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The Organic Food and Pressed Juice Scene in Nantucket
Recently, I spent time in Nantucket, an island off of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, and was thrilled to have access to plenty of great organic food and juice.
Below is a recap of Nantucket’s offerings for organic restaurants, pressed organic juice, organic farms, and organic markets.
THE GREEN
As the only organic restaurant on Nantucket, I had lunch at The Green quite a bit. They sell great burritos, bowls, smoothies, juices, and breakfast items.
My go-to meal was the vegetarian burrito in a bowl (below). It was outstanding – great taste, very filling, and extremely fresh.
While there is only one organic restaurant in Nantucket, the island does boast three pressed organic juice companies, all of which are excellent.
For an island this size to have three different pressed juice options is not only remarkable, but the fact that the quality of each was so high blew me away. An argument could be made that on a per capita basis, Nantucket might have the best pressed organic juice anywhere.
Unlike places such as New York City or Los Angeles, where production goes on everyday, production at these juices companies only takes place a few days per week. So, it may be best to call ahead if you have a large order or are only going to be on island for a specific period of time.
Do not expect to just show up and find the fridges fully stocked at all times.
ACKFRESH
ACKfresh has a retail location with a seating area and is located near the Steamship in downtown Nantucket on 27 Easy Street. It also has a stand at the Sustainable Nantucket Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.
Without question, ACKfresh boasts the largest menu out of all of the pressed juice companies on the island and has special juices for kids.
I couldn’t get enough of Barnaby Green, the one on the left above.
NPC
NPC, which stands for Nantucket Pasty Company (Pasty, not Pastry), has a retail location near the Steamship downtown at 10 Broad Street and also has a stand at the Sustainable Nantucket Farmers Market on Saturdays.
The company has four juices to choose from (the fourth one is not pictured above), and my favorites were the Apres Box Detox and Sun Worshipper, both incredibly refreshing.
02554 JUICE
While 02554 Juice has no retail location of its own, you can find its juice at Fresh Nantucket, a deli/liquor store at 5 Salem Street in downtown, and at the Sustainable Nantucket Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.
02554 Juice only boasts three juices (I’ve read that it has since added a coffee drink), but the company does use glass bottles, which is a huge plus.
HumpBack Kale (the green one above on the left) is made with kale, zucchini, celery, parsnip & lemon – a combination that I have yet to see before – and is absolutely phenomenal.
PUMPKIN POND FARM
One of my favorite things to do whenever I am in Nantucket is to go to Pumpkin Pond Farm and buy fruits and vegetables, which are picked from the ground after I place my order. It is just amazing.
This year, I got some wonderful berries, fantastic greens, and juicy tomatoes.
The most upsetting part of my visit to Pumpkin Pond Farm was hearing how its bees have died and the farm no longer has hives.
I have written about Colony Collapse Disorder numerous times in the past on my blog, yet seeing it affect Pumpkin Pond Farm first-hand was incredibly distressing and made it all the more real.
Pumpkin Pond Farm is open seven days a week and also has a stand at the Sustainable Nantucket Farmers Market on Saturdays.
BOATYARD FARM
A newcomer to the sustainable farming community on Nantucket, the couple behind Boatyard Farm sells some delicious produce and eggs, and the picture below gives you an indication of the super-high quality food they’re growing.
Boatyard Farm is open six days a week and also has a stand at the Sustainable Nantucket Farmers Market on Saturdays.
HOPE SPROUTS
If you read my blog or follow me on Facebook, you know that I am a HUGE fan of sprouts, primarily for their incredible health benefits.
So, you can probably imagine my excitement when I ran into Hope Sprouts, an organic micro farm at the Sustainable Nantucket Farmers Market, the only place on the island where they sell.
I loved their bean sprouts, sunflower sprouts, and sprout mix. They were all fantastic.
Since Hope Sprouts only sells to the public one day per week, you may want to email in advance to place an order: hopesprouts@yahoo.com
ANNYE’S WHOLE FOODS
While Nantucket’s major supermarket, Stop & Shop, does have a decent amount of organic, I always find myself at Annye’s Whole Foods.
It has a great selection of organic brands, offers a handful of cooked lunch and dinner items, and sells my favorite bottled water, Mountain Valley Spring Water. If you want to stock up on a case or two for your visit to Nantucket, it is best that you place a special order well in advance, which they will happily take care of for you.