Rediscovering farms and having fun
Corn mazes help farmers prosper, connect more people to sources of food
“Give one last corn hug,” called Kate Howlett as her son Matthew played in a sandbox filled with dried corn kernels.
Behind the Howletts, a wall of cornstalks reached toward the sun, with an opening revealing a winding dirt path to somewhere unseen.
The Howletts marched up a grassy bank toward a hayride that would return them to their car and pick up other families waiting to solve Greenstreet Gardens’ corn maze.
Greenstreet Gardens is one of several farms and greenhouse complexes in Anne Arundel County inviting families to embark down a path amid 10-foot cornstalks and try to find their way out. The farm in Lothian, with Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville and Maryland Sunrise Farm in Gambrills, opened a corn maze in late September.
The three are part of a growing number of farms across Maryland that have turned to agritourism to reconnect families with the nation’s agrarian roots. The three complexes feature additional activities such as trampolines, petting zoos, pumpkin patches and more.
“Ifthe kids areall tried and dirty when they gohome, thenwe’vedoneagoodjob,” saidRay Greenstreet, owner of Greenstreet Gardens, which has been cutting its cornfields into a family-friendly labyrinth for12 years.
This year, the County Council passed an agritourism bill, which Greenstreet helped craft as a part of a work group created by County Executive Steve Schuh. The bill defines agritourism in the county’s zoning code and makes activities such as hosting a pumpkin patch or a corn maze a permissible use of farmland.
Most Americans are generations removed fromfarms, Greenstreetsaid. Fallfestivalslike the one Greenstreet Gardens hosts provides children and families with an opportunity to rediscover the places where food and animals come from, while having fun, he said.
Corn, which most growers plant in the summer, proves a convenient medium for a little good-natured mayhem. Greenstreet and Homestead gardens cut their own mazes, while Sunrise hires a company that works with farms nationwide.
The Greenstreet maze is a complicated puzzle, shaped in the likeness of local country-rock duo Brothers Osborne. The Sunrise maze is a tribute to Curious George’s 75th anniversary. The Homestead maze doesn’thave atheme,but the wide-cut path is deceivingly tricky, as lengthy turns quickly become dead-ends.
At Greenstreet, the Howletts completed half the winding trek before finding an alternate route out.
“We didn’t cheat,” Kate Howlett said, “we found a short cut.”
At Maryland Sunrise Farm, a search-andrescue job for wayward visitors fell to Matthew McCorkle. High up in a wooden tower, with an umbrella to shade him from the heat, McCorkle looked out over acres of corn cut to look like Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat. Armed with flags Matthew’s brother Gannon handed out at the entrance, those who were lost and confused lookeduptoMcCorklefordirectionoutofthe Sunrise maze.
Homestead visitors have no such insurance, but the wide-set trail allows for a lengthier vantage through the corn.
Many of the families who frequent the mazes are repeat customers. Natalie Welling of Odenton brings her daughter Kaia to Sunrise every year for her birthday.
Kate Jusko, also of Odenton, brought out-of-town friends to the Homestead maze for the firsttime.And KevinCady brought his sons Kingston and Rhys to run through the corn as he trailed behind.
“Last year we went the wrong way for a long time, but we figured it out,” he said. “We always come back.” dohl@capgaznews.com
Behind the Howletts, a wall of cornstalks reached toward the sun, with an opening revealing a winding dirt path to somewhere unseen.
The Howletts marched up a grassy bank toward a hayride that would return them to their car and pick up other families waiting to solve Greenstreet Gardens’ corn maze.
Greenstreet Gardens is one of several farms and greenhouse complexes in Anne Arundel County inviting families to embark down a path amid 10-foot cornstalks and try to find their way out. The farm in Lothian, with Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville and Maryland Sunrise Farm in Gambrills, opened a corn maze in late September.
The three are part of a growing number of farms across Maryland that have turned to agritourism to reconnect families with the nation’s agrarian roots. The three complexes feature additional activities such as trampolines, petting zoos, pumpkin patches and more.
“Ifthe kids areall tried and dirty when they gohome, thenwe’vedoneagoodjob,” saidRay Greenstreet, owner of Greenstreet Gardens, which has been cutting its cornfields into a family-friendly labyrinth for12 years.
This year, the County Council passed an agritourism bill, which Greenstreet helped craft as a part of a work group created by County Executive Steve Schuh. The bill defines agritourism in the county’s zoning code and makes activities such as hosting a pumpkin patch or a corn maze a permissible use of farmland.
Most Americans are generations removed fromfarms, Greenstreetsaid. Fallfestivalslike the one Greenstreet Gardens hosts provides children and families with an opportunity to rediscover the places where food and animals come from, while having fun, he said.
Corn, which most growers plant in the summer, proves a convenient medium for a little good-natured mayhem. Greenstreet and Homestead gardens cut their own mazes, while Sunrise hires a company that works with farms nationwide.
The Greenstreet maze is a complicated puzzle, shaped in the likeness of local country-rock duo Brothers Osborne. The Sunrise maze is a tribute to Curious George’s 75th anniversary. The Homestead maze doesn’thave atheme,but the wide-cut path is deceivingly tricky, as lengthy turns quickly become dead-ends.
At Greenstreet, the Howletts completed half the winding trek before finding an alternate route out.
“We didn’t cheat,” Kate Howlett said, “we found a short cut.”
At Maryland Sunrise Farm, a search-andrescue job for wayward visitors fell to Matthew McCorkle. High up in a wooden tower, with an umbrella to shade him from the heat, McCorkle looked out over acres of corn cut to look like Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat. Armed with flags Matthew’s brother Gannon handed out at the entrance, those who were lost and confused lookeduptoMcCorklefordirectionoutofthe Sunrise maze.
Homestead visitors have no such insurance, but the wide-set trail allows for a lengthier vantage through the corn.
Many of the families who frequent the mazes are repeat customers. Natalie Welling of Odenton brings her daughter Kaia to Sunrise every year for her birthday.
Kate Jusko, also of Odenton, brought out-of-town friends to the Homestead maze for the firsttime.And KevinCady brought his sons Kingston and Rhys to run through the corn as he trailed behind.
“Last year we went the wrong way for a long time, but we figured it out,” he said. “We always come back.” dohl@capgaznews.com
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