HerbAnna Farm combines my many loves into a nice, delicious package; cooking, baking, inventing new recipes, gardening, spending time outdoors, and making people happy. My husband and family are my most honest taste testers and biggest cheering section. Without their love and guidance, HerbAnna Farm would still be just a dream. My passion for cooking, gardening and the great outdoors began as a yo
ung girl growing up in the Adirondack Mountains on Northern Lake George in Upstate New York, where my mother and great grandmother taught me about the many facets of gardening; from planting, watering, harvesting, cooking, preserving, and sharing the fruits of our labor with our loved ones. I recall many summer days sitting on the front porch shelling peas or in the kitchen canning tomatoes, while other kids were out swimming and boating, soaking up every minute of our short lived summers, but I never felt as though I was missing out. I truly enjoyed the times I spent in the garden and in the kitchen with these two wise women. After graduating from Ticonderoga High School in 1991, I attend the State University of New York at Cobleskill where I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Marketing in 1995. From there, began a career in Marketing and then, working for several years in the paper manufacturing industry as a Business Analyst. I relocated to a small city in Ohio and continued my work as a business analyst, but the “country girl” was still in me, something that I just couldn’t shake. I longed to be outside, growing my own food, and starting an herb farm. In 2004, my husband, Randy, and I relocated to Wilmington, Ohio. We were two “country kids”, back in the country with eight and half acres of land…that’s when the seed was planted to make my dream become a reality. After many months of reading, planning, plowing, tilling, and planting, HerbAnna Farm sprouted in 2006, and the family decision to make a full-time go of it was made. I left my career as a Business Analyst and began growing my farm and my family; both tasks I knew would be a struggle at times, but the “harvests” are the most rewarding bonuses I’ve ever received. HerbAnna Farms product line has been growing quicker than our weeds, with new items being added all the time. We offer a diverse variety of culinary herbs, heirloom produce (chosen for their naturally delicious flavor), homemade bread and baked goods, herb and spice seasonings and rubs, dip mixes, and herbal teas. We utilize organic farming practices, leaving our crops free of artificial pesticides and fertilizers. Contact us today to experience the fresh and natural goodness of HerbAnna Farm. Defining my favorite part of owning a small business is like watching a seed grow into a “fruited” plant; all facets are rewarding (the sun ripened tomato) with a few unexpected challenges (the ugly tomato hornworm). The biggest things that come into mind are the same things that the little girl in New York would have told you thirty plus years ago: spending time with nature, watching my seeds grow, creating delicious recipes in the kitchen, and sharing my creations with family, loved ones and customers. Like most people who start their own business, I didn’t start it to make a lot of money, or think it would be easier than an office job; I did it because I have a passion for what I do. Although the hours are long, time off is not an option, and no one hands me a paycheck at the end of a long week; HerbAnna Farm is the most rewarding career I’ll ever have. I’ve definitely found my last job until retirement, growing HerbAnna Farm and growing my family. I’m fortunate to do what I love, at home, with my family. Nothing makes this mom prouder than hearing her 3 year old identify twenty different herbs and flowers, as we work hard enjoying our farm. It’s comforting to see that the next generation of HerbAnna Farm is sprouting and that one day she will say the famous family words that my mother and great grandmother said to me, and I’ve passed down to my family…”Nature is FREE! Learn all you can about it, relax for a moment and watch it, listen to it, enjoy it, and remember that no one can take it away from you.”
