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Getting Fresh



One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week.



New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here. I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else. 

Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses. 

It is hard work. 

The Village of Oakland Mills has worked hard over the years to 1) bring their market back and 2) keep it going. At one point they even had to do battle with the former Village Center operator, Cedar Properties, who saw the Market as an economic threat rather than a benefit to the overall community.

My takeaway from this entire conversation: the markets are back, yay! Support them. And: not everything that you are mad about is the fault of local government. Really.

While we are talking fresh and local, here’s a program that is run by the County: The Roving Radish.

The Howard County Office of Agriculture has a gift for you! Busy week ahead? Let us handle dinner for you. With Roving Radish meal kits, you can order up to 5 weeks in advance and enjoy farm-fresh, healthy meals at home-no last-minute grocery runs required.

Be sure to order before the weekly cutoff!

Example:

→ Order by April 20 ~ Pickup by April 28-30

See menus, deadlines, and place your order at: https://rovingradish.com/pages/meal-kit-info . Pick up weekly from one of seven locations countywide.

But wait! There’s more!

Howard County also has a number of farm stands and/or businesses focusing on fresh products. Frank’s Produce and Greenhouse  and Jenny’s Market come to mind, as well as Breezy Willow Farm Country Market. The East Columbia Library Branch will host a Farm Stand on Thursdays. There’s often a farm stand located at Kendall’s Hardware in Clarksville. I don’t know if it has a particular name. Are there other HoCoLocal farm stands I could add to this list?

Yes, there is: the Community Ecology Institute has a farm stand at Freetown Farm, Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm. Click this link to learn more: Freetown Farm Stand . 

Submitted by a helpful reader: Baugher’s Farm Stand in Ellicott City and Clark’s Produce Farm Stand on Route 108. They open for the season in June.

And then there are the CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) that allow you to support a local farm by purchasing a “share” during the growing season. You can learn more at Live Green Howard: Buying Local Food. CSA’s are offered by Breezy Willow, Gorman Farm, One Rock Garm, TLV Tree Farm, and Wheeler Farm. Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative is in Pennsylvania but offers a Columbia pick-up option. 

One summer we shared a CSA with my older daughter and that was the year I discovered exactly how many vegetables my family would not eat. It was a wonderful variety of food and extremely high quality. I would definitely recommend it if your family is more open-minded than mine was. We won’t talk about kale chips, no, no, no…

Are you excited for fresh and local foods? Do you have a favorite local market? Let me know.




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  1. Julia A. McCreadyNovember 14, 2025 at 3:38 AM

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