Unplug at Norman’s. On a gorgeous fall evening on the farm I found myself sitting beside Robert Lighthouse, our resident farming musician, during the twilight hour discussing the history of mankind over a sunset view with guitars and cocktails in hand. The amber gold of the day’s last light casts its hue across rolling hills and scattered cows. After the sun goes down we gather our things and head back to camp. Robert builds a fire and begins cooking the beans he both planted and harvested on the farm and prepares a salad with other fresh farm ingredients. It’s a real homesteading experience! Nearly ten years have passed since Norman’s lept into farm ownership after purchasing this 60 acres in Woodbine, Maryland. Now as we conclude our 2024 Season, our best ever, it’s a good time to reflect upon how far we’ve come.
Trial Garden. There are hidden nooks throughout the farm which I’ve come to enjoy. Perhaps my favorite is the haphazard plot of the Trial Garden. Here you’ll find Japanese varieties of cucumber, eggplant and edamame from seeds given to us by Chef Hiroshi, owner of Izakaya Seki. In another row one might find some watermelon recommended to me by Joneve Murphy the resident farmer for the Inn at Little Washington, or the “three sisters” of corn, beans and squash planted by Robert Lighthouse, which include an ancient corn given to us by the Hopi. Then there’s the Israeli cucumbers we planted, my souvenir and reminder for my meaningful time volunteering on farms in Israel back in March. For me the stories and seed-swapping exchange of our trial garden represent the ideals of Norman’s honoring the past while maintaining a hopeful and optimistic approach toward the future. It’s like a treasure hunt. By uncovering the stories and seeds of the past maybe we can find some key to the future.
Figs & Flowers..After perusing our field of figs, 160 freshly planted trees of four varieties, hunting for ripe ones, I walked to our flower field. Both endeavors conceived and initiated by my brother, Jeff. I can’t help but pause and appreciate the biodiversity which springs to life on the farm. I recall earlier this season thinking this field was just a jungle of colors, shapes and textures with no rhyme or reason. When suddenly I noticed all these goldfinches, hummingbirds, blue birds, monarch butterflies and all sorts of other pollinators magically appear camouflaged in the cacophony of color. It was like one of those 3-D images that you have to stare at for a while before it materializes into something. Once you notice it goes from a quiet field of flowers to an entire community of buzzing, fluttering, swooping and singing. Our most recent planting of peonies are the newest addition to the flower patch.
Meet the Farmer. Earlier as I arrived at the farm I crossed paths with our farm manager, Godofredo, who’s ingenuity, steadfastness and salt of the earth character are truly the engine of our farm. From planning to planting. Plowing, tilling, weeding, feeding, staking, trellising, harvesting, grading and packing. Managing workers, tracking harvests, diagnosing and implementing solutions all under the summer sun and Maryland humidity. It’s a feat that leaves me in awe every year. There’s a grounding calmness to him as he goes about humbly tackling herculean tasks on a daily basis. We’d like to congratulate him on becoming a homeowner this season and wish him some relaxation this winter.
Godofredo and I talked about the tasks at hand and looked back at the challenges and successes of our season. From the get go last year’s mild winter never seemed to hit the reset on weeds and insects which pressured us early and stayed persistent. An extended heat wave dropped the blossoms on many of our crops and disrupted production not just on our farm, but across the entire region. Then there was the drought.
Farm Kitchen. On the other hand, we experienced our best strawberry and blackberry season to date. We started figuring out our flower bouquets and invested in an acre of figs. We collaborated with Chef John Wood to develop the Farm Kitchen, directed by Fred Carliez, where we created a menu based upon the fresh ingredients we are harvesting in abundance. Too many tomatoes? Time for gazpacho. What to do with all these tomatillos? Salsa Verde. Too many onions? French Onion Soup anyone? This summer we were cranking out soups, salads, sauces, pickled vegetables, pestos and jams all made with fresh ingredients from our farm. Then we started canning, baking and now preparing entire elevated meals such as lasagnas, risottos, seafood gumbo, duck cassoulet, and beef bourguignon. We are now even offering all the trimmings for your Thanksgiving Table at our first ever Turkey Tailgate, Thanksgiving Eve Pop-Up. Currently we are designing a Value-Added Farm Kitchen component to our CSA Program so we can begin offering these new and exciting products to our CSA Members on a regular basis! This may be the way we finance building a commercial kitchen on the farm so stay tuned!
Farm-to-Folks Zero Waste Initiative. In addition to the Farm Kitchen which helps our farm run more efficiently, we are also focused on minimizing food waste with our Farm-to-Folks Initiative. Through the daily coordination of volunteers by groups such as the United Methodist Church, So What Else, Nourish Bethesda & Harvest Share, all unsold produce and unclaimed CSA Shares are picked up daily so they can find a home before spoiling.
Real Experiences & Dirty Hands. Perhaps what fills me with the biggest sense of fulfillment and gratitude regarding Norman’s is hiring and training our seasonal crew. This year we hired about fifty college and high school students new to the workforce and provided them with an experience they could taste, touch, see and smell. We connected them not just with the stands but also the farm encouraging them to get out there and help with the picking and weeding. Our field day farm crew was led by the next generation of Norman’s, Gavin, Jocelyn and Dylan, and it made me proud to watch them build the comradery and demonstrate such a level of commitment.
At the stands our crew learned customer service and working in a team environment to get open on time each day. They learned to create beautiful displays, offer samples, maintain quality, hydrate cyclists, joke with youngsters, assist the elderly, run specials and package donations. They got to feel the gratitude from our customers by looking them in the eye and learning their stories. From understanding how our food is grown all the way to who’s table it serves. In a time where most opportunities seem to be offering a virtual, social media driven, online experience I am just so grateful that Norman’s can offer the real deal.
Looking Forward. We’ve also started looking ahead at the next season. I have just recently learned about John Kempf and his Advancing Eco Agriculture initiative to provide consulting for farms to adapt a regenerative approach. Godofredo has been reading about farming techniques in Spain also pioneering regenerative techniques. My brother Jeff and I are both in agreement and excited to take us further down the path of “Organic-ish” and regenerative growing practices. This year we incorporated beneficial insects, bee hives, companion plantings, high tunnels, and natural based sprays to keep our farm environmentally friendly. One idea being kicked around is that of growing straw on the farm which is used as a natural weed barrier while replenishing nutrients into the soil as it decomposes.
Congratulations Lynne. Another highlight of this season was attending the wedding of Lynne and Tim. It feels like ages ago that we witnessed their union on a gorgeous day in May at Brookside Gardens amongst friends and family. We are so thankful for everything Lynne does for Norman’s. She is the glue that keeps things together and the oil that keeps the CSA running smoothly with her super power memory and infectious smile. From managing members’ accounts, handling all social media and marketing, constantly offering ideas for ways to improve or being a sounding board for all of my “you know what we should do’s.” She schedules, solves, acts as liaison all while managing her own Etsy shop, backyard garden and community of squirrels, pigeons and crows. Thank you for everything you do and for delaying your honeymoon to coincide with the off season! We hope you have a fabulous time in Ireland and look forward to 2025.
We are extremely thankful to everyone for their support this season including our CSA Members and loyal customers. I’m especially grateful for our loyal crew, sticking with us another season. I am truly blessed to be part of an organization of such hardworking, committed and caring people and I’m looking forward to another trip around the sun.
Yours Sincerely,
John Norman
