Last week I needed to go to Beltsville, so I decided to stop in one of my favorite Farm Markets. Spicknall's has been in Beltsville for as long as I can remember. It is where I would stop on my way home from Behnke's to pick up fresh-picked corn and other vegetables. Of course, when Behnke's was opened, I did not have any reason to put any of their pumpkins or annuals, but I always noticed that everything looked good. I could see that the owners supported local wholesale growers, which made me happy.
When we were closing Behnke's in 2019, they reached out to us that they were interested in a few of our fixtures along with some of our shopping carts. So, I have to say, with mixed feelings, I pushed that old green cart around this week while I loaded up on a pumpkin, apples, and my main reason for stopping McCouchions Hot Pepper Relish. As you can see in the picture, they also have a great selection of Chrystrumums for sale. Oh, and plenty of BIG and small pumpkins.
The Granny Smith Apples I bought ended up in a delicious first Apple Pie of the season. I knew I wanted to make a crumb pie, so I decided to check out Pinterest for a new recipe. My mother-in-law, Jane Fleming, has always made the absolute best Apple Crumb Pie that I have tried and tried to copy. I was close this time, not as good as my mother-in-law's, but still good. The recipe I tried was a Dutch Apple Vintage Pie. Even my husband said it was not bad. I should have sliced the apple thinner, but the tartness of the Granny Smiths was perfect!
I hope the next time you are in or near Beltsville, take some time to check out Spicknall's Farm Market at 12011 Old Gunpowder Road. Give them a call first at 301-937-8288 to check for hours.