It will follow the mead-making process
Frederick, MD (KB) Maryland Farm & Harvest will feature two Frederick County farms in its upcoming episode. It will air on Maryland Public Television Tuesday, January 19th, at 7 p.m. Segments will also be available online.
Director and producer, Joe Ligo, said the episode will highlight Maryland’s mead industry.
“For those who don’t know, mead is an alcoholic beverage made out of fermented honey and other fruit,” he explained.
Ligo said viewers will be able to follow the peach mead-making process from “tree to bottle.”
“The peaches are coming from a local orchard, Scenic View Orchards, and we talk about that and the process of harvesting,” “From there, we go to Orchid Cellar Meadery, where they are turning these peaches into peach mead and it’s all the way from tree to bottle and see how it’s made.”
Scenic View Orchards is located in Sabillasville. Ligo said the name is “well-earned.”
“We visited back during the summer and, I mean, it’s gorgeous views of rolling hills and lush peach trees with gorgeous fruit on them,” he said.
Orchid Cellar Meadery and Winery in Middletown was founded by Andrzej Wilk’s family, an immigrant family from Poland. Ligo said the Wilks noticed how mead was not normally sold in American stores.
“They took it upon themselves to, sort of, bring this tradition with them and create a business out of it,” explained Ligo.
Ligo believes there is a growing interest of mead in the state.
“I think a lot of just the rise of the craft beverage industry that we have seen in the last 10-20 years includes craft beers, wine, other types of alcohol, and I think mead is included in that,” he said.
Maryland Farm & Harvest will also feature a new segment asking farmers how they got started in the business of agriculture.