Springdale Farmer’s Market
There’s no better place to go when visiting a new area than the local farmer’s market. They’re great places to meet locals, pick-up lots of unique products you won’t find anywhere else and have a good time. Springdale Farmers Market has been the area’s go-to open-air market for nearly 20 years and is generally open from May until October. It’s located on East Emma Avenue near the Jones Center, which is just off Highway 265. The market is known for its fresh fruits and produce, baked goods and other prepared foods, and locally-made body and health products as well. The Springdale Farmers Market is an outdoor market established at the Jones Center in 1997, and is open from May-October on the JTL Memorial Walk near the east parking lot adjacent to the main entry to the Jones Center off Hwy. 265. This entry is one block north of the intersection of East Emma Avenue and Hwy 265. There is plenty of easy access parking very close to the market location. Vendors will carry purchases to vehicles for those customers who need assistance.
It seems unbelievable today, but Cherry Hill’s landscape was once full of pastures, farms and orchards. Our modern highways were once mere access roads, crossing farm fields and hosting small fruit and vegetable stands by the side of the road. In 1931, when Cherry Hill was known as Delaware Township, 82 farms were in operation. Springdale Road, which is home to the only working farm left in the township, was a dirt road. A chicken farm resided at the intersection of Route 70 and Springdale Road and another one near where Cherry Hill High School East is located on Kresson Road. In fact, all you could see in those days were farms up and down Springdale Road.
In 1949 after completing his service in the Navy, Alan Ebert purchased what is now Springdale Farms. Alan’s widow, Mary, along with her children, Mary Ann Jarvis and John Ebert, and Tom Jarvis, Mary Ann’s husband, now own Springdale Farms. Springdale Farms and its market attract hundreds of people every week from the surrounding areas. Customers long for the taste of home-grown produce and freshly made pies, cakes, muffins and other pastries, all of which are baked on the premises. Chefs at local restaurants patronize our fresh produce, fruits and vegetables, making Springdale one of the principal farms involved in the South Jersey Independent Restaurant Association’s “Farm to Fork” program. Beginning in late spring, strawberry season is by far the biggest promotion conducted by Springdale Farms. This is an exciting, enjoyable way for customers to start their summer. Then the summer is all about Jersey tomatoes and corn. By the middle of September, the corn maze is in full swing. It’s also when the pumpkins are cut, and throughout October, pumpkins of all shapes and sizes are available for sale at the store. Campfire hayrides are a favorite attraction in the fall, along with pumpkin hayrides. In fact, as the farming season changes from spring to summer to fall, so do the attractions Springdale Farms can offer the public.