The Meal-Kit Farmer
Photo by Michael Ventura
Another New Farmer Project participant with a niche product is Russ Testa of Your Chef’s Table farm in Brookeville. Testa graduated from culinary school in 2012 and did part-time stints as a personal chef. Frustrated over the inability to find locally grown ingredients for clients, he started his own farm, joining the New Farmer Project in 2014.
Eager to connect farming with cooking, Testa came up with the idea of meal kits, made with items he raises on his farm. Like the popular Blue Apron or HelloFresh meal delivery services, Testa’s kits include preportioned packages of ingredients—such as chicken, Brussels sprouts, kale,
chard, bok choy—and a recipe.
Your Chef’s Table farm meal kits and produce are available at the Brookeville Beer Farm Market, Olney Farmers & Artists Market, St. Camillus Church in Silver Spring and at Testa’s on-farm market.
19715 Zion Road, Brookeville | 202-236-4085 | yourchefstable.net
Field Trips
Diners turned out for a Calleva Dirty Dinner on a cool summer night. The menu, including unlimited wine, featured locally grown ingredients. Photo by Michael Ventura
Fill up your calendar with these events and fun places to visit
Agricultural History Farm Park
This 455-acre county park has it all—fields, farm animals, an orchard, and the outbuildings and former homestead of the Magruder-Bussard family, which lived there at the turn of the 20th century.
18400 Muncaster Road, Derwood | 301-563-7523 | montgomeryparks.org
Button Farm Living History Center
Located within Seneca Creek State Park, Button Farm’s exhibits and buildings illustrate life on a 19th century slave plantation. The farm grows heirloom crops and raises heritage breeds of animals.
16820 Black Rock Road, Germantown | buttonfarm.org
Calleva Dirty Dinners
The popular dinners at this 165-acre farm feature dishes made from produce grown on-site, and meats and eggs from animals raised on the nearby farm, plus local wines and live music. This year’s dinners are scheduled for June 24, July 29 and Aug. 26.
19120 Martinsburg Road, Dickerson | 301-216-1248 | calleva.org
King Barn Dairy Mooseum
What do you call a cow that can’t give milk? A Milk Dud. This and other dairy jokes can be found on the website of the dairy heritage museum, which houses interactive exhibits, educational programs and a restored barn on a historic farm.
South Germantown Recreational Park | 18028 Central Park Circle, Boyds | 301-528-6530 | mooseum.org
Montgomery County Agricultural Fair
Animal exhibits, carnival rides, funnel cakes and more have made the fair a perennial favorite since 1949. This year’s deep-fried fun goes from Aug. 11-19. Montgomery County Agricultural Fairgrounds,
501 Perry Parkway, Gaithersburg | 301-926-3100 | mcagfair.com
Montgomery County Farm Tour and Harvest Sale
This year marks the 28th annual weekend event, when local farms welcome the public for hayrides, produce purchases, tours and more. To find farms participating on July 22 and 23, plus maps, visit montgomerycountymd.gov/farmtour.
Red Wiggler Community Farm
A certified organic farm where people with and without disabilities grow food, Red Wiggler welcomes field volunteers, runs a CSA, leads farm tours, and hosts a Farm to Fork Dinner (June 17) and the annual Harvest Celebration (Sept. 16).
Ovid Hazen Wells Park | 23400 Ridge Road, Germantown | 301-916-2216 | redwiggler.org
Rocklands Farm
“Know your food, know your farmer. It’s a big part of our ethos,” says Rocklands Farm co-founder Greg Glenn, who grew
up in Bethesda. There’s a farm market store and tasting room that sells Rocklands’ meats, wine and local products; a happy hour; trivia night; live music every Friday night; and food truck fare Friday nights, Saturday and Sunday. Rocklands also runs a CSA and summer camp; offers field trips and tours; holds dinners for wine club and CSA members; and rents the picturesque spot for weddings.
14525 Montevideo Road, Poolesville | 301-825-8075 | rocklandsfarmmd.com
