At peak right now: Apples, Pumpkins, Winter Squash, Sweet Potato. Head to a farmers market or your CSA to find them fresh.
The old rule about oysters and the letter R is one of those pieces of folk wisdom that sounds like superstition until you learn what it's actually tracking. September through April, eat oysters. May through August, leave them alone. People have been saying this along the Chesapeake for generations, and before mechanical refrigeration it carried real weight. Warm water spoils shellfish fast, and a bad oyster can put you on your back for days. Watermen knew which months were safe not because they had thermometers and food safety charts, but because they had experience, and the rule was a clean way to pass that knowledge along without explaining the whole biology lesson.
The biology lesson, though, is worth knowing. Chesapeake oysters spawn in the summer, when water temperatures climb into the seventies and eighties. During spawning, the oysters burn through their glycogen reserves, which is the stored energy that gives them their creamy, sweet flesh. An oyster pulled from the Bay in July is often thin and milky, sometimes almost watery, with a soft texture that doesn't hold up the way a cold-month oyster does. It's not dangerous in the same way a spoiled oyster is, but it's not at its best either, and if you've paid market price for a dozen at a raw bar you want them at their best. Some watermen used to say summer oysters taste like the Bay is tired of them, which is not a bad way to put it.
Right now, in January, Chesapeake oysters are about as good as they get. The water is cold enough that the oysters have been building back up for months, drawing in nutrients and converting them into that dense, rich meat. Maryland varieties like those grown on the lower Eastern Shore tributaries or harvested from wild beds in the Choptank and the Little Choptank have a salinity that shifts with location, anywhere from a clean, mild brine to something sharper and more mineral depending on how much freshwater the river brings in. Harris Creek oysters have a particular following among people who track this kind of thing. The Point Judith and Rappahannock names get a lot of attention from restaurants, but Maryland growers have been producing oysters that can hold their own against any of them, and the winter harvest is when that shows up most clearly.
If you're buying from a market or ordering at a raw bar, it's fine to ask where the oysters are from and how recently they came in. A good fishmonger or oyster shucker will know, and if they don't that tells you something too. Shucking at home takes a little practice and a decent oyster knife, but once you've got the technique you can set up a tray of ice on a cold afternoon and work through a dozen without much trouble. The Bay is right there. The season is open. Cold months are oyster months, and the old rule still holds.
A few producers worth knowing about this week.
Sunflowers of Lisbon turns 14 acres of Howard County farmland into a late-season destination, with rows of cutting flowers you can harvest yourself starting in late September. Admission includes stems to take home, ranging from 3 for young kids to 10 for the Sunflower Lover ticket, and the field stays open daily through the fall, with weekend hours starting at 9am. Food trucks and kids' activities round out the visit.
Adkins Farm Market in Wicomico County runs through the seasons with something worth the drive at each turn: bedding plants and herbs in spring, homegrown fruits and vegetables through summer, and eggs and honey available alongside the produce. Come fall, the farm shifts into full harvest mode with mums, decorating supplies, and a corn maze for families. Find them off Mt. Herman Road just outside Salisbury.
One Acre Farm sits on 34 acres along Wasche Road in Dickerson, offering weekly and biweekly CSA subscriptions built around seasonal vegetables grown with regenerative practices. Members in the Rockville and DC areas can choose between farm pickup and home delivery, making it one of the more accessible Montgomery County options for getting a regular box of local produce. It's a solid entry point for households looking to eat closer to the farm calendar.
Side by Side Farm works three Certified Naturally Grown acres in Freeland, just north of Baltimore in Frederick County, producing a broad range of vegetables and herbs without chemical pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. Their CSA mix runs from everyday staples like carrots and tomatoes to specialty crops including baby ginger and shiitake mushrooms. Members can also find their produce at local farmers markets and on menus at select area restaurants.
Visit website →All Star Processing in Hampstead has built a following among Carroll County hunters for their deer processing work, but the shop handles much more than wild game , beef, pork, and chicken all come through as well. They've recently added pork and chicken sausages to their offerings, and will sharpen your knives while they're at it. It's a locally owned operation that does the kind of hands-on butchery work that's increasingly hard to find close to home.
Located in Carroll County, this provider specializes in halal meats, ensuring quality and compliance with dietary needs.
The Derwood Farmers Market sets up every Saturday morning from May through mid-October in the front yard of the Neighborhood Church of Rockville on Redland Road, running rain or shine from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Vendors bring local produce, meats, cheeses, baked goods, and handmade soaps alongside vintage artists and live music, making it a genuine neighborhood gathering as much as a shopping stop. It's a reliable weekly anchor for the Derwood and North Rockville community through the growing season.
Visit website →Know a farm, market, or maker we're missing?
Submit a Listing