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Fall comes round, even in Florida

Meandering through a corn maze outside Orlando brings one a little closer to distant glories of autumn.

By TAMARA LUSH
Published October 21, 2006

MOUNT DORA

It's a bit difficult to remember fall here in Florida, with the 80-plus-degree weather, all that sunshine and the trees that stay persistently and cheerfully green.

So when I passed by Long & Scott Farms and saw rows of pumpkins, scarecrows and a tractor pulling a hay wagon, I got a bit nostalgic. I remembered the crisp days up North, gorging on apple cider, plain doughnuts and vistas of crimson and gold leaves.

Pulling into the farm's parking lot, I had hopes of buying a pumpkin, maybe a zucchini. Then I saw a sign for something I'd never heard of: a corn maze. Maybe these sorts of things are popular in the Midwest, but to my New England sensibilities, it was terribly exotic. There, in the back of the farmer's market, was a 6-acre maze plowed into a field of corn. For $8, I could wander through the field.

This was unfamiliar territory. But it felt uniquely fall-like; the maze is only open in October and November.

I paid my $8 and listened to the rules: no smoking, no bare feet, no running, no profanity. Stay on the paths. Don't pick the corn.

I wandered in and was enveloped in, well, corn. The stalks had that late-summer, early fall golden color, and the little yellow kernels peeked out from green sheaths. A cool breeze rustled the 12-foot stalks. Everyone is given a trivia game to solve while in the cornfield - clues are hidden on signs throughout the maze - and if you get lost, you can holler or wave a flag that you are given at the start.

I wandered peacefully for about an hour, enjoying the sounds of the wind in the stalks and the crows that flew in and around them. (This is feed corn, meaning it is meant for cows and pigs. The tastiest sweet corn you will ever eat is on sale at the farmers market.)

When I emerged from the maze, I chatted with farm owners Rebecca Ryan and her brother, Hank Scott. Their grandfather started the farm in the 1960s, and now it is the only working vegetable farm in the area's subdivision sprawl. The family started the corn maze four years ago as a way to help keep the farm afloat.

They get their patterns from a corn maze mastermind in Pennsylvania. The patterns are always patriotic, like a bald eagle or a soldier. This year's pattern is a soldier atop a horse. (You can't see the pattern from the ground, only from an aerial photo.)

About 8,000 people visited last year's maze, and the family hopes not to give up the farm any time soon. They acknowledge the pressure, though.

"It's hard to justify growing produce on an acre of land that's worth $100,000," said Scott.

Tamara Lush can be reached at (727) 893-8612 or at lush@sptimes.com

IF YOU GO

A little taste of fall

The Corn Maze is at 26216 County Road 448A in Mount Dora. Take Interstate 4 east to Exit 55 U.S. 27. Go north to County Road 561, then turn right and continue to County Road 48, then go left onto County Road 448A. Maze hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays through November. Weekdays are reserved for groups of 20 or more; call for information. $8 for 17 and older; $6 for ages 4 to 16; 3 and younger admitted free.

On Saturdays, hayrides ($4) are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 2 and 4 p.m. On Sundays, the rides are at 2 and 4 p.m.

More information: www.longandscottfarms.com; office: (352) 383-6900; market: (352) 383-1792.

[Last modified October 20, 2006, 12:48:31]