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Philadelphia Late Summer Produce Guide

Buying your vegetables and fruits from your local farmer is a great way to support your community and the best way to get the freshest produce you can find. Your local farmers' markets and natural grocers are great resources for finding products from farmers in your community. Not only does locally grown food taste better, but it's better for you. Buying your produce from local farmers means shorter time and distance from the farm to your table, so nutrients will not be lost due to travel time. Buying from your local farmer will also ensure farming in your community for the future.

Another important way to get the most out of eating local produce is to choose fruits and vegetables that are in season. Some late summer produce includes blueberries, cantaloupes, pears, peaches, plums, melons, broccoli raab, celery, cucumber, green beans, kale, leeks, okra, peppers and potatoes, to name a few. There are several sources for finding produce from local farmers in the Philadelphia area, and we've come up with a list to help you find the freshest late summer produce.

Clark Park Farmers' Market
43rd St. & Baltimore Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 243-0555
www.universitycity.org

The Clark Park Farmers' Market is open year round and is filled with vendors that supply seasonal local produce. The produce is also available to ACCESS/food stamp card holders. Market goers are able to meet the local farmers and learn about the benefits of eating local produce. For every $5 that shoppers spend using food stamps, they receive a $2 Philly Food Bucks coupon that can be used on veggies and fruits.

Greensgrow Farms
2501 E. Cumberland St.
Philadelphia, PA 19125
(215) 427-2702
www.greensgrow.org

Greensgrow is a national leader in urban farming and is located in Philadelphia's Kensington section. The Greensgrow farm stand is the perfect place to find fresh produce from local farmers that is in season. Not only is there a variety of fruits and vegetables, but there is also a refrigerator stocked with dairy products such as cheese, raw milk, eggs, hummus, various meats and more. Greensgrow only uses farmers that hand pick and are within a 150-mile radius. Greensgrow has its own food crops that are organically grown.

Related: Guide To Philadelphia's Farmers' Markets

Harvest Local Foods
305 Windermere Ave.
Lansdowne, PA 19050
(484) 461-7884
www.harvestlocalfoods.com

Harvest Local Foods uses over 60 farmers and artisan food producers located within an hour of Philadelphia. It only uses farmers who grow their produce organically and use an Integrated Pest Management system. The curators at Harvest Local Foods have developed a strong working relationship with the farmers they use and visit the farms often.

Iovine Brothers Produce
Reading Terminal Market
1136 Arch St.
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 928-4366
www.iovine.com

Iovine Brothers has a long history of supplying fresh produce to the Philadelphia community at the Reading Terminal Market. You can purchase local produce from farmers such as Shady Brook Farm, Flaim Farm and Philadelphia Urban Creators.

The Rittenhouse Square Farmers' Market
18th St. & Walnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 733-9599
www.farmtocity.org/FarmersMarkets.asp

The Rittenhouse Square Farmers' Market is open all year round. It is the perfect way to eat the freshest seasonal produce from local farmers. A weekly newsletter is sent out every Friday to keep customers updated on that week's vendors. The Farmers' Market is open on the Walnut street side of Rittenhouse Square every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Related: Top Vegetarian Burgers In Philadelphia 

Christina Thompson is a freelance writer living in Philadelphia. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.

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