Firefly Farms Handmade Cheeses from Mountain Maryland

I fell in love with Firefly Farms fresh goat cheese at the Silver Spring Farmers Market. One of their master cheesemakers Pablo offered to give me a tour of their award winning creamery to see how they make their delicious cheeses.

Firefly Farms handmade goat cheeses are all crafted on-site using fresh goat's milk purchased from local family farms. They make cow and sheep cheeses that all taste incredible! It takes about three days to get the milk from the goat to the farmers market. 

Their Allegheny Chèvre is their fresh goat's milk cheese. It is a traditional chèvre: crumbly in texture with a clean and tangy flavor. It is a versatile ingredient in everyday cooking -- the perfect creamy addition to your meal. This  Chèvre tasted so fresh and absolutely delicious! 

Firefly Farms offers nationally & internationally award‐winning premium goat cheese that features the distinct regional flavors of Mountain Maryland’s Allegheny Plateau. Each cheese is artfully handcrafted and aged with precise detail. The cheese of FireFly Farms is produced using agriculturally sustainable, locally‐sourced fresh goat’s milk and time‐honored, traditional methods of goat cheese making.

You can also find quality pastas, crackers, breads, pates, proscuitto, cured meats as well as select wines and beers to pair with their tasty cheeses. In addition they offer condiments, sauces, oils and vinegars, honeys, syrups and cookies. 

You can make tasting and pairing reservations at their Market Table to sample all of their products. Enjoy their seasonal tasting and pairing experience where they thoughtfully curate each option to entice a variety of cheese and pairing preferences.  Pablo told me the pairing experiences are truly unique!  You and your party will be comfortably seated at the Market Table and served a series of delectable treats to accompany your cheese and wine pairings. 

Firefly Farms is about a two hour drive from Washington, D.C. but well worth the trip! For more information visit their website www.fireflyfarms.com.

What's the buzz at Baues' Busy Bees?

I was lucky enough to spend last weekend in the quaint town of Lewes, DE. My first stop Saturday morning was the Lewes Farmer's Market and Baues' Busy Bees stand. They had the finest beeswax products for skin care. What's good for your skin is good for your entire body! 

Beeswax is a natural way to treat your skin and promote skin health. Their products promote skin health by using natural healing substances found in pure beeswax. Beeswax has a natural SPF of 15. Not only are you helping your skin retain moisture when using Baues' Busy Bees creams, lotions and balms; you're also protecting your skin from the sun.

The lovely owners Rosemary and Dave Baues introduced me to Bee Pollen. Rosemary has such a passion for what she does and began to tell me the incredible health benefits of bee pollen! She explained that it is almost a perfect food. Great for allergies and an extra source of protein. You can sprinkle it on your cereal, yogurt or oatmeal.  I tried a little handful and it was a little tart so I would probably  have to get used to it. Oh and of course they have pure raw honey from their hives in Pennsylvania.

I sampled many of their products including beeswax body lotion, lip balm, hand cream and honey soap. They also have an assortment of honeycomb, tapered and molded candles such as the lighthouse that I just had to have. The honey butter beeswax cream with olive oil, beeswax, shea butter, coconut oil and distilled water keeps Rosemary's skin amazing and of course I had to have a jar of that as well.

Rosemary is very concerned about the effects the environment has had on the bee population. That will have to be a story for another time after I do some extensive research and know all the facts.

Their honey and all of their products are great and I highly recommend checking out their website at www.bauesbusybees.com.  What a great unexpected mini workshop on all things bees.

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Farmer Dave from Kuhn Orchards has a passion for what he does!

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