So you'll know which local produce will be at its peak, click on the following for your state's agricultural calendar (in the Chesapeake region): Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia.
Scroll down to see descriptions of local food in the four main seasons.
Brett of Even' Star Organic Farm Showing His Crops
Greg the Farmer at Great Kids Farm, Baltimore
Enjoying the Cheverly Market (MD)
Many locally produced food items are obviously available all year, including meat, eggs and dairy products such as milk and yogurt. But they still may have a seasonal nature. Animals are often slaughtered at a particular time, for example. Cheese can also be stored, but some cheeses will vary seasonally depending on differences in the milk of the animals, as the milk itself varies due to the growing plants in the meadows where they graze. If they come from chickens that graze on pastures, eggs too will often look brighter in the spring, as the spring flush of green and a burst of insect activity enriches them (and the chickens).
Other goods such as honey, jelly and maple syrup are seasonal, but can be similarly canned, bottled or saved, and are thus available year-round. If you don't have a root cellar or other storage facility for produce in winter, many farmers do. As a result, you can find local root vegetables and some fruits such as apples at most times of year at the farmers market.
Locally produced dried beans and grains can also be saved at home, so they are available year-round. But note that dry goods from the previous season will taste much more flavorful -- and behave much better upon preparation -- than ones from several years back.
Spring
Pea Blossoms in Spring
Seasonal Farmers Markets Opening in Spring
Spring brings special delicacies like asparagus, strawberries, fresh peas, pea shoots, morel mushrooms (especially in April and May!), fava beans, spring onions, radishes and the first delicate lettuces of the year that have been grown fully outside. Edible “weeds” such as lambsquarters and stinging nettles may also become available, while you will begin to find a wider selection of cut flowers grown outdoors on local farms. After the winter lull, seasonal farmers markets start to open again, with the vagaries of spring weather bringing drama to the marketplace as well as the field.
Early Glow strawberry in May
Swiss chard in Spring
Blue Crabs from the Chesapeake
Fava Beans in Spring
Summer
Summer is the season that folks like us are waiting for. We just can't wait to eat all those fresh, ripe fruits and veggies -- everything from raspberries, rhubarb, favas, string beans, asparagus, peas, onions, cherries and radishes to greens including tender butter lettuces and stronger flavored arugulas. Yes, there are lots of kinds of arugula! The blueberries, edible soybeans and heirloom tomatoes ripened outside, which really mark high summer, will be here soon enough. The list just goes on and on.
Some folks may be members of community supported agriculture (CSA) farms, and thus receive a box of produce each week throughout the season according to an annual plan. (For more info on CSAs, in case you're already thinking about next year, check out our CSA page.) But, if you didn't have the foresight -- or desire -- to plan this far ahead, you still have plenty of options to access fresh food. Farmers' markets are growing steadily nationwide, and the Washington, DC, area is no exception.
Tomatoes and Melons at the 14th & U Street Farmers Market in DC
Summer Farmers Market Scene
Pick-Your-Own Blueberries
Fall
As the temperature fluctuates and evenings turn cooler, we know fall is on its way. At the farmers market, a wonderful variety of apples starts to make an appearance. Squash, peppers and eggplant continue to tumble out of baskets and crates, while sweet corn and all kinds of beans are also on sale, even as the summer blast of tomatoes begins to wane. Now is the time to find locally grown pumpkins, corn, and corn stalks for autumn decorations as well. It’s a colorful, beautiful time at the market and in the fields.
Traditionally, fall is also a busy time for winter food preparations -- canning, freezing, drying, preserving, properly storing things like squash and potatoes, and even salting meat. While we modern folks, many of us city dwellers, probably don’t have much space or time for such endeavors, we probably can take some steps in this direction, even if only to preserve our traditions a little bit. Indeed, classes on canning and preserving are making a comeback, as many people seek to rediscover their grandmothers’ techniques. Just blanching some fresh lima beans or sweet corn and putting a few bags in the freezer can capture summer for a few meals on cold winter days. Making apple sauce or jam could give you a jump start on holiday gifts.
October Beans
Mutsu Apples
Pumpkin Blossom
Rockfish Also Known As Striped Bass
Winter
Enjoy the fruits of the year in winter either by attending year-round farmers markets or "banking" items in your freezer, pantry and cellar all year. Look for locally produced items at the mainstream grocery stores as well.
And don't forget to give the gift of local food, either through a basket of goodies or as a CSA subscription!
All content of the Real People Eat Local website and the Local Mix email newsletter is original and the property of Renee Brooks Catacalos and Kristi Bahrenburg Janzen. We welcome your comments at feedback@realpeopleeatlocal.com.
