Celebrating Maryland Farmers’ Market Week

Joe Bartenfelder, Maryland Agriculture Secretary

Governor Larry Hogan has designated Aug. 2-8, Farmers Market Week in Maryland, and we invite you to celebrate local farms and local food with us. During this week, many markets will offer food preparation demonstrations, music and children’s activities along with an assortment of fresh produce, meats, cheeses, wine tastings, and more.

One way to celebrate is to include at least one local farmers market product in your meals each day. Try fresh, local products once and we think you will want to do so more frequently. There are more than 140 farmers markets across the state – at least one in every county and Baltimore City. The markets are filled with a variety of items – from watermelons and peaches to greens, sweet corn and the hottest habanero.

Farmers markets provide an important source of income for farmers, and local economies can improve as consumers seek the freshness, quality, and wide selection of locally grown produce, meats, dairy, eggs and more. Markets also serve as integral links between urban, suburban and rural communities. By talking one-on-one with farmers, you can learn where your food comes from, how to best prepare it, and useful storage and handling tips. You just can’t beat talking with a farmer to understand and appreciate your food.

You can also enter to win a prize by uploading your favorite farmers’ market week photo to Facebook or Twitter with #MdFarmersMarketWeek. At the end of the week, the Maryland Department of Agriculture will enter all the names of people who uploaded a photo into a drawing to win a prize! If you don’t engage with social media, you can submit photos the old fashioned way – by U.S. mail. Include name and contact information, phone number, and send to Shelby Watson Hampton, MDA, 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway, Annapolis, MD 21401. All photo submissions must be postmarked by Aug. 8.

A randomly selected participant will win a copy of the local cookbook Dishing up Maryland, a $50 gift certificate to use on Maryland’s Best Ice Cream trail, and a copy of the first season of Maryland Public Television’s award winning series Maryland Farm & Harvest.

For more information on farmers markets in your area, visit www.marylandsbest.net or call 410-841-5770. See you at the market!