FAQ

Where are you located?

As we continue working on our permanent location, we'll be sharing a bit of space with our former Market House neighbors (Pit Boys of Annapolis). We'll be right off the highway (50, 97, 665) and Forest Drive.

The address is 508 Chinquapin Round Road, Annapolis, MD 21401.  

How do I make a purchase?

Fill your basket with all the organic/sustainable products you'd like, then follow through to the check out. If you're a first time customer you will complete your order as a guest. After you submit your order, you'll be asked if you'd like to create an account using that same information. Choose yes, and you'll be asked to provide a login and password for future use.

If you have any questions or get stuck at any point, feel free to call us at (443) 377-FOOD (3663) and we'll be glad to steer you through.

How do I get my order?

There are two ways to get your order:

(1) Let us Deliver it to you. We offer free delivery anywhere in Anne Arundel County for orders of $40 or more - tips are not accepted. Order by Tuesday at 5pm for delivery the following Friday between 3pm and 10pm.

(2) Pick-up it up on Saturday. Information on our temporary location is above.

Your delivery window is Friday until 10pm. I don't have my order. Are you coming tonight?
Unless you've heard otherwise from us, or one of our drivers, we'll be at your home. Sometimes traffic or other circumstances put us at your home later than the window. While we try not to arrive too late, it may sometimes be after the scheduled 3pm-9:30pm window. Always feel free to call for an update at 443-377-FOOD (3663). If you've headed to bed early, check for your box in the morning.

Why do some of your products have estimated weights?

We want you to get what you pay for -- that means that we don't charge your card, or adjust the final bill until we weigh your items.

What are your pick-up times? 

Saturday from 10am to 1pm. If for some reason you can't make the Saturday pick-up time, give us a call and we'll make alternate arrangements.

How can I contact you?

By phone at (443) 377-FOOD (3663) or by email at kstewart[at]marylandtable.com or todd[at]marylandtable.com.

Where does your food come from?

Most of the food we sell comes from organic and/or sustainable farms in Maryland. If farmers in the state are growing produce to sustainable standards here, we'll never pass state lines to get it. There are a handful of transparent and sustainable farms left in Maryland, and we're working to preserve their future. 

My eggs are in a carton that looks like it's from a grocery store - did you substitute?
Some of our farms do reuse egg cartons, and subseqeuntly, your eggs may come in branded carton. We are fiercely local and sustainability-focused when it comes to farm food. Rest assured that we would never substitute anything from a grocery store - we started Maryland Table to be a trusted local food source. Even our prepared foods are made with top quality ingredients like pastured eggs, grass-fed meat and butter, and organic fair trade sugar and flour.

My meat was delivered and it's thawed a bit - can I refreeze it?
You can either place it in the refrigerator to fully thaw, or you can place it in the freezer provided that it is cold and very firm to the touch - a little "give" is okay but full thawing is not. Our boxes and packaging keep meat quite cold, but if for any reason your meat has thawed and you did not intend it to, please contact us for a replacement.

What's the difference between "organic" and "sustainable"?

Organic is an official designation certified by organizations of record and approved by the United States Department of Agriculture. For an agricultural product to be certifiably organic, it cannot have been grown using synthetic chemical inputs not on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (e.g. fertilizer, pesticides, antibiotics, food additives, etc.), be genetically modified, irradiated, or use biosolids. 

And while organic foods are typically better than conventionally grown agricultural products, they are not the best. The organic label doesn't account for nutritional value, environmental impact, worker dignity, or freshness or taste. And to add to that, organic certification requires frequent testing. Many of the organic products that are available a supermarkets such as Whole Foods are from farms outside of the United States and almost 2/3rds domestically comes from California. If it's difficult to regulate organic farms here at home, how strict can we expect regulation outside of our country or across it?

Sustainable is an un-official (we're working on changing that) designation that we and others are using to describe agricultural products that are grown and processed using practices that take into account what is best for (1) nutritional content/health, (2) the environment, and (3) eatability. Sustainability goes beyond organic because it requires us to constantly balance food nutritional value, its impact on the earth and animal, and taste. Typically sustainability goes hand-in-hand with locality - i.e. eating fresh local meats, fruits, vegetables and dairy is healthier for your body, better for the world, and just flat out tastes better.

Does your meat come frozen?

Most of our meat comes frozen. Certain cuts and types can be delivered unfrozen by special request. Our general rule is if it comes in frozen, it goes out frozen -- our farms use best practices in freezing to preserve taste and freshness.

Why are some meats frozen?
Big agriculture has gotten meat production down to a science. Through the use of hormones, manipulation of artificial light, and other techniques, they are able to understand exactly what size their animals will be, and what size the cuts of meat will be. Since we work with family farms doing things the right way, their animals are raised the way nature intended -- that makes the supply and demand question more unpredictable so freezing is often necessary. 

Don't frozen meats taste funny?

Only if they aren't frozen correctly. Flash freezing meat preserves nutrients, juices and taste. If any meat you ever purchase from us doesn't taste fresh and delicious, return it and we'll either replace or refund your product.

Anything missing from our FAQs? Email kstewart[at]marylandtable.com to suggest the addition of a question.