In the News

CSAs, Victory Gardens, and EatLocalFrederick.com in the news!

..... Sarah Irani, founder of eatlocalfrederick.org, a Web site dedicated to local agriculture and community-supported agriculture (CSAs) says she is seeing an increase in concern about food sources.

"I know that local agriculture cannot meet the demand in Frederick County in the last couple of years," she said. Many area CSAs — farms where customers purchase shares in advance then split the bounty the food farmers grow — have had waiting lists for shares because of the number of interested customers, she said.

Irani, who used to receive shipments of vegetables from a CSA in West Virginia, believes that this increased interest in finding local sources for food can be tracked to the "unsustainable" system of grocery stores and industrial farming that currently feeds much of the populace. She said that it is a sign of the times, and a reaction to the uncertainty many feel around them, much as Victory Gardens were during World War II, which boosted morale by allowing people to feel more self-reliant.

"We're a very nervous country right now, so this idea that we can move closer to knowing our food source makes us feel safe. That if something happens, we have a farmer," she explained. "… There's a certain comfort that we're not totally dependent on, say, the oil industry, to bring us our food. A lot of people are moving in that direction. I think it's definitely increasing."

Sarah is Leaving

Dear Readers, I am heading up to Pennsylvania because of my husband's job and will no longer be able to operate Eat Local Frederick. I hope to find an heir to the site. Any takers?

Eat Local Party

Tomorrow night yours truly will be dancing the night away with the Friends of Frederick County at the Pennterra Plantation. There is a benefit gala with a silent auction, lots of local food that I helped chop, and music! After an evening of chopping and chatting, my biggest worry is my little black dress and accessories. See you there!

Urban Pumpkin Patch

I found this urban pumpkin patch in an alley downtown Frederick. Cool!

Virtual Farmers Market

Check this out! It is a new website for Maryland farmers and consumers of local food: http://foodtrader.org/

Organic Compost in Frederick County

Check this out! What great news for our trash crisis in Frederick Co.


FREDERICK COUNTY, MD - Frederick County has a new operation that's sure to make your lawn the talk of the town.For the first time ever the area is offering organic compost.The county invested more than a million dollars for equipment and a location to produce the compost.In the span of three weeks, the compost goes through three intensive processes to create a richer, higher quality product that's better than mulch."It helps the soil retain more moisture. It gives the soil structure, and it also provides some slow release nutrients, plus it increases the plant figure. It makes your plants healthier," explained Phil Harris with the Department of Solid Waste Management.Harris says the operation is a one-stop-shop, and because the compost is made from shrubs and tree branches that residents in Frederick drop off, it also contributes to saving the environment. Read more atyour4state.com. (From: WHAG-TV)

Menu Ideas

Eat Local Frederick is trying to compile daily menu ideas for eating locally. The idea is to help guide folks who would like to eat locally, but aren't sure what that would look like. Here is a sample from the beginning of July:


Breakfast: Yogurt from South Mountain Creamery with fresh blueberries bought at the
Farmers' Market. Bread from Ed's Country Bakery with South Mountain butter and fresh local honey from Lord Byron's Apiary. You can drink coffee, but look for coffee that is shade-grown and fair trade. There are several coffee roasters in town; see if you can find locally-roasted coffee!

Lunch: Fresh salad with local greens, cucumbers and radishes. Top the salad with hard
boiled eggs (get to the market early if you want fresh, local eggs!) and crumbled goat cheese from Caprikorn Farms. I got all of these things at the Farmers' Market on July 5th! Enjoy some berries from the garden or pick them at Catoctin Mountain Orchard. Make your own dressing from olive oil, vinegar from Dragonfly Farms and herbs from the garden. (If an item cannot be found near Frederick, look for a product that supports local farmers somewhere else. I make sure that my olive oil comes from Italy or Spain where small family farms grow the olives.)

Dinner: Grilled steak from Hedgeapple Farms, green beans tossed with fresh garlic and
olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar, and boiled red potatoes topped with South Mountain sour cream and chives from the garden. Plus, have a small side salad. Enjoy some wine from one of the many local vineyards!

Dessert: Last week we picked tart cherries from the tree in neighborhood and made a pie!
Flour and sugar are hard to come by locally, but as long as the pie is mostly made from local cherries then it is a local pie!

Please send us your ideas to info (at) eatlocalfrederick (dot) com!