I thought it would be fun to look at the summer seasonal produce available at most local farms and farm stands. This includes apples, beets, peppers, cantaloupe, crookneck squash, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, garlic, grapes, green beans, honeydew, nectarines, okra, peaches, plums, radishes, onions, shallots, squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, watermelon and zucchini.

Fresh vegetables are available at many farms and farmers markets throughout the Lehigh Valley year-round. My friend Allison Czapp oversees Nurture Nature Center’s Buy Fresh Buy Local of the Greater Lehigh Valley program and works very closely with the local farmers in our area. Visit buylocalglv.org to find a local farm stand or market near you. You can also download the 2019-21 local food guide, which is filled with wonderful information along with all the local farms and farmers markets available right here in the Lehigh Valley on pages 56-62. This guide is an excellent resource, and I urge you to take a look at it.

Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative works with Czapp’s Lehigh Valley Fresh Food Bucks program. Visit lvfreshfoodbucks.org for much more information than what I can give you in this short article. This program works with low-income residents who have an EBT/Access card (food stamps). Fresh Food Bucks gives people shopping with food stamps up to $10 per day to purchase fresh, local fruits and vegetables. Residents eat better while supporting local farmers!

Whether you enjoy shopping at a farmers market, farm stand, the Eat Real Food Mobile Market or your neighborhood corner store, Lehigh Valley Fresh Food Bucks are easy to use. WCHI promotes this program with our guests all the time. Below is how it works.

1. Take your EBT/Access card to a participating location. Find locations at lvfreshfoodbucks.org.

2. Shop for SNAP-eligible food items using your EBT/Access card.

3. Locations match what you spend with free Lehigh Valley Fresh Food Bucks to buy fresh and local produce - up to $10 a day. If you spend $5 on eligible products, the vendor will give you $5 of free eligible produce at the same time. You can spend up to $10 every day, and whatever you spend is matched with eligible produce.

The two closest locations to Whitehall and Coplay are Hersh’s Market, 129 S. 17th St., Allentown (484-664-7209) and Crooked Row Farm, 3245 Route 309, Orefield (610-417-6982). Fresh Food Bucks are accepted at both locations year-round.

Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers are also still available for low-income seniors and mothers enrolled in WIC. This program provides $24 in checks to use for fresh, locally grown produce. You can get vouchers until Sept. 20, and they expire at the end of November. Seniors can get vouchers by calling 610-782-3034 in Lehigh County and 610-829-6500 in Northampton County.

Anne Chickilly and her husband, Erik Segan, have grown fantastic vegetables at our WCHI garden, including banana peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and zucchini for our children’s summer feeding program. The children have been receiving fresh vegetables for several weeks and get excited every day when they see they are receiving more. This program ended Aug. 25 due to Whitehall-Coplay School District starting classes on Aug. 30.

Have a great week!