Then they load their vehicles, drive to market and sit for hours in a parking lot to sell the fruits of their labor, knowing there are chores to be done back at the farm.
What if those same products could be sold online?
"In my opinion, it is the future for farmers' markets,"said Angelo Pirri, whose family at Sherman Farms in Fairfield raises goats and sells milk, cheese and yogurt.
"This is the start of something really big,"said Pirri, who was found at his booth at the Waterville Farmers' Market Thursday.
For producers, the online market offers a new outlet for their locally produced goods and the encouragement to develop a niche market because of the direct access to customers.
For consumers, it means convenience, greater selection and knowing they have the food they ordered waiting for them on pickup day.
www.westernmainemarket.com went "live"in April and for now is geared toward customers living or working within a 30-mile radius of Farmington, Maine
