June is National Dairy Month and we continue to celebrate Maryland’s dairy industry and the farm families that operate them.  With over 42,000 dairy cows and 340 dairy farms across the State, Maryland’s dairy industry is thriving.  Maryland Dairy Princess Elizabeth Karides is providing some insight into all things dairy, including the incredible health benefits of milk, yogurt, and cheese.   And don’t forget the 2022 Maryland Ice Cream Trail is open so get out and enjoy some farm-fresh ice cream today!    Kick Off the Summer by Celebrating Dairy! By: Elizabeth Karides, 2021-22 Maryland Dairy Princess   In 1937, June was dubbed National Milk Month as a way to distribute extra milk during the hot Summer. Since then, June has evolved into National Dairy Month. Though it may sound silly to dedicate an entire thirty days to this food group, National Dairy Month gives us a chance to reflect upon the vital work dairy farmers do for our community and the environment. For starters, our farmers work 365 days a year to provide milk, an undeniably healthy beverage packed with 13 essential nutrients like calcium, potassium, zinc, and Vitamin A, to neighborhoods far and near. These nutrients are linked […]

Maryland Invites Chefs to Submit Recipes for Maryland’s Best Chef Competition Event will Feature Local Products to Celebrate Buy Local Challenge Week   The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) is inviting chefs using local Maryland ingredients to submit original recipes for the Governor’s Buy Local Cookout, being held at MDA in Annapolis on July 21.  MDA is partnering with the Restaurant Association of Maryland (RAM) in this competition featuring Maryland agriculture and seafood products. Recipes must be submitted by July 6 and include products from at least one Maryland farmer, waterman, or other producer. Chefs are encouraged to submit simple, but creative recipes featuring at least one local vegetable\fruit or blue catfish and showcase ways the average Maryland family can prepare delicious, nutritious meals with locally produced food at home. RAM will honor two winning chefs, one for blue catfish and one for fruits\vegetables, with a ‘Golden Ticket’ to the World Food Championships in Dallas. Chefs are also invited to celebrate Maryland’s farmers, watermen and the resilient restaurants of the state in a cookout.  “Agriculture and seafood play a major role in Maryland’s history and heritage, and I enjoy seeing new dishes that honor that tradition,” said Governor Hogan. “We […]

The Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail’s 2022 season officially begins on May 28, and will run through September 30. Now in its tenth year, the Ice Cream Trail is designed to promote the state’s dairy industry, and has become increasingly popular, drawing participants from across the state and beyond. The 2022 Ice Cream Trail features 10 on-farm creameries across the state that produce and sell their ice cream directly to consumers. The trail stretches more than 290 miles from Washington County in the west to Worcester County in the east. The purpose of the trail is to increase the public’s understanding of dairy farming and to highlight the important contributions of Maryland’s 325 dairy farms, which according to the USDA’s 2017 Census of Agriculture accounted for more than $174 million in sales in 2017. View the 2022 Ice Cream Trail Passport

The Maryland Department of Agriculture’s annual Maryland’s Best Expo will be rescheduled and is no longer taking place in January of 2022. In order to assist the industry a directory will still be compiled and distributed. If you are interested in being included in the directory, please select the appropriate link below. Who should be included in the 2022 directory: • A Maryland farmer, seafood producer, or processor interested in finding new markets for your products (Depending on the product, it must either be grown or produced in Maryland) • A buyer from a grocery store, restaurant, hospital, school, or other venue looking to purchase Maryland grown or produced products • A service provider in agriculture and local food such as a county extension agent, food writer, etc. For questions contact Karen Fedor at karen.fedor@maryland.gov or 410-841-5773. Seafood producers contact Stone Slade at stone.slade@maryland.gov. Buyer Directory Registration: Buyer Registration Link Growers, artisan food companies and seafood companies Directory Registration: Exhibitor Registration Link Extension, media etc. Directory Registration: Others Registration Link

The work of Maryland’s apple growers is paying off for you now! It’s Apple Month in Maryland! Varieties that range from Crispin, big golden green globes of sweetness, to the Stayman, with its tart and spicy flesh are ready for the eating. All these types of apples and the growers who produce them have stories to tell. The Stayman, for example, was developed in 1876 in Leavenworth County, Kansas. Maryland even has its Antietam Blush, a project of the University of Maryland. One of Maryland’s apple growers, Robert Black, was honored this year as Apple Grower of the Year by American Fruit Grower magazine. Search our website for Maryland apple orchards and try out the Maryland Apple Promotion Board’s website.  

Originally from China, snakehead is a voracious predator that feeds on native species of fish and other Chesapeake aquatic wildlife. Fortunately, these invasive species taste delicious! From fried to broiled, in tacos or a poor boy, the versatility of this fish has local chefs excited. If you haven’t tried it yet, order it at your local seafood restaurant or pick some up to cook at home. Check out our Snakehead Recipes

Since they were first introduced into the Chesapeake Bay, the blue catfish population has increased dramatically. This invasive species was first introduced into our waters during the 1970s and is now prolific throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. In 2018 there was an estimated 500 million pounds of blue catfish in the bay. Due to lack of awareness among chefs and consumers, local watermen and processors have not been able to use this species at a high enough number to mitigate their impact on other Chesapeake Bay mainstays like blue crab, rockfish, and oysters. Catching and eating blue catfish is one tasty way to reduce the numbers of this invasive fish. Blue catfish caught from the Chesapeake Bay is often compared to rockfish in taste and texture and can be cooked in a variety of different ways such as frying or baking. Try out one of our blue catfish recipes in the link below! Blue Catfish Recipes. Invasive Blue Catfish Information.

Join a community supported agriculture (CSA) farm and support local farmers while receiving healthful, fresh produce all summer long. CSA members pay an up-front 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 pickup closer to subscriber’s home or work on a designated day of the week. Search Maryland’s Best web site for a CSA farm near you.  Local Harvest – Tips for Potential CSA Members   List of CSA farms on Maryland’s Best  

The “Keep Calm and Carry Out” social media campaign is a partnership between MDA, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Maryland Office of Tourism and the Maryland Restaurant Association to promote the many restaurants across the state that continue to offer carry-out and delivery services. For a full list of these restaurants, please visit:  visitmaryland.org/article/restaurants-offering-carry-out

The holidays are here! While seasonal celebrations will be smaller this year, it is still a perfect time to include local seafood and farm products on your table. “This is a holiday season unlike any other, and it is more important than ever that we continue to support the men and women who have worked throughout the pandemic to provide fresh, local food products,” said Secretary of Agriculture Joe Bartenfelder. “There is plenty of local meat, seafood, dairy products and hardy winter vegetables available for your holiday meal. Visit MarylandsBest.net to find local products near you.” “It truly is the most wonderful time of the year, not only because of the holidays, but also for fresh Maryland oysters – which are at their best right now,” said Natural Resources Secretary Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio. “While this has been a tough year for many of us, we can support the men and women in our communities who produce and catch our food while celebrating with our families by choosing locally grown and locally caught items this holiday season.” “Chesapeake cuisine makes Maryland a very special place to be for the holidays,” said Chef John Shields, author of several books on the region’s cuisine. “Think local […]

Make your safe space beautiful with Maryland cut flowers. A splash of living color and scents of nature can really lift your mood. To find Maryland cut flower growers, search our web site, or go to Maryland Grown Flowers Web Site Learn about Butterbee Farm in Baltimore County Butterbee Farm Soundbook