The Maryland Zoo and farms throughout the state will be featured in Maryland Public Television‘s (MPT) new episode of “Maryland Farm & Harvest,” premiering on Feb. 20 at 7 p.m.
In Episode 11 of this series, host Joanne Clendining will tour the Maryland Zoo’s on-site farm and visit an alpaca farm on its busiest day of the year. The episode will also feature farms in Dorchester, St. Mary’s, and Queen Anne’s Counties.
The weekly series takes viewers across Maryland, telling stories about the farms, people, and technology required to sustain and improve agriculture in Maryland. Agriculture is the state’s top commercial industry.
According to the Maryland State Archives, farms employ around 350,000 people, including around 6,000 full-time farmers. The industry contributes more than $8 billion annually to Maryland’s economy and uses roughly 2 million acres of land. This is equivalent to about 32 percent of Maryland’s total land area. The 2017 Census reported that 96% of Maryland’s farms are family-owned.
The Feb. 20 episode filmed its introduction at Church Hill Farm in Hydes, which is in Baltimore County, and then visited the Maryland Farm Zoo of the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore City, where Clendining tours its on-site sustainability garden and a small-scale farm built by staff and volunteers to feed the zoo animals. The host also visits the commissary, a kitchen where the animals’ meals are prepared, and helps with food preparation and delivery for the animals under the zoo’s care.
Clendining will also visit Briar Branch Alpaca Farm and Boutique in Clements, St. Mary’s County. She’ll be there on shearing day, one of the busiest days of the year, to lend a hand to those on the farm giving all 50 of the alpaca their annual haircuts. She’ll tour the pastures, learn about the history of alpaca farming, and spotlight some of the alpaca fiber creations the Briar Branch boutique sells.
Finally, Clendining will join Chef Kurt Peter of St. Michaels Farmers Market in Dorchester in Queen Anne’s County. Peter is owner of Chesapeake Chef Service and will find locally produced ingredients to make pan-seared rockfish with sautéed vegetables, and then demonstrate how to prepare and present the dish. The recipe will be available at this link for viewers to try themselves.
“Maryland Farm & Harvest” airs on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on MPT-HD and online at mpt.org/livestream. Episodes are also available to view on the free PBS App and MPT’s online video player following their broadcast premiere. Encore broadcasts air on MPT-HD on Thursdays at 11 p.m. and on Sundays at 6 a.m. Episodes also air Fridays at 7:30 p.m.
A preview of Episode 11 is available at this link.
