When using your EBT card at the market, start by visiting the Info Booth to pick up a “shopping sheet.” This sheet lists all the market vendors and is where your purchases will be recorded. As you shop, each vendor will write down the amount you spend next to their farm name on the sheet. Once you’ve finished shopping, return to the Info Booth, hand in your completed shopping sheet, and your EBT card will be swiped for the total amount of your purchases. It’s that simple! Additionally, you’ll receive Maine Harvest Bucks based on the total of your EBT purchases—a bonus to help you enjoy even more fresh, local produce!

Maine Harvest Bucks are a special type of coupon that functions like cash at the market, but they can only be used to purchase fresh fruits, herbs, vegetables, and vegetable or herb garden seedlings. These Bucks are part of a promotion designed to encourage SNAP EBT recipients to buy more fresh produce at the market. As a result, they cannot be used for meats, eggs, dairy, baked goods, or other non-produce items.

The amount of Maine Harvest Bucks you receive is typically proportional to your EBT purchase. Often, this is on a 1-to-1 basis, meaning if you spend $25 with your EBT card, you’ll receive $25 worth of Maine Harvest Bucks to buy even more fresh food. The Bucks come in $1 and $5 denominations and can be used at any farmers’ market in Maine. However, they cannot be exchanged for cash, and any unused portion does not carry over as change. Harvest Bucks have no cash value outside of Maine farmers’ markets.

As a reminder, here are the guidelines using the following currencies accepted at your farmers’ market:

Market Currency:Accepted as payment for:

SNAP/EBTFood items to be eaten at home, and food-bearing seedlings/plants. (See USDA’s rules about using SNAP/EBT). This market uses a SHOPPING SHEET to record these transactions.

Maine Harvest Bucks: Use like cash for vegetables, fruits, food-bearing seedlings/plants.