To celebrate Maryland Oyster Weekend, Maryland’s Best Seafood—a program within the Maryland Department of Agriculture—has partnered with the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) to promote restaurants that participate in their Shell Recycling Alliance, which reclaims oyster shells and uses them t...
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...
The Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail’s 2021 season officially begins on May 28, and will run through September 30. Now in its ninth 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 be...
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 C...
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 se...
Click the map to go to our interactive web site connecting you directly with farmers and seafood companies doing direct sales to replace markets unavailable during the COVID-19 pandemic. Food and agriculture businesses remain essential under Governor Larry Hogan’s Stay at Home order; including far...
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 w...
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 gr...
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 pro...
Maryland’s vineyards and winemakers offer a wonderful way to celebrate our great state! Curbside service is widely available and seating to provide social distancing as well. Learn about our wineries and cider producers here: https://marylandwine.com/wine-trails/
For pairings of Maryland win...
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 Soundboo...
The Maryland Department of Agriculture—in partnership with the Farmer Veteran Coalition and MidAtlantic Farm Credit— has adopted a new logo to for the Maryland’s Best Homegrown By Heroes program. Working with the Farmer Veteran Coalition, the new Maryland logo features refreshed colors and, mo...
It’s time to take the Buy Local Challenge!
Governor Larry Hogan has declared the week of July 17-25, Buy Local Week in Maryland.
Celebrate Maryland food, farms and watermen by including one local item in the your daily meals. July is the time of plenty in our state. Sweet corn, peaches, melons, gr...
Farmers’ market season is just beginning and we have a directory that will tell you where you can get all your farmer’s market needs! Visit a farmer’s market near you to pick up local fruits & vegetables, meats, eggs, cheeses, ice cream, wines and much more! Check out our 2020 Di...
One of our most intriguing foods, oysters are like fine wine, its flavor a mirror of its habitat. Move a grapevine, you get a different wine. Oysters are same. Maryland oysters are sweet and delicate
A result of merroir, the content and characteristics of the sea in which it grows, the Chesapeake ha...
To download a pdf version of the 2019 Maryland’s Best Food & Beverage Expo Directory, please select the link below.
2019 Maryland’s Best Expo Directory
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The Farmers Market Nutrition Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture supplemental nutritional grant and provides checks to low income senior citizens and participants of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. Theses checks can be redeemed to purchase fresh fruit, vegetables, ...
From Cucumbers, watermelons, and apples to strawberries and sprouts, Maryland farmers produce a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Check out the link below for fruit and vegetable seasonality guides to find when your favorite produce is in season.
Maryland Fruit and Vegetable Seasonality Charts...