Whether you are a farmer looking to sell produce, or a restaurateur, retailer or home chef looking to fill the larder, Chesapeake Harvest Direct, is for you. The online marketplace is an easy way for restaurants and companies like Lyon Distilling to source fresh, local products. The site, Chesapeakeharvestdirect.com brings local food producers and wholesale buyers together in a convenient and user-friendly way. Chesapeake Harvest Direct provides access to anyone who is able to meet the farmer’s minimum – whether it’s a 15-pound bag of new potatoes, a bushel of fresh peaches, or a flat of juicy blackberries. This week, you’ll also find Choptank Sweets oysters and ground lamb from Oak Heights Plantation!
Blackberry Mojito
- Two ounces Lyon Distilling Co. Blackberry Rum
- Half ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
- One sprig fresh mint
- Soda water (choose either seltzer or club soda)
- Optional garnish: lime slice and fresh blackberries

Trish Tripp, Local Produce Safety Manager with Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, Lindsay Gilmour, Chesapeake Harvest’s Food Safety Educator, work with Jeff Linville, owner of Greenpond Farm in South Carolina during a recent intensive for regional food safety trainers.
A Helping Hand for Food Safety
In the constantly changing industries of food production and distribution, ensuring that the food sold to consumers meets the highest standards of health and safety can be complicated. Chesapeake Harvest is committed to helping local farmers understand and comply with safety regulations at every stage – from planting to distribution.
August Produce Picks
Getting Thick with Okra
The slender seedpod Abelmoschus esculentus, known in some regions as lady’s fingers, is rich in vitamins A, B, C, E and K, as well as calcium, iron and magnesium. Okra, native to Africa, gives jambalaya and gumbo its thickness and makes a tasty treat when fried or pickled. Locally grown okra is harvested throughout the summer and into the fall. Tip: cooking okra at high temperatures or paired with acidic ingredients like tomato, lemon juice or wine, alleviates the gooeyness that gives okra a bad reputation.
Here’s a recipe for succotash that is perfect for the Eastern Shore summer, when tomatoes and corn are also in season:
Here are a range of recipes that are perfect for the Eastern Shore summer okra.
Juicy, Juicy Gems
Even if you don’t happen to operate a rum distillery, you’ll want to scoop up as many blackberries as you can at this time of year. The juicy berries are a midsummer treasure on the Eastern Shore, and make a perfect summer snack: a one cup serving provides half the daily requirement of vitamin C and has only about 60 calories. Muddle blackberries into lemonade or sprinkle on your breakfast cereal or yogurt. Blackberries are divine in cobblers and crisps, or in the continental version of the dessert, clafoutis.
Click here for Julia Child’s recipe
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