This Massive Maryland Family-Owned Meat Market Is a Food Lover’s Hidden Gem Worth a Trip This September

September is a great month for a food adventure. The summer crowds have thinned, the weather is cooling down, and there is something satisfying about a drive with a delicious destination.

This massive Maryland family owned meat market is that destination. The selection is impressive, with quality cuts, house made sausages, and specialty items you will not find at a regular grocery store.

The staff knows their products and are happy to help you find exactly what you need. Whether you are grilling, roasting, or stocking up for the fall, this spot delivers.

It is the kind of place where food lovers linger and locals shop with confidence. A hidden gem worth the trip.

The kind of market that makes cooking at home feel like a treat.

The Country Crossroads Setting That Still Feels Rural

There is something genuinely charming about a grocery store that sits where two country roads cross instead of inside a shopping plaza. Boarman’s has held the same corner since it opened, and the surrounding stretch of Howard County still carries that open, farm-edged feeling.

Find it at 13402 Clarksville Pike, Highland, MD 20777, right where Route 216 meets Route 108. The drive out is honestly part of the fun.

Rolling fields, tree lines, and the occasional horse fence replace strip malls the closer you get. Then the building appears, low and unassuming, with cars hidden into the lot at all hours.

History runs deep on this exact patch of ground. Before Boarman’s, the site held earlier general stores, including a two-story shop built by Samuel Hopkins, which means commerce has happened here for well over a century.

That continuity gives the place a rooted quality that newer markets simply cannot fake.

First-time visitors often admit they drove past for years without stopping. Plenty of folks who live ten minutes away say the same thing, which is exactly why the hidden gem label sticks.

September works especially well for the trip. The air turns a little crisper, the back roads look their best as leaves start shifting, and the store is busy without the holiday rush that hits later in the year.

Pack a cooler if the drive home takes a while. Fresh meat and a warm car do not mix, and nobody wants to rush past the deli case because of it.

Three Generations Behind the Counter

Family businesses talk about legacy all the time, but few can trace the line as clearly as this one. George Boarman runs the market today, carrying on a tradition started by his grandfather, George L.

Boarman I.

The family’s connection to groceries stretches back even further, to a store that opened in Mt. Rainier, Maryland, in 1933.

Three generations is a long run for any small shop, especially a food business competing with giant chains. The fact that Boarman’s has kept its own identity as a neighborhood grocer says something about stubborn dedication.

Customers notice it too. Several families in the area describe shopping here across multiple generations, grandparents to grandkids, all buying from the same counter.

What makes that history feel alive rather than decorative is the owner’s hands-on approach. George Boarman personally checks the produce that comes in, which is not something most store owners bother doing anymore.

Staff members often stick around for years, and the workplace culture reads as warm rather than transactional.

Old habits survive here in practical ways. Home delivery, a service that was standard back in the 1930s and 40s, has continued as part of how the market serves its neighbors.

Ask a question about a cut of meat and the answer usually comes with a bit of context, maybe a cooking suggestion, maybe a story about how the recipe came to be.

Small talk is not a sales tactic here. It is just how the place has always operated, and honestly, it makes grocery shopping feel less like a chore.

House-Made Sausage Built on a Century-Old Recipe

If one item built this market’s reputation, it is the sausage. The homemade Italian and country varieties come from a family recipe that goes back roughly a hundred years, and the seasoning blend remains a guarded secret.

Country sausage gets the most attention. Regulars describe it as deeply flavored, the kind that needs nothing more than a hot pan.

Italian sausage comes in hot and mild, both from another longstanding family formula. Breakfast eaters lean toward the country style, while the Italian links tend to head straight into peppers, onions, and pasta sauce.

Made in house means exactly that. Nothing arrives frozen from a distant plant with a mystery label.

Here is a fun detail for recipe nerds. Secret spice blends in old butcher shops were often developed for practical reasons, balancing flavor with preservation long before refrigeration was reliable, and some of those proportions never changed because they simply worked.

September is a smart month to stock up. Grilling still makes sense on warm evenings, but cooler nights invite sausage in soups, on sheet pans with root vegetables, or hidden into a skillet with apples.

Buying extra is common, and it freezes well if wrapped properly.

Beyond the classics, the market has been bringing back its own marinades, stuffed items, and bacon-wrapped selections. Brisket burgers and stuffed chicken breasts have joined that lineup.

Ask what came off the line most recently. The butchers usually know, and they will point toward whatever is freshest that day.

A Butcher Counter Built for Custom Cuts

Serious cooks tend to judge a market by its meat case, and this one holds up. Fresh steaks, thick porterhouse pork chops, well-marbled beef short ribs, chicken, and pork fill the glass, all cut on site rather than shipped in pre-packed.

Custom cuts are part of the routine. Tell the butcher the thickness you want and it happens right there.

That flexibility matters more than people realize. A two-inch ribeye behaves completely differently on a grill than a thin supermarket steak, and getting the exact thickness changes the whole result.

Cowboy ribeyes, New York strips, and house burger blends draw a steady following.

Seasonal thinking guides what shows up. Longer-cooking cuts appear as the weather turns, which means September and October bring short ribs, roasts, and braising options back into focus.

Ask about the burger blend if grinding ratios interest you. Blends made in house often combine trimmings from premium cuts, which is why they taste richer than standard packaged ground beef.

Special orders are worth planning ahead for. Around holidays the preorder list fills fast, and fresh turkeys from Maple Lawn Farms can be reserved for the big meals later in the season.

Do not be shy about asking questions at the counter. The butchers here answer them willingly, whether the topic is cooking temperature, resting time, or which cut suits a smoker best.

Bring a rough plan and leave with a better one. That is usually how it goes.

Deli Sandwiches, Salads, and Those Deviled Eggs

Lunch sneaks up on you at Boarman’s, mostly because the deli case is impossible to ignore. Pork barbecue sandwiches and hefty subs anchor the carryout menu, and portions run generous enough to make a full meal.

Chicken salad gets made with freshly cooked chicken. That single detail separates it from the pale, watery versions found elsewhere.

Homemade salads fill out the case, with macaroni and shrimp salads earning the loudest praise. Potato egg salad has its own fan club.

Tangy deviled eggs are another item people specifically drive over for, which feels wonderfully old-school.

Morning visitors have options too. Breakfast sandwiches typically arrive on Martin’s potato buns, those soft golden rolls that Marylanders treat as a regional treasure.

Hot dogs from the deli have surprised more than a few skeptical customers.

Timing helps. The store opens at 7 AM Monday through Saturday, so an early stop means grabbing breakfast before the lunch crowd rolls in around midday.

Sundays run shorter, roughly 9 AM to 3 PM, and coffee is often set out for customers on those quieter mornings.

Planning a picnic or tailgate in September? Mix and match a few salads with a sandwich or two and the whole spread comes together in one stop.

Order at the counter, chat while it is made, and take it to a nearby park or back road pull-off. Simple, unfussy, and exactly what a country market lunch should feel like.

Fresh Seafood Including Maryland Crab Meat

Maryland and crab go together so naturally that any market worth visiting needs to prove itself here. Boarman’s does, with a seafood section that stocks soft-shell crabs and lump crab meat alongside fresh fish.

Lump crab meat gets mentioned often by regulars. It is the backbone of proper crab cakes, and quality varies wildly depending on the source.

Soft-shell crabs are a seasonal treat that plenty of cooks find intimidating. Ask for guidance at the counter and someone can usually explain how to prep and cook them without turning the kitchen into a disaster zone.

Fresh fish rounds out the case for anyone planning a lighter dinner.

Small markets often handle seafood better than big stores because volume stays manageable and turnover happens quickly. Less sitting time means better texture and cleaner flavor.

That is the practical advantage of shopping somewhere the owner personally keeps an eye on inventory.

Combining seafood with the meat counter opens up fun possibilities. Steak and crab together, cooked at home, costs a fraction of what the same plate runs at a restaurant, and the ingredients come from the same trip.

September works nicely for this. Crab season energy still lingers in Maryland, and the weather cooperates for cooking outdoors or in.

Bring an insulated bag. Seafood deserves a cold ride home, and the staff will usually pack things carefully if asked.

Produce, Groceries, and Everything Packed Into Tight Aisles

Calling this place just a butcher shop sells it short. A full grocery section runs through the store, with fresh produce, pantry staples, and the random specific item you never expect to find outside a big chain.

Produce quality stays high because the owner checks what comes in. Customers frequently note that fruits and vegetables here taste better than the versions sold at larger stores.

Shelf space is used with impressive efficiency. Aisles feel narrow, stacked high, and somehow hold far more variety than the building’s footprint suggests.

People have walked in for meat and walked out with baking supplies, spices, rubs, and dinner sorted completely.

Curated is the right word for the grocery side. Selection is not endless, but what is stocked has been chosen rather than randomly ordered by a distant corporate system.

That means fewer decisions and better odds of grabbing something genuinely good.

One-stop convenience is the real draw. Steaks from the counter, a side salad from the deli, produce for a quick sauté, and a spice rub for the smoker all land in the same basket.

Give yourself time to browse properly. Rushing through means missing half the interesting items hidden on lower shelves and in corners.

Weekday mornings tend to feel calmer than weekend afternoons if a leisurely look around sounds appealing. Late afternoon brings the after-work crowd, which has its own lively energy but less room to linger.

The Old-Fashioned Atmosphere and the Pig in Sunglasses

Charm here is accidental, which is precisely why it works. Nothing about the interior looks designed by a consultant, and the worn, lived-in feel is part of the appeal for most visitors.

A pig wearing sunglasses holds up the specials board. That alone tells you the place does not take itself too seriously.

Longtime customers often describe the store as a throwback, a survivor from an era of neighborhood grocers and personal service. Warm greetings come standard, and some regulars get a hug on the way in.

Staff remember faces. That familiarity turns a quick errand into something closer to a social stop.

Service carries over into practical help. Knowledgeable butchers walk shoppers through options instead of pointing at a case and shrugging.

During busy stretches, the market has asked for patience and mutual respect between customers and staff, and has previously set aside dedicated shopping hours for seniors during difficult times.

Hours are steady and easy to plan around. Monday through Saturday runs early morning until evening, while Sunday keeps a shorter midday window.

September makes a fine excuse to finally stop in. Grilling still happens, braising season approaches, and the back roads of Howard County look good on the way there.

Skip the perfect aesthetic and go for the substance. Places like this one are getting rarer, and that is exactly the reason to visit.