‘Tis the season for celebrating holidays! If you and your family celebrate Christmas, then we bet you have a tree tradition. To celebrate all our Maryland Christmas Tree Farms, we’re giving a tree to three lucky families this year (up to $75 value). Starting November 17, follow the Maryland’s Best page (Facebook, Instagram, and X/Twitter @mdsbest), and like and comment on one of our giveaway posts with your families’ tree tradition. Don’t forget to shout out the local farm you buy from! To see a full list of Maryland Christmas Tree farms, check out: MarylandChristmasTrees.org or search our database. For full details and rules please see the link. — Maryland farmers offer some of the freshest holiday trees available, including the popular Fraser fir and Canaan fir as well as the Douglas fir, Concolor fir, Scotch pine, White pine, and Blue spruce. According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture for Maryland, there are more than 185 Christmas tree growers in the state with nearly 2,200 acres in production. Nationally, there are more than 15,000 Christmas tree growers in the U.S. and the fresh-cut Christmas tree business generates nearly $377 million in sales, according to the latest agriculture census. Not only […]

At Maryland’s Best, we celebrate the many wonderful, seasonal foods available in our backyard this Thanksgiving and encourage you to buy local and enjoy the best Maryland has to offer during this holiday season! During this time of giving thanks, we are thankful for the farmers who continue to provide food for our community. Buying locally is one of the many ways we can show our thanks and gratitude for the nourishment they provide to our families. To help with making your locally bought Thanksgiving meal easy to pull off, Maryland’s Best has put together regional lists of where to purchase ingredients including the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving table, fresh turkey.  We have also provided delicious recipes featuring fresh, local ingredients you can still buy in Maryland throughout November. Make this a Thanksgiving to remember while supporting our Maryland farmers!   For more locations of products, use the search function on our home page. You can also consider joining year-long CSAs like Norman’s Farm Market, Moon Valley Farm, Floating Lotus Farmstead or Breezy Willow Farm to get in season produce (and more!) year-round.  We have also included a list of local wines, spirits or beers to add to your celebration.   Happy Thanksgiving!    Appetizers Main Course Sides Desserts Regional Farms and Farmers Markets   Western & […]

Maryland Department of Agriculture Encourages Marylanders to Participate in National Community Supported Agriculture Farms Week ANNAPOLIS, MD (Feb. 17, 2023) – The Maryland Department of Agriculture is encouraging Marylanders to participate in National Community Supported Agriculture Farms Week from February 20- 26. During the week, Marylanders are encouraged to join a community supported agriculture farm, also known as a CSA, to obtain fresh produce and support local farmers.  “CSAs present a great opportunity to get fresh, local food—direct from a farmer,” said Maryland Department of Agriculture Acting Secretary Kevin Atticks. “This is the perfect time to sign up with a CSA farm so you don’t miss out on any of the season’s fruits and vegetables”.  By purchasing local food, consumers keep dollars in Maryland and strengthen its economy. Community supported agriculture members pay a subscription to farmers in return for a share of the season’s harvest, which is usually provided weekly. For convenience, many CSAs deliver to central locations for pick up closer to subscribers’ home or work. Still others have special rates if a subscriber helps with the harvest on the farm.   According to the most recent agricultural census completed in 2017 by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, […]