Right
after graduating from the University of Maryland,
our parents, George and Shirley Butler, purchased a 37 acre farm
with a log house, which is where we all grew up.
Initially,
we grew 25 acres of peaches and sold them to local
grocery stores and at our own small farm market. Now, we have
more than 25 varieties of fruits, vegetables, and flowers on over
300 acres!
Three
of us each earned horticultural degrees from the University
of Maryland and now live and work full time on our family
farm. (Our other sister chose the corporate life!) Now, the
third generation is coming on board.
The
Farm Market
Our farm market started under an apple tree behind the log house
selling peaches. Later, it moved to a former chicken house that
is now a garage. The red barn was built in 1964 and over the years
we increased the variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables we
grew and sold.
In
the 1970’s, we began selling additional products in our
Farm Market, including preserves, local honey, gourmet condiments,
seasonal decorative items, cider, and more.
In 1993, we outgrew our original red barn and expanded the farm
market to the current facility.
The First Field of Strawberries
The first field of strawberries was planted in 1953 on the
site of the present market. Pick your own fruit was a new
concept in the area, but soon became very popular.
Thornless
blackberries and black raspberries
were planted in the 1970’s, followed by blueberries,
peas, cherries, red raspberries, and apples.
Pick
Your Own Pumpkins and Pumpkin Festival
We started selling pick your own pumpkins as a project for
a high school class. That project led us to create Pumpkinland,
a display of fairy tale characters built out of pumpkins,
with more added every year. This year, our Annual
Pumpkin Festival will celebrate its 30th year! It is one
of our biggest attractions and draws families from all over
the Washington metropolitan area every October to enjoy the
hayrides, giant slides, pony rides, pumpkins, straw maze,
delicious country food, and of course, Pumpkinland!
Christmas
Trees
Cut your own Christmas Trees became available in the late
1970’s. We also began carrying holiday ornaments, fresh
roping, and wreaths in the Farm Market. We now have thousands
of White Pine and Douglas Fir trees to choose from every year.
