Jade Farm
Over the last ten years, I've found many interesting stories at Delmarva farmers’ markets. I met Drew Ridgely of Jade Farm in 2023 at the Chestertown Farmers’ Market. He left his life as a Baltimore chef in 2015 for farm life in Chesapeake City, where he and his wife, Jessie McGee, and their two daughters now live. After a 25-year career cooking, waiting tables, and bartending, it was time to do something else.
Drew is the only professional chef I know of who gave up cooking to own and operate a farm. At Jade Farm, they raise woodland pork, chickens, ducks, and a few turkeys. Drew and Jessie learned much from Joel Salatin, possibly America's best-known farmer, but they also learned from hands-on farming, as well as misadventures and making mistakes, which they share in humorous stories online.
They learned early on that the front bedroom of their Baltimore home was not a good place to raise chicks. But the delicious eggs they got from said chicks in a backyard coop was inspiring enough to make the move to an actual farm. A five-year plan was hatched, which led to an expedited two-year plan when they found themselves owning a house and 13.5 acres in Chesapeake City, Maryland. To pick a name for the farm, they combined the first initials of Jessie, daughter Aggie, Drew, and daughter Ellie to come up with Jade Farm.
With the help of Joel Salatin's book You Can Farm, they jumped into farming for real. Land was cleared and chicken coops were built for the poultry side of their business. Eggs came first in 2017, and an outdoor processing facility was built for adding broiler chickens to the mix, followed by turkeys and ducks. (I purchased a 16-pound turkey that roasted to perfection with significantly more flavor than a grocery store bird.)
Pork was added in 2019. The Ridgely family learned it's best not to name your farm animals shortly after getting three little pigs. As Drew and Jessie continued to expand their farm, a tractor was purchased, and they found out how much easier it was to clear land with a tractor than by hand. With more land cleared, they had room for additional pigs.
Drew and Jessie's daughters can often be seen with their parents at the Chestertown Market. The girls enjoy baked goods in Chestertown and also like the Rails to Trails pathway for running as they are both active in Cross Country. Jessie is a full-time teacher but handles scheduling, bookkeeping, and attending one of the two farmer's markets on Saturdays.
Jade Farm started selling at the Overlea Market in Baltimore in 2019 and at a local grocery store. The quality of their eggs and poultry earned them a spot at the Chestertown Farmer's Market in 2022. Drew's pigs are raised on the farm and they have done well with the pork side of the business thanks to mentoring received from the farmer who sold them their first pigs.
The first pigs were a New Zealand breed called Kunekune, and then came a crossbreed of Mangalitsa, Berkshire, Old Spotted, and Iowa Swabian. While I don’t know too much about those breeds, I do know they make some of the tastiest pork chops, ham, and bacon I've ever had. These pigs are also good-natured, good mothers, good foragers, and happy in the woods. In 2022, Drew started breeding their own pigs and were happy with the first two litters of 16 piglets.
With such a small pork operation, some of their prime cuts sell out quickly, so ordering directly from the Jade Farm website is a good idea. Customers who live close by can visit the handy on-farm shop to buy pork, poultry, and hot sauce.
Like many farmers, Drew has sought creative ways to expand the business, including the addition of honeybees for the making of honey, plus a line of hot sauces. His background as a chef comes in handy for concocting sauces with catchy names like Betelgeuse, Orange Goblin, and Green Galaxy.
“I’ve been making hot sauces since 1997 while working at Holy Frijoles in Baltimore,” he says, sharing valuable suggestions on pairing his hot sauces with the farm's products. For example, the Green Galaxy hot sauce is made from jalapeños, garlic, cumin, and coriander and pairs well with scrambled eggs.
Their choice to buy the farm has certainly benefited those of us who love their pork, chicken products, ducks, turkeys, and hot sauces, but what do Jessie and Drew think?
For the Ridgely family, it’s a solid yes. “This choice has absolutely been one of the best decisions we’ve made,” says Jessie. “We have learned and grown so much in the past ten years and feel strongly that we are doing something special.”
Jade Farm
374 N. St. Augustine Rd., Chesapeake City, Maryland
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