Celebrating 10 Years of Plants and People
2024 marked the ten-year anniversary of Heartwood Forest Farm. Reaching this milestone would not have been possible if it wasn’t for all of the plants and people in my life. I had hoped to write an in depth story about each year, but it was more of a project than I thought. The farm story is still being written, but for now, here is a little timeline to start.
2014-Official business papers filed with the State of Michigan. I mailed them on my birthday in April and I was so excited when I received them back with the date stamp of May 1, 2014. Many of you know that this date is the celebration of Beltane, May Day and other special springtime events. So, this is the story of the official anniversary date of the farm. The farm field was cleared of old dead Scots Pine trees and was planted with rye.
I worked downstate in Mt. Pleasant at CMU for the biology department, so I lived in two locations. I was also the feature fruit/veggie/herb writer for Michigan Gardening Magazine, and my garden in Mt. Pleasant that I was blogging about “My Urban Farmscape” was published in Groundbreaking Food Gardens: 73 Plans that Will Change the Way You Grow Your Garden by Niki Jabbour, Storey Publishing.
2015-For the first year anniversary, I invited friends and family to a farm blessing, where we hoisted the first May pole and tied fabric ribbons that contained wishes for the land. The bee pasture was prepared and their hives were set in place. The building that now serves as the apothecary was moved from where our home is currently to the farm field. The rye grew so tall it became fun playing hide and seek with my granddaughters. I planted the pollinator habitat during the dormant season once the rye was mowed.
2016-The first high tunnel was constructed in the late summer with the help of a grant from USDA-NRCS. An irrigation line was brought to the hoophouse from the house. Beds were prepped and amended, and it was planted in the fall with winter greens such as spinach. Lavender beds in the field were planted with Lavendula x intermedia ‘Provence’, along with additional future field and bed preparations. I decided that I wanted to create a soap from the farm, so I developed “Herbal Infusion” as my first soap. The farm officially becomes USDA Certified Organic.
2017-Early spring planting in the hoophouse. I was still working at CMU and living in two locations, but managed to attend the Monday market at The Commons and began selling plants, greens and herbs. The summer continued with weekends full of harvesting tomatoes, beets, and other veggies and herbs. I had a small CSA and learned that wasn’t really the farm model I wanted to follow. I spent a lot of time during the weekday evenings taking art classes at CMU, studying papermaking, book arts, and printing. It had been years since I had worked with my art, so it was a nice way to jump back into my creative space. Living in two places was a little tricky, and I couldn’t have done it without the help from my husband who lived and worked from our home in Cedar, but the farm wasn’t his job. I helped my parents move from my childhood home into an apartment in the fall and planted apple trees at the farm. For Christmas my husband gifted me with my first copper alembic still.
2018-I left my position at CMU early spring. It felt like the work I was hired to do was finished, and I was ready to farm full time. A second high tunnel was constructed in mid summer and additional spaces in the field were planted and beginning to take shape from what I had envisioned. A row of English roses were planted by my daughter. She would help with planting other crops when she was home. I began vending downtown Traverse City at the Sara Hardy Farmers Market. The first video was created at the farm by Novum Productions and feels very inspiring every time I watch it. Classes and events began to happen at the farm, other vending opportunities took place. Our first pair of farm cats, Rhu and Barb, joined us for pest control. It was a very full and exciting year.
2019-My stepdad passes away. Spring planting was quiet and full of reflection. I worked on my own therapeutic horticulture program with the plants as my guide. It’s amazing how nature allows you to move through grief. My mom moves to the area close by during July. The farm is in full swing this season, and there are so many things happening. Growing, harvesting, teaching, farmers markets and more. Social media begins to be the “way” of promoting, and I didn’t care to spend a whole lot of time on my phone or computer. I wanted to be outdoors in person with the plants. I thought that others may want to learn this way, so I developed the first Herb Farmer Apprenticeship in the spring of 2020. I attended my first Great Lakes Herb Faire in Chelsea, Michigan as a vendor. What an incredible event. I met so many herbalists including local herbalist jim mcdonald, friendly plant people and I learned so much. I met Maria Noel Groves, who sent me seeds from her garden. This is the year I began growing Korean Licorice Mint, Agastache rugosa.
2020-My husband was retiring from his job, so we decided to take a long trip to Sedona, AZ. What a place to experience transitions! I began my online course with Rosemary Gladstar during this time, trying to dedicate a full day, but nature was calling. We hiked up some of the biggest red rock formations, visited the Grand Canyon, and experienced the energy and spirit of vortexes.
Then we heard the news during the last few days we were in AZ….you know, the pandemic. We flew home and as a farm, I opened to the public and was propelled into working like no way I could have ever imagined. The Herb Farmer Apprenticeship still continued, and with the students, we all experienced the power of nature and plants. The rest of the year is somewhat of a blur.
2021- A train trip vacation to the west coast with my husband during the first of the year, then… there are puppies in the house! My son, daughter in-law and their dogs moved in with us since Oakley was going to have puppies and we had extra space in our home. What a joy to experience puppies at this time! We ended up keeping one of the pups, and you know her as Luna. She was born on the first day of the new moon, so her full name is Nova Luna White Walker. White walker is the part of her name from her mom. The farm store opened on the farm, attending the Sara Hardy farmers market as a vendor continued, and classes were held at the farm as people continued to seek out respite in nature. The volunteers worked with me part time, and the harvesting of lavender and learning distillation was the newest learning experience for us. The Herb Farmer Apprenticeship continued where we ended that class with a trip to United Plant Savers. Afterwards, I attended a weekend distillation workshop with Erika Galentin and Ashley where I continued my distillation learning journey and when I came home I bought a new still that would enable me to do steam distillations. So much to learn as I began to distill rose scented geraniums, lavender, and rosemary. I also attended a weekend workshop with an artist which launched my obsession with extracting pigments from plants and making paint. Plants offer so many gifts! And this was a year where I immersed myself in farm work and learning new things.
2022-Early this year our cats disappeared, about a month apart. I can only suspect coyotes. But now, the farm fun continues and there is a new puppy! Riley is his name, and his blue eyes put us into a trance! I’m hopeful this will deter some of the wild animals that are browsing around. I did end up with two more cats, two adult females I adopted from a rescue shelter. They had both been in the shelter for 6 months and really needed a home. One cat had short hair, and the other long hair, so I named them Sunny and Cher. I continued with growing transplants for wholesale to local businesses and did not teach any Herb Farmer Apprenticeships this year. I did however teach a woman when she was available while we worked together. My soap making has evolved to include a lavender goats milk soap, using goats milk from a neighboring farm, rose garden, forest spa, new moon, and many more. I continue as a vendor at the Sara Hardy farmers market, selling herb transplants, honey, soap, bulk herbs, fresh herbs, hydrosols, herbal jams, and some cute little flower and herbal bouquets. I continued with my learning of distillation and pigment extraction. I was approached by a local videographer that asked if I would like a video of the farm, so we met almost every couple weeks throughout the season. I concluded that I didn’t like to be in front of the camera, but he did a great job capturing a lot of what I do. At the end of the year, I provided housing in one of the hoophouses for chickens. This was fun, and I almost became a chicken farmer, but realized I wanted to travel too much in the winter.
2023-I was happy to finish my class with Rosemary Gladstar just in time to meet the deadline. I learned so much! By mid March the hoophouse was cleaned up and planted. Sometimes I don’t give myself enough credit, but when looking at past pictures they remind me that I really do a great job! The garden between both of the hoophouses was planted with cut flowers, which I called the “wedding garden” because two of my kids got married this year. There were a lot of celebrations! Both of my honeybee hives swarmed, and I was able to capture both of them and place them back into their home. Beekeeping is always another adventure and I have become a skilled swarm whisperer. At the farm I worked with women part time or as volunteers. I have met so many people that have shaped what the farm has become. It has been a big project! After teaching a few classes about extracting pigments and creating watercolor paints, I realized most people attending the classes were more interested in painting, and needed to spend more time with that. I learned that I personally LOVE the process of making the paint. I’m still learning, and it takes a lot of plant material to make paint. Rosemary Gladstar was the keynote presenter at the Great Lakes Herb Faire, and I was able to meet her and give her a big hug, not to mention pose for a picture showing of our henna tattoos. Really, this event is so fun! This was also the first year I “let go” of my organic certification. I have been USDA Certified Organic since the beginning of this farm, as well as a previous farm I had downstate.
2024-The farm is TEN! This was the year I decided to take a “sabbatical”. I felt that I really needed to step back and take some time to look at where my intentions were for the farm. My body had worked as hard as it could, and I was turning 62 this year, which used to be the age of retirement. I will never retire from growing plants, gardening and farming. But where was this business heading? I lost sight of what it was that I really wanted to do and the direction I was heading. During this sabbatical I decided that I would not be a vendor at the farmers market. So why not have a festival! Oh my, Herb Fest 2024 happened and I really didn’t think it would be more that 20 people or so wandering over to the farm that day. Well, it was more like 200! What a fun day it was. As the season continued, I dove deeper into growing more plants for distillation and pigment extraction. I should probably talk about these separately, but I suppose I’m trying to be a little brief because both of these deserve a much longer description (to come in 2025?) The only vending event I attended was at the Great Lakes Herb Faire, where along with all of the other fabulous herbalists and plant people, I met Rosalee de la Forêt who was the keynote speaker. I shared my vending space with Mary Colvin, and she later interviewed me on her podcast “Herbology Talk Podcast”. This is also the second year that I had a roadside stand, and I learned that I need to be a better roadside stand manager. The biggest challenge are the animals. Next, there isn’t any electricity. I’m trying to figure out how I can make improvements to better serve you. There will be plants again beginning in May 2025.
I really can’t thank all of the people enough that have some how contributed to Heartwood Forest Farm. There have been so many! I am so grateful for all of you. My journey as a plant lover has been lifelong, but as a professional horticulturist starting in 2000, when I graduated from Michigan State University with the desire to become more involved in the organic and local food movement, and then focusing on herb farming beginning in 2014. I can’t wait to see what happens next! This life would not have happened if it weren’t for the plants and desire to spend time outdoors. When I step outside and wander my way through the woods to the farm, it is truly like experiencing and living in a fantasy these days. I recommend this to everyone!
Herbal Blessings and wishing you a happy 2025!
Patti
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