Chocolates and Tomatoes On-Farm Market: What, Where, and When
The on-farm market at Chocolates and Tomatoes Farm runs on Saturdays, 9am-1pm, mid-May through mid-September.
Look for the red and white tents at 7957 Hollow Road, Middletown, MD 21769
Rain or shine (unless high winds or lightning)
In a grassy area on our farm
You can pre-order or browse and buy at the tent
Staffed by Chef/Farmer Mark, Teresa (who writes these blog, makes signs, does advertising and communication), and our farm dog Crema (who is currently 9.5 years old) who greets people and sometimes entertains a rub or pat. She has a big, booming bark but is very friendly.
We live here, grow here, and sell here.
Most of what we sell at the on-farm market, we grow at the farm.
We do bring in some crops (like mushrooms and fruit) from other local farms.
That means, what you see under the tent has recently been harvested -- sometimes the day before.
When you come to the on-farm market, you can see most of the farm (where we use sustainable practices to produce the fruit and veggies we sell - the fenced main field behind the tents, the high tunnel on the hill, and the orchard on the other side of the lane.
If you came to the on-farm market on Saturday, July 20, here are the kinds of things that you saw (these pictures are just a sample of the items that were available in July).
Sometimes people ask why our on-farm market is not open more days of the week or more of the year.
Our on-farm market season happens at the same time as peak farming season -- this is when we have enough crops to run a market like this
We often continue to have a few items coming out of the field through Thanksgiving -- you can pre-order those things and pick them up at the farm
We don't offer the on-farm market in the fall because we find that people are too busy on the weekends to come out. There are lots more weekend activities such as kids sports.
We are not open more days of the week during peak season because this is one of many jobs that we have, including teaching classes in our Learning Kitchen at the farm. And, of course, the actual farming work takes more time during the peak season -- the other days are filled with planting, weeding, harvesting, etc.
The Market Tent is About Community
Of course, the market tent is where we sell our fruits and vegetables, but more than that, it is about community.
We love it when you stop to chat for a little while to tell us about current activities or past memories.
Or, when you share with us what you plan to make/or made with what you are buying at the market. This week, one of our regulars told us about Caprese Appetizer Bites she was making for some guests coming over (see pictured right). She had originally planned to use all red cherry tomatoes, but when she saw the colorful array of shapes and sizes that we had, she decided to add a little variety. In the middle, you can see some yellow pear tomatoes that add some fun! She took the picture before she added a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
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