Andrea Couch, co-owner of The Vegetable Man, arranges peaches as people shop for produce in Bend.  

On a recent weekday afternoon at The Vegetable Man outdoor produce stand in Bend, customers were busily filling up cardboard boxes with melons, peaches, berries and other in-season foods for their kitchens.

Some tasted raspberries while others learned new recipe options from employees. All appeared pleased by the bounty afforded by the summertime harvest, now in full swing.

“We love it. We know we are helping people eat healthy,” said Andrea Couch, co-owner of the produce stand and daughter of its founder, Sam Parla. “People are happy when they are coming in and shopping with us.”

It’s a critical time of year for Couch and her fruit and vegetable suppliers as the annual produce harvest can make or break a business. Good sales will get farmers and seasonal produce sellers in the black for the year and provide seed money to keep their businesses going next spring. Poor sales not only hurt their bottom lines, but also mean farmers have to throw away otherwise edible fruits and vegetables.

That’s why local produce resellers and farmers are in overdrive to get their products in the hands of shoppers, working long hours nearly every day before the season wraps up and they can go into hibernation for the winter. Some are reminding Central Oregonians that now is the time to shop local, not just to support the economy but to find the best available produce.

“There is no reason to buy tomatoes from Mexico in August when we have nutritionally-superior and taste-superior tomatoes here and tons of availability,” said Nicolle Timm-Branch, founder of Central Oregon Locavore, a Bend shop that specializes in selling local foods.

Think local first

With that Timm-Branch and other sellers of local produce are offering the public a simple message — think local first when shopping for produce over the next few weeks as the area enters peak season for harvesting crops.

“When carrots and tomatoes are in season every farmer has them,” said Timm-Branch. “Everyone in our community should be buying in season so those farmers can sell their full crop.”

Timm-Branch keeps a close eye on local produce opportunities and said there has been an increase of farms that could use the support — just this year five new farms have joined her store’s distribution network.

One farm that has been a consistent supplier of produce to Locavore for more than a decade is Fields Farm, located on Bend’s east side. It used to be on the edge of the city, but Bend has slowly grown around it, so now it’s become part of the urban fabric.

Owner Debbie Fields says nearly everything is being harvested now — zucchini, onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots and kale to name a few — and patrons are stocking up.

“August and September is when we have the greatest variety of food coming out, and it is the time of year that we get the most income off the farm,” she said. “It is what pays everyone during these nice summer months.”

Buy local advantages

There is a learning curve when it comes to getting involved in the local produce scene, and it’s a bit more work than visiting your nearest grocery store. But advocates of the buy-local movement say there are multiple advantages.

Supporting the local economy and jobs is mentioned by food suppliers as an essential reason to buy from nearby farms. There is also the food security aspect as having a solid network of locally produced foods helps minimize the impact of supply chain shocks.

But for shoppers, it’s all about the quality and taste that locally sourced foods can offer.

“On our farm, none of our produce is more than 24 hours out of the ground, so you really do get the freshest produce you can get,” said Fields. “If you want really good food that is really fresh buying local is certainly the way to do it.”

Couch, from The Vegetable Man, said prices for local produce are competitive with out-of-state organic produce at the supermarket, but the personal service you get from a farm stand or farmers market makes the deal even sweeter.

Sellers and farmers are on hand to offer advice on how to keep produce fresh at home. Patrons may even get good tips on how to prepare or pair fruits and veggies.

The occasional berry sample offered by the stand’s workers is also a nice bonus. That was a highlight for 9-year-old Aisea Mekker and his younger brother, Owen, when they visited The Vegetable Man. An employee offered them some free samples, and they took him up on the offer before adding the rest of the box to their mom’s produce purchase.

“I am looking forward to eating the cherries and the raspberries and whole bunch of other stuff we got,” Aisea said. “I thought this place was really cool, and I always wanted to come here. Today was the day.”