Now that summer has rolled around, Maine is teeming with fresh produce! These unprocessed fruits and vegetables—as well as locally-raised meat and dairy products—are great sources of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs to succeed. Fortunately, there are many ways to access local foods that benefit both you and your community.
How to Find Fresh, Local Food Near You
Community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs are a great way to get fresh food while supporting your local farmers. These systems allow community members to pay farmers at the beginning of the season in exchange for shares of their harvest. This helps farmers pay for early expenses while ensuring that the CSA member has regular (often weekly) sources of healthy food. The products offered will depend on the farm: many offer fruits and vegetables, but others may include meats, dairy, eggs, grains, and more.
Farmers’ markets are great places to find fresh, local food, especially in the spring and summer when farm-fresh produce is at its peak. Not only that, but they provide weekly opportunities to socialize with your community and get to know the farmers putting food on your table!
Many farmers’ markets take SNAP/EBT funds, which are usually accepted at a booth near the entrance, making them simple and discreet to use. Some markets even offer special bonuses to SNAP customers. For example, Maine Harvest Bucks awards $1 for every $1 of SNAP/EBT funds spent at participating venues. In many cases, Maine Harvest Bucks and SNAP benefits can also be applied to CSA shares.
Low-income seniors may also be eligible to participate in the Maine Senior FarmShare Program, which provides fresh produce from local Maine farmers to older adults at no cost.
Local Food Helps You
Shopping at farmers’ markets or participating in CSA shares is a great way to include a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet. How many ways can you think of to use microgreens? What would you do with a kohlrabi if it showed up in your weekly CSA box? By introducing you to new fruits and vegetables, farm shares encourage you to try new things while ensuring you get all the nutrients and vitamins you need to stay healthy.
Unlike the produce on grocery store shelves (which often travels a week or more before being sold), local food is picked and sold promptly. Fruits and vegetables lose their nutritional value over time, so buying local food makes sure that you’re getting as many of those benefits as possible.
Plant foods are rich in antioxidants, which can reduce your risk for cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. A balanced diet with lots of fruits and veggies is high in fiber, which boosts digestive function, metabolic health, and makes you feel more full. Fresh food also just tastes better. In each bite you’ll encounter more complex flavors that simply can’t compare to processed foods.
Local Food Helps Our Community
Eating local is good for you, but it’s also good for our community. By shopping at farmers’ markets and participating in CSAs, you’re supporting local neighbors and keeping dollars in our community.
Plus, it’s better for our planet! Supporting local farmers means the food on your table is coming from down the road, not flown from overseas or driven across the country. This means a smaller carbon footprint.
If you’re interested in other ways to find and support local farmers, you don’t have to look far. Every summer, farmers around the state participate in Maine’s Open Farm Day, welcoming visitors onto their farms (and to meet their animals). The Common Ground Country Fair also takes place every September and is full of local vendors, speakers, and performers on all things agriculture—a great way to close out your summer and usher in the fall.