Visit decorated homes, and farm & winery

On
Live HGTV instead of watching it! The Mason-Dixon Library Holiday Home Tour is this weekend. THIS Saturday, you can tour real, decorated homes, churches and more while supporting the local library. Read more below….
CLICK HERE to get Home Tour Information

Call the library direct at (717) 993-2404 to reserve your advance tickets, Hugh!

image
image
Uh, no. The tour is not of garish light displays, though Farmer Hugh LOVES garish light displays. The Holiday home tour is THIS Saturday, December 2nd from 12-5pm. Tour Five Residences, Muddy Creek Forks Village, Prospect UMC and Quaker Meeting House.

HGTV?! See the real thing. Touring houses supports the local library.

Hey,

I grew up reading books. The Mason-Dixon Library in Stewartstown is one of our local favorites. Every Christmas Season, the library recruits local home owners to open their homes for the Holiday Home Tour.

Do you watch HGTV? My wife sure does, and she LOVES the Home Tour. With your ticket, you get to visit real homes in person to see the decorations and the architecture.

Along the way, you might need a break and a pit stop, so swing into the farm market for some treats, and the winery for some shopping and tasting.

Here’s the plan for the weekend:

#1 – Reserve your tickets to the Mason-Dixon Holiday Home Tour IN ADVANCE and explore local homes to enjoy the decorations. The tour is Saturday, December 2nd from 12-5pm.

#2 – Swing into the farm market for a bakery treat & a fancy coffee. Maple Lawn Farms & bakery is open Saturday 12-5 and Sunday 1PM-5PM. See more on Facebook CLICK HERE->>

#3 – Maple Lawn Winery is open Saturday 12-5 and Sunday 1PM-5PM. Wine is the perfect gift for people who already have everything. Grab a 4-pack of our flavorful wines, plus a 4-pak of hard cider for you!

#4 – Get your tree! Jarrettsville Nurseries is open November 24th through December 22nd Weekends 9AM – 5PM, Weekdays 10AM – 5PM. [CLICK HERE: See Jarrettsville Nurseries on Facebook]

They have a new pre-cut tree area up high in the woods on the farm called “The North Pole”. You take a FREE hayride to “The North Pole” to select from the trees cut’n’ready-to-go!http://www.jarrettsvillenurseries.com/

PLUS, The Maize Quest Trackless Train is running on the weekends at the Christmas Tree Farm, and Maple Lawn Farms bakery treats are available at the tree farm as well!

There’s a lot going on in the community this weekend as we get closer to the holidays, so get out and enjoy it!

See you soon on the farm,

Farmer Hugh

 

Holiday Pies Today – “New Celebrations & Local Farms”

On
image
image
Pick-up Holiday Pies at Maple Lawn Farms. Winery OPEN for last minute shopping, too. Call ahead for for Dee to bake them 717-382-4878.

Farm Market, Bakery & Wine Tasting Room


Directions LINK: CLICK Get to the Farm NOW

Farm market OPEN: Wednesday Nov 23 Exclusive Hours 11AM-5PM Holiday Pies, Dumplings & More , Sat 12PM-5PM, Sun 1PM-5PM

Bakery: Sat 12PM-5PM, Sun 1PM-5PM

Wine Tasting & Sales: Sat 12PM-5PM, Sun 1PM-5PM

More on the Winery: www.MapleLawnWinery.com

Hey,

Whew. Harvest season really takes it out of us. We strain under the effort to get it all done; to host all our guests; to harvest all the apples. Then, it is over and a hush falls over the farm.

Combines finish corn harvest. Final fruits are picked. The Fun Park is winterized and packed safely away. And it is quiet.

Quiet sounds good and, in fact, it feels good, too. Neglected tasks at home are slowly brought right. Family dinners once again commence each night kid’s activities allow. We fire up the pellet stove.

It is quiet.

Farmer Hugh can enjoy all that peace and quiet… for about 2 weeks. Then, once recovered hours of sleep catch up, it’s on toward new celebrations and it is those celebrations I share with you today.

First, thanks to you and your patronage, the winery’s very first year has been a success. Winemaker Matt & I have been working feverishly to replenish supplies of Apple Cider, Apple Blossom Wine, Peach Blossom Wine, and we’re adding a new product we hope to release before Christmas. So, Thank You!

Second, for the first time ever, we are keeping the Farm Market and wine tasting room open through December 18th. Every Sat 12PM-5PM, Sun 1PM-5PM you can shop BOTH for gift baskets, Miss Dee has really made some nice things, and gifts of wine for holiday dinners, parties and gifts.

Third, we are continuing the entertainment at our local farm friends’ Christmas Tree Farm with Train Rides each Saturday 10AM-5PM & Sunday 1PM-5PM, plus a special day of fun Black Friday 10AM-5PM. It all happens at Jarrettsville Nurseries at Holy Cross Rd in Harford County, MD (about 10miles from Maple Lawn Farms).

Let me share a little story about Jarrettsville Nurseries. For years now, our Pumpkin Express wagon and hayride wagon have been hauling guests out to the Christmas Trees for the Saulsbury family. It worked out perfectly – We had giant wagons and a tractor we weren’t using in December, the Saulsburys had an extra tractor they weren’t using in October. In the spirit of cooperation, we annually pull a switch-a-roo. Great fit, right?

Boyd Saulsbury, the patriarch at the tree farm, connected with me and we’ve been trading tractors for years. Heck, one year, my wagon came back with a new wooden deck Boyd had repaired as a surprise ‘thank you’. Eventually, Boyd asked us to bring down our bakery products and fresh donuts, which we still do each year.

About seven months ago, after a long battle with cancer, Boyd passed away. As is often the case, it is a trying time with a lot of soul-searching to determine if the farm can, and if the family can, continue without the lost leader.

Many you know that my mother, Gail, passed away back in 2005 and we had a long road to recovery. So, when Dana, wife of Boyd, sons Tom and Brandon, and daughter Ellie determined they wanted to continue the Christmas Tree Farm, well, we are all in to help them succeed.

So, friends, if you need a Christmas tree and would like an enjoyable family event to get one, we recommend you visit our friends and fellow local farmers the Saulsburys at Jarrettsville Nurseries at Holy Cross Rd. I know you can get a tree pre-cut other places, but, just as you take the time to visit us for the freshest fruit, give choose & cut Christmas Trees a try this year.

When you visit, take an extra 5 minutes to simply stand on their beautiful tree farm, breathe the fresh piney air, and enjoy. Just as you enjoy our farm in the Fall, make a new celebration this holiday season at another, local, family-owned farm.

Have a great week. We are thankful for all of you!

Farmer Hugh

Maple Lawn Farms – Meet your farmers – The McPherson Family

On
Company Logo
Interesting Image
That’s Farmer Paul, Generation 4 of the McPhersons, with eldest daughter Gretchen, circa 1972.
Meet your farmers – The McPherson Family
A Little History About The Farm
Thanks for joining our farm family. Maple Lawn Farms has been growing food for the local community for over 160 years. The farm encompasses over 1,400 acres of Cherries, Blueberries, Apricots, Peaches, Plums, Apples, Raspberries, Blackberries and Pumpkins – ALL of which you can pick in season. We also farm field corn, soybeans and wheat in rotation as animal feed for neighboring farms.
A Little About the McPhersons
Currently 3 generations of McPhersons occupy and farm the land; Paul & Betsy, Hugh & Janine and their children Annie & Ian. It is a family affair in harvest season with “all hands on deck” to welcome guests to the orchards and fields. Hugh’s sisters, Gretchen & Sarah, ventured off the farm to California and New York City, but love returning for family holidays.
A Little About the Future
This farm is open to connecting our guests to agriculture. You can pick-your-own fruit from the farm. You may purchase a share of our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) membership. We want everything we grow on this farm to leave in the hands of the person who’s going to eat it.
That’s who we are and we’re grateful you’re interested in local food, local farms and Maple Lawn Farms in particular.
Thank you!
The McPhersons