Maryland's Best 'Ice Cream Trail' Passport Challenge Begins

Some may not know, but Maryland is home to nine of its own fresh dairy farms--and they make some top-notch ice cream, representatives say.

This summer, area residents are being invited to visit each of those nine dairy farms and try their handmade ice cream. If you do, you could be named one of Maryland's 2016 Ice Cream Trailblazers.

Maryland's Best Agriculture is sponsoring the 2016 Ice Cream Trail from May 20 to Sept. 23. During those 18 weeks, ice cream lovers are invited to visit each of the nine farms, try the ice cream, and answer a dairy-themed trivia question. Do so, and you get your passport stamped. Once you gather all nine of your stamps, you can mail it in. A select number of passports will be picked from the lot and awarded prizes.

This year's prizes include a $50 gift certificate to the creamery of your choice, a DVD of the latest season of the public access TV show "Maryland Farm and Harvest," and a copy of the acclaimed cookbook "Dishing Up Maryland" by Lucie Snodgrass. Plus, you will bear the official title of one of Maryland's 2016 Ice Cream Trailblazers!

The 9 dairy farms on the trail include:

• Baltimore County - Prigel Family Creamery, 4852 Long Green Road, Glen Arm, MD 21057
• Cecil County - Kilby Cream, 129 Strohmaier Lane, Rising Sun, MD 21911
• Frederick County - South Mountain Creamery, 8305 Bolivar Road, Middletown, MD 21769
  
• Frederick County - Rocky Point Creamery, 4323 Tuscarora Road, Tuscarora, MD 21790
  
• Harford County - Broom's Bloom Dairy, 1700 S. Fountain Green Road (MD 543), Bel Air, MD 21015
  
• Harford County - Keyes Creamery 3712 Aldino Road (Entrance On Hopewell Road), Aberdeen, MD 21001
  
• Montgomery County - Woodbourne Creamery at Rock Hill Orchard, 28600 Ridge Rd, Mt. Airy, MD, 21771
  
• Washington County - Misty Meadows Farm Creamery, 14325 Misty Meadow Road, Smithsburg, MD 21783
  
• Worcester County - Chesapeake Bay Farms Inc., 8905 Logtown Road, Berlin, MD 21811 -OR- 4111 Whitesburg Road, Pocomoke, MD 21851

No purchase is necessary to participate. Completed passports must be postmarked by Sept. 26.

Learn more about dairy farming at www.dairyspot.com.