Newly Launched Roving Radish Mobile Market Will Offer Fresh Food Across Howard County

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The Roving Radish has gone mobile. The farm-to-family market located in Long Reach Village Center now will deliver farm-fresh food directly to Howard County neighborhoods.

Called the Roving Radish Mobile Market, the concept is a spin-off of the permanent program that was launched in 2014 with a physical location that opened in 2021. It offers fresh and local produce, meats and other goods from Howard County farms at affordable prices. The program offers Roving Radish meal kits that include local and regional sourced food items and includes two recipes plus all the ingredients needed to prepare two meals for a family of four.

Since July 1, 2023, the marketplace has distributed 18,995 pounds of food for free to those in need and prepared more than 67,000 meal kits for nearly 600 families. Residents involved in assistance programs including free and reduced school lunches, Social Security disability and WIC are able to purchase items from Roving Radish at up to 50 percent off. With 25 participating local area farms, Roving Radish has also invested more than $800,000 back into Howard County farms.

“The concept of our Roving Radish program is simple – sourcing locally-produced food from Maryland farms and bringing them directly to our Howard County families. Through our new Roving Radish Mobile Market, we aim to further break down geographic and fiscal barriers that may prevent residents from accessing fresh, local food. Open to everyone in our community, our Mobile Market will provide subsidize prices to those in need. Through this new program, we remain committed to continuing our expansion of our Roving Radish program to better serve, provide and meet the needs of our residents,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball at a special event Monday that unveiled the mobile market.

Accepting cash, EBT and credit card payment, the new Roving Radish Mobile Market will travel to 12 locations throughout the county to provide community members access to fresh, local produce and proteins six days a week. Those locations include:

• Mondays
  • 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., Howard County Library System East Columbia Branch, 6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia
  • 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Swansfield Elementary School, 5610 Cedar Lane, Columbia
• Tuesdays
  • 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., Columbia Commons, 7601 Woodpark Lane, Columbia
  • 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Gary J. Arthur Community Center, 2400 MD 97, Cooksville
• Wednesdays
  • 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., Howard County Library System Elkridge Branch, 6540 Washington Boulevard, Elkridge
  • 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Laurel Woods Elementary School, 9250 North Laurel Road, Laurel
• Thursdays
  • 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., Owen Brown Place, 7080 Cradlerock Way, Columbia
  • 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Deep Run Elementary School, 6925 Old Waterloo Road, Elkridge
• Fridays
  • 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., Monarch Mills Apartments, 7600 Monarch Mills Way, Columbia
  • 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Stevens Forest Elementary School, 6045 Stevens Forest Road, Columbia
• Saturdays
  • 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., Hickory Ridge Place, 10799 Hickory Ridge Road, Columbia
  • 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Town & Country Apartments, 8732 Town and County Boulevard, Ellicott City

“One of the pleasures of working on the Roving Radish has been the freedom to develop innovative solutions to meet the challenges of our community … This Mobile Marketplace will allow us to come directly to the doorstep of communities with the greatest need and is a testament to Howard County’s commitment to addressing food access and insecurities,” said James Zoller, agricultural coordinator and Roving Radish Program Manager.”

“We are so excited to see the Roving Radish grow in their mission to bring local produce to our Howard County neighbors. The Marketplace has been a critical partner to keep our farm business thriving. The Mobile Marketplace is an exciting opportunity to make our products convenient and affordable across the county,” added Mary Wilde, owner of Three Dozen Daisies Farm.