At peak right now: Strawberries, Peas, Lettuce. Head to a farmers market or your CSA to find them fresh.
Paying upfront for a whole season of vegetables asks something of you that a trip to the market does not. With a CSA, you write a check in February or March, often before the ground has thawed, and in return you get a weekly box from late spring through fall. What's in it depends on what the farm harvested that week. Some weeks it's a glut of zucchini and a bunch of beets you're not sure what to do with. Other weeks it's sweet corn and tomatoes and you feel like you got the better end of the deal. That variability is the whole point. You're sharing the season with the farm, the good harvests and the hail-damaged ones, and the upfront payment gives the farmer cash flow before any of the growing even starts.
Farmers markets work on different logic. You show up on a Saturday morning, look at what's there, and buy what appeals to you. At a market like the Waverly Farmers Market in Baltimore or the Takoma Park Farmers Market just over the DC line, you might have eight or ten farm vendors to choose from, which means you can buy Tuscarora Farm tomatoes and Spiral Path herb bundles and a dozen eggs from someone you talked to for five minutes about their pastured flock. You pay for what you take home, nothing more. If you travel a lot in summer or live alone and cook inconsistently, that flexibility is worth a lot. Nobody's box of kohlrabi is sitting unclaimed in your refrigerator going soft.
The CSA model tends to reward people who cook most nights, who don't mind some repetition, and who like the structure of having a box arrive and then figuring out what to make from it. It can push you toward vegetables you wouldn't have picked yourself, which is either a feature or a problem depending on your disposition. Some farms offer customizable shares or add-on boxes of fruit, meat, or eggs, which softens the all-or-nothing quality of the original model. Many Maryland farms have moved in this direction over the past decade, offering partial shares, biweekly pickup, or workplace delivery, so it's worth looking at what specific terms a farm is offering before you assume CSA means a rigid commitment.
A lot of the farms you'd find at a Maryland farmers market also run CSAs, and a few of them offer discounts to CSA members who want to buy extras at market. Bending Bridge Farm in Frederick County, for example, has shown up at multiple regional markets while also running a share program. If you're new to buying local food, one reasonable approach is to try a half-share from a nearby farm for a season while also going to a market when you want something specific. The two models aren't competing with each other, and for a lot of households they end up working together without much planning.
A few producers worth knowing about this week.
Located at the Frederick Fairgrounds, 797 E. Patrick St, Frederick, MD 21701, Field Fresh Farmers Market may have a new name but has deep roots in the Frederick community. Formerly the West Frederic
The Hensing family has been running their 50-acre Woodbine operation since 2010, raising Jersey cows, pigs, and free-range chickens on pasture without GMO feed. They sell raw milk from those Jerseys alongside pastured pork and chicken, with an emphasis on animal welfare as the foundation of food quality. If you've been looking for a Howard County source for raw milk or pasture-raised meat, this is a family farm worth seeking out.
Breezy Willow Farm in Woodbine has been a Howard County staple for good reason: their CSA goes well beyond the standard vegetable box, bundling seasonal produce with meat, dairy, baked goods, and handcrafted soaps all from the farm. Members can choose from multiple share sizes and add-ons, with both pickup locations and home delivery available. If you want a single source for a broad range of farm goods across the growing season, this is a strong option.
The Hensing family has been running this 50-acre farm in Woodbine since 2010, raising Jersey cows, pigs, and free-range chickens entirely on pasture without GMO feed. They sell pastured meats and raw milk direct through their CSA, making them one of the few Howard County sources for Jersey raw milk. If you've been looking for a farm with a clear non-GMO, pasture-only commitment, this is a solid place to start.
We provide riding lessons, trail rides, pony srides, horse-drawn carriages, summer camp, birthday parties, fee fishing, bed & breadfast, and fresh produce stand. Jo Ann Dawson (co-owner) is the author
Mike's Live Crabs in Havre de Grace has been selling direct from Mike's own boat for over a decade, which means the crabs on offer are as fresh as Harford County gets. He sells #1 and #2 males only, guaranteeing heavy, meat-filled crabs straight to you live. Reach out to Mike directly to place your order before they're gone.
Baltimore County farmers and producers have again come together to offer the community high-quality local in-season fruit and vegetables, pork, wine, flowers, cheese, herbs, ice cream, and more. The B
The Tuesday Market in Lauraville runs every Tuesday from 4 to 8pm at 4500 Harford Road, drawing a strong lineup that includes Prigel's Family Creamery, Fetter's Fruit Farm, and Hamilton Bakery alongside prepared food vendors like Busia's Kitchen and Chef Mac's Louisiana Cuisine. The market holds a strict make-it-or-grow-it policy, meaning everything on offer comes directly from the producer. It's a compact, walkable neighborhood market worth building into a weeknight routine through the summer season.
Tucked into the rolling hills of northern Carroll County outside Hampstead, Galloping Goose Vineyard tends 32 acres of vines with a lineup that leans toward bold red varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Barbera sit alongside the Maryland-hardy Chambourcin. The combination of classic Bordeaux grapes and Italian influence gives the portfolio a range worth exploring for anyone curious about what Carroll County terroir can do.
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