefits. And while it’s main focus is on food, they sometimes feature artisans selling goods like sheep’s milk soap and reusable produce bags. You can see the full vendor list here.

🍐 Chinatown Farmers Market. This market at Auntie Kay and Uncle Frank Chin Park on The Greenway is loaded with Asian goods, including winter lemons, longan fruit, and roasted pork buns. This collab between Chinatown Main Street and the City of Boston's Office of Food JusticePlus is all about giving low-income residents access to healthy, local food (and Boston residents receiving unemployment benefits can qualify for a $75 coupon booklet to the market).

👀 Want more? Here’s the full list of farmers markets that Boston.com readers love.

💃 We’re giving away a $100 gift card to Barre Groove! To be eligible, refer a friend below and have them accept your invite between June 26 and 29. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and they’ve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below*

🍳 It’s Boston cream pancakes vs. banana bourbon French toast. South Street Diner and North Street Grille will go head to head at Quincy Market on Wednesday as part of a segment for Good Morning America’s “United States of Breakfast.” And the owners are siblings — the drama! Three local judges and the audience will crown the winner who will go on to compete against victors in Philly, Houston, and Cleveland. You can watch the competition on GMA from 7 to 9 a.m. on Wednesday, or try to catch a peek at Quincy Market.

🍷 Boston has some of the world’s best restaurants for wine. Wine Spectator just dropped its 2023 list of Restaurant Awards, honoring over 3,500 dining destinations from all 50 states and over 70 countries for their outstanding wine programs. And Boston came to play, with 41 spots getting recognition. Bougie favorites like Contessa, Mariel, and Yvonne’s made the list. But it wasn’t just ritzy spots that got a nod: All three Barcelona Wine Bar locations as well as City Winery in the North End also made the cut. You can see the full list of Boston restaurants here.

✈️ Nothing says Happy Independence Day like a cheap flight to Europe. To celebrate the 4th, low-cost airline PLAY is offering 35% off round-trip flights from Logan to Iceland, Copenhagen, London, Dublin, Amsterdam, Glasgow, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg. You just have to book them between July 3 and 7 and travel between Sept. 1 and Dec. 15. But remember: PLAY’s “pay-for-what-you-need” model means you’re going to have to budget extra for checked bags and meals (you’re only allowed one personal item). The deal code is PLAY4JULY.

🎤 Doja Cat is coming to the Garden. The “Kiss Me More” rapper just announced dates for “The Scarlet Tour,” and will be shipping up to Boston with Ice Spice on Saturday, Dec. 2. Tix will go on sale for the general public this Friday at 10 a.m. (unfortunately, on Ticketmaster). I’m secretly hoping she plays “Mooo!” True fans will remember her iconic music-video-turned-meme that looks like it was filmed on Photobooth, but is an unexpected lofi banger.

The 2023 winner of the Boston Pizza Festival People’s Choice award is … da LaPosta.

The Newton Italian restaurant known for its wood-fired pizzeria was crowned as the festival's best pizza this weekend, stopping reigning champs Beacon Hill’s Florina from a three-peat.

“It was pretty close between da LaPosta, Bertucci’s, and Florina,” Pizza Fest co-founder Giancarlo Natale said. And yes, we both were a little surprised that Bertucci’s ranked that highly.

da LaPosta owner Mario LaPosta “is of those guys that pays close attention to his ingredients and doesn’t cheap out on anything,” Natale said. “He makes a margherita like it’s made in Italy.” And their dough is no joke: It’s made from a seven-year-old starter that then ferments for a minimum of 8 to 12 hours. You can see their menu of ‘zas here.

Next year’s Pizza Fest is slated for June 22 and 23, 2024. And Bertucci’s will be back with a vengeance.

🍕 Thanks for reading! Bertucci’s may have filed for bankruptcy twice, but they know how to make a mean pie.

🌿 The results are in: 43% of readers wish the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was always free. Hard agree! But until it is, I’m still gonna shell out $20 to see that beautiful courtyard.

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