FarmDrop
Order local food online, pick it up on the island Wednesday afternoon. No bridge crossing required. It's not a replacement for a full grocery run, but it's the best way to get fresh local produce, meat, and dairy without leaving Deer Isle.
FarmDrop is an online farmers market platform — a prepaid, harvest-to-order model where you browse available products from regional farms each week, place your order, and pick it up at a designated local hub. The Deer Isle market pulls from a solid list of small farms and producers across the peninsula and surrounding region.
The mechanics: orders open Tuesday morning and close Monday night. Wednesday afternoon you pick up at one of two locations — the Healthy Island Project in Stonington or Pilgrim's Inn in Deer Isle village. Each hub has a manager who receives bulk farm deliveries and parcels out individual orders.
What's available changes week to week based on what farms are harvesting. You'll find the usual local suspects — fresh vegetables, eggs, dairy, meat, bread, coffee, granola — sourced from farms like Quill's End Farm in Penobscot, Spring Tide Farmstead in Sedgwick, Planet Naskeag in Brooklin, and Painted Pepper Farm Dairy in Steuben. 44 North Coffee is in there too. This is as close to buying directly from local farms as you can get without driving to each one.
For visitors staying a week or more, it's worth checking what's available and placing an order early in your stay. For island residents, it's a legitimate alternative to the Hannaford run for fresh local staples — or at least a way to reduce how often you make that trip.
Operation is seasonal. Check the website to confirm the Deer Isle market is active before your visit.
Local Tips
- Orders close Monday at midnight — don't miss the window if you want Wednesday pickup.
- Two pickup locations: Pilgrim's Inn in Deer Isle village (2:30–5:30pm Wednesday) and Healthy Island Project in Stonington (3:30–5:30pm Wednesday). Pick whichever is more convenient.
- Browse the farm list before you order — you'll recognize some names from other places on the island. Buying through FarmDrop supports the same producers you'd find at the co-op or roadside stands.
- This doesn't replace a full pantry stock. Think of it as your fresh food layer — produce, eggs, meat, dairy — while you handle shelf staples at Hannaford.
- Seasonal operation: the Deer Isle market may not run year-round. Verify on the website before planning around it.
Connected To
- 44 North Coffee — one of the FarmDrop producers; also available direct at their Deer Isle and Stonington cafés
- Healthy Island Project — one of the two pickup hubs; Stonington-based food access organization
- Pilgrim's Inn — Deer Isle village pickup location
- Spring Tide Farmstead — Sedgwick dairy farm, available via FarmDrop
- Blue Hill Co-op — alternative source for local/organic food; requires the Blue Hill drive