Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Chaney.
Hi Anna, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Honey’s Harvest Farm is a dream inspired by the desire to raise my family on a farm and to help create a healthier family, community, and world by growing nutrient-dense, “beyond organic” products while also offering experiences to connect people with the land. I envisioned a waterfront property and settled for an old 160-acre tobacco farm in southern Anne Arundel County. Over the last decade, as I transitioned from the catering business, I built acres of gardens with living soil and now enjoy the harvests of over 600 elderberry bushes, 5,000 hazelnut, Aronia berry, and beach plum trees, 2,000 pounds of sweet potatoes per year, and hemp CBD flower, along with over 30 additional fruits, berries, herbs, nuts, and vegetables.
I envisioned a place where people could access healthy food, herbal medicine, and other handmade products, all grown and sourced at Honey’s Harvest Farm or locally by fellow farmers, artisans, and craftsmen. Today, we host the First Sunday Market on the first Sunday of every month year-round, where 35+ local farmers, fishers, bakers, artists, jewelers, craftsmen, and more offer their organic products to the public while a local jazz band sets the tone and a local chef brings his food truck for all to enjoy.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Our journey has been far from a smooth road; it’s been more like a really long “row to hoe”. We have faced so many challenges, mostly in the form of outdated local, state, and federal codes and over-regulation. This has required years of involvement in local legislation to allow farms in our area to diversify and offer agritourism events and new farming opportunities that are commonplace around the world.
From hemp to agritourism, old belief systems and unfamiliarity with products and community-building agricultural events as a form of agriculture have paved the way for pushback and stalwart-like behaviors from our regulatory agencies. As we have worked with the county, state, and federal representatives to educate and collaborate, we have successfully passed pro-farm legislation and formed cohesive relationships with agency representatives.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Honey’s Harvest Farm?
We are a regenerative agriculture farm using the principles of permaculture in our growing methods. We specialize in cultivating, formulating, and processing herbal medicinals including elderberry syrup, hemp CBD oil, a variety of herbal tinctures, and herbal teas. We also offer farm tours featuring a variety of fruits, vegetables, berries, and nuts. Farm tour attendees enjoy harvesting these items and taking some of them home. In addition, we also provide many types of workshops, farm experiences, and retreats.
In 2021 we opened our farm store, which is open every Saturday and Sunday year-round from 10 am-4 pm and features products from our farm as well as a variety of local farmers and craftspeople. Our Sunday Markets, held on the first Sunday of every month, are a larger community event. We are also excited to be able to offer the farm as a wedding venue for select dates in 2023.
Our dedication to growing all of our products in living soil (without the use of any chemicals, herbicides, fertilizers, pesticides, or other non-organic inputs) allows us to grow the most nutrient-dense food and medicine. Here at Honey’s Harvest Farm, we love connecting people with the land. Because we grow everything in alignment with nature, there is very synergistic energy here at the farm, and when you step onto this ground, you feel that health and that energy. Our guests feel relaxed and refreshed when they leave.
So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to us is that we’re providing experiences that empower people to feel good. Guest by guest, we’re helping create a healthier world.
Pricing:
- First Sunday Market – free entry
- Farm Tours – adults $15, kids $5
- Farm Store – a wide variety of products ranging from $1-$60
- Weekend Retreats starting at $295
- Classes and Workshop – $25-$99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://honeysharvest.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honeysharvestfarm/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/honeysharvestfarm
Image Credits
KRR Photography, Anna Chaney, and Annika Willman
