For nearly half a century, the stone building at the corner of Mountain Road and Schmidts Lane stood silent, boarded up and weathered by time. But to longtime Pasadena residents, it isn’t just any building – it’s a piece of local history. This summer, the Schmidt Farm Stand, first opened in 1921 by William and Grace Schmidt, is coming back to life, thanks to their great-granddaughter Heather Schmidt, her husband Nick, and a determined family effort.
The stand’s story stretches back more than a century, when William and Grace purchased the farm in 1920 and began selling fresh-picked corn, watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, strawberries, and Gracie’s cut flowers the following summer. In the 1950s, their son Henry took over, running the stand through the summer of 1975. At the time, it was one of only a handful in the area, drawing weekend visitors heading to summer homes on Gibson Island. “People would come down for the weekend and stop at our stand to pick up produce,” Heather said.
By the mid-1970s, however, small family farms were being squeezed out by larger corporate operations. The stand closed, and the Schmidt family shifted to farming only for personal consumption. Still, the agricultural spirit never faded. Heather recalls childhood days picking strawberries for teachers, Girl Scout hayrides, and her grandfather Henry’s dedication to preserving local farming history through his work with Hancock’s Resolution.
When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted daily life, Heather and Nick found themselves drawn back to the land. They began selling produce to friends and family via social media, and in 2022, they took the first step toward rebuilding the business. This year, Nick left his job to farm full-time. A surplus of produce one week prompted a pop-up sale behind the old stand – an experiment that revealed just how much the community still wanted fresh, local food from the Schmidt farm.
Reopening the stand was not without challenges. Years of neglect had left the building filled with trash, and even fire damage had to be addressed. Heather’s father, Glenn Schmidt, and mother, Peaches, pitched in to repair, clean, and paint the space. The family also tackled parking concerns, clearing brush and branches to create customer access along Schmidts Lane.
Inside, the spirit of the original stand lives on. Strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini are mainstays, joined by strawberry jam, apple butter, and a new product – Hovaker Honey. The honey comes from an apiary started by Nick’s father, who tragically passed away in 2023; the couple now care for the bees and recently won first place in two categories at the Anne Arundel County Fair. While their great-grandmother’s recipes still inspire them, their growing methods have changed – today they follow organic practices, using no sprays or pesticides and instead relying on beneficial flowers and predatory insects to protect crops.
For Heather, reopening the stand is deeply personal. Her grandfather Henry, who passed away last year, saw the early stages of their farming revival and couldn’t have been prouder. “There is something very special about carrying forward a family legacy, especially in farming,” she remarked. “Knowing that the same fields we work in, my great-grandparents once walked through and tended to, is really humbling.”
“There is something very special about carrying forward a family legacy, especially in farming. Knowing that the same fields we work in, my great-grandparents once walked through and tended to, is really humbling.”
Heather Schmidt
The Schmidt Farm Stand is now open every Tuesday through September from 4:30pm until sunset. Heather and Nick also sell at the Glen Burnie Farmers Market and will be part of the Hancock’s Resolution Harvest Festival and War of 1812 Remembrance in October.
For Heather and Nick, reopening the stand is about more than selling produce – it’s about stitching a living piece of history back into the fabric of Pasadena. Each Tuesday, as neighbors stop by for tomatoes or honey, they’re also reconnecting with the fields, faces, and stories that shaped this community for more than a century. “We hope to provide healthy, local food for the community, but on a deeper level we hope to provide long time residents nostalgia from a quieter time in Pasadena. In addition, we hope to serve as a reminder to the younger generations and newcomers about the foundation on which our Pasadena community was built and the importance of knowing where your food comes from.”
The Schmidt Farm Stand is located on Mountain Road at Schmidts Lane. As a reference point, 4364 Mountain Road is the location’s address. For more information and to stay up to date on the stand, visit their Facebook page.
