Brightwood Living Visits Homestead Farm

Ed. Note: Welcome new contributor, Brightwood Living. Since the site has been expanding to cover more neighborhoods in the city I have recruited someone from up in north country. Her post is actually from north north country but I think you’ll like her style. She runs a local blog called Brightwood Living.If you live in a neighborhood in the city not currently covered at PoP please send an email to [email protected] if you are interested in contributing.

Last weekend my husband and I took a drive out to Homestead Farm in Poolesville, MD. We had visited the farm last fall, and this year we looked forward to returning to take a hayride to the pumpkin patch and stock up on apples, cider, and other autumn goodies.

After an entertaining drive down River Road through Potomac (I had a hard time staying on the road while gawking at the houses), we arrived at the farm on a sunny Saturday morning. We were happy to see that we had beat the crowds, and headed straight over to snack area to get some hot cider. Homestead offers a variety of snacks, the best of which are apple-based).

With cider in hand, we headed down to visit the animals – they have hens, sheep, goats, pigs and piglets, ducks and a calf all looking to be petted and fed (they sell animal feed for 50 cents). Who could resist this little man?

After wandering around the farm, including a stop to see apple butter being made and getting a taste, we headed to the store to pick up some apples and cider. The farm offers apple picking in the fall, but the trees are all picked-out now. We picked up 4 bags of apples and a few gallons of cider. In their store, Homestead also offers lots of baked goods and treats.

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After stashing our apples in the car, we noticed the crowds starting to grow, so we quickly bought our hayride tickets ($3 each), and hopped on. (The hayrides run continuously on the weekends in October, so there’s never much of a wait). The hayride is a short, bumpy drive to a pumpkin patch, where we picked about 6 pumpkins of different sizes, shapes and colors.

After the hayride, I grabbed a cart and loaded up with gourds, Indian corn, mini pumpkins, corn stalks, and made a quick stop at the caramel apple shack, before heading for the checkout.

Homestead Farm is picturesque, with rolling hills, ponds, and barnyard animals. Don’t worry if hayrides aren’t your thing, they have plenty of already-picked pumpkins to choose from. The farm is about 20 minutes off the beltway, taking you on a leisurely drive down River Road through Potomac. They’re open daily through October 31, with hayrides on Saturday and Sunday. If you can’t make it to the farm before Halloween, consider returning in December when they re-open on the weekends for cut-your-own Christmas trees.