Local Farmers' Markets

I've been taking advantage of the mid-week markets in order to avoid the crowds of Saturdays. But I believe I'm missing a lot at the Fairgrounds and Baughman's Lane. I've got to check those out soon.


July 1: Coldstream Lot, Lake Linganore

This is a new market, which will hopefully expand. There were only three vendors and only one sold produce (the others were baked goods and coffee). But it's hard to complain when it's the closest one to my house.

Most of the produce at the one stand was not from the farm of the stand owners. They had a few items from their farm in Keymar, MD, some goods from a neighboring Carroll County farm, and others from as far away as South Carolina. I'm at the markets for local produce only so I bought a nice pint of cherries for $2.50. I paid $4.00 for a pint at the Shab Row market last week.


June 19 and 26: Everedy Square and Shab Row, Frederick

For its small size, the Shab Row market has a decent selection of goods from various-sized farms. In addition, there is a bakery, and on the 19th, there was a vendor who makes and sells chocolate truffles. In the two weeks, I've purchased blueberries, two types of summer squash, cherries, Thai basil, rosemary, orange-lemon-lime-ade, and a chocolate truffle. I've been pleased with the quality of all of the goods I've purchased (but a regular-size chocolate truffle for $2 was too much).


June 4: Heritage Farm Park, Walkersville

My first farmers' market trip of the summer was a bit of a disappointment at first, yet yielded a really good dish.

Only a minority of stands had produce. The rest hawked items such as wool and flavored popcorns, yet the trip was not a bust because I had cut out a recipe from the previous week's Washington Post's Food Section. From one produce vendor, I purchased radishes. From the other, I purchased spring onions. The dish was "Butter-Braised Radishes" and it exceeded my expectations. I had only had raw radishes in the past and was never much of a fan, but cooking them in water and a little bit of butter, along with sauteed spring onions, was a great new flavor. I saved the recipe and will make it again. I need to return to the Walkersville market.