Western PA's Local Food Resource
Welcome to Farm to Table Buy Local! Find the freshest fruits & vegetables at your local farmers market this year or have them delivered to your door with local CSA programs. You’ll also find all types of cheese, eggs, meat, honey, maple syrup, jams and dairy products sourced here in PA. Taste the difference local makes.
Farm to Table & Buy Fresh Buy Local can help you find local farms, farm shares, farmers markets and retailers who carry local farm products in your neighborhood. Check out & download the Western PA Local Food Guide.
Farm to Table Buy Local is a non-profit 501(c)(3) formed in 2018 to promote locally grown agriculture and improve access to fresh, healthy food. We serve the 30 counties of Western Pennsylvania.
The organization’s founder, Erin Hart, started the annual Farm to Table Local Food Conference in Pittsburgh in 2007. We now publish the digital and print Western PA Local Food Guide and work with hundreds of farms and local growers to promote their products to consumers and wholesale buyers. In addition, we are the Western Pennsylvanian chapter of the Buy Fresh Buy Local brand campaign.
Farm to Table Buy Local provides a myriad of programming to promote real, fresh, local food. These activities include food deliveries, online webinars for children and adults as well, helping people access food assistance programs. We work in schools, community centers, affordable housing, and child care centers. The Heinz Endowments has supported our mission through grant awards since 2018.
Sponsorship Opportunities
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Meeting Our Message
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Farm to Table Buy Local connects food banks and food rescue organizations with the staff they need to provide door-to-door delivery of their monthly services. In addition, Farm to Table Buy Local partners with community organizations throughout the year. These organizations share our vision and promote urban and sustainable agriculture, Black artists and food/beverage producers, sustainable restaurants, and hot meal programs.
Join Doug Oster in a new fall series of online gardening classes!
Doug will cover a variety of seasonal preparations and ideas, including how to get the most out of a late summer garden and season extending tips! All classes are free! Register for one, a few, or all 10. You can attend live (virtually) or watch the class later.
Your Ultimate Guide to Farmers Markets
Spring is officially here, and that means one thing – Pittsburgh Farmers Markets are coming back! Markets across Western Pennsylvania will be opening in the coming weeks, offering local produce, fresh-baked breads, sweet treats, prepared foods, flowers, and more.
To read the latest information, including when and where to find your local farmers market, click through our Ultimate Guide to Farmers Markets:
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Farm to Table Fundraising Campaign for Pittsburgh Urban Farms
Pittsburgh is home to amazing individuals who started urban farms and community gardens in Black communities that are suffering from decades of food apartheid. These community leaders work in the Hill District, Homewood, Manchester, Beltzhoover, the West End, and more neighborhoods in the region.
Fundraising dollars support urban farm infrastructure projects such as solar power, irrigation, shade structures, washing stations, seeds, compost, and so much more.
Join Farm to Table in supporting Pittsburgh’s Urban Farms by taking part in our fundraising campaign:
Urban farms have distributed food before the pandemic, during the pandemic, and will continue to do so in the future. Families and seniors in Homewood and the Hill District were able to rely on the efforts of these urban farms and gardens to grow and/or produce fresh, healthy food. These items were delivered door-to-door to ensure access for everyone.
Many staff members are working for free on land they don’t own. More needs include: acquiring land, compensating staff, purchasing equipment through co-operatives, and capturing more food dollars that are spent by people living in the neighborhoods by working with WIC, SNAP, and PASS programs.
The funding also supports the intergenerational STEAM program – Science, Technology, Environment, Agriculture, and Math.
FUNDING:
The Homewood Food Access Working Group has successfully obtained $80,000 in funding from PA Department of Agriculture Urban Farm Infrastructure grants. The Hill District Food Access Working Group and Homewood Food Access Working Group have secured funding from The Heinz Endowments for infrastructure needs.
- Friends of Urban Farms ($5,000-$10,000)
- Sustaining Sponsorships ($25,000-$50,000)
- Field of Dreams ($100,000-500,000)
Enjoy Farm Fresh Products with a Local CSA
WHAT IS A CSA?
In a CSA (consumer supported agriculture), customers pay for “shares” and receive a percentage of the products harvested from local farms. Shares are available from farms and farm cooperatives throughout Western PA. Customers pick a designated site such as a home, business, or church for pickup. CSAs have gained in popularity over the years and farms have responded by offering a variety of options:
- Weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly shares
- Small and large shares
- Organic or certified naturally grown
- Dietary concerns such as vegan or gluten-free shares
- Customized orders
- Paying weekly or as you order
Tips for Buying a CSA Share:
- Share! Share a “share” with a friend or family member.
- Drop! Pick a drop site convenient to your home or work.
- Cook! Use fresh ingredients each week to make meals at home.
- Farms may add a site if there is a minimum of 10-15 customers.
- Many CSAs provide recipes that incorporate a week’s harvest.
- CSAs are not always produce-based.
- Some have meat, cheese, eggs, flowers, and other products made from farmed produce or livestock. Other CSAs work cooperatively with each other to supply their shareholders’ needs. This might mean that a CSA provides produce, meat, eggs, and flowers while other products are brought in through other farmers.
How to Make the Most out of Your CSA
We are lucky to live in a place that can provide nutritious, locally grown food. Buying farm-fresh products and preparing them at home is a healthy alternative to eating preservatives. The key to eating locally is to make a commitment to eat seasonally. Eat greens, asparagus, and berries in spring. You can then progress to tomatoes, corn, zucchini, and melons throughout the summer. Move on to autumn crops, such as potatoes, more greens, and squash in the fall. Summer is the time to preserve the harvest. A simple internet search will provide direction and know-how for canning, fermenting, drying and freezing your favorite summer produce. Buy a few extra quarts of blueberries each week and freeze them. You will be rewarded in mid-winter when you’re mixing your local food smoothies. The farm stands and stores, farmers’ markets and retail stores that sell these local products are located throughout allegheny county. Farmers’ markets typically run once a week for about four hours at a time. Ask your favorite restaurant if they buy from local farms. If you notice specials that contain seasonal ingredients, they are most likely getting these from a local producer. Lastly, start a garden and grow your own food! The easiest plants and some of the most delicious are tomatoes and basil. You will be rewarded with the freshest tasting
