Throughout the summer, the Worcester County, MD, and Berlin community has greatly enjoyed the weekly Berlin farmer’s market and all of the vendors who share their delicious produce, baked goods, creations, and more. While each of these businesses and farms works independently, they simultaneously work together to create a more fruitful environment for our community and stimulate the Worcester County local economy.
At Worcester County Economic Development, we love getting to know the people behind the businesses and the products. Supporting those locally is what we do and these farmer’s market vendors encourage you to do the same. Whether veggies or bees, there’s always a way to make a strong impact and help your community thrive!
Splendid Earth Farm
Splendid Earth Farm is your source for the best local and sustainably grown vegetables. Growing up in Worcester County, MD, Jeanne Vander Clute knew that Berlin was a great place to live and run a small business. The Certified Naturally Grown farm was started in Jeanne’s half-acre backyard in 2019 after working on organic farms in New Zealand following her graduation with a Master’s degree from Salisbury University.
Jeanne’s involvement in the Berlin Farmer’s Market started a year later, providing a large variety of organic vegetables and offering a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program where members receive a weekly share of vegetables throughout the growing season. She says, “I wish more people chose to eat locally rather than shopping at the grocery store because then there would be more opportunities for small farms like mine to be successful!”
No herbicides or pesticides are used on the land and several different strategies maintain the health of the soil. The uniquely small farm can produce a big harvest and provide for anyone living in Berlin and the surrounding community. “I love seeing the same customers weekly, and talking to them about the delicious dishes they’ve concocted with the veggies I’ve grown,” Jeanne says, “Food brings people together and I really feel honored to grow healthy for my neighbors.”
BayBees Honey
BayBees Honey is a family-owned and operated business with hives located across Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and the main apiary located in Whaleyville, MD. Fred and Lauren Pascarella began investing their time in beekeeping 9 years ago after Lauren was diagnosed with a hereditary muscle disorder and recovering from end-stage kidney failure. The new hobby turned into so much more as they started their honey company quickly, only to find that they wouldn’t produce successful honey until a few years later.
By then, BayBees Honey had shifted focus to pollinating local food crops and teaching future beekeepers about the importance of the honey bees’ role in our agricultural system. The business provided Fred and Lauren the platform to educate the public about the common misunderstanding of honey bees versus native pollinators. “We support the growth of backyard beekeepers,” Lauren says, “But we want our beekeepers to be fully educated on the role honey bees play in the ecosystem and how to care for them.”
BayBees offers educational apiary experiences where guests can learn about the inner workings of a honey bee colony and get first-hand experience in beekeeping. While their main source of revenue comes from farmer pollination and garden hive rentals, when the season allows it, you’ll find them selling local honey as well as honey varietals at farmer’s markets around the county. The apiary is small in comparison to many others with 65 hives, but their impact continues to be great in our community. Lauren says, “The beekeepers we started out as are definitely not the beekeepers we are today and for that, I am so proud. We are constantly changing and growing with the knowledge learned and knowledge learned is meant to be shared.”
If you are a current agricultural business owner or you’re looking to become one, find resources here to help your business thrive in Worcester County—Maryland’s only coastal county. Learn more about our incredible local businesses here!
