To Market, To Market

Where to Find Washington County Farmers Markets

Written by Paulette Lee

OVID was the best thing to happen to local farmers.”

Leslie Hart, Washington County government’s go-to person for farmers markets, admits it’s hard to say that, but true nonetheless.

“During the pandemic, people more than ever were paying attention to where their food came from. There was a huge interest in local food production, and I anticipate that to continue this year.”

Agriculture is the largest single industry in Washington County, Maryland. The last (pre-COVID) tally was $153 million in agricultural sales in 2017, and officials are working on more current numbers. Hart, who helps farmers markets get started, oversees all of them, promotes them, and handles their issues, says the county currently has eight open-air, season farmers markets, to where farmers take their products to be sold off-site, and 40 “farm markets,” where the product is sold at a stand on the farm.

“There are 4,000 owners of agricultural land in the county,” Hart explains, “and about a thousand operating farms that sell some product. About 15-percent participate in farmers markets or some type of direct consumer sales.” Among the farms that participate in off-site sales (the so-called “farmers markets”), none are commercial farms; they’re all family-owned and operated.

One such farm is the 250-year-old meat, chicken and egg Waltz Family Farm in Smithsburg, owned by Jay and Laurie Waltz, who along with Scenic View Orchard in Sabillasville operate the Wednesday Washington County Farmers Market at the Elks Lodge on Robinwood Drive in Hagerstown. Theirs is strictly a producer market: the sellers have to have raised, grown, baked or made their products.

Why buy locally grown products? “It’s fresher, and with meats, you know you’re getting humane slaughtering and a high-quality product,” Laurie Waltz says. As for the price, “We’re not that much pricier than a high-end butcher. For example, if you buy a three-pound chuck roast from us, it may cost three dollars more, but because it’s such good quality meat and not as fatty as what you’d get from a store, at the end, you actually come out ahead.”

Farmers markets aren’t necessarily the most profitable way for a farmer to sell product. Leslie Hart says it depends on the farm’s business model.

“Some farmers take their products off-site to more than one farmers market. Some farmers don’t want to leave the farm, so sell from stands on their property. And some farmers sell wholesale – larger quantities, at lower prices.”

With the increasing popularity of locally grown, locally sold food, Hart notes “her” farmers market vendors are diversifying.

“They’re moving from the typical fruits and vegetables to micro-greens and more specialty vegetables, such as tomatillos (also known as the Mexican husk tomato). Our population is changing. We have more Hispanic people and they cook all the time, and want fresh produce. There also are more herbs; people are substituting herbs for salt and fat. And there’s also a resurgence of interest in returning to ‘heirloom’ products, such as colored tomatoes, which have more flavor and are more stable.”

In response to concerns about the environment, Laurie Waltz says farmers markets are part of the solution.

“If more folks bought from smaller farms, then those farms would prosper,” she points out. “And with fewer folks buying from the big box stores, there’d be less demand for the huge commercial farms that really can hurt our environment. Many commercial farms, though, are broken down into many smaller, family-run farms, so there’s no one size fits all. Supporting small is definitely the way to go to help with the major environmental impacts like climate change, the over-use of herbicides and pesticides, deforestation, and soil degradation.

“As for our vegan friends, I sure hope they buy local, or at least grown in the USA or where farming practices are good to the soils. We all need to take responsibility whether we are farmers or consumers. As farmers, we need to take care of our land and treat animals with love. As consumers, spend your money wisely. Paying a few extra dollars each week on healthier foods can save you two-to-three times that much in the long run.”

Washington County Farmers Markets also extend access to healthy foods to lower income households by accepting payment through state assistance programs. Customers who spend at least $10 on their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps)/Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card will receive an additional $10 FREE in Maryland Market Money tokens to be spent at approved farm ers market vendors.

Here is a partial overview of Washington County’s seasonal (spring through fall) Farmers Markets; some open in April, some in May, some in June; some close in September, some October, some later. More detailed and updated information, as well as a listing of Farm Market Stands, can be found at www.washco-md.net/business-development/agriculture/#find.

• 4th MONDAY: Smithsburg Town Farmers Market, grass lot behind 22 N. Main St., Smithsburg

• TUESDAY: Boonsboro Farmers Market, 241 Potomac Ave., Boonsboro. Tuesdays from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.

• TUESDAY: Meritus Medical Center Farmers Market, 11110 Medical Campus Road (RW Atrium Area), Hagerstown

• TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: assorted locations, Mobile Farmers Market, VFF Produce, LLC.

• WEDNESDAY: Washington County Farmers Market, Elks Lodge No. 378, 11063 Robinwood Drive, Hagerstown

• THURSDAY, FRIDAY and SATURDAY: The Market Hub, The Barn at the View, Hagerstown

• SELECTED FRIDAY, MONTHLY: The ARC, 820 Florida Ave., Hagerstown

• 4th FRIDAY: Fort Ritchie Farmers Market, Castle Drive near the Flagpole, Cascade

• SATURDAY: Buddylou’s Farmers Market, 11 E. Main St., Hancock

• SATURDAY: Historic Hagerstown City Farmers Market (operating since 1783), University Plaza, 50 W. Washington St., Hagerstown, Md. Additional nearby Farmers Markets can be found in Williamsport and Franklin County, Penn. In this part of the country, it’s never difficult to find seasonal, organic, locally produced fresh foods just a short distance away.