by Kristina Bostick

It's that lovely time of year! See below for a list of farms that provide Fall goodies.  
Gourd Expert David Heisler was profiled in the Post for the dizzying array of gourds available at his Comus Market. 

Check out these local farms with pumpkins and fun aplenty - plus apples, hard squash, jams and cider:

Kingbury's Orchard
Good Life Farm
Comus Market
Lewis Orchard
Homestead Farm
Butler's Orchard
Rockhill Orchard
Phillip's Farm

by Kristina Bostick

Lets get down to it- Local Food just tastes better and supporting your local farmer has benefits to our whole community. However, we each have our favorite foods. This page will attempt to help you find those (peaches, tomatoes, etc) at the peak of their season.

First, the when... check out the calendar at pickyourown.org. For those who really want to support local food and farms- consider joining a Community Supported Agriculture farm.

Next, find your local farmers market, or search by food item at Maryland's Best. Check out their recipes section as well. To see just Montgomery County Specific Markets, check out MoCo's Department of Agriculture. Another great resource is Local Harvest. 

​What do you do with all that great stuff once you buy local? One Acre Farm has a great collection of recipes. 

by Kristina Bostick

by Kristina Bostick

by Kristina Bostick

We are really enjoying the articles from a new online and hard copy publication called Modern Farmer.There have been a number of recent articles profiling the different ways that farmers structure their businesses. With spring on the way (we promise!) here are some thoughts from the other side of the table or CSA box.

Farmers Market Confidential - the owner of a horse-driven farm describes all the pros and cons of his time spent behind the table at farmers markets.

The State of the CSA- an early adopter of the CSA model describes how things have changed over 20+ years.

However your farmer decides to sell- you can find MoCo's best local food from CSA's here and at one of MoCo's vibrant Farmers Markets here.

​Farmers and farm supporters are welcome to join the discussion on our Producers listserve- where local farmers swap know how- email [email protected] with "join listserve" in the subject line to sign up.

by Kristina Bostick

by Caroline Taylor

Community Supported Agriculture

CSAs can take many forms, but essentially they are community supported farms in which members contribute to farming projects, usually by way of membership fees, in exchange for fresh, local produce.  The concept came to the United States from Europe in the 1980s and has taken strongest hold in New England, the Mid-Atlantic region, and various pockets along the West Coast.  They are a great way to take advantage of fresh, locally grown fruit, vegetables, herbs, and more while supporting nearby farms. Each one is different, some offer pickup locations in urban areas, some offer only farm-based pick ups.  See the list below for local CSAs and find one that is right for you.
Learn more! Sign up!

by Kristina Bostick

​



See Press Release Here

Click the map above to go to the interactive version.

When we convene with Farmers, either face to face or through our Producers Listserve. Some of the same challenges are shared again and again - the sky high price of land, which has lead to our Land Link program, and the lack of processing options in the local area. The first step to overcoming any challenge is collecting data and we were fortunate to have the help of our intern Todd Langstaff. Todd's research on local processing options has yielded the map above (click on map to go to interactive version) on what can be processed where.  If you know of more slaughter facilities that would like to be added, let us know - [email protected]

We also have farmer recommendations for local label making companies for when it is time to label the final product: Hub Labels of Hagerstown Gateway Printing of Thurmont.

​The few facilities on the map close to the Ag Reserve that process non-game meats are in high demand and have long waiting periods. Local farmers have told us that driving animals farther afield is not just inconvenient but puts unnecessary stress on the animals.