Local Food Guide

How to find local food near you.

What to look for, where to buy it, when it is in season, and what to ask before you go.

What you can buy from a farm

More than most people expect.

Vegetables, fruit, herbs and salad greens, usually picked within a day or two of sale.

Beef, pork, lamb, chicken and turkey, often sold by the cut, the bundle, or the half or whole animal.

Eggs, milk, butter and farm cheese, where local rules allow their sale.

The farms themselves — what they grow, where they sell, and how to reach them.

Farmers markets, roadside stands, on-farm stores and pickup points.

Honey, preserves, flowers, grain, herbs, wool and other things a farm makes.

A farm store, a stand at the gate, or an arranged pickup. Usually the widest selection and the best prices.

Farmers markets and roadside stands bring several farms together, which makes comparing easy.

Some farms deliver, some use a shared hub, and some are pickup only. It depends on the farm. See transportation and delivery.

Local food follows the calendar. Knowing roughly when something is harvested in your region helps you plan a shop, a menu, or a freezer.

Seasons shift with the weather and vary by a few weeks from one area to the next. Treat any calendar as a guide, not a guarantee.

Salad greens, asparagus, radishes, rhubarb, early herbs, eggs.

Tomatoes, sweet corn, melons, peppers, beans, berries, stone fruit.

Squash, pumpkins, apples, root vegetables, brassicas, late greens.

Storage crops, potatoes, onions, preserved goods, meat, dairy, eggs.

This is general guidance for a temperate climate. Your region and this year’s weather both matter. Check with the farm.

A short message or call saves a wasted trip. Worth asking:

Farms are working businesses. A little notice goes a long way.