At peak right now: Strawberries, Cherries, Blue Crab, Zucchini. Head to a farmers market or your CSA to find them fresh.
Blue crabs spend the winter buried in the mud at the bottom of the Chesapeake, barely moving, their metabolism slowed almost to a stop. By late April the water starts warming and they begin to stir, and by May the watermen are working again. The season runs through November, when cooling temperatures push the crabs back down into the sediment, but the months in between cover a lot of ground. A crab pulled from the Bay in May is a different animal than one pulled in August, and most people who grew up eating them can tell the difference without being told.
Soft crabs come first in the season. Blue crabs grow by molting, splitting their old shell and pulling free of it, and for a window of a few hours to a couple of days the new shell hasn't hardened yet. That's the soft crab. Watermen and aquaculture operations along the Bay watch for "peeler" crabs showing signs they're about to molt, and pull them before the shell firms up. The soft crab season runs roughly May through September, peaking in late spring and early summer. You can find them at waterfront seafood markets from Crisfield up through Rock Hall, sometimes sold live and sometimes cleaned and frozen. Pan-fried in butter with a little flour on them, the whole crab is edible, shell and all.
Hard crabs are the ones most people mean when they talk about a Maryland crab feast. A bushel on newspaper, wooden mallets, Old Bay in the air, the whole ritual. The crabs are available from May onward, but the ones caught in August and September are the ones worth waiting for. By late summer the crabs have had the full warm season to feed and put on weight. They've packed fat into their bodies, and that fat, called crab butter, turns yellow-orange and rich in a cooked crab. You crack a claw and there's actual resistance to it. The bodies fill out the shell instead of rattling around inside. Watermen will tell you a September crab is heavier than the same size crab in June, and they're right. The upper Bay, the Chester River, the waters around Tangier Sound all produce heavy crabs by late summer, and that's when a lot of families schedule their big annual feast if they can.
Maryland has managed the fishery with seasonal and size restrictions for decades, and the population fluctuates year to year depending on spawning success and water conditions. Some years watermen bring up bushels easily, other years they work harder for fewer crabs and the prices reflect it. The Bay is not a fixed system, and anyone who's paid attention to it for long knows that. But the season still comes around each year, the workboats still go out before sunrise, and the crabs are still in the water. For a lot of families in this state, opening a bushel of steamed crabs in August is as tied to place and time as anything they do all year.
A few producers worth knowing about this week.
Wallin Organic Farm has been certified organic since 1997, growing vegetables, fruits, herbs, and grains on their Cecil County land along the Cecilton-Warwick Road. They sell at the Severna Park Farmers Market and offer CSA shares reaching customers across Maryland and into Middletown, Delaware. Their organically grown grain is distilled at McClintock Distilling, making Wallin one of those rare farms with a footprint that runs from the field all the way to the bottle.
Simpson's Market Garden is a small-scale, regenerative operation farming across White Plains and Port Tobacco in Charles County. Each Saturday morning from 9 to noon, they set up at the Winter Wellness Mini-Market inside Raw Juice Market on Crain Highway, bringing seasonal cold-weather staples like beets, lettuce mix, and turnip and mustard greens. Orders can also be placed online Wednesday through Friday for local pickup or delivery.
Calvert Farm has been growing certified organic fruits and vegetables on family-owned land in Cecil County since 1994, situated near the Delaware and Pennsylvania borders. Their CSA program reaches 11 pickup locations across the region, including Baltimore, Annapolis, Rockville, Greenbelt, and Bel Air, making farm-direct organic produce accessible well beyond the farm gate. Subscriptions are available for summer, fall, and winter seasons.
Gorman Produce Farm has been running one of Howard County's most established CSA programs since 2008, now serving more than 600 families across central Maryland with weekly shares of sustainably grown produce. Pickup happens at their Laurel distribution center on Gorman Road, and members get access to some of the freshest local harvests around. The farm also donates shares each week to families in need, which has been part of their model from the start.
Specializes in processing deer, lamb, and pork in Westminster, MD, with over 60 years of experience.
Captain John's Crab House has been a fixture on Cobb Island since 1963, serving Southern Maryland-style seafood in the family-owned tradition that defines this corner of Charles County. Situated along Cobb Island Road with access to the waters of the Wicomico and Potomac rivers, the restaurant leans into the regional style , crabs, steak, and chicken prepared without a lot of fuss. If you're making the drive down Route 257, this is the kind of place that justifies the trip.
Broom's Bloom Dairy has been drawing visitors to their Bel Air farm since 1992, making it one of Harford County's most established on-farm creameries. The operation goes well beyond a farm stand, with house-made ice cream, cheese, and sandwiches all produced or assembled on site. It's the kind of place where a short drive out Fountain Green Road turns into a full afternoon.
The BMI Farmers’ Market offers a convenient place to purchase fresh local foods and artisan items not available in stores. There is something for everyone: fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry and sea
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