Community-supported agriculture programs, or CSAs, allow consumers to buy seasonal foods directly from local farmers and producers. When consumers purchase a “share” of a farmer’s output they receive a weekly portion of the harvest.

That weekly box or bag of goods is fresh and varied and allows the farmer and customer to get to know each other and learn more about how food is produced. It is like a weekly subscription to the farm. When you purchase a share of the harvest, payment is usually up front, which helps the farmer’s cash flow. Some farms offer partial shares and some year-round opportunities for fresh produce.

Here are some CSA farms in the area for vegetables and flowers. Get to know some of our local farmers and enjoy the products from the land around us.

Freeport: Wolfe’s Neck Center, 18 weeks, 184 Burnett Road, 865-4469; Laughing Stock Farm, 79 Wardtown Road, Ralph and Lisa Turner, 831-2182; Winter Hill Farm, 35 Hill Farm Road, Sarah Wiederkehr, 869-5122, specialty vegetable shares and floral shares; Wealdon Farm, 19 Pleasant Hill Road, Martha Putnam & John Schwenk, 522-2411.

Topsham: Fairwinds Farm, 332 Augusta Road, Pete & Cathy Karonis, 729-1872; Whatley Farm, 3 Whatley Farm Road, Ben & Laura Whatley, 844-0381. 

Brunswick: Crystal Spring Community Farm, 277 Pleasant Hill Road, Maura Bannon & Seth Kroeck, 729-1112; Juniper Edge Farm, 532 Harpswell Road, Jeanne Johnson, 725-6414; Milkweed Farm, 63 Gott Lane, Michael & Lucretia Woodruff, 725-4554. 

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Wiscasset: Buckwheat Blossom Farm, 408 Willow Lane, Jeff & Amy Burchstead, 882-8082. 

Bowdoinham: East of Eden Flower Farm, 637 Brown’s Point Road, 319-6318. The 2019 floral CSA is sold out, but seasonal bouquets can be found at the Crystal Spring Farmer’s Market, Bow Street Market, Morning Glory Natural Foods, and Royal River Natural Foods.

Food & Beverage Events in the Midcoast

May 26

Tao Yuan Restaurant, Gastronomic tour of Hong Kong, 4-8 p.m. Special menu filled with traditional regional dishes. Beverages priced separately. This is the final dinner in their gastronomic tour of China; 22 Pleasant St., Brunswick, 725-9002, $48 per person, reservations highly recommended.

May 29

Brunswick Landing Farmers Market, 4-7 p.m. every Wednesday. Hosted at Flight Deck Brewing with more than a dozen vendors offering Maine-grown and Maine-made products, live music, food by Cook’s Takes Flight (food truck from Cook’s Lobster House), and, of course, fresh beer; 11 Atlantic Ave., Brunswick, 504-5133.

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June 1

Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment, Spring Festival, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Food trucks, live music, crafts, wagon rides, and more, free admission; 184 Burnett Road, Freeport, 865-4469.

L.A. Maine Brew Bus visits Brunswick, 1:30-6 p.m., Moderation Brewing, Black Pug Brewing Co., and Flight Deck Brewing, adults only, $55; tickets at northeastchartertour.rezgo.com.

June 4

Now You’re Cooking, Cajun Cooking with Chris Toy, 6-8 p.m., 49 Front St., Bath, 443-1402, $50. These cooking classes fill quickly, so be sure to ask about future offerings.

Food Features

Frontier Café features Tofu Noodle Bowl, Curried Quinoa Bowl, and ”Sunset Belle” drink specials; Fort Andross Mill 3, 14 Maine St., Brunswick, 725-5222.

Azure Café, 123 Main St., Freeport, continues with $1-a-shuck oysters, Mondays through Memorial Day, 865-1237.

Sande Updegraph lives in Brunswick and is a longtime food writer. She can be reached at sandeupdegraph@gmail.com.

Sample produce from the CSA at Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport.


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