WORCESTER, Mass. - Local farmers spend their summers working hard to ensure their communities have easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and this week, their efforts are being recognized with Massachusetts Farmers Market Week.

Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle visited the weekly Out to Lunch Festival and Farmers Market in Worcester on Wednesday, and said it helps build important and lasting connections between farmers and families.

“When you look across Worcester County, there are more than 1,600 farms, so it’s a really vibrant area for agriculture,” Randle said. “Being able to bring those farms into the city to provide that opportunity to individuals and families who may not otherwise be able to connect with their local farmer is a great opportunity and what we’re seeing today.”

As some vendors at Wednesday’s event told Spectrum News 1, being a farmer doesn’t necessarily require owning a large plot of land, or even a one-bedroom apartment.

Owen Chase, founder of Just for Fun Farms, began growing when he was in college.

“Before I started selling to anyone, I was growing in my dorm room,” Chase said. “I had lofted my dorm bed because I had no space of course, it was a small room. I put in grow lights and a fan, and I had soil and seeds under my bed.”

Chase got his start in the Regional Environmental Council’s YOUTHGrow program, and later the Urban Gardening Club at Clark University.

His business specializes in micro greens, which he’s described as ‘small but mighty vegetables’ packed with nutrients, vitamins and minerals that can be grown almost anywhere.

“It’s more nutrient-dense compared to an adult vegetable, and you can grow them indoors,” Chase said. “There are no excuses, anyone can do it in 10 days. It’s a great way to get fresh produce year-round.”

Chase grows all his micro greens in Worcester, and was one of several vendors at Out to Lunch on Wednesday. Market Manager Alex Monaco said the weekly summer event has been an effective way to give growers like Chase an easily accessible place to sell their produce, bringing the benefits of healthy eating right to the heart of the city.

“It’s important now more than ever to expand food access, promote local agriculture, reconnect producers from elsewhere in Worcester County not just with downtown residents, but visitors to downtown as well,” Monaco said. “It was an essential thing, and we’re happy to be the conduit bringing people together here.”

Massachusetts Farmers Market Week runs through August 9.