We took a tour of local farmstands to see what’s fresh right now

By Jon Bodell - Aug 8, 2017 | 0 comments

Apple Hill Farm has plenty of fresh-picked black currants for sale. JON BODELL / Insider staff

You can get plenty of corn -- and all kinds of other vegetables -- at Apple Hill Farm. JON BODELL / Insider staff

You can get plenty of corn -- and all kinds of other vegetables -- at Apple Hill Farm. JON BODELL / Insider staff

It's blueberry picking season at Rossview Farm, and there are plenty left. If you don't have time to pick your own, you can also buy some from the farmstand that have already been picked for you. JON BODELL / Insider staff

It's blueberry picking season at Rossview Farm, and there are plenty left. If you don't have time to pick your own, you can also buy some from the farmstand that have already been picked for you. JON BODELL / Insider staff

It's blueberry picking season at Rossview Farm, and there are plenty left. If you don't have time to pick your own, you can also buy some from the farmstand that have already been picked for you. JON BODELL / Insider staff

Stock up on fresh veggies -- including potatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, cucumbers, tomatoes and green and yellow squash -- at Carter Hill Orchard. The orchard is also open for pick-your-own blueberries right now. JON BODELL / Insider staff

Carter Hill Orchard has a nice crop of golden plums right now. We didn't know such a thing existed until we saw them here. JON BODELL / Insider staff

Carter Hill Orchard isn't just a place for picking apples. You can also pick up some nice pies there, too, like these ones. JON BODELL / Insider staff

At Dimond Hill Farm, tomatoes are their specialty -- and when you take a look at these bad boys, you can see why. JON BODELL / Insider staff

Dimond Hill Farm offers a healthy selection of Maine-based Shaker Pond ice cream. JON BODELL / Insider staff

Dimond Hill Farm offers a wide variety of fresh vegetables every day. Nothing is ever stored at Dimond Hill -- everything is picked then sold on the same day. JON BODELL / Insider staff

You never know what you might find at Lewis Farm, but when we stopped by last week, we found cabbage, corn, cucumbers, some tiny tomatoes, green and yellow squash, green beans (sold by the handful), kale and Swiss chard. JON BODELL / Insider staff

You never know what you might find at Lewis Farm, but when we stopped by last week, we found cabbage, corn, cucumbers, some tiny tomatoes, green and yellow squash, green beans (sold by the handful), kale and Swiss chard. JON BODELL / Insider staff

You never know what you might find at Lewis Farm, but when we stopped by last week, we found cabbage, corn, cucumbers, some tiny tomatoes, green and yellow squash, green beans (sold by the handful), kale and Swiss chard. JON BODELL / Insider staff

New England may be best known for its winters and unpredictable weather, but when it isn’t snowing, we can actually produce quite a bit of food around here.

Even though we’re in a capital city, there are still all kinds of options for those who like to buy locally grown and distributed produce. Between all the orchards, farms and farmers markets, there’s almost no need to ever go to a big, chain grocery store for produce – at this time of year, anyway (there are even a few winter farmers markets, though, if you want to stay committed all year).

Since it’s late summer now, most crops have had plenty of time to soak up the sun and bear fruit. That means the shelves, baskets, buckets and tables should be pretty full at most of the places that deal in local produce.

We went on an excursion last week to check out as many farms and farmstands as we could and see what they had. Here’s what we found: