Lindsay Willman and the Ohio Brush Creek Herb Guild were just one of the many vendors set up at last weekend’s Wheat Ridge Old Thyme Herb Fair & Harvest Festival. (Photo by Austin Rust)

By Austin Rust-

The 11th Wheat Ridge Old Thyme Herb Fair & Harvest Festival was held last weekend, October 11- 13, at Grindstone Farm on Tater Ridge Road, drawing in huge crowds of both Adams County locals and tourists from other parts of Ohio to the heart of Amish country. Many stopped by the event to stock up on fresh apple cider, sip a steaming hot cup of tomato basil soup, crowd around the pumpkin cannon, browse the antiques and craft goods for sale, and much more.
The large display of pumpkins, gourds, and squashes was the first stop at the festival for most, where many stopped to take pictures with the grinning scarecrow welcoming festival goers from the road, and gourds of all sizes, colors, and shapes, were often sold by the armful, along with an array of colorful mums. Live entertainment performed just past the gourd display. Bands at the festival this year included a group called The Hitchhikers, playing traditional Irish music, and several others. Nearby, the Ohio Brush Creek Herb Guild sold hot soup, herb mixes, and more.
“We originally sold herbs at Lewis Mountain,” explained Lindsay Willman, a member of the Ohio Brush Creek Herb Guild. “When Herb (Erwin) brought the festival here, we came along. We’re a regular fixture here, and people have told us that they come to the festival just for our tomato soup.” Bean soup was another option, along with cheese dips, crackers, and bread.
“We are a group of ladies originally from Adams County and Brown County, and we meet once a month for the love of herbs,” Willman continued. “We like growing herbs, and we enjoy cooking with herbs. We like to visit other peoples’ gardens, too. We grow a lot of our herbs (that are sold here) ourselves, but we cannot grow enough to supply this festival, so we buy some of our herbs from the Monterey Bay Spice Company, and we put all of the herbs together into the products for sale here. Our members will package the different things, and make them themselves. The dream pillows, crocheted mugs, lavender bags – our members will put all of those together.”
Bean soup mixes were another popular item for sale at the Ohio Brush Creek Herb Guild’s booth, with the perfect measure of each dry ingredient stacked layer by layer in mason jars. Dried herbs, in addition to arrangements of dried decorative or aromatic plants, such as sweet annie, bittersweet, lemon verbena, amaranth, and money plant, for example, also sold quickly. Brochures with suggested uses for a number of common herbs were readily available, and a compilation of the Ohio Brush Creek Herb Guild’s four printed cookbooks was also for sale.
“You can take home goodness!,” said Willman, beaming with pride in her guild’s wares.
A permanent shop full of antiques stood nearby, operated during and outside of the festival weekend by the owners of Grindstone Farm, the Erwins. Its wares include antique farm tools, furniture, crocks, and containers, comic books, board games, and more. Outside of the shop, a row of food vendors lined the way to the pumpkin cannon, where for the price of $4 per shot, or $7 for two shots, visitors could fire a small pumpkin or gourd far into fields behind the farm.
In a row of vendors nearby, one booth sold baked goods, such as cakes, cookies, and pies, and another sold fudge made from goat’s milk. Across the way, a booth manned by Honey Sweetie Acres from Goshen, Ohio sold artisan goat milk soap and skin care products. These soaps and skin care products have won a number of awards, and came in a wide variety of scents.
In the next corner, past the goat, pigs, and peacocks, members of the local Amish community sold kettle corn, ice cream, freshly-made apple cider, and whole apples. A popular stop for food at the festival was a tent selling hamburgers, pork tenderloins, chicken, and donuts set up by the Amish to benefit the Walnut Grove School, which sat near another booth selling pretzels, creme horns, and hand pies. Another popular food booth sat behind long rows of vendors, and sold freshly-made sandwiches, roasted corn, ribbon fries, and more. On Sunday, a roast beef dinner complete with mashed potatoes and side items was served in this corner of the festival. A booth from Walther Farms in Hamilton, Ohio sold a variety of apples and fruit cider in this corner, as well. The fruit ciders, with varieties made from blackberries, blueberries, peaches, muscadine grapes, and white grapes, called scuppernong, were especially popular with visitors, who gathered to try samples.
Rows of vendors in the field nearby sold a huge variety of goods, ranging from local honey, hand-tooled leather products, freshly-ground flour and cornmeal, artwork, and lawn decorations to rustic furniture, bonsai trees and succulents, and books penned by a local author. The booths continued into a central barn, where spools of yarn, quilts, and much more were sold.
The Old Thyme Herb Fair and Harvest Festival was honored by the Senate of the 132nd General Assembly of Ohio for its 10th anniversary last year in an announcement signed by Senator Larry Obhof, President of the Ohio Senate, and then Senator Joe Uecker of the 14th Senatorial District.
“Many local residents, organizations, and businesses have demonstrated exemplary dedication in their continued support of the Old Thyme Herb Fair and Harvest Festival, an event which attracts a large crowd to the heart of Adams County’s Amish community. Fully committed to showcasing what distinguishes this community, this year’s festival demonstrates why the event has served as a true source of pride over the years,” the announcement read, and continued:
“America is only as strong as her individual communities, and their unique and significant contributions to the culture of our state and nation are paramount to that strength. The Old Thyme Herb Fair and Harvest Festival offers individuals a venue in which to have fun while giving back to the Adams County and to reflect on the benefits of life in their close-knit community, and they have built on these traditions to ensure a future filled with hope and promise. Thus, it is with sincere pleasure that we offer our best wishes to the Old Thyme Herb Fair and Harvest Festival on its Tenth Anniversary and look to its future with optimism.”
The Old Thyme Herb Fair and Harvest Festival will return for its 12th anniversary next year.