By Nancy Tripp

Bridgton Farmers’ Market

The flowers are blooming, the seedlings are sprouted, spring greens are filling our farmers’ green tunnels and the beautiful rows of rich dark earth at our farms. It’s the first week of May and time for the Bridgton Farmers Market to move outdoors for our 28th Summer Season.

Our dairy and meat farmers livestock are birthing calves, piglets, kids and lambs and the chickens are once again laying colorful eggs. The chicks are chirping away in their warm beds and our bakers are firing up their ovens… Just for you!

This year, our market is full. After years of Depot Street improvements and then COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, the Bridgton Farmers Market is ready to serve you with 22 farms, producers and artisans. Freshly harvested vegetables, herbs, microgreens, mushrooms, and local fruits will be available every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. In addition, we have pasture-raised meats, free-range eggs, golden Guernsey raw dairy, goat-milk cheeses and body-care products, floral arrangements, local honey and maple products. We have bakers with tables full of fresh-baked breads, pastries, pies and cookies. Prepared meals-to-go, jams, jellies, pickles and relishes, spice rubs and sauces and freshly roasted organic coffees. We have members with decorative pillows, signs and bags, textiles and hand-thrown ceramic pottery, handcrafted wooden signs, cutting boards, and Celtic designed jewelry. Beautiful things to enhance your home or a gift for a loved one.

This year, we have a dedicated Guest Vendor space. A few friends from our Winter Market will rotate into this space along with other local farmers offering seasonally specific produce and artisans who were not able to attend the summer market. We are hoping that this will offer you a wider selection of goods, as well as introduce new growers, artisans and makers to the community.

Returning for the second contiguous year is our Community Space. This space is available to the Lake Region community based, non-political organizations to help increase their visibility in the Bridgton community. If you have an organization that would like to join us for a Saturday please drop us a line.

Anyone seeking more information about the Community Space or the Guest Vendor Space should contact Zoe at bridgtonfarmersmarket.bfm@gmail.com to receive information and an application. Zoe Silvia has been running our Information Booth for the past few years and this year she has taken on the role of Bridgton Farmers Market program director as we seek to increase our engagement in the community. Without her organizational skills and her deft hand, we would not be able to offer these opportunities to our community. We wish to thank her for her hard work and diligence.

To enhance the spending power of persons facing food insecurity in the Lake Region, we have the Harvest Bucks program. This program enables persons with SNAP benefits to purchase fresh foods by reimbursing every $2 spent at the BFM with a $1 coupon to spend on fruits and vegetables grown by our farmers. This is a terrific opportunity for folks to purchase fresh, locally grown, nutritious produce at a fair price.

We also participate in the Bumper Crop program. Local businesses and merchants can offer their employees coupons in appreciation for work done. This helps to enhance their employees’ health and wellbeing through access to fresh local foods while supporting local farmers markets. These coupons can be spent at Farmers Markets all over the State of Maine. 

Both of these programs are offered through the Maine Federation of Farmers Markets, whose mission is to support Maine’s farmers markets and local food networks. If you have a local business and would like to learn more about Harvest Bucks here is a link. https://www.mainefarmersmarkets.org/bumpercrop/

We are very excited about this summer season. We have a great lineup of vendors, old and new, we have musicians strumming and humming, your friends and neighbors will be here to say Howdy! You can grab a donut (if you’re early) or a muffin, sit on a bench in the sun and catch up with “Wha’s Happening.” It’s a great way to start your Saturday. We hope to see you there! It all begins this Saturday, May 6, behind Renys on Depot Street from 8 a.m. to noon.

For a full list of vendors and information on ordering or to sign up for the BFM weekly newsletter visit  https://www.facebook.com/BridgtonFarmersMarket/ or contact the Market at bridgtonfarmersmarket.me@gmail.com 

If you bring your dog, please maintain a short leash and control over your animal. Thank you!

BFM accepts credit cards and EBT.