Old Westminster Winery
OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK APRIL THRU CHRISTMAS EVE
Frank’s PRODUCE AND GREENHOUSES
6686 Old Waterloo Rd • Elkridge, MD 410-799-4566
FranksProduceGreenhouses.com In the spring, check out our eight greenhouses spilling out with annuals, perennials, vegetable plants, floor pots, hanging baskets, shrubs, tropicals and more! Our farm market specializes in local and high quality produce, local eggs, and a large selection of delicious, local apples. We also carry local honey, McCutcheon’s products, colorful pots, planting supplies and home decor items. In the fall, we carry a huge selection of local pumpkins, gourds, mums, pansies, cornstalks, and Halloween decorations. And finally, to close out the season, we sell Christmas trees, greenery, candy, nuts, holiday decor and beautiful wreaths! Hope to see you this year at Frank’s Produce & Greenhouses!
AND PUBLISHER Hagerstown Publishing MANAGING EDITOR Nancy Luse ART DIRECTOR Joseph Silovich PRODUCTION MANAGER Matthew Piersall GRAPHIC DESIGNER Matthew Piersall CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Turner Photography Studio HOWARD COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY Kathy Johnson, Director of Agriculture Business Development Zachary Jones, Director of Marketing and Communications VISIT HOWARD COUNTY Amanda Hof, Executive Director ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Terri Davis tdavis@fredmag.com Debra Tyson dtyson@fredmag.com DISTRIBUTOR Josh Ensor
alloutdist@aol.com
SUBSCRIPTIONS Stephanie Dewees
subscriptions@fredmag.com
Howard County Economic Development Authority and Visit Howard County are recipients of grant programs through Howard County government that makes this publication possible.
Telephone: 301-662-8171 FAX: 301-662-8399
www.fredmag.com Letters to the editor: editor@fredmag.com Farm and Flavor Howard is an annual publication of Diversions Publications, Inc., 6 N. East Street, Suite 301, Frederick, MD 21701-5601 (ISSN 006-923). Periodicals postage paid at Frederick, MD 21701 and at additional mailing offices. Subscriptions to Frederick Magazine, $24.95 per year, which includes the Homegrown Frederick and all other annual guides (available through the business office). Back issues w/in the last 12 mo/$3.95. Prior to 12 mos. ago/$7. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Frederick Magazine, 6 N. East Street, Suite 301, Frederick, MD 21701-5601. Customer inquiries to same address or call 301-662-8171. Distributed through mail subscriptions, home delivery, and sold at newsstands and other locations in Frederick, Upper Montgomery counties, and throughout the Central Maryland region. Advertising rates available on request. Manuscripts, drawings, and other submissions must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Frederick Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited material. All rights to submissions, including letters and e-mail, will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes and as subject to Frederick Magazine’s unrestricted right to edit and to comment editorially, unless otherwise negotiated with the author. Printed on © DIVERSIONS PUBLICATIONS, INC. 2021. All contents of this publication are protected by Recycled copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or in part for any reason without prior Paper approval of the publisher.
4 FARM & FLAVOR
COUNTY EXECUTIVE’S MESSAGE Howard County Office of County Executive 3430 Courthouse Drive • Ellicott City, Maryland 21043 • 410-313-2013 voice/relay • www.howardcountymd.gov Calvin Ball, Howard County Executive • cball@howardcountymd.gov Farming is deeply embedded in the history of Howard County. Today farms remain vitally important to our health and wellness, our community, and our way of life. Our farms provide locally grown food so that our restaurants and residents can buy fresh and buy local. They provide the necessary natural space, and they are the fifth-largest economic driver in Howard County. I believe that our agricultural values must be preserved, in service to our environment, our economy, and our farmers. Howard County is proud of our diverse agriculture industry, today over 330 farms strong. Amid the challenges of a pandemic, it was even more clear how vital our farms are to our community. To support our local farms impacted by the pandemic, we distributed more than $600,000 in grant funding to nearly 90 farms in Howard County. Additionally, this year Howard County’s passed new solar regulations, expanding revenue opportunities for our farms by allowing ground mount commercial solar on Agricultural Land Preservation Properties. This expansion is not only an opportunity for our local farms to diversify their revenue and land use – it also it vital to ensuring a clean and sustainable environment for many generations to come. As many of us used our time over the past year to slow down and reexamine where we source our food, I encourage you to continue to take advantage of the incredible, fresh products from our farms. Whether you shop at one of our farmer’s markets or sign up for our award-winning Roving Radish meals program, you will love our quality, locally- grown food. Please visit HoCoFarms.com for more information or find a farm on HoCo Farm Connect. Thank you once again to all Howard County farmers for serving our community and beyond. Sincerely,
Calvin Ball Howard County Executive
6 FARM & FLAVOR
8
15
16
Ritter Farm
Agriculture Events
Farmers Market Schedule
18
28
36
Mary’s Land Farm
Merry Acres Farm
Rural Rhythm Farm
44
56
62
Farm Profiles
Dandelion Bistro
Recipes from the Farms
SUMMER ISSUE VOL. 3, NO. 3
CONTENTS
FARM & FLAVOR 7
Like many young, entrepreneurial farmers, Michael Ritter keeps a full-time job. Not so surprising, according to the latest 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture, which estimates that about 63 percent of growers devote more than 200 days a year to off-farm work, nearly fulltime employment. Most would agree that the urge to farm, to return to the land, nurturing it to produce food, is not for the faint of heart. “It’s in our DNA,” says Ritter. “A calling in our blood that drew us back to the farm.” He explains that it’s not from the perspective of selling to people, or from profit— although making the farm pay for itself is a Ritter Farm goal—but it’s to continue the heritage of growing exceptional quality food. Along with his wife Laura, and four children, the Ritter’s acquired their 14-acre farm in 2015. Situated at the crossroads of Md. 32 and River Road in Sykesville, the two, who fell in love in high school, also fell in love with the farm’s location just as they were looking to carve out a rural lifestyle and business niche. The Ritters, who had been eating organic since Laura became pregnant with their first child, have a food philosophy
10 FARM & FLAVOR
rooted in healthfulness and natural eating. Michael credits his farming heritage as key to the lifestyle he and his family lead. The Ritter farm roots go back to prerevolutionary Maryland, when in the 1700s, Anthony Ritter farmed in Carroll County. Ritter’s father worked on a farm, and this piqued his interest as a child. Now, the Ritters make their farming operation work by making it a family affair. According to Laura, the children ages, 14, 11, 7 and 3 all contribute to the daily chores. “The two older ones help with watering and feeding, while the two younger ones help lock the chickens up at night and collect eggs. And they all play with the animals. It makes for a very involved, family farm life.” Maximizing the potential on property that includes pasture, woods and the family home, has been an orchestra of organization
and planning. When the Ritters moved here, there was no useable pasture to support livestock. “We’ve developed healthy pasture from brambles and weeds,” Michael says. “The pigs till up the right amount of disturbance, then we till in seed behind them. It restores pastures and is completely regenerative.” The Ritters keep an organic home garden for their personal use. Their farming operation, Ritter Farm, LLC, grows and produces only GMO free livestock, pastured on the healthy,
rich grass they have lovingly nurtured over the years. Early on, the Ritters did their due diligence in researching organics and humane, nonconfinement livestock production. Their land is kept in regular small rotations. “We have a customer base that is 100 percent knowledgeable,” Laura says, crediting them with the ability to make key decisions on the quality and value of what they purchase. “Our prices reflect the quality of what we produce,” says Laura.
“They are all locally and humanely 100 percent pasture raised.”
As a Maryland Master Gardener, and a previous public school teacher, Laura knows
stuff. She worked with the Howard County Living Farm Museum, presenting a program that brings children in and lets them do educational activities. Laura also was involved in the Farm to Table program, where chefs visit the schools and Master Gardeners further the curriculum with instruction on the horticultural aspects. The program culminates in the children visiting a farm for a day of hands-on learning, bringing the food production process full circle. The Ritters are also proud they can provide an experience to their customers. The Ritters have FARM & FLAVOR 11
been in the business of teaching their customers about the animals they raise and getting them excited about the farm experience. “People come to the farm, they love to see the animals, and they love knowing the farmer and being able to talk to them,” Laura says. What Humane is All About The decision to raise all their animals in a humane, nonconfinement, 100 percent pasture system, was something the Ritters knew from the inception of Ritter Farm. Pigs came first. According to Michael, there were several factors to their decision. The Ritters don’t use farrowing 12 FARM & FLAVOR
crates, extremely restrictive and designed to keep the sow from being able to roll over. “We use a stall for birthing of pigs, and in their normal everyday life, they root, run, roll, and live a normal pig life.”
Every Monday the pigs are moved to a fresh paddock based on research on rotational grazing patterns, where they eat clean and fresh pasture. The rotation also ensures a cleaner environment for the pigs since they are not standing in mud or feces. Eventually, sheep for lamb and egg and meat chickens were added. The Ritters use portable shelters that can be moved around the pastures. The meat chickens are pastured in large chicken tractors, up to 50 at a time, and moved to fresh space as needed, their waste acting as a fertilizer rather than an agricultural waste product. The animals receive vet care if needed, and if medication is advised, no animal is sold until the appropriate waiting period is over. Piglets receive iron shots when born, to compensate for a natural amount of iron in their system, and unlike factory farms and other large scale operations, the Ritters do not clip the piglets tails or cut their incisors.
The Ritters efforts in humane livestock practices have given them recognition at the Maryland State level. Michael was invited to be a founding member of the Humane Society of the United States Advisory Council and speak on behalf of Maryland farmers. The farm also received a Humane Certification designation from the HSUS in 2017. What Goes Into Flavorful Food Part of producing livestock with the use of no steroids, no antibiotics and no deworming, is that the taste is better, according to Michael. This passion for clean, fresh tasting food is what led him
to become a distributor for Homestead Harvest feeds, a nonGMO product the Ritters use for all their animals. This goal of producing flavorful food influences the livestock choices and feed they use. “We looked at forages and all the breeds and found that there is a difference in the taste depending on what the animal is fed,” Michael says. For instance, the Kosher King, a gray variety of meat chicken, has been the Ritter’s choice for several years. The breed boasts a more natural growth rate compared to the accelerated growth of other breeds used in
factory farms, and are vigorous foragers, making them a perfect match for the Ritter’s pasture raised philosophy. The Ritters were adamant that what they grew, they would be eating themselves. “Our primary protein is from what we grow,” Michael says. “We wanted a diversity in our meat and the feed that we distribute.” Another aspect of humanely produced food is one of food equity and healthy food for all, and the Ritters give back to their local community by providing 25 chicken meals per month to the Howard County Food Bank May through September. The decision to go GMO free, rather than certified organic was also a cost decision. According to Laura, “The certification for Certified Organic is too expensive and time-consuming to get. We operate transparently for our customers.” Part of raising flavorful food is keeping it fresh. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the Ritters were faced with a lack of regional processing facilities, inciting them to make the decision to begin processing on their farm. “Poultry processing facilities in Maryland are all large scale and don’t handle small flocks like ours, we had to go all FARM & FLAVOR 13
the way to Pennsylvania,” Michael says. “We researched the entire process and bought all the equipment.” Through several grants from Marbidco, a Maryland state grant, they were able to purchase the equipment and build the barn that houses it, along with feeders and waterers. The Ritters are a USDA certified processor and subject to random inspection by USDA. No USDA full-time inspector is needed when sales are on-site only. What the Future Holds “We’re not done yet,” says Michael. “There’s lots of work to
14 FARM & FLAVOR
do to get where the land is producing the food for the livestock rather than purchasing
feed.” He also plans to eventually expand the processing to other animals, “Pork would be our next animal choice.” The Ritters will be expanding the on-farm retail area to accommodate more customers and products and will be back to locally slaughtered lamb in 2022 as they navigate the delicate balance between supply and demand and a dearth of processing facilities in the region. Beef, lamb and pork will all be available in 2022, and plans for this summer include offering fresh, non-frozen, chicken. The farm also plans to have non-GMO turkeys available again this year. Stay in touch with what’s going on at Ritter Farm on Facebook: Ritter Family Farm, and on Instagram at @Ritterfarm. Sign up for their newsletter at Ritterfamilyfarm.com. Visit Ritterfamilyfarm.com to view the farm’s product availability and to place orders. Farm visits are held Saturdays 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Farm and Home Service has everything you could need for your lawn, garden & farm with 6 convenient locations in Maryland to serve you. Family owned and operated One Stop Service - Lawn& Garden/Pet Food & Supplies/ Southern State Products - Delivery Available 7625 Main Street Sykesville, Maryland 21784 (410) 795-1234
23000 Davis Mill Road Germantown, Maryland 20876 (301) 916-8147
1 Commerce Street Taneytown, Maryland 21043 (410) 756 -6711
16315 Old River Road Poolesville, Maryland 20837 Phone: (301) 948-5372
630 Sounder Road Brunswick, Maryland 21716 (301) 834-7141
9064 Frederick Road Ellicott City, Maryland 21042 Phone: (410) 465-0930
www.farmandhomeservice.com
When Tom Cunningham was growing up, he would travel to multiple farms in the Lancaster, Pa., area every Saturday with his father who was an egg man. He bought dozens of eggs to fill his box truck and resell over the next week to area markets and homes in the Baltimore area. “I was always on a lot of farms, but we never owned a farm,” he recalls. Cunningham would go on to spend 20 years in the technology and computer science field. After having seven children, he and his wife began learning about how diet affects health, behavior and attention in school. He was also frustrated by trying to pay attention to food labels and still not necessarily know what ingredients were in a product. “I was getting out of technology and looking for something else to do,” he says. “A lot of people that worked for me actually had small farms and it is not unusual at all in computer science business to do something more tactile.” The family had been dabbling in farming including raising hens, but they decided to take the leap in 2014 and buy the 160acre Mary’s Land Farm in Ellicott CIty. The family knows a little bit of the history of the farm which dates to at least the 19th century. The property was owned by the Carroll family and later the Treakles, with four sons who fought in the Civil War. The land passed to another owner who envisioned leaving Baltimore City for the farm life but never made the move. Corn and soybeans were farmed on the land for years through people renting the land, but the property mainly sat abandoned for 60 years.
out eight containers of steel from abandoned farm equipment and old cars. “It was a huge clean-up project,” Cunningham says.
Livestock Returns
When the Cunninghams bought the farm, “everything was in pretty bad shape,” he recalls. The 1825 farmhouse
Over the next six years, the Cunninghams worked to transform the property in a variety of ways. They brought animals back to graze freely, including red devon cows, Kiko goats,
was in disrepair. A large red barn had collapsed on itself, still containing handstacked hay, potentially dating back more than half a century. The dairy barn had old manure piled knee-deep. The windows had been broken out of the barns and three-inch thick poison ivy had overtaken many trees on the property. In 2015, they took
Berkshire pigs and Katahdin sheep. They began growing a variety of produce including herbs, lettuces, carrots and asparagus. Wanting a place to sell their meats and produce, the family opened a store in the middle of their property. Folks can get grass-fed beef and lamb and organic grain-fed pigs and meat chickens.
FARM & FLAVOR 19
the architect referred him to the deRosas. “All of our products really do go well with meats,” says de Rosa. “A lot of our balsamics can be used in connection with meat products or vegetables.” Some of their best sellers include basil olive oil, traditional balsamic, lemon olive oil, white balsamic, extra virgin olive oil and champagne mimosa vinegar. Selling the brand on the farm “is a very nice, right fit for all concerned.” Working with the Cunningham family has been great, according to deRosa. “They have been very supportive and
Cunningham notes one of their star products is duck eggs. The county has a diverse population, and the product is used by different cultures. Weight-lifters and protein enthusiasts also enjoy the eggs because of the high protein and increased degree of absorption. Grown in their fields and greenhouses, produce is sold at the store 11 months of the year and varies by season to include sweet peppers, spinach, salad mixes, cherry and beefsteak tomatoes and baby bok choy. The store also sells products from about 20 different area vendors including organic cheese and ice cream. A portion of the store is dedicated to Secolari Olive Oils, Balsamics and Vinegars. Founded by Bart and Mary deRosa in 2011, the brand has been 20 FARM & FLAVOR
under a licensing agreement with the farm since 2018. The Cunninghams and deRosas were brought together through an architect they both hired. Cunningham had mentioned he was interested in selling olive oils and vinegars, and
excited about selling the (Secolari) products. ... (Mary’s Land Farm) is a family operation. They take a lot of love and pride into the farm. They are just very innovative and just a great family to work with.” As they were building their farm, the Cunninghams were driven to create a
balanced eco-system of perennial plants and pasture that provides more food per acre than a standard monoculture farm. When he was a part of computer software development, Cunningham notes people were always looking for efficiencies which is true of farming as well. “These environmental principles actually make things easier not harder.”
Helpful Swales and Berms One way the farm is helping the environment is through the swales and berms the family created to hold water on the farm and away from area water-
ways. They planted fruit trees on the mounds and hope to offer an orchard experience one day. “We have a big 10-acre hill, Cunningham says. “If you have an inch of rain for an hour that is 25,000 gallons, so in an hour, this 10-acre hill creates 250,000 gallons of water. The (2018) Ellicott City flood, we had five inches in an hour so that hill had 1.25 million gallons of water that went into Paxtutent feeder stream that then helped flood downtown Ellicott City. The system we have now—the swales will hold the water on the farm.” In heavy rains, manure is also washed into streams. These two environmental innovations will keep the manure on
site and serve as a fertilizer for the fruit trees. The family has also been working over several years to renovate their farmhouse. In July, they plan to open The Inn at Mary’s Land Farm which will offer overnight accommodations to those wanting a getaway in the quiet country or to get a better understanding of farm life. Five bedrooms will be available and three meals a day will be served by request. Another aspect to the farm’s mission is educating others on how to produce healthy food responsibly and make others aware of the importance of their objectives.
FARM & FLAVOR 21
They offer a number of onsite educational opportunities. Saturday farm tours occur once a month from May to September and offered to all ages. After boarding a wagon, an employee gives a scenic tour of the property explaining the major farm components. Over three months in summer, guests can grab their walking shoes for a 1.5-mile sunset walk that explores the farm as well as discusses the eco-system restoration efforts. Local wine and cheese are served as a part of the tour. For children between the ages of 4 to 14, the farm offers weekly summer
camps focusing on hands-on, experiential learning including interacting with animals and working in gardens. The farm also offers classes and workshops on a variety of different topics.
Cunningham notes many of the farming practices they are doing are from older generations. A quick visit to the farm is not enough time to properly explain their message so they decided to add programs to better educate the
public. “So many young people have not had the chance to smell soil or be exposed to an animal other than a dog who walks around,” he says. “...It has been great to get kids exposed to agriculture.” With a desire to pass on what he has learned, Cunningham most enjoys the opportunity to help young people find their career paths. Some of the farm employees are going into medical careers like doctors, nurses or veterinarians because of their experiences as the farm. He also hopes to inspire more people to go into farming, so the area isn’t reliant on products made from other regions. “It would just be cool if more people would start farming again in Howard County.” FARM & FLAVOR 23
FARM & FLAVOR 25
26 FARM & FLAVOR
Howard County Agriculture Services
Alice’s AgriMaryland 485 Old Annapolis Road Woodbine, MD 21797 Animal Medical Hospital at Glenwood, Inc. 2465 Route 97, Suite 7 Glenwood, MD 21738 Frank’s Garage 11761 Triadelphia Road Ellicott City, MD 21042 Howard County Fair Association, Inc 2210 Fairgrounds Road West Friendship, MD 21794 Howard County Living Farm Heritage Museum 12985 Frederick Road West Friendship, MD 21794
Howard Soil Conservation District 14735 Frederick Road Cooksville, MD 21723
The Rough Country Home Studio 1485 Old Annapolis Road Woodbine, MD 21797
J. David Mullinix & Sons, Inc. 14420 Howard Road Dayton, MD 21036
University of Maryland Extension-Howard 3300 North Ridge Road, Suite 240 Ellicott City, MD 21043
Level Land, Inc P.O Box 100 Lisbon, MD 21765
Wagner’s Meats LLC 9064 Frederick Road Ellicott City, MD 21043
Level Landscape, LLC 15298 Union Chapel Road Woodbine, MD 21797
Farm and Home Services 7625 Main Street Sykesville, MD 21784
Maryland Tack Inc. 1457 Fannie Dorsey Road Sykesville, MD 21784
Mid Atlantic Farm Credit 700 Corporate Center Court, Suite L Westminster, MD 21157
FARM & FLAVOR 27
On a crisp, clear spring morning at Merry Acres Farm in Glenelg, Irene Henrick was saddling up her 17-year-old bay gelding, Rush, for a trail ride. As she worked in the airy, spacious aisle of the 25-stall “arena barn,” she chatted happily about her horse’s home. “You couldn’t ask for better conditions,” she says. “Their routine is very regular here, and horses thrive on that.” All summer, they spend the night in one of 11 roomy pastures and spend hot days basking under fans in the barns. In winter, turnout is reversed and they spend their days on pasture. Dairy farms once dominated Howard County’s undulating green landscape. For 40 years, Merry Acres was one of numerous family-operated dairy operations. But in 1996, dairy prices were plummeting, and farmer Howie Feaga was looking for other ways to keep the 100-acre farm in agriculture. Surrounding land was rapidly being converted into housing developments, but Feaga wanted to find a more sustainable way to continue working the land. “We used to rent 900 acres that were lost to development,” Feaga 30 FARM & FLAVOR
says. “We couldn’t expand our dairy operations, but my wife worked here as a hired hand milking cows, and she knew a little bit about horses.” In 1996, Chris Marchetti Feaga started boarding horses in a small, 6stall barn that Feaga built. “We wanted to see what it was like,” he says. By 1998, they decided to sell the cows and build a larger 18-stall horse barn and an outdoor riding arena. “Then we mortgaged the whole farm to build what we needed to increase our cash flow,” Feaga says. What the farm needed were more stalls to board horses, so he and Marchetti built the 25-stall arena barn, so called because it’s attached to an indoor arena where horse owners, known as boarders, can ride year-round. The barns have asphalt walkways, LED lights, hot and cold wash stalls, heated bathrooms and large tack rooms. Each horse has a 12-foot square stall with thickly padded mats. Trail Riding Featured A key feature of the farm is trail riding. Trails wind away from the barns, traveling along fields and through wooded areas. The trails total about three miles and offer about 20 fun obstacles. These include a water jump, a ditch jump, a bank jump, coop jumps, tire jumps, and various log jumps. Courses can be short or long and take riders through
shady woods and along some of the hay fields that supply the horses. Jumps range in height from 18 to 30 inches. “You can ride for a couple of hours out here,” Feaga says. Some of the
trails are actually old logging roads owned by Howard County, while others are skinny passages through forest. The trails wind along 70 acres that Feaga rents, some of it from the county, to grow hay. Feaga still keeps a herd of about three dozen beef cattle on the property. He didn’t know much about horses when he and Chris began the boarding business. At the time, they weren’t married. “Until I could put the numbers together, I made her promise to stay here two years to see if it worked,” he says. “I knew I couldn’t do all that. I’m a cow person.” Over the years, they became friends, and seven years ago, they married. FARM & FLAVOR 31
He now has his own horse, a paint named Jack who he occasionally rides on the trails. “I’m pretty good with [horses] now,” he says. Since the farm opened, there is rarely an open stall. With a resident population of just over 50 horses, Merry Acres Farm has a waiting list of horse owners who want to board there. Lessons aren’t part of the farm’s offerings, but boarders can bring trainers at no charge to give lessons to their clients. “The farm is like a wagon wheel,” Feaga says. Eleven paddocks, or fields, of seven to eight acres each open off the horse barns and provide space for the horses to graze and socialize. Mares and geldings are separated, and each paddock has six or seven horses.
32 FARM & FLAVOR
“There’s not a lot of turn over here,” he says. “We had one horse here that lived to be 45 years old.” The horses range from retired racehorses to quarter horses, ponies and warmbloods. Marchetti now competes in eventing, which combines the horse disciplines of
cross country, stadium jumping and dressage. Throughout the pandemic, the barn’s boarders had more time to ride. Many of the boarders work in government jobs, and most teleworked for the duration of the pandemic, making the barn a busier place than usual. But with two riding rings and miles of trails, the barns never seemed crowded, Feaga says. Horse owner Joan Clark, a nurse, rides her horse Dylan several times a week at Merry Acres in her spare time. Clark moved from Columbia to Kent Island a few years ago, but she decided that Dylan, a gray thoroughbred, should stay at Merry Acres. “I drive to come see my horse,” she says. “I would never move him. It’s the healthy lifestyle here. He has people that know him and beautiful turnout.” The family once raised dairy cows on 900 acres spread throughout the area, but with the growth in population came a new market. “There are a lot of people who want to own a horse but have nowhere to keep it,” Feaga says. Along with Kent Island, boarders come from Silver Spring, Westminster, Columbia and Ellicott City. The farm employs two women in their 20s to work full time with the horses, along with several teenage part-time help.
Farm Management “We mow the pastures and the trails,” Feaga says. While the horses are happy to nibble the grass, they can’t do the job by themselves, he adds. “You want to keep the pastures cut for weed control.” Mowing is a daily job all summer. In addition, the farm makes hay on rented land. “We sell 70 percent of our hay, both square and round bales, and we use 30 percent of it here. Hay is a valuable commodity around here.” Spread around the farm are 11 hay wagons that each summer haul 14,000 square bales of hay grown on the farm. The farm produces another 600 to 700 round bales of highquality hay each summer. The hay the farm produces is high quality, something horse owners seek out. “Being connected to the horse industry, we don’t do much advertising, but we have a following of hay customers,” Feaga says. Feaga applies best management farm practices to the day-to-day operations of Merry Acres Farm. Horse manure from each paddock is stored in such a way that the manure breaks down quickly into compost. “I’m saving half our fertilizer costs each year by using our manure,” Feaga says. With the help of a $5,000 grant from the county, he was able to buy a manure spreader. “I’m putting organic material back and keeping the soil healthy at the
same time,” he says. “It’s all part of the game to have a good nutrient management plan. We’ve learned we can do better.” The layout of the farm contributes to the health of the land as well, Feaga says. The paddocks are arranged along slopes that help filter the runoff. Fields leading to the trails slope toward a low-lying ditch that carried rainwater and eroded the fields, but Howie and Chris planted a row of river birches along the ditch to soak up the water and stop the erosion. Trail Fun The farm offers something else that’s not easy to find in Howard County and that’s open space. “To have the open places to ride and pastures that are big makes for a good, healthy environment all the way around,” he says. Horses relax and find relief from stress on trail rides, Feaga says. A short ride away from the barns brings horses and riders into another world. Fields ringed by woods feature log and barrel jumps. A path across a refreshing stream leads into a shady forest dominated by tall, straight oak trees. As the trails crisscross through fields and woods, a bank of three log jumps ascends up a shallow hill, and riders can challenge their skills by jumping these uphill or downhill. There’s the castle jump, formed with stones and 34 FARM & FLAVOR
concrete pillars that resemble a castle. The boxwood jump allows riders to leap over nearly three-foot tall shrubs that offer a soft landing if necessary. The woodsy trails lead through Benson’s Branch, offering horses a chance to quench their thirst on a hot day. New boarders are usually quick to learn the paths, Feaga says, and there’s no shortage of experienced riders who will take new boarders on the trails. Farm History Farm work around Merry Acres Farm consists of growing hay, maintaining the horse barns and fields, and repairing the two to three miles of fencing around the farm. “Half of the fences I’ve built twice,” Feaga says. “Some of the fences are still here from when we had cows.” The farm’s dairy history is evident in the old milk barn, the silo, the old manure pit and the concrete block sheds in the center of the farm. The larger horse barns dwarf the old dairy operation, but the old buildings are still useful. Feaga’s parents, Bernard and Edna, first came to Merry Acres Farm in 1952 to work on the farm. In 1957, already the resident farm manager, Bernard decided to buy the property. “He borrowed $500 from one bank to come up with enough to take out a second loan,” Feaga recalls. “We
were pretty proud of how it all turned out. I tried something that enabled me to continue to be here.” The farm will be there even after Howie and Chris are gone. The land is in Howard County’s Agriculture Preservation program and a sign at the farm’s entrance reads, “Farmland Forever.”
ate a lot of hot dogs and sauerkraut back then.” Feaga, 66, and his four siblings all grew up on the farm. “I’m the one who stayed here,” he says. None of his siblings were interested in farming. Bernard and Edna Feaga deeded him the farm before they died. “They
Merry Acres Farm 3807 Walt Ann Drive, Glenelg 410-531-2360 howie@merryacresfarm.com,chris @merryacresfarm.com http://www.merryacresfarm.co /index.php?feaga=home https://www.facebook.com/ merryacresfarmllc/
FARM & FLAVOR 35
When Ricky and Leslie Bauer acquired Rural Rhythm Farm in 1990, they decided to keep the name, even though they didn’t know its origin. The name suits the place. A rural rhythm, steady and at times erratic, can be heard from different parts of the farm. You can detect the hum of farm equipment, the soft woosh of water as it’s sprayed on growing produce, the varying grunts uttered by their prize-winning pigs, as well as the different wind patterns blowing through the rye. “Where we live, we are kind of a little secluded, although we are getting more and more houses around us,” Leslie says. “I think people, when they get here, take a step back in time. It is a little more rural and it makes you kind
of want to slow down and enjoy being in the country.” The Dayton-based farm started in the 1950s and Ricky began working on the land in the 1980s. The couple moved to the 17- acre farm because they disliked the increased urbanization of where they were living. “It was an opportunity to come here to farm,” Ricky says. Over the years, they showed their mainly Berkshire pigs at a variety of local county fairs and the Maryland State Fair, but are now only showing at the latter. School children participating in 4H will buy pigs from them to show at various county fairs around the area. Their son, Andy, now runs the hog operations which includes between 15 to 20 animals. “We are trying to move things to the next generation,”
38 FARM & FLAVOR
Leslie says. Folks may buy a hog, half a hog, sausage or select cuts of meat from the farm. They also have about 20 cows on site. The farm produces crops including corn, soybeans, hay and straw. Ricky notes growing the crops is what gives him the most joy with farming. “Getting seed in the ground,” he says. “Watching it progress and turn into something you desire to grow and harvest.” In the spring, Leslie grows strawberries using a high tunnel
which is similar to a greenhouse but is a seasonal structure that helps extend the growing season by several weeks. She can usually begin harvesting the strawberries around the end of April which is about a month earlier than farms with outdoor plants. Limited due to the tunnel space, Leslie offers pick your own strawberries by appointment only. “I used to advertise but now it is pretty popular,” she says. “Now I have a waiting list by word of mouth.” She will let folks
know when the berries are ready. “I usually schedule people to make sure there are going to be plenty of strawberries to pick.” Leslie likes the ability to produce food for people. “To me, growing my strawberries and my produce, ... (I enjoy) the ability to know that something I grew is going on somebody’s table for them to enjoy for supper. To me, I get a lot of satisfaction out of knowing we are helping to feed a nation. Working outside is definitely a plus. Certainly, there
FARM & FLAVOR 39
are challenging days but just the ability knowing that what we are doing is contributing to the (betterment) of society.”
40 FARM & FLAVOR
Rye for a Distillery For the past four years, the farm has also raised rye for the Baltimore-based Sagamore Spirit Distillery. While then serving as
secretary in the Howard County Farm Bureau (now as president), Leslie says a distillery contacted the group wanting to buy grain. She sent the request out to the members. “That (experience) got us interested in diversifying into that market,” she says. Through a friend, they contacted Sagamore. The farm began growing rye for their whiskey as well as renting them space to put up a grain bin and facilities to process the crop before the distillation process. “The Bauers are a crucial extension of the Sagamore Spirit team,” says Max Hames of the distilling team. “The investment and passion that they have for growing and handling the grain that we use is reflective of the
dedication we have in crafting our whiskey. Every step of the growing process is given the utmost consideration as they work towards the harvest of the highest quality grain possible. We lean heavily on their expertise and insight into local agriculture, and in turn, they’ve turned out an incredible harvest for us to use in our process year after year. “We’re setting ourselves up to continue working with the Bauers in the long term because the development of Maryland rye as a crop for whiskey production is vital to our success. This would be impossible without partners like the Bauers,” Hames says. The two have been able to teach each other a lot about their respective businesses. “I think from a farming perspective, it is not just that you throw some seed in the ground and you grow a crop,” Leslie says. “You need to plan. Ricky checks in with them. How much rye they might be thinking they want for the following year because we usually have to start planning with crop rotations and such. We are probably 12 to 18 months out what our crop is going to be for the following year.” They taught the team about crop management. “We need to watch that grain as it grows
almost from day one,” she says. “We need to make sure that it has been properly fertilized. That it is properly growing. That there
are no diseases in it or no bugs. That we are growing a crop that is going to provide a good yield.” The couple also discussed with Sagamore the process of harvesting. including having a certain moisture level to harvest the crop out of the field and watching the product while storing it to make sure there are no bugs or diseases. “Everything that we know about farming small grains has come from our partnerships with local farms, especially the Bauers,” Hames says. “Understanding how they approach crop rotations, seeding, crop maintenance, and harvest is
FARM & FLAVOR 41
how we begin to understand our final product. Without this expertise and knowledge sharing we would never have been able to embark on one of our next projects which is transitioning parcels of Sagamore Farm to corn and rye production with the help of the Bauers and other farm partners.” Leslie notes that when she has bought whiskey off a store shelf in the past, she didn’t necessarily think about the process that goes into making it including distillation, aging and how using different kinds of barrels can change the flavor. Now through the venture, she has a better grasp of the process.
42 FARM & FLAVOR
“Making the best rye whiskey possible means working with the
highest grade raw ingredients possible and that starts with the whiskey’s namesake—rye,” Hames says. “Rye delivers the mulling spice aromas and flavors that are the hallmark of our Maryland-style rye whiskey. In working with the Bauers, we get to see exactly where those flavors and the grains that carry them come from. With the help of the Bauers, we can make adjustments to every step of the process to grow better rye and make better whiskey.” Though the farm does multiple ventures, Ricky is driven by the opportunity to be able to work for himself. Leslie adds that the couple has a passion for working the land. “He likes growing the crop. That crop is providing food for something. A lot of what he grows is feed for animals. I am growing produce. I just love working with the animals. In general, it is a slower pace than an office job. It is busy with planting and harvesting. There is just a certain satisfaction getting that all done.”
44 FARM & FLAVOR
Reap the Rewards of Fresh-fromthe-Fields Flavors Located near the fast pace of two major cities—the nation’s capital and Baltimore— Howard County is also blessed by beautiful rolling farm fields that honor nature and people who are passionate about tilling that land or using it to graze everything from chickens to steers and alpacas. Much of what comes from the local fields can be found at farmers markets and on the menus of area restaurants, but it’s also fun and educational to visit the farms to see exactly what’s involved. You might even get your hands into the process when you make a stop at a pick-your-own farm to select a pumpkin or container of strawberries. It’s also a good time to connect with the farmer and meet the person responsible for all that good food or the wool that was spun into your favorite sweater.
FARM & FLAVOR 45
CLARK'S FARM 10500 Clarksville Pike (Md. 108), Ellicott City 410.730.4049 • www.clarklandfarm.com Clark’s Farm grows fresh vegetables and herbs year-round. Most of the year their seasonal vegetables and herbs are sold in Clark’s Elioak Farm’s Castle Store, also the entrance to their petting farm open Tuesday through Sunday. They grow everything from spring greens and roots, such as kales, spinach, lettuce, beets and radishes, to summer crops of tomatoes, zucchini, peppers and cucumbers, and fall produce such as winter squash, sweet potatoes, garlic and greens. They also grow a variety of herbs.
FARM & FLAVOR HIGHLIGHT Roadside Farm Stand open July and August, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily; summer cut-your-own flower garden located right behind the Roadside Produce Stand; year-round food production offers a great chance to support local farms and eat seasonally. They also are a vendor at Clarksville Common Farmer’s Market on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m from May through October. CSA options, order online, as well as shopping in the Castle Store or roadside stand.
CLARK'S ELIOAK FARM 10500 Clarksville Pike (Md. 108), Ellicott City 410.730.4049 • www.clarklandfarm.com The Clarks have been farming in Howard County since 1797. Their petting farm is open April 1 through early November, welcoming visitors Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Come visit their friendly farm animals, enjoy the rides and slides, play areas and picnic area. They host educational tours, birthday parties and group events. Their roadside produce stand is open in July and August selling their own vegetables and other local produce.
FARM & FLAVOR HIGHLIGHT Their baby goats are a highlight of a visit to the farm. They are the new home of The Enchanted Forest, Maryland's Storybook Park. They have a Sunflower Festival in September and a pumpkin patch in the fall. You can take a pony ride, a hay wagon ride, a cow train ride and an Enchanted Express Train ride. 46 FARM & FLAVOR
FREETOWN FARM Harriet Tubman Lane, Columbia www.freetownfarm.org Freetown Farm is a 6.4-acre farm in Columbia, owned by the Community Ecology Institute, a Howard County non-profit focused on cultivating healthier communities through connections with nature. The farm is designed to both produce food and be a place for community education. They demonstrate regenerative agriculture and permaculture design practices in their stewardship of this land.
FARM & FLAVOR HIGHLIGHT The choice of the name Freetown Farm recognizes the important history of the land. They are working to develop programming that tells the story of the land and its historic community. The farm is across the street from the Harriet Tubman School, a segregated high school for African American students established in 1948.
GORMAN FARM 10151 Gorman Road, Laurel 301-908-8063 • www.gormanfarmscsa.com Gorman Farm offers fresh, nutrient-rich, flavorful vegetables grown with organic practices on their farm in eastern Howard County. Produce is available through their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Pick your own strawberries are available to the general public, as well as CSA members in late spring. They use Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) products for fertilization, disease and pest management. They employ Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies and always aim towards sustainability in all that they do.
FARM & FLAVOR HIGHLIGHT They build compost for supplementing a plant’s nutrition and the soil’s overall health. They strategically cover crop the ground to protect from erosion, to feed soils and to maintain and offset fertility requirements. FARM & FLAVOR 47
HEALEY’S GREENWAY FARMS
HENSING’S HILLTOP ACRES
14098 Reps Road, Cooksville 15097 Frederick Road, Woodbine 410-442-2388 • www.greenwaytrees.net
3394 Jennings Chapel Road, Woodbine 704-293-4126 call or text www.hensingfarm.com
Healeys’ Greenway Farms grows springtime vegetable plants and flowers. With almost one acre under cover, they now grow annuals and vegetable plants for sale direct to homeowners or wholesale to other small businesses. In addition, this family business offers Christmas trees each December. They grow several thousand poinsettias in their greenhouses for churches and direct sale. While they’d love to see you in person, you can also visit Healeys’ Greenway Farms online at www.greenwaytrees.net and www.greenwayfarms.net
FARM & FLAVOR HIGHLIGHT Michael Healey now runs the Christmas tree and greenhouse businesses with help from family, friends and neighbors—some of whom have been working at Greenway Farms for more than 30 years. 48 FARM & FLAVOR
Hensing’s Hilltop Acres is a small family farm that recently moved to Woodbine. They have a pasture-based farm where their animals live outdoors on grass. They produce raw milk and related products (sold in Maryland for pet use), 100 percent grass-fed beef, pastured pork (no soy or GMOs), pastured chicken and eggs (no soy or GMOs) and lamb.
FARM & FLAVOR HIGHLIGHT They sell at two local markets, Clarksville on Saturdays and Ellicott City on Wednesdays. They invite you to check out their website for other locations to find their products.
HERON’S MEADOW FARM
LARRILAND FARM
1596 Daisy Road, Woodbine 410-934-0148
2415 Woodbine Road, Woodbine 410-442-2605 • www.pickyourown.com
Heron’s Meadow Farm, located in western Howard County, is Maryland’s first tea farm. Home to BLTeas, LLC and MudPi Studios, the farm is host to many inspirational views, wildlife, flavorful teas and handcrafted stoneware pottery. Visitors to the farm can sample some of their teas, shop for their new favorite mug from the mug tree, view tea fields and walk through herb gardens. Or simply relax on the patio and watch the blue herons, hawks, deer, foxes and other wildlife. Store hours are Fridays from noon-5 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., or by appointment.
Their farm is open during the growing season, beginning with the ripening of strawberries in late May or early June, and ending with the apple harvest, in early November. The last day for the season is the first Sunday in November. They strive to grow top quality fruits and vegetables for you to pick your own or purchase in the farm market. They consider the soil and the plant material to be the most valuable resources. To keep the farm healthy and safe they use Integrated Pest Management and Best Management Practices.
FARM & FLAVOR HIGHLIGHT Whether it’s a new tea to try or a new stoneware creation on display in the pottery studio, there’s always something exciting happening at Heron’s Meadow Farm.
FARM & FLAVOR HIGHLIGHT Please call or check the website the day you are coming, just before leaving your home, to find out what’s available that day and to avoid disappointment. Call 410-442-2605 or 301-854-6110. The telephone recordings and website are updated throughout the day, and every day, as needed. FARM & FLAVOR 49
MANOR HILL FARM 4411 Manor Lane, Ellicott City 410-997-7771 • www.manorhillbrewing.com Located on a 54-acre working farm in Ellicott City, Manor Hill Farm is home to 14 acres of corn, 2-plus acres of hops, approximately 25 chickens, several honey bee hives, more than 20 free-range angus cattle and multiple herb, fruit, and vegetable gardens. Brewery operations began in June of 2015, making Manor Hill Brewing Howard County’s first and only farm brewery. Their head brewer uses high quality seasonal ingredients to craft hand-made beers from original and unique recipes.
FARM & FLAVOR HIGHLIGHT Their beers are available in cans and bottles and also in kegs, with colorful names such as Farm Fuzz, a Belgian-style witbier, Spotted Whales, a collaboration with a distillery in Ireland and limited release Overalls, a spring lager.
MARY’S LAND FARM 4979 Sheppard Lane, Ellicott City 410-849-4314 • www.maryslandfarm.com Current products sold on the farm seven days a week, include chicken, pork, beef, lamb, duck eggs and chicken eggs. As perennial plants develop, they intend to provide nuts, berries, grapes, vegetables and fruit to the local market. Swales and berms are used to keep water on the property and out of Maryland’s overflowing and corroding waterways. This helps plants and livestock and helps save the bay. All the animals are out on pasture and the pigs are in the woodlands. None of the animals are contained during spring, summer and fall; they are much happier out grazing.
FARM & FLAVOR HIGHLIGHT Only organic chemicals are used on the farm. The non-ruminant animals are fed certified organic grains in addition to their grazing. The ruminants are strictly 100 percent grass-fed. If you are like most of us, you probably learn best by seeing it for yourself, so call and visit. 50 FARM & FLAVOR
MERRY ACRES FARM 3807 Walt Ann Drive, Ellicott City 410-531-2360 • www.merryacresfarm.com Merry Acres Farm offers horse boarding and hay sales and is a horse owner’s dream with an outdoor ring, indoor arena and miles of trails. It features a friendly environment and seven-day access to the horses. All disciplines are welcome. Merry Acres Farm began as a dairy operation in 1957 and in 1997 Howie Feaga and his family started boarding horses in a six-stall barn. A year later the focus turned strictly to horse boarding and a larger barn was built, ceasing dairy operations.
FARM & FLAVOR HIGHLIGHT They have recently started a beef operation at the farm. “We’re starting small,” says Feaga, with hopes of building the business. The animals are “pastured and raised on our hay” and finished off with corn, also grown on the farm.
PENN OAKS WINERY 14607 Riggs Meadow Drive, Cooksville www.pennoakswinery@aol.com Their farm of rolling hills and beautiful views was established in 2002. They have nurtured the soil with sustainable, best management practices while establishing and expanding their vineyard over time. In 2011, Penn Oaks Winery was the first to receive Howard County's farm winery license.
FARM & FLAVOR HIGHLIGHT They are a petite family owned and operated farm and winery. Their hours of operation flex around their farming and vineyard management. they are open from noon-6 p.m. on Sundays for wine tasting and purchase.
FARM & FLAVOR 51
PORCH VIEW FARM, LLC
RITTER FARM
2790 Florence Road, Woodbine www.porchviewfarmllc.com
565 River Road, Sykesville 443-598-6696 www.ritterfamilyfarm.com
On Porch View Farm, LLC, Keith Ohlinger raises heritage breeds of beef cattle, sheep, pigs, geese and rabbits as well as bees on 22.3 acres. He uses what the land offers, managing it, along with his animals, to create the optimal scenario without chemical fertilizers and pesticides. He has installed a system of swales and berms to affect drainage patterns on the terrain to capture and infiltrate as much rainfall as possible, minimizing runoff. Intensive rotational grazing is used for the livestock and hundreds of fruit and nut trees and shrubs were planted, the fallen fruit and nuts supplementing the animals’ diets.
This is a first-generation, family farm built from the ground up by the Ritter family. Started in 2015, Ritter Farm is devoted to creating the highest quality and exceptionally flavored food for their family and community. The farm is located just outside of historic Sykesville and borders the Patapsco Valley State Park. It is an idyllic environment for raising heritage breeds of livestock the way nature intended. Their non-GMO, pasture-raised meats are crafted with time, tradition and passion. Their artisanal approach to raising animals creates the finest flavor for the breed. They invite you to discover the food they eat and grow. Visit the website for a full selection of premium cuts of pork, lamb, chicken and beef.
FARM & FLAVOR HIGHLIGHT Keith Ohlinger is an expert on compost and uses it as the only fertilizer on the farm. “Soil health is really the key to everything. If I have healthy soil, then the plants will be healthy and animals that eat the plants will be healthy. If the plants and animals are healthy, then the people who eat them will be healthy.” 52 FARM & FLAVOR
FARM & FLAVOR HIGHLIGHT Improving the soil one animal at a time. Ritter Farm practices regenerative agriculture with rotational and intensive grazing to build healthy and biodiverse soil and pastures.
SHARP’S AT WATERFORD FARM 4003 Jennings Chapel Road, Brookeville 410-489-2572 • www.sharpfarm.com Visit Sharp’s at Waterford Farm, a 550-acre working farm located in the western part of Howard County, family-owned and operated since 1903. Alan and Julia Sharp offer outdoor educational field trips for children during spring, summer and fall. In the spring their greenhouses are full of hundreds of plants with a great variety of herbs, vegetable plants and colorful flowers. Other spring and summer activities include parties, open house events, encountering farm animals and hayrides. The fall offers campfires, hayrides, pick-yourown pumpkins, a corn maze, scarecrow making and a country store.
FARM & FLAVOR HIGHLIGHT You might have a backyard garden, or you might have a few pots on your porch. No matter, the staff is always ready to assist you. If you have never tried to plant your own garden, they will make suggestions steering you to success.
SHO NUF TURKEY FARM 11788 Scaggsville Road, Fulton www.shonufturkeys.com At Sho Nuf Turkeys, Chris and Tanya Bohrer are continuing the tradition of Tanya’s grandparents, Ellsworth and Mary Elizabeth Iager, of raising and selling turkeys at the farm in Fulton. With the farm being sold in 2019 for future development, it provided Chris and Tanya the opportunity to brand the turkeys “Sho Nuf” as a tribute to Ellsworth and his branding from the 1940s. They continue to provide the same high quality turkeys and turkey products for those who have been coming to the farm for years.
FARM & FLAVOR HIGHLIGHT The farm offers whole turkeys, bone-in breasts, smoked breasts, turkey bacon, ground turkey, wing packs and drumsticks.
FARM & FLAVOR 53
TLV TREE FARM 15155 Triadelphia Mill Road, Glenelg 410-489-4460 • www.tlvtreefarm.com The farm has been in their family for over 100 years. That is why they provide high-quality products at reasonable prices. At TLV (Triadelphia Lake View Farm) they believe in treating our patrons like one of the family. At Triadelphia Lake View Farm the customer always comes first. In 2018 the Browns started their most recent project—turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas. They also provide ground turkey and turkey parts at the farmers' markets and farm store. TLV is committed to producing the highest quality proteins at an affordable price.
FARM & FLAVOR HIGHLIGHT Farmer Brown Camp is an ongoing adventure for making friends and creating lifetime memories in a safe, beautiful natural environment. Camp provides time to “unplug” from electronic devices, TV, and get out into nature. At camp, there’s the opportunity to learn more about plants, animals, outdoor skills and develop deep friendships. 54 FARM & FLAVOR
Whether you eat corn from a nearby farm, or sip a beer from a nearby brewery, Dandelion Bistro is a showcase for regional treasures. Keith Watson opened Dandelion Bistro in Glenelg in 2017 after serving for many years as the executive chef at Ellicott City’s Crab Shanty. The restaurant, located in a strip shopping center at the Triadelphia Road/Ten Oaks Road circle, is a place where the food and surroundings feel like home. Watson likes to showcase products from other nearby farms and businesses. Fresh tomatoes and corn may come from Buppert’s Doran’s Chance Farm in Marriottsville or Sharp’s at Waterford Farm in Brookeville. Seafood offerings include Maryland-caught seafood whenever possible. The craft beer selection has many brews from the area, including
1623 Brewing Co. in Eldersburg. Scattered throughout the restaurant are relics of Howard County and Maryland landmarks. “We try to keep everything as close to local as we can,” Watson says during a rare break after the lunch rush. “We buy fresh every day. The whole idea is to help other businesses out so we can all help each other.” Menu items are reminiscent of home cooking. Meatloaf comes with mashed potatoes and onion gravy. Pork chops are pan seared. The hot turkey sandwich is paired with smashed potatoes. There are even twice-baked potatoes. But it’s not all meat and potatoes at Dandelion Bistro. The Dandelion House Salad comes with dandelion greens, not surprisingly, along with baby greens, shaved carrots, crisp radish slices and plum tomatoes. If fresh veggies are your thing, there are a variety of salads, a
FARM & FLAVOR 57
seasonal veggie wrap, pasta primavera made with in-season vegetables, pizza topped with fresh tomatoes, peppers or onions and much more. Watson greets customers by their first names. During one recent lunch hour, Watson stopped what he was doing to chat with one of his regulars, a centenarian and World War II veteran.
Family Affair Dandelion Bistro is a family-run restaurant. Son Andrew is a chef and bar manager. Daughter Gabby owns the Dandelion Bakery in nearby Sykesville and supplies many of the bistro’s desserts. Another daughter, Maddie, works at the restaurant on Fridays. Even Watson’s ex-wife helps him keep the restaurant clean. Watson started cooking for a living in the 1970s at a diner in Golden, Col. He moved to New York to work on a master’s degree in sculpture and 58 FARM & FLAVOR
drawing at Columbia University. While in New York, however, he spent three years cooking at an upscale restaurant. Instead of pursuing a career in art, he and his then-wife decided to move to Maryland and raise their family. Watson’s only chef training came from working in restaurants. “I seemed to have a way with food,” he says. His grandmother taught him how to cook.
He likes to prepare steaks, crab cakes and meatloaf, and his favorite foods are tacos and burgers. “I’m a simple guy,” he says. “I like good, American food.” During Watson’s tenure as chef at the Crab Shanty, Andrew joined him for 12 years as a sous chef. For several years after the Crab Shanty closed, Watson became part-owner of E.W. Beck’s in Sykesville, which also uses local produce, meats and seafoods as much as possible. Watson opened Dandelion Bistro in June 2017 but hit a roadblock a few months later. Literally. Bridge reconstruction on Md. 32 made it hard for many customers to detour to the new restaurant, but after 15 months, the bridge work was complete. A few months later, however, the pandemic shuttered the restaurant’s bar and table service. But even then, Watson formed a plan. “I started family meals to go,” he says. These come packed in serving trays and are ready to eat. Still a mainstay of the restaurant, family meals include a main dish and several sides. Each order serves two to three people. Each day’s family meal menu is posted on the Dandelion Bistro Facebook page. Dandelion Bistro is also part of HoCo Food Go, an online resource of more than 100 local restaurants that offer takeout, delivery or curbside service.
During the pandemic, Watson was able to keep seven employees working, preparing 60 to 70 to-go orders each day. Now that in-person dining has resumed, Watson has 13 employees cooking, waiting tables and running the burgeoning takeout business. Catering has also resumed. Delivery is an option for customers within a seven-mile radius. Deliveries may include desserts, plus wine and cocktails can be ordered.
Casual and Friendly Watson works 12-plus hour days to keep the restaurant, takeout and catering business going. As the pandemic’s effects have slowed, the restaurant has been able to build up its catering business along with takeout. But for those who crave in-person dining, Dandelion Bistro is kid-friendly, and dogs are welcome on the outdoor dining patio. Tables are shaded by large umbrellas. Strings of lights give the patio a festive feel. Plants brighten the railing. Indoors, Watson checks on each diner, making sure their needs are fulfilled. Decorations appear to be a random assortment of antiques, but it’s here that Watson’s artistic talents are on display. The decorations are a juxtaposition of items from bygone days that once belonged to local restaurants, businesses or farms. Barn tables and a ladder in the backroom bar were salvaged from a Howard County farm. Watson salvaged tables from Ellicott City’s Cacao Lane restaurant that closed after a devastating 2016 flood struck downtown. He saved a church pew from the Crab Shanty. The booths are from
Dandelion Doughnuts & Pastries
Piccolo’s in Columbia, which closed in 2001. The booths spent years at the Tiber River Tavern, which later became the Diamondback Grill, before their new home at Dandelion Bistro. There’s a door from the old Sykesville Hotel. A piece of tin comes from Baltimore’s old Hotel Belvedere. A drive-in movie theater speaker is from the old Lakewood Drive-In Theater. There’s an antique cash register. A church door is a relic from Sykesville’s St. Barnabas Episcopal Church and there are wine barrels from an antique shop
60 FARM & FLAVOR
and a pencil sharpener from Watson’s third-grade classroom in 1968. On one wall, many of the items are artfully arranged in a collage, including the Hotel Belvedere tin, an old wooden ironing board salvaged from a demolished Baltimore row house, old shutters and Formstone, a popular stucco used in downtown Baltimore neighborhoods. In the rare moments when Watson is not at the restaurant, he can be found tending to his 11 classic cars. “I work too much,” he says ruefully.
Gabby Watson got the food bug from her dad, but her talents run more to baking. A year and a half ago, as the pandemic was beginning to close many businesses, Gabby, 25, opened Dandelion Doughnuts & Pastries in downtown Sykesville. She co-owns the bakery with her dad. She recalled going into one of her dad’s restaurants as a child and getting to scoop ingredients into the brownie mixture. From then on, she wanted to learn about baking. “I knew I was going into this field when I was seven or eight,” Gabby recalled. In high school, she took cooking classes and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., with an associate’s degree in baking and pastry. Although she learned classical baking and pastry techniques, Gabby isn’t afraid to experiment. Doughnuts are the most popular seller, and on a recent day, she featured fig and goat cheese doughnuts. For the traditionalists, there are flavors of cinnamon sugar, honey glazed, raspberry jelly and chocolate sprinkle, but other flavors include banana cream and coconut caramel. And she goes well beyond the traditional. “I like to get creative with them,” she says. Gabby likes to include local fruits in her doughnuts and other baked goods whenever possible. In late summer, she makes a peach topping for doughnuts using peaches grown in local orchards. But her doughnuts also feature savory ingredients. She makes pulled pork
doughnuts, grilled cheese doughnuts and pizza doughnuts. She’s even concocted a savory Thanksgiving doughnut featuring turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes. “My doughnuts are German-based,” she says. “I use a neutral dough.” That allows the flavoring to stand out, whether it’s sweet or savory. Her own personal favorites are banana pudding doughnuts and goat cheese doughnuts, while her mom’s favorite is a cannoli doughnut. Maple bacon is one of her sweet/savory doughnuts.
She gets bruised peaches from Buppert’s to use in doughnuts, pies and compotes. Another seasonal favorite is peach compote, which tops peach ice cream from Hoffman’s Ice Cream and Deli in Westminster. Gabby makes cookies, macaroons, cakes, cupcakes, scones, quiches and
pies. Gluten-free bakery items are a specialty. The bakery also features custom wedding cakes. Gabby tops these with fresh flowers, locally grown from Apricity Flowers of Ellicott City. Owner Lisa Marlene grows the flowers in her gardens and greenhouse and surrounds the cakes with inseason blooms. Gabby makes artisan and French breads when she has time, but is looking to hire an assistant to allow her to focus more time on breads and other complex items that take two or three days to make. She also hopes to expand the bakery to include freshly made sandwiches, with locally grown and produced ingredients when possible.
Dandelion Bistro 3800 Ten Oaks Road, Glenelg 443-419-5188 Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. www.dandelionbistro.com www.facebook.com/dandelionbistro
Dandelion Doughnuts & Pastries 7556B Main St., Sykesville 443-398-8025 Hours: Daily, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. www.sykesvilledandelionbakery.com www.facebook.com/sykesvilledandel ionbakery
FARM & FLAVOR 61
Full of Farm Flavor Favorite Recipes are Shared
Strawberry Pie Crust Ingredients 1/2 cup vegetable oil 4 Tbs. milk 1 1/2 cups flour 2 Tbs. sugar 1 tsp. salt
Directions • Beat together oil and milk. Mix flour, sugar and salt. • Stir wet and dry ingredients until a ball forms. • Press dough into a 9-inch or 10-inch pie pan. Prick with fork. • Bake in a 450degree oven for 12 minutes. • Cool.
Filling Ingredients
1 cup sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 2-3 Tbs. cornstarch 1 cup water 2-3 Tbs. strawberry gelatin powder 1 quart strawberries
Directions • Pile strawberries in cooled shell. • In a small saucepan mix sugar, salt and cornstarch. • Stir in water and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Mixture will thicken and become clear. • Remove from heat and stir in gelatin. Cool mixture to room temperature. Pour over strawberries in pie shell. • Chill several hours.
Scalloped Potatoes Ingredients
6 large potatoes, sliced 1 onion, chopped 2 tsp. salt Pepper to taste 3 Tbs. butter 2 Tbs. flour 2 cups hot milk 3/4 cup grated cheese
Hungarian Cabbage Ingredients
5 slices bacon 1 Tbs. sugar 1 1/2 tsp. salt 6 cups chopped cabbage 3 cups medium width noodles Paprika to taste
Directions • In a large skillet, fry bacon until crisp, drain, crumble and set aside. • Stir sugar and salt into bacon drippings. • Add cabbage, stir until coated. Cook 15 minutes. • Cook noodles following package directions and drain. • Combine cabbage, noodles and bacon and turn into a casserole dish. • Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with paprika and bake an additional five minutes.
Directions • Melt butter in a double boiler or heavy saucepan. Add flour, seasoning and stir until smooth. Slowly add the hot milk, stirring constantly. When thickened, add the grated cheese so that it melts. • Into a buttered baking dish put a layer of potatoes, onions and cheese sauce, repeating until all ingredients are used. • Bake in a moderate 350-degree oven for one hour or until done.
FARM & FLAVOR 63
Berry Cobbler Ingredients
1 cup sugar 2 cups flour 4 tsps. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt Stir in:
1 cup milk 2 tsp. vanilla 2 Tbs. melted butter
Directions • Sift together all ingredients in a bowl. • Spread batter in a buttered 13 x 9-inch pan. Scatter 2 cups blueberries, cherries or peaches over batter. Sprinkle 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar over the fruit then pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over everything. Bake in a 375-degree oven about 40-45 minutes. • Serve with cream or ice cream.
Spinach Salad Ingredients
2 pounds baby spinach 1/2 red onion, sliced 6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled 1 cup strawberries, sliced 1 cup mushrooms, sliced 4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
Directions • Combine ingredients in a bowl, reserving the eggs to sprinkle on top after tossing with the following dressing:
Dressing Ingredients 1/2 cup cider vinegar 3/4 cup sugar
Heat until sugar is dissolved and add the following:
3/4 cup vegetable oil 1 tsp. celery seed 1/4 tsp. ground mustard 1/2 tsp. salt 64 FARM & FLAVOR
9460 Liberty Rd. Frederick, MD 301.898.1200
700 E. Diamond Ave. Gaithersburg, MD 301.670.9300
www.rippeonequipment.com
1115 Baltimore Blvd. Westminster, MD 410.848.5000