Many of our area farmer’s markets are starting to shut down for the season, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy the taste of summer.
Joan and Drew Norman, founders of One Straw Farm, have found a way to store summer in a bottle with two new products—a bloody mary mix ($12 a bottle) and a unique tomatillo salsa ($7 a jar)—utilizing the surplus tomatoes, onions, and peppers, and other vegetables normally sold at local farmers’ markets and through CSA memberships.
“A few years ago, we had so many tomatoes left over, we couldn’t sell them all,” explains Joan Norman. “Our processor said, ‘These are so good, you should try making a bloody mary mix,’ so that’s exactly what we decided to do.”
For now, the products are currently available at local farmers’ markets including the Kenilworth Farmers’ Market and the 32nd Street Farmers’ Market, but once the markets shut down, they’ll still be for sold at the Mill Valley General Store.
“We’ve started making value added products,” says Norman, who hopes to develop more products in the future. “I’m hoping our Boom Boom Bloody Mary Mix becomes Baltimore’s favorite just behind Natty Boh.”