Sharps At Waterford Farm

My brother, Jeff Norman, and I had a meeting yesterday with Alan Sharp of Sharp’s at Waterford Farm in western Howard County. It is located just down the road from our farm in Woodbine, Maryland. Sharp’s at Waterford is a 530 acre working farm, family owned and operated since 1903. This will be Alan’s first year back to the farm after completing college and through the help and mentorship of his parents, Chuck and Denise, will start working towards running the operation. Alan is the fourth generation of the Sharp family to do so.

It was a gorgeous sunny hour of an otherwise overcast and rainy day, perhaps the warmest moment of 2010. As we drove up the long winding driveway off Jennings Chapel Road, through some woods, we arrived to a clearing which revealed beautiful rolling green pasture and blue skies. We could see the house where we were to meet Alan, overlooking a few barns, greenhouses and a pair of ponds as well.

The reason of our meeting was to discuss having Sharp’s at Waterford Farm grow vegetables for our summer and fall CSA Program. We are practically neighbors and believe this could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Sharp’s Farm is a great place to learn and experience farming. The Sharp family has been farming for over 100 years and has been offering educational programs since 1980 to schools, daycares, scout groups, homeschoolers and families through out the Maryland area. They offer many packages for school field trips, private events, fall festivals, and even volunteer opportunities.

As Jeff, Alan , and I sat down at a large rustic kitchen table off the kitchen of the Sharp’s home, I was immediately impressed with a panoramic view of the farm. I thought how nice it must be to watch the sun rise from here over a cup of coffee. Alan flipped open a pad of paper as Jeff and I began listing off items which we think would make the most sense to grow on the farm. We came up with corn, tomatoes (heirloom and otherwise), melons, squash, cucumbers, peppers, beans, and pumpkins.

This year we heard of a particular variety of white corn being grown in Adams County, PA which is head and shoulders above the rest in flavor and texture. Also we were hoping to create a more steady supply in sweet yellow and bicolor corn as well. Even though white corn is definitely more popular in Maryland, we are seeing a slow but steady increase in popularity of its yellow and bicolor counterparts, and we are all about encouraging our customers to try something different.

We continued to go item by item narrowing down what varieties and quantities we are interested in. For each item there is the question of how difficult, disease resistance and prolific it is to grow. What does it entail in terms of planting, maintaining, and harvesting? On the other end of the process is how popular is it at the stands and in the CSA.

At the end of the hour we had a solid list of possibilities to move forward. Nothing is set in stone at this point but wheels are in motion. As we drive out the long winding driveway I look at the horizon and the rolling pasture like a blank canvas. I am hopeful and envisioning it in the peak of summer with rows of soldiering corn, and curling vines of cantaloupes.

John Norman