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If you are looking for an educational, hands-on CSA experience, then Cromwell Valley CSA (CVCSA) is for you! In addition to the weekly share of freshly picked, delicious, certified organic vegetables and fruits made available to members throughout the season (up to 24 weeks), an incredible "U-Pick" garden packed with a wide variety of culinary and medicinal herbs, flowers, peas, beans, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries is also open to members. An on-site flock of rare breed chickens provide the highest quality pastured eggs, which are available for purchase at CSA pickup in limited quantity. The CSA also serves as a demonstration farm for students, farmers and the general public, with many educational programs offered over the course of the season. The Cromwell Valley CSA is a not for profit organization managed by a volunteer Board of Directors. The farmer and farm staff live and work in the beautiful Cromwell Valley Park near Towson, surrounded by abundant wildlife and many hiking trails. The land is protected from development by the Maryland Environmental Trust. Picnic tables with sweeping vistas of fields and woodlands make it an ideal site for picnics and nature walks.
What is CSA all about?
Community
Supported Agriculture means that members
support farmers with pledges of financial support before the
growing season begins. They help decide what is grown, how
much will be planted, and, in return, they are assured of
safe, nutritious, fresh produce. Farmers are freed from the
burden of debt and return the rewards of their labors to the
shareholders. Members and farmers together enjoy the bounty
of good harvest years, and are involved as a team in working
through the unpredictable cycles of nature and weather.
The
Cromwell Valley CSA is a not for profit organization managed
by a volunteer Board of Directors. Our farmers live in the
beautiful park near Towson, surrounded by abundant wildlife
and many hiking trails. The land is protected from
development by the Maryland Environmental Trust. Picnic
tables with sweeping vistas of fields and woodlands make it
an ideal site for picnics and nature walks.
The Land (Cromwell
Valley Park)
Cromwell Valley CSA
is located within a county park, Cromwell Valley Park. Once
referred to as “Lime Kiln Bottom,” the valley seems to have
acquired its present name from William Cromwell, who married
Elizabeth Raven and inherited her father’s land in 1773. The
Ravens were some of the earliest settlers in the valley,
along with the Stansburys, Towsons, and Risteaus.
Descendents of the Risteaus, the Jenifers, still own and
live in the original family home.
Today’s park was acquired from three property owners from
March 1993 to December 1994, primarily with "Program Open
Space" funds from the state. The easternmost 220 acres,
Willow Grove Farm, were purchased from the heirs of Robert
Merrick, a prominent Baltimore banker. On this farm stands a
house built in the mid to late 1800s by A.W. Shanklin. The
center 102 acre farm, Sherwood Farm, was purchased from the
heirs of Mrs. Frances Wellington Sherwood. On this property
sits the gorgeous Sherwood House. Dating from 1935, this
house was designed by the firm of Palmer and Lambdin.
Running it as a gentleman’s farm, the Sherwoods operated an
apple and peach orchard, sold eggs and chickens to the
public, and raised farm animals for the family’s own
kitchen. The third property, Fellowship Farm, was purchased
from Mr. Franklin Eck, who operated a Christmas tree farm.
Cromwell Valley Park
has earned quite a reputation among birders and nature
lovers from around the Baltimore-Washington area. From
white-tailed deer to box turtles, red foxes to red-tailed
hawks, the park has a great deal to offer to any wildlife
enthusiast.
The park has many
other outdoor activities for children and families. Be sure
to check the
park's schedule for more information on organized
programs for the whole family.
The park is currently open for drop-in use from dawn to
dusk, seven days a week. At present, visitors may enjoy
hiking, birding, and nature study. Drop-in visitors may use
the Willow Grove Farm entrance to park.
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