At peak right now: Oysters, Sweet Potato, Kale & Greens. Head to a farmers market or your CSA to find them fresh.
Honey is one of the easier gifts to get right this time of year. It keeps without refrigeration, travels without much fuss, and the bees that made it were almost certainly working Maryland fields and hedgerows. That matters in a way it doesn't with, say, roasted coffee. A Maryland roaster doing good work is a real thing worth supporting, but the beans came from somewhere else. The honey is local in the deeper sense, meaning the pollen, the terroir, the particular wildflowers or clover or tulip poplar of a specific county are in the jar. If you're buying at a farm stand or winter market, ask the beekeeper where their hives are. Some keep bees across multiple locations and the flavor differs. Creamed honey and raw honey both ship and store well, though you'll want to confirm with any individual producer whether they ship at all, since not everyone does.
Preserves are trickier depending on what's in them. Shelf-stable jams sealed properly keep fine, but anything with lower acid or added dairy needs refrigeration and may not ship legally across state lines depending on how it was processed. Maryland cottage food law allows some producers to sell certain preserved goods without a commercial kitchen license, which is worth knowing if you're buying at a market. Those products are usually fine to give locally, but think twice before mailing them, and think about whether the person receiving them has any sensitivities to fruit, pectin, or added sugars. A jar of fig preserves is a lovely gift until the recipient is diabetic or keeps kosher and you forgot to check the label.
Farmstead or locally made cheese is worth giving when you know the recipient can get to a pickup location or you're handing it over in person. Maryland has farms producing aged and fresh styles, and some sell through year-round markets or farm stores. The cold chain matters with cheese, so if you're shipping or driving a long distance, pack accordingly. A farm-store gift certificate sidesteps most of these logistics entirely. The recipient goes when they can, picks what appeals to them, and you don't have to guess about preferences or refrigeration capacity. The limitation is obvious: it only works if the person lives within reasonable distance of that farm. A certificate to a farm two hours away from your aunt in Garrett County is not especially useful to your friend in Annapolis.
Before you buy anything as a gift, it helps to do a few quick checks. Call or look up whether a producer ships, what their current inventory looks like, and whether they have a holiday order window that closes before you expect. Allergies, dietary restrictions, and refrigerator space are worth a thought. A beautiful cheese or a jar of raw honey is only a good gift if the person can use it. Most farms and small food producers are easier to reach by phone or email than you might think, and they'd rather answer a question than have someone disappointed in December.
A few producers worth knowing about this week.
The Miller Library Farmers Market runs May through October in the parking lot of Miller Branch Library on Frederick Road in Ellicott City, bringing together a rotating cast of local producers selling flowers, wine, bread, and seasonal goods. As a producer-only market, every vendor grew, raised, or made what they're selling, which keeps the selection honest and the conversations worth having. It's a convenient stop for Howard County shoppers looking to fold a weekly market run into an already familiar errand.
Crossroads Farmers Market in Takoma Park runs Wednesdays from 1 to 5 PM, April through November, and stands out for its genuinely diverse vendor mix , including growers who specialize in Central American herbs that are hard to find at most markets. SNAP benefits are accepted and doubled here, making fresh local food more accessible to the whole community. Live music most weeks gives the market a lively neighborhood feel.
Flying Plow Farm in Rising Sun brings certified organic produce to Cecil County subscribers through a customizable veggie box program available for home delivery or pickup. The year-round schedule means you're not locked into peak summer abundance alone , subscriptions stretch across seasons, following whatever the farm is actually growing. If you're in the northeastern corner of Maryland and looking for a flexible way into a farm share, this one is worth a close look.
Ferguson Family Farm in Parkton raises pasture-raised meats and eggs without growth hormones, antibiotics, appetite stimulants, or animal by-products. Founded by the late Lynne Ferguson, the farm has long been a trusted source for families across Maryland and the surrounding region. The next generation is now carrying her work forward from the same Beckleysville Road property in Baltimore County.
Operating out of Cambridge since 1890, J.M. Clayton Company holds the title of the oldest crab-picking house in the United States, and five generations in, it still sources live blue crabs directly from local Chesapeake Bay watermen. Their Epicure™ crabmeat is prepared without chemicals, additives, or preservatives, and comes in grades from Jumbo Lump to Claw Fingers, available fresh, pasteurized, or frozen. For anyone serious about Maryland crabmeat, this is the Dorchester County institution to know.
Visit website →Know a farm, market, or maker we're missing?
Submit a Listing