August is Pennsylvania's produce month and midsummer is the perfect time to stock up on fresh farm-to-table tasty treats.

The support for local and small business has grown over the years, with so many Americans looking to change to a healthy lifestyle many residents have turned to their local farm stands to provide veggies and fruits at reasonable prices.In-season vegetables such as sweet corn, tomatoes and squash are summer backyard barbecue staples.Most produce ends up on the grill this time of year. In fact, zucchini seasoned with salt and pepper pre-grill is a favorite among market shoppers.A+ Produce owners Avery Oprey and Amber Coleman make sure to stock up on as many Pennsylvania favorites as possible. A+ Produce is an organic farm with a small stand located on Route 209 on the Lehighton-Jim Thorpe border."Tomatoes are our biggest seller," Oprey said.Though they sell many items, they always make sure to bring their best organic tomatoes and herbs. The stand serves over 30 people every Saturday from 9 to noon."Their stand is convenient. And good quality," Dave Feller said.Feller lives in Mahoning Township and stops at the stand every Saturday for tomatoes and sweet corn."I microwave my corn," Feller said. He pulls back the husks to remove the silk, then puts the husk back, wraps the cob in a paper towel and microwaves it for a few minutes."It turns out great," he said.Nailing down a stand location can be difficult.Often the small operations have to move several times until a spot finally sticks.Websites such as

www.paveggies.org work to keep shoppers in the location know, while

www.papreferred.com lets shoppers know where stands and farms are found and exactly where the produce comes from.Pennsylvania has been working to support local farms and protect the consumer at the same time.All farmers markets and stands must be licensed and inspected by the state's Department of Agriculture.The state has also incorporated a voucher program to help WIC participants have more access to fresher, locally grown produce.Pennsylvania is also one of many states which has incorporated a senior nutrition voucher program in an effort to back small stands and increase health benefits of fresh produce to a bigger demographic.If you are not part of a voucher program, don't worry. It's still easier on the wallet to buy from a market or farm stand than a typical grocery giant.Mary Pipemeyer of Lehighton works for the Ziglers' stand at the Mahoning Valley Farmers Market on Route 243 and agrees that freshness is important to the shopper."People come here because its fresh and the prices are lower," she said.Ziglers' is the only produce available at the market right now.Along with the sites already mentioned,

www.buylocalpa.com can direct you to the nearest produce or farm stand, even meat markets in your area according to ZIP code.