SARATOGA SPRINGS — Fresh produce online? It might sound counter-intuitive, but today's launch of the newly expanded virtual farmer's market FarmieMarket.com makes local food an online reality for customers across the Capital Region.

FarmieMarket.com previously operated within Albany area, but today the site will expand to cover Saratoga, Schenectady and Rensselaer County. 

The website allows customers to browse fresh produce and other natural goods from small family-run farms in the Capital District. Shoppers can gather information about each product and its corresponding farm and then add items to their shopping cart, pay by credit card and have their orders delivered to their home or workplace. Deliveries are made once a week: Tuesday in Rensselaer County, Wednesday in Saratoga County and Thursday in the Albany and Schenectady areas.

FarmieMarket.com currently has about 20 small local farms in its database that all work to deliver their produce fresh to customers in the area. 

Once customers enter the site, they can choose their individual market territory to ensure browsing only the closest farms to that given county. For example, customers in the Albany and Schenectady Counties will be directed to the Heldeberg Market and shoppers in the Saratoga region will order from the Turning Point Market. 

The site has established relationships with many regional farms in line with its mission to help sustain small farms by allowing them to expand their business and customer base. FarmieMarket.com is a pioneer in the new movement toward combining online services and technology with locally-sourced goods and produce.

The online store is always open for busy customers who have trouble making it to their own local farmer's market, which tend to run once a week on Saturdays or Sundays. The minimum order is $30 and there is a $5 delivery fee.

Check it out at www.FarmieMarket.com

SKL