However, cold storage is often prohibitively expensive in equipment, maintenance, and energy costs. Having access to cold storage at CFS’ s aggregation hub enables farms to harvest and deliver produce on schedules that work for them. This flexibility is key, given the unpredictable nature of farming.
Supply chain resilience also means quick turnaround in moving bulk produce from farm to distributor.“ One of our core expansion areas over the past year has been creating food access through our wholesale program for a growing number of food assistance providers( FAPs), including Mid-County United Ministries, St. Luke’ s, Silver Spring Christian Reformed Church, and Rainbow Community Development Center,” Freeman
said.“ We emphasize a service that is‘ right-sized’ for FAPs, as we offer produce in appropriate volumes for their needs, in addition to handling procurement coordination and providing aggregation, cold storage, and flexible pick-up and delivery services for our clients.”
Particularly relating to healthy food access, supply chain resilience is key. At the Local Food Procurement Challenge press conference, Director of the Office of Food Systems Resilience, Heather Bruskin, pointed out that“ if the only decision point [ about food ] is purchase price,” locally grown food“ will always lose.” But, she also emphasized, we know that when it comes to our health— at both the individual and community levels— we can’ t afford for cost to be the only deciding factor. Small farms
61 Vineyard is a new on-farm winery in Montgomery County’ s Agricultural Reserve. Our first vintage was 2020, and our tasting room doors opened in October 2021. We offer dry wines grown and produced on our farm, including Carbernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Savignon, Chardonnay, Albarino and Chardonel. Enjoy our wine tastings and flights, by the glass or bottle. Some snack items are available, including charcuterie.
Hours: Thursday 2-8, Friday 2-9, Saturday 12-9, Sunday 12-6
Visit us on facebook and Instagram @ 61Vineyard are essential to regional food security, and the delicious, nutrient-dense produce they grow is crucial to our health and overall wellbeing. And with increasing global uncertainty due to major climate events and geopolitical issues, we cannot sustainably rely on food traveling thousands of miles to our plate.“ Even a small transition of publicly-funded food purchases to support local businesses can make a huge difference … in the long-term self-reliance of our food supply,” Bruskin said.
About Community FarmShare
Community FarmShare( CFS) was founded in 2020 to address the increasing food insecurity needs in our county by investing dollars into our small-scale Montgomery County fruit and vegetable farms, who are the cornerstone of resilient local food systems. It partners with Montgomery County Public Schools and community health clinics to run nine Mobile Farm Markets in high-traffic Healthy Food Priority Areas. As a nonprofit aggregator committed to supporting our local small farms, CFS is grateful that county leadership recognizes that supporting local farms is a worthwhile investment in our community’ s health, environmental resources, and economic growth.
A Montgomery County native, Lara Fu leads communications for Community FarmShare. In addition to growing food at home, she is an avid supporter of farmers’ markets and agribusinesses. Jennifer Freeman is the Executive Director of Community FarmShare. After a career in microfinance, she settled into Peas and Peace Farm in Poolesville. www. 61vineyard. com • 28712 Kemptown Road • Damascus, MD 20872
12 plenty I summer growing 2026