Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I I N O. X I M AY 1 8 , 2 0 2 6 18 S hivering in a knitted cap behind jars of golden honey, Laurel Wishman is all about the bees she tends on Maine's midcoast. "With beekeeping, it's kind of cross your fingers and hope," says Wishman, an apprentice beekeeper at Barters Island Bees in Boothbay and first-time vendor at the Portland Farmers' Market in Deering Oaks Park. "is Friday, hopefully if the weather pulls through, we'll be installing our hives," she says on this Wednesday morn- ing in late April. "Unfortunately, a lot of them got wiped out this last winter." Jars are priced at $15, from the best-selling raw honey to the Maine Mousse line of creamy spreads flavored with organic fruits and spices from cin- namon to blueberry lemon. "We call it butter because of the texture, but there's no added dairy," Wishman says as this journalist tries a sample that tickles the tongue with subtle sweetness. As the number of farms continues to decline in Maine, direct-to-consumer sales remain a lifeline. In 2022, around 20% of Maine agricultural products or $172.6 million worth of goods were sold directly by farms, according to the latest agriculture census. Farmers sell through stands and markets like this one in Portland, held twice a week from April through November. Carrying on a tradition that goes back to colonial times, the Portland Farmers' Market — originally in the lower part of the Town Hall — pro- vides personal connections that some customers prize even more in this age of internet shopping and corporate- owned chains. rough a program called Harvest Bucks, many markets offer additional incentives to residents on federal food assistance, helping shoppers access fresh produce while supporting growers. Less crowded during the week, the market is off to a quiet start on its first Wednesday with just a handful of vendors shortly after 7 a.m. as Portland resident Sara Schwartz and her husband stroll by with lettuce they just purchased. "We love the Amish vendor," says Schwartz, a market regular even though she finds it pricier than the grocery store. "It's higher, but it's worth it because actually these lettuces are amazing." While Schwartz prefers to do her own baking, the fragrant bagels on offer from Maggie's Farm at Mulberry Creek in Bowdoinham are a hit with other shoppers, including one filling up PR ES ENTI NG S PONS OR R EGI ONAL S PONS OR T H U R S D AY, M AY 2 8 / 4 : 0 0 – 6 : 0 0 P M / U M A I N E W E L L S C O N F E R E N C E C E N T E R ORONO HORS D'OEUVRES / CASH BAR / NETWORKING WITH AREA BUSINESS EXECUTIVES S PACE IS S PACE IS L IMITED L IMITED, BE S URE TO , BE S URE TO R EG IS TER! R EG IS TER! Please register ahead at mainebiz.biz/event/otr-orono/ Street Sense by Renee Cordes, Mainebiz deputy editor, is a monthly column offering on-the-ground glimpses of small business life in Maine. Renee can be reached at rcordes @ mainebiz.biz Street Sense The ripe stuff Outdoor Portland Farmers' Market comes out of hibernation P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Heather Donahue of Balfour Farm in Pittsfield is a regular at the Portland Farmers' Market in Deering Oaks Park. Eggs from Balfour Farm have come down from $8 last year during the nationwide surge in egg prices.

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