AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler
It takes a lot of picking by farmer Bob Chase and his helpers to fill the baskets of sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, green beans, potatoes, yellow squash, eggplants. melons and tomatoes he and wife Marge sell at Chase’s Produce at 2857 Davidsonville Road (Rt. 424).
The Chases are used to hard work. The family has been selling produce along Route 424 every summer for 60 years. Their farm fields stretch along both sides of the roadway.
“We used to sell from around the corner on the opposite side of 424. When the state made the road four lanes coming off Route 50, it got dangerous to sell from there. But we’d bought the farm behind me in 1989 so we relocated the stand to this spot,” Bob Chase said. “It’s near the back of the farm and was the only place that didn’t have a guardrail or ditch around it so it seemed a good location.”
Drivers can easily spot the stand as there are signs that can be seen from both the northbound and southbound lanes. A lot of the acreage is planted in corn – a combination of sweet corn and field corn that’s used as feed for livestock and to make products ranging from corn flakes and corn syrup to corn meal among other things.
The farm’s last planting of sweet corn is currently knee high and will be ready for picking in October. Plantings of broccoli will be ready then too. (Chase said customer demand drops off after Labor Day so the hours the stand is open will be scaled back from daily to Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Overlapping plantings are, admittedly, tricky to schedule. In fact, the stand is temporarily out of cucumbers because the new crop isn’t quite ready.
In years past, Chase’s Produce sold products from local farmers but no longer do as many of those farms are gone. However, they do bring in large, juicy peaches from Delaware that their customers love as well as apples from the same source.
There is an abundance of melons…….. 
…and peaches that are large, juicy and delicious.
The Chases have several teenagers helping them run the stand. All wear T-shirts with the cute Chase’s Produce logo on the back. The T-shirts are popular with customers, some of whom buy extras to give as Christmas gifts, so the farm stand stocks plenty.
“We never had any children so we mostly hire the children of our clients,” Chase said. “We’ve probably had over 100 kids work for us over the years. Most stay with us long term, starting out while in high school and carrying on through college. Several have become lawyers, a couple are commercial airline pilots, others are pharmacists or a variety of other occupations. Even those who’ve moved away sometimes come by to see us.”
The Chases also encourage young entrepreneurs like Jennilyn Grimes from Davidsonville by including jams she makes from locally grown fruits and berries in the non-produce items they stock.
Chase commented that he’s seen business drop off in the last decade “because people just don’t cook” though sales picked up considerably last summer during the COVID pandemic. In fact, cars would be lined up early in the morning before opening time and keep coming.
The farm stand’s most devoted customers are those who believe nothing tastes better than a fresh tomato (unlike those raised commercially, transported long distances and gassed to ripeness) or just picked corn. The Chases are always amazed by the distances some clients travel to visit the stand including some from Washington, D.C. For information on Chase’s Produce including hours of operation and special events like spring’s “Pick Your Own Strawberries” days, visit Chase’s Produce – Fruits and Vegetables, Fresh Produce (chasesproduce.com).
About a mile away at 3208 Davidsonville Road, the scene was much the same at Marco Ridge Farm Produce with customers arriving every few minutes.
The 210 acre Marco Ridge farm is owned by the Covington family and located along both sides of Davidsonville Road with some fields directly behind the stand. Both Alan Covington, who arrived on one of the tractors, and his father Max were at the stand last weekend. Max, who is the family patriarch, revealed some of the history behind the farm and its produce operation.
“The land has been a working farm since 1937,” Max Covington said. “Our family bought the farm in 1957. However, it wasn’t until about 20 years ago that my son Max III decided we should sell produce to the public and opened the stand. He’s since moved to Iowa and farms there so we’ve carried on here. I credit our success entirely to our wonderful staff.”
Tractors pulling carts of just-picked corn, beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, cantaloupes and other crops were arriving at the stand hourly and unloading their bounty into colorful bins.
The outside of the farm stand is as colorful as the inside, with home-crafted outdoor furniture, birdhouses and clever “dungaree planters” made by Fred Klinken whose wife Diane helps manage the business.
Unlike other produce stands, Marco Ridge carries its own brand of made-from-the-farm products including salsas, barbecue sauces and salad dressings.
Fresh eggs are offered daily and people are always asking for them. But, above all, Marco Ridge Farms’ corn is the biggest draw for locals and customers from surrounding counties, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
For more information on Marco Ridge Farms Produce visit Marco Ridge Farm | Facebook.
A favorite of people who love to cook is the Pumphrey’s Farm stand at 8220 Veterans Highway in Millersville – a stand Around The Park Again has covered several times previously. At the height of summer, tomatoes, corn, beans and a variety of other crops from the family’s fields are hard to beat. The Pumphreys sometimes grow things you can’t find fresh elsewhere like tiny “husk ground tomatoes”, Cubanelle peppers, flat Italian green beans, okra, tomatillos, or mid-season kale and collard greens.
Pumphrey’s Farm stand is a favorite haunt in the autumn as it stays open until Thanksgiving. It’s a wonderful place to buy late season vegetables and apples, pumpkins for pies or decorations and oodles of chrysanthemums.
For information, visit Pumphrey’s Farm at Pumphrey’s Farm | Facebook.
A brand new discovery for us is Wildberry Farm and Market at 1047 St. Stephens Church Road in Crownsville. The fourth generation family farm is owned by Matt and Bridget Jones. After years of raising their family and maintaining the farm, the Jones decided to open the acreage to the community.
In addition to growing produce, and flowers, they offer farm fresh eggs. The Jones’ flock of chickens of various breeds are Bridget’s pride and joy.
Wildberry Farm is an outdoor photography and workshop venue and hosts various events throughout the season. The farm also hosts Field Markets on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from June through November. The markets feature their own products and those of 30 rotating vendors. For more information, visit Farmers Market Stand | Wildberry Farm Market | United States.
Chozen’s 10th Anniversary CD Release and Live Recording at Woods on Saturday
Wayman Good Hope AME Chuch’s gospel group “Chozen” will be performing during a live 10th Anniversary recording session and CD release in the sanctuary at Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church on Sunday, August 21 at 4 pm. Other gospel performers will join them for the auspicious occasion including The Mighty Christianairs, The Faithful Boyz, The New Ebony Gospel Singers and Andrew Lincoln.
Chozen includes singers Gerard Coates, Lewis Day, Dana Anderson and Larry Coates with accompanists James Crowner on guitar, Horace Martin on bass, Ryan Johnson on guitar and Mike Wallace on drums. The CD Chozen is releasing is called “The Family That Prays”.
Admission is $15 at the door. For information, contact Larry Coates at 443-286-0856.
Don’t forget Home Grown Produce in Odenton