Maryland is home to a vast community of beekeepers that keep bees pollinating and producing sweet fragrant honey.
Fall is a great time to visit local farms and buy fall goodies like squash, apple cider donuts, and pumpkins. But there is something else you should pick up on your trip to the farm: local honey. Honey is a great staple to have in your pantry and can serve as a delicious treat as well as a home remedy. Honey soothes sore throats and coughs, helps heal burns and cuts, and can be used in recipes as a sugar substitute. Some people believe that local honey helps ease seasonal allergies, and there are studies that show honey is effective in preventing cancer, healing ulcers, and warding off heart disease. Here are five local farms where you can pick up a jar or two of fresh Maryland honey.
Zekiah Farms
This farm in Southern Maryland is home to a farmer’s market, CSA program, and bees! Bees at Zekiah Farms serve as the pollinator for the plants, producing a sweet, unfiltered honey that is sold in the farm’s market and online. Honey is available in plastic and glass containers, in sizes up to one gallon. You can also purchase honeycomb and beeswax jar candles. Visit the farm’s website to shop for honey, naturally raised meats, produce, dairy, and more. Zekiah Farms is located in Road Waldorf, Maryland.
Waxing Kara
Waxing Kara is an Eastern Shore farm that produces artisanal honey and honey gifts. Situated on 40 acres, the honey farm is home to lavender, wildflowers, clover, and other plants designed specifically to create happy bees and sweet honey. In addition to honey, Waxing Kara produces tea, honey lollipops, bath and body products, and candles. The jars of raw, unfiltered honey are available in more than 15 varieties, including orange blossom honey, autumn honey, and star thistle honey. All of Waxing Kara’s products are available online and at the retail store in Owings Mills.
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Apex Bee Company
This group from Southern Maryland cultivates and produces sustainable honey all around the state. Pesticide-free beekeeping helps the environment, protects the bees, and produces quality raw honey. Apex is also part of the Honey Bee Restoration Project and can help you set up your own hive! Apex Bee Company honey can be purchased direct and found at a variety of stores in Maryland including MOM’s Organic Market, Food Lion, Clark’s Elioak Farm, Rooster and Hen, and more.
Hope Honey Farm
Hope Honey Farm is a Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) farm located in Upper Marlboro. The farm is home to award-winning Maryland State Fair Blue Ribbon honey and also serves as a classroom for aspiring beekeepers. In addition to unfiltered honey, Hope Honey also produces lip balms and soaps. Get the products online or by visiting Franklin’s General Store in Hyattsville, Maryland.
The Bee Folks
This buzzing business started in 1996 with just a few hives in a Baltimore backyard. Today the Bee Folks have a two-acre farm in Mount Airy where they cultivate honey, beeswax, and other bee-centric products. The beekeepers sell more than 20 varieties including wildflower honey, apple blossom honey, and killer bee honey—a honey with notes of caramel produced by Africanized bees of Brazil. Honey is available in sizes from six ounces up to five gallons, and can be picked up at the farm or shipped.
What's your favorite place to buy local honey? We'd love to hear your recommendations. Leave us a comment and let us know!