10-26-2023 Howard - Flipbook - Page 52
Casey Caulder navigates hubbard squash vines at Breezy Willow Farm.“Knowing where your food comes from and knowing that it hasn’t been stored somewhere
in a warehouse forever and picked when it’s not ripe, there’s a huge difference in flavor,” she said.
In Howard County, the couple has been growing
five varieties of grapes — riesling, Gewürztraminer,
Montepulciano, Müller-Thurgau and regent — on
Penn Oaks Winery’s 37-acre farm. A small crew of
people harvest them by hand in September, so that
they can be run through a machine that breaks up the
grapes’ skins and takes them off their stems, Cahill
said. Then, the grapes and juice go into barrels. Over
the winter, work continues to prune and look after
the vines.
This year, the spotted lanternfly, an invasive bug
relatively new to Maryland, showed up in Cahill’s
vineyard; she’s been managing the pests by spraying
them with soapy water to slow them down, so that
she can squish them.
But the wine is still flowing at Penn Oaks, where
guests can bring their own picnics or board games,
buy bottles to take home, enjoy the tasting room and
take advantage of “wine education,” Cahill said.
For a Thanksgiving meal with turkey, she suggests
a white wine, like a Gewürztraminer, riesling or
Müller-Thurgau. For Christmas, to pair with roast
beef and potatoes, a rosé or a red wine like a cabernet
sauvignon, a Montepulciano or a regent would be
Cahill’s pick.
“You’re supporting the local economy and the land
SHO NUF TURKEYS
11788 Scaggsville Road, Fulton
shonufturkeys.com
52
| Fall 2023 | howardmagazine.com
Siblings Andrea Timko, left, and Rose Caulder hold hubbard squash at Breezy Willow Farm.
BREEZY WILLOW FARM
15307 Frederick Road, Woodbine
breezywillowfarm.com
PENN OAKS WINERY
14607 Riggs Meadow Drive, Cooksville
penn-oaks-winery.com
