Maryland Public Television Series Maryland Farm & Harvest Visits Anne Arundel, Baltimore, and Frederick Counties and Baltimore City During Valentine’s Day Episode

ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 10, 2023)– Maryland Public Television’s (MPT) series Maryland Farm & Harvest, now in its 10th anniversary season, will feature farms and locations in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, and Frederick counties and Baltimore City during a Valentine’s Day-themed episode premiering on Tuesday, February 14.

Maryland Farm & Harvest airs on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on MPT-HD and online at mpt.org/livestream. Encore broadcasts are available on MPT-HD Thursdays at 11 p.m. and Sundays at 6 a.m. Each episode also airs on MPT2/Create® on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. Episodes are also available to watch on demand using MPT’s online video player and the PBS Video App.

The popular weekly series takes viewers on a journey across the Free State, telling engaging and enlightening stories about the farms, people, and technology required to sustain and grow agriculture in Maryland, the state’s number one commercial industry. During its 10th season, the series revisits some favorite farms and farmers from past episodes.

The February 14 Valentine’s Day episode features the following segments:

Burrier’s Linganore Farm (Frederick County): Successful farmers possess perseverance and an ability to pivot;Dave and Belinda Burrier possess both traits and a mutual love of farming. During a visit to the couple’s Union Bridge farm on the day of a planned soybean harvest, viewers learn that an overnight temperature drop resulted in frost on the soybeans. The harvest is delayed while the beans dry, but that doesn’t mean it’s an off day. Instead, the couple makes additional preparations to the combine for the harvest. It’s the latest example of the Burrier’s ability to adapt. On a larger scale was the decision in 2000 to end their dairy operation and pivot to growing strictly corn, hay, wheat, and soybeans. The decision was driven by environmental concerns associated with dairy farming and having Linganore Creek run through their property. The couple has taken steps including no-till farming, strip cropping, and adding two expansive buffer strips to help ensure that impurities from the farm are filtered before they reach the Chesapeake Bay. Dave and Belinda share what they’ve learned and advocate for farmers through Belinda’s service on the United Soybean Board and their involvement in other commodity groups.

Growing Roses at Willow Oaks Flower & Herb Farm (Anne Arundel County): Fourth-generation farmer Heather Carr introduces viewers to Willow Oaks Flower & Herb Farm in Severn, an organic and chemical-free nursery where shoppers find dried herbs, perennials, floral bouquets, and get a chance to get lost in the gardens. Heather takes a walk down memory lane, telling of her time growing up among the farm’s gardens and working with her mother. Now, Heather is in charge and she’s passing on her knowledge to son Silas who’s beginning to blossom as a young horticulturist. This time of year the focus is on roses, Valentine’s Day’s most popular flower.

Heather explains the temperamental nature of rose plants and the types of roses she grows during the summer months. In February, her roses are imported from Ecuador, but she adds to bouquet greens she grows on the farm. Last year, the farm sold more than 200 dozen-rose arrangements for the holiday.

The Local Buy: Bramble Bakery – Cookies with Edible Petals (Baltimore City/Baltimore County):

Segment host Al Spoler visits baker Allie Smith at Bramble Baking Co. in Baltimore where she combines the fragrances of flowers and the delicious taste of cookies to create unique treats with edible flowers baked right in. With Valentine’s Day approaching, Allie is making dozens of heart- shaped shortbread cookies. Allie sources the flowers she uses in the cookies from local farms including Karma Farm in Monkton, where grower Jon Shaw uses his greenhouses to grow a variety of flowers year-round. He believes that combining two things that people love, like flowers and good food, makes perfect sense. Back at the bakery, it’s time to decorate the cookies. Al goes in for the perfect dunk with the cookie glaze before getting creative with the flower decorations. The only thing better than making cookies is eating them, and Al is impressed with the flavors that Allie has baked in. The shortbread cookie recipe will be available to viewers at mpt.org/farm.

More than 15 million viewers have watched Maryland Farm & Harvest on MPT since its fall 2013 debut. The series has traveled to more than 430 farms, fisheries, and other agriculture-related locations during its first nine seasons, covering every Maryland county, as well as Baltimore City, and Washington, D.C. Past episodes can be viewed at video.mpt.tv/show/maryland-farm-harvest/, while episode segments are available on the series’ YouTube channel at youtube.com/c/MarylandFarmHarvest/featured. Engage with the show on social media @MarylandFarmHarvest on Facebook and @mdfarmtv on Twitter.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture is MPT’s co-production partner for Maryland Farm & Harvest. Major funding is provided by the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board.

Additional funding is provided by Maryland’s Best, Rural Maryland Council, Maryland Agricultural Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (Marbidco), a grant from the Maryland Department of

Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Program, Farm Credit, Maryland Soybean Board, Maryland Association of

Soil Conservation Districts, Wegmans Food Markets, Maryland Nursery, Landscape & Greenhouse Association, Maryland Seafood Marketing Fund, Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, Maryland Farm Bureau, and The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment. 

Other support comes from Mar-Del Watermelon Association.

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Follow Maryland Department of Agriculture on Twitter @MdAgDept