Buy Local for the Holidays

Support the Local Economy with Delicious, Unique Gift Ideas

Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Joe Bartenfelder and Deputy Secretary Jim Eichhorst

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Looking for a last minute gift idea? This holiday season, consider your Maryland agriculture options when purchasing gifts.  Maryland farmers and specialty food and beverage producers offer a wide range of items to enjoy.  Options could include a wine, beer, spirits, cheese, fresh meats, yarn, plants, and more.

For a gift that keeps on giving, why not give a CSA membership? A year’s share offers months of weekly produce from a Maryland farm. Other unique, local gift ideas could include a gift certificate to one of the farm creameries on the Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail, or horse riding lessons at a nearby stable.

“With such a diverse range of unique products available, Maryland farmers have something for everyone on your list this holiday season,” said Secretary Joe Bartenfelder. “Not only do locally grown products make great gifts, but they help support our family farmers and local economy.”

According to the most recent agricultural census completed in 2012 by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 1,276 farms in Maryland sell directly to consumers. They bring in $28.03 million to the state’s economy.  In 2012, 667 of 12,256 farms (5.4 percent) in Maryland were producing value-added products, which include jams and jellies, wine, or even grinding wheat into flour on the farm.

To find Maryland agriculture products to give as gifts, visit MarylandsBest.net.  The web site, which is serviced by the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Office of Marketing, lists numerous Maryland farmers and specialty food and beverage producers.  Also check out the video profile of Washington County’s Caprikorn Farms goat cheese—one of the state’s finest producers of artisanal cheeses.

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