by Martina White / Photos by Martina White and Amanda West
I grew up spending summers in Germany visiting my Oma, where every hike through the woods had a purpose, ending at an outdoor cafe…with local pastries, of course! So when Clear Spring Creamery advertised their Open Farm Day at the Dupont Circle market recently, I looked forward to a meandering country drive with the promise of fresh milk, cheese and honey at the end of the road.
Here’s what my friend Amanda and I found when we got to the farm (in Clear Spring, MD, west of Hagerstown). I love the high-tech/low-tech dichotomy…
The cows rotate grazing on grass with no chemical fertilizers or pesticides, and are never given hormones. (The Seiberts are working on getting organic status.)
And the chickens happily peck away around what looks like a gypsy caravan.
Mark Seibert giving the farm tour
Mark and Clare Seibert started the creamery on family land six years ago, and offer milk, eggs, yoghurt, and several cheeses, sold mainly at FRESHFARM markets across the area. Non-homogenized creamtop milk (just give it a shake) and Clare’s creamy camembert are their specialties. Both are really good. Look for them at your neighborhood farmer’s market, or like I did…at the end of a country road.
Martina White of Reston, Va., is a nonprofit fundraiser by day and avid farmer’s market enthusiast on the weekend. She blogs with her friend Amanda West about her passion for supporting local farmers as a way to preserve the small farm way of life just beyond our fine city at agrowingseason.wordpress.com.
