Architect-turned-farmer Norma Burns specializes in herbs, specialty vegetables, cut flowers, plants, and value-added farm crafts and food products. Norma got her farming foot in the door by selling her produce and flowers to chefs at Triangle restaurants. This year she worked with the Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension to develop a farm stand at a housing development in Cary in an effort to develop a model that will work in other areas. Over 12 local farms are participating in the project, which is supported with a grant from NC A&T State University. Learn more about this farm stand...

Bluebird Hill is a small farm where Norma incorporates the principles of permaculture and maximizes the use of space. She grows many types of fruits and vegetables, emphasizing diversity over quantity. She is not afraid to try new things and is always experimenting with new crops, trying to figure out how to make them grow - things like hops, kiwi, cranberries, and other things not normally seen in our area. Her flock of guineas provides roaming pest management as well as delicious eggs.