The Governor's buy local cookout officially kicked off Maryland's Buy Local Challenge Week.
At the Governor's cookout, 17 teams of local producers and chefs prepared recipes showcasing local products available in Maryland. Chefs could choose their dish so there was a variety of options at the cookout.
Thursday's cookout featured everything from homegrown watermelon to ice cream, gourmet burgers and even local craft beers.
"The products that we have here, whether they're from the field, whether they're from our seafood industry or our orchards, they're all Maryland's best," said Maryland secretary of agriculture Joe Bartenfelder.
Even the governor enjoyed some tasty treats.
"It contributes a lot to our bottom line, it puts a lot of people to work and it feeds us pretty well," Hogan said.
He said it's time for people to understand the impact locally grown food has on the state's economy.
"Agriculture is our biggest industry and not a lot of people know that," Hogan said. "More than one-third of Maryland's land is used in agriculture to produce a lot of products."
Thursday marked the 9th year of the event. Maryland Buy Local Challenge week runs July 23 - 31.
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