Local Markets Offer a Taste of Jersey Fresh

This is the first in a series of profiles of local farm stands. Watch this space for more farm stand profiles in the coming weeks.

For most Jerseyans, summertime means the Shore, BBQs, Jersey tomatoes and sweet corn.

One of the local sources of Jersey Fresh produce – including those juicy Jersey tomatoes and tasty sweet corn – is Norz Hill Farm & Market on South Branch Road.

The farm market recently opened for its fourth season. And while some of the produce grown on the local farm will not be available at the market for another few weeks, residents craving fresh produce need not worry – the growing season in South Jersey is ahead of that in Somerset County and, as owner Debbie Norz explained, the market features Jersey Fresh produce “from farming friends who are weeks ahead of us.”

The South Branch Road farm has been in the Norz family since 1920, making Debbie and her husband Rich fourth-generation farmers. What had been primarily a dairy and crop farm has evolved. In April 2009, the milking cows were sold, leaving a herd of about 100 herd young dairy animals.

Today, the farm focuses on raising heifers and beef cattle, hay and grain crops, agritourism and a produce business. With a total of about 1,100 acres, including property in Branchburg, the farming portion is focused on a 36-acre tract and a 48-acre tract, with an emphasis on sustainable farming.

Also on the property are a variety of animals, including calves, emu, sheep, water buffalo, donkeys, zedonkeys and peacocks.

This year, the family planted thousands of plants, including 6,000 tomatoes including cherry and other varieties, 2,000 peppers (red, green yellow, brown, purple, Caribbean red hots and jalapenos), 700 cantaloupes, as well as onions, green beans, okra, eggplant, soybeans, wild asparagus, zinnias and much more. Most will make their way to the farm’s market; surplus will be sold wholesale.

The farm’s three pumpkin patches also feature more than 60 varieties of other items, such as gourds, and will be ready for fall visitors, as will the cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprout crops.

Tomatoes and sweet corn continue to be the market’s “hot” sellers, Norz said. Like most of the crops, sweet corn is planted in stages to allow for a steady flow of fresh produce.

When asked how they know when the corn is ready to be picked, she smiled and repeated some wisdom she received from the owners of the former Everett farm in town: “Pick it. Peel it. Taste it.”

New this year at the Norz Hill Farm & Market are eggs from the farms 130-plus free-range chickens (available for purchase by the half-dozen) and a new line of cheeses from the Hun-Valley of Ringoes, which is now home to many of the Norz Hill dairy cows.

Also new is the ability of participants on the WIC program to use their WIC checks to purchase farm market items.

“It’s great to be able to share with people” how to use the produce, she added, adding that, between the market and the popular fall pumpkin patch/corn maze experience, “We meet a lot of wonderful people.”

The biggest challenge for today’s farmers, Norz said, is the availability of land. The couple’s hope, she said, is to sustain the farm for their three children.

“If we can sustain this for them, that would be fantastic,” she said.