Tag Archives: farms

Cherry Picking

Posted on June 21, 2015 by AnnieRie

Out at Larriland.

I got there Friday morning to pick sweet cherries. It certainly was busy.

The parking area was full. Most people, though, were picking strawberries so the cherry trees were relatively quiet. I know it was the last day of school around here, but there were quite a few families out there.

Cherries were $3.99 a pound. I picked four pounds. Knowing I was going to make jam, I wasn’t that careful about keeping the stems on the cherries.

I came home, cleaned and pitted them. Prepared my canning stuff. Found a recipe I liked. And made five jars of cherry “jam”, which is actually more like a syrup.

The recipe was a low sugar, no pectin, three ingredient one. Cherries. Sugar. Lemon juice. Not too hard to do.

We are so lucky to have a pick your own farm right up the road. Larriland is a treasure in our county.

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Posted in Farms, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, West HoCo and tagged cooking, farms, Food, foodie, local businesses, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Scapes Season

Posted on June 10, 2015 by AnnieRie

It has arrived. Garlic scape season.

That first bunch of scapes in the CSA box from Lancaster Farm Fresh. Time to head over to the recipe page and start browsing.

It was a great transition box this week.

Strawberries and rhubarb in the fruit share. Spring onions. Baby fennel. Greens. Beets. Cilantro and mint.

The meat share.

Beef stir fry. Pork links. Boneless pork chops.

Tonight I was just in the mood for a stir fry. Using quite a bit of the box, and one of those precious scapes.

Scapes, scallions and chard stems. In the wok with some light olive oil and toasted sesame oil. Fresh ginger.

Add beef, soy sauce, straw mushrooms and curly kale.

Served over brown rice. With a very lovely Linden Rose.

Get yourself to the local farmers markets and see if Love Dove Farms has their usual supply of scapes. So many ways to make them. Not just in pesto.

A short season, but a flavorful one.

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Posted in CSA, Farmer's Markets, Food, LFFC, Locavore and tagged cooking, CSA, farmer's markets, farms, Food, Locavore, real food, VA wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Strawberry Season

Posted on May 23, 2015 by AnnieRie

Larriland opens Monday.

It isn’t officially strawberry season in my world until they open those fields for picking. Yes, there are other locations near us where you can pick strawberries, but Larriland is my favorite.

Rows and rows of berries.

There are other choices for those in central Maryland. Gorman opened a few days ago. Butler’s is opening tomorrow for limited picking. They expect to have greater amounts ripe by Thursday. Lewis Orchards opened today. Many of us know Lewis from the farmer’s markets.

I couldn’t find any information on TLV’s web site. I know they grow strawberries for the market and pick-your-own.

When we stopped at Baugher’s in Westminster yesterday, they expect to open their fields soon, like Tuesday.

Just to whet your appetite, a few links to old posts where I used those luscious berries for meals, and for preserving.

Venison with berries, anyone?
Last year at Larriland, including making strawberry margaritas.
And, a link to my post about Kirsten’s strawberry salsa.

Seriously, you have to go pick strawberries, somewhere. This week. Do it. You won’t regret it.

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Posted in Community, Farms, Food, Local Businesses, Locavore and tagged farms, Food, foodie, local businesses, Locavore, strawberries. Bookmark the permalink.

Updating the Farms Page

Posted on May 17, 2015 by AnnieRie

Another of my resource pages just updated. Click on the link below my header to see what’s new.

Lots of changes in the area. New CSAs. Closed farm stands. Additions to current CSAs.

The new farm is Wheeler. I saw them at the Glenwood Market Saturday. They were selling mostly greens at the time.

Gorman has closed their farm stand, to focus on their CSA.

Larriland says they will open sometime after May 25th.

Breezy Willow is now making pickles. I tried the new Farm Boy Pickles bought at Glenwood, and made by Jason Caulder. The sweet horseradish version this week. I will be going back, as they are simply awesome.

I was also out at the Breezy Willow farm stand Saturday to pick up soap, as I was running low. Had to grab some Trickling Springs Salted Caramel Ice Cream while I was there.

Farm stands are opening left and right. It is the beginning of the season and the farms are gearing up.

Can’t wait for the beginning of strawberry season. Larriland, I will be there opening day. I just finished the last of my stash from the freezer.

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Posted in Farmer's Markets, Farms, Food, Local Businesses, Locavore and tagged community, farmer's markets, farms, Food, foodie, hoco loco, local businesses, Locavore. Bookmark the permalink.

Local Resources Page Update

Posted on May 13, 2015 by AnnieRie

My Local Resource page. Up there below the header. I just updated it again today. Head over there and check it out if you are looking for sources for local meats, dairy, produce, fruit and flours.

I still have more to research but I did add a few things. I also cleaned up any broken links and errors.

Many local CSAs have changed options. More pick up locations, and days. Big announcements, too, like Gormans Farm closing their farm store to focus on their CSA.

If you haven’t had the chance, I will suggest that a trip into Catonsville to visit Atwater’s Bakery is a delightful way to spend lovely spring days. We did lunch there again a few weeks ago. They have expanded what they offer in their “pantry” and fridge. Including their soups and their salads.

Add to all these choices the seven farmer’s markets here in the county. Plus two in Catonsville. One in Olney. One in Burtonsville. Check out locaharvest to see where your nearest markets are.

There was a time I headed off to Silver Spring to find local goodies. We don’t have to travel far now.

Soon to come. I am going to try some “locally” sourced rice and beans. We don’t have many choices close to us, but just south in the Carolinas there are a couple of options. I will be stocking up my pantry and will be blogging about the experience. Who knows? I may be able to give up that grocery store soon.

Plus, off to Secolari for a hocoblogs party in a couple of weeks. They have olive oil from the USA. No need to buy Italian or Greek or Spanish. Quite a few producers in the US to choose.

Minimizing that carbon footprint, in tiny steps.

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Posted in Community, Farmer's Markets, Farms, Food, Local Businesses, Locavore and tagged CSA, farmer's markets, farms, Food, foodie, local businesses, Locavore. Bookmark the permalink.

Weather and Wool

Posted on April 28, 2015 by AnnieRie

Tomorrow I am volunteering for the third extreme weather event held for Howard County High School Students. It should prove to be another fantastic event and I hope to get many pictures of the participants learning from all the amazing companies that give their time to expand the knowledge of our students.

As usual, the Howard County Conservancy field trip managers have put together an exciting array of activities, demonstrations and speakers to present for this day long event.

A few days later, I intend to immerse myself into the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this Saturday and Sunday out at the Howard County Fairgrounds. I have never been around to take in the festival. One of the largest and best sheep and wool festivals in the USA and Canada.

Many farms in the area participate in this event. Like Breezy Willow , Catoctin Creek and Shepherds Manor Creamery.

Medomak Retreat Center has a booth. I so want to spend a week there at one of their “summer camps” for adults.

Landreth Seeds will be there. I hope to find something rare from them.

And, Greenbridge Pottery. Another local favorite when it comes to looking for unique gifts.

That’s all I recognize in this year’s catalogue but I probably missed a few more local farms and vendors. This festival is huge so if you want to go, be prepared for very large crowds.

I do intend to check out the lamb cooking demonstration, and maybe make the Sunday Brunch. See you there?

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Posted in Community, Farms, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Volunteering, Weather and tagged community, farmer's markets, farms, Food, Howard County, howard county conservancy, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Transitions

Posted on April 26, 2015 by AnnieRie

Winter has finally left the building.

It is almost farmers market season. The spring and summer Community Supported Agriculture deliveries will soon begin. Our Friends and Farms basket will have ASPARAGUS!!!!!! in it. Do I sound ready for something other than root vegetables?

We got a mixed basket last week.

The good additions. Lovely leaf lettuce, hydroponic tomatoes that taste like tomatoes, cucumbers. Good things to grill too, like country ribs.

I am so happy that the markets are about to open. The week of the 4th of May. The same week we get our first CSA delivery. There will be seven markets in Howard County this year. Three on Saturday. That should prove interesting. For us, the return of Glenwood is awesome. We love having a local market. Where we can run over for bread or fruit or plants. As for veggies, not so much. Between my garden and the CSA, we won’t be buying many veggies.

We are transitioning to a full share in our CSA. Transitioning to a protein and dairy bag from Friends and Farms. That should provide us with the right amount of food to keep us out of the grocery stores for a while.

I also structured our garden planting to be able to provide us with the ingredients necessary to make sauces and roast tomatoes to fill my almost empty freezer. This year I made it to May with my frozen sauces and tomatoes. I say May because I have three containers left of sauce.

The sauce has found its way into many meals. Like those killer lasagna.

Tomatoes from my freezer. Peppers from the CSA. A slight tweak on the traditional lasagna.

Besides the large amount of tomato sauce in the freezer, there was quite a bit of pesto. And herb butters.

Nothing like pasta with pesto.

Here’s to celebrating spring. And all the goodness it brings.

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Posted in CSA, Farmer's Markets, Farms, Food, Friends and Farms, Locavore and tagged cooking, CSA, farmer's markets, farms, Food, foodie, real food. Bookmark the permalink.

Rites of Spring

Posted on April 21, 2015 by AnnieRie

Opening Day at Sharps Farm.

They even have a new sign. The road wasn’t as bad as it sometimes is. There was a field trip there when I arrived. Ran into four people right off the bat that I know from gardening and farming. The greenhouse is the place to start.

There were strawberries out front. And lots of plugs and pots inside.

Plugs are 65 cents each, five cents less once you reach 24. Many pots as well.

I came home with 36 plugs and a dozen pots. Mostly tomatoes. A few zucchini. Plus a new one. Mini-white cucumbers.

Many heirlooms. Like Goliath. Black Prince. Purple Cherokee. Yellow Brandywine. Sugar Lump. Box Car Willie. Pineapple.

A few standbys. Like yellow plum, plum dandy, supersweet 100s, sungold and Carolina gold.

The farm is open Tuesdays through Saturday, 9-6, and Sundays noon til 4. They also sell row cover and hoops at very good prices for those who want to protect plants from bugs or frost.

As I said, it is definitely spring when Sharps opens.

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Posted in Farms, Food, Gardening, Howard County, Local Businesses and tagged farms, Food, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, local businesses, tomatoes. Bookmark the permalink.

Main Streets

Posted on April 13, 2015 by AnnieRie

I grew up in a city. Baltimore, to be exact. Living on “Main Street”.

On 144 just east of Catonsville (yes, I know Candlelight Lodge is now a funeral parlor instead of the restaurant it was).

Saturday I drove that main street. Starting in Ellicott City.

Filled with family owned businesses (except for that stupid Subway they added).

Heading east to Catonsville.

Home of Atwater’s. One of those amazing bakeries around here. Where you can buy lunch and head upstairs to comingle with others at the tables while having lunch.

They have a couple of farmer’s markets right off Main Street aka Frederick Avenue. One on Wednesday and one on Sunday. They also are the home of an icon.

Bill’s Music House. You have to see it to believe it. It’s huge, and a landmark to us.

I love heading off the highways and traveling the Main Streets in our area.

Take a trip on Rte. 144. Part of the National Road. Worth the time to park, explore and discover.

If you keep heading east you will hit the Inner Harbor. Frederick Road becomes Pratt Street. I couldn’t have grown up in a better part of this state. So much history. So many stories to hear.

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Posted in Farmer's Markets, Food, Local Businesses, Locavore, Restaurants and tagged community, farmer's markets, farms, Food, foodie, local businesses, Locavore, real food. Bookmark the permalink.

The Incredible Edible

Posted on April 11, 2015 by AnnieRie

Eggs.

For years, they got a bad rap. Now, we know they are one very packed source of many vital nutrients. We stopped buying them during that period. Now, they are an important part of our diet. Maybe that’s why my eyesight has stabilized. And why my “good” cholesterol keeps going up.

We get eggs weekly now in our Friends and Farms basket. Really fresh, wonderful eggs. The kind with that bright yellow yolk.

Eggs on Sunday morning is standard fare at the house. Served with whatever fresh bread we get.

The markets are opening in a few weeks. If you want to experience the taste of fresh eggs, you should pick up a dozen from one of the local farmers.

If you really get hooked on fresh eggs, you can always find out how to raise chickens in your yard (how’s that for a segue into Greenfest?). Cathy Hudson and Van Wensil will be offering their workshop at 12:30 pm at this year’s Greenfest at Howard Community College on April 18th. Always popular.

If you can’t raise chickens, you can find them at many of the local farms, like England Acres. I like to go there and watch the chickens run all around the farm, while you are checking out the goodies in their farm store.

Tomorrow, April 12th, they are open and grilling their beef for tasting. Eggs and other local goodies in the store. They are just west of Mt. Airy. Most of the lamb we eat comes from them.

What does this have to do with eggs? Nothing, really. I am just very happy to see spring has arrived and the farms and markets are opening weekly.

As for the eggs. How about a few more of my favorite ways to enjoy them.