Carson and Dawn Combs
When Dawn Combs whips up an herbal matcha for visitors at Mockingbird Meadows Farm, she starts by selecting one of the jars arrayed on simple wooden shelves in the space of her home that serves as a combination shop, herb apothecary, and classroom.
The jars, called TEAshots, are powdered herb blends she developed from whole plants — including bark and roots — she and husband, Carson, raise at Mockingbird Meadows.
Dawn formulates each blend to support the body’s natural processes, and they have descriptive names like “Sleepy” and “Tummy Love.” The thought behind their design was to not only to make them more beneficial than typical herbal teas, but more convenient as well. “Just mix a half-teaspoon of TEAshots into two ounces of hot water, then down the hatch and you’re done,” Dawn says.
The Combses have been Union Rural Electric Cooperative members since 2005, when they moved to a house on 3.5 country acres between Marysville and Plain City. Back then, Dawn worked for a Columbus bank, and Carson was a city planner in Dublin. Their plan was to pursue a healthier, more self-sufficient lifestyle and start a small honey business as well as a family.
Today, they’re not only the proud parents of two young children but also have transformed their property into a working homestead where they follow sustainable, eco-friendly farming principles. They named it when the mockingbirds that frequent the farm built a nest above the couple’s first bee hive.
“We pioneered chemical-free beekeeping methods in central Ohio, and we use our own herbs to treat our own hives,” Carson says.
While he manages the farm and markets its FDA-compliant botanical supplements, Dawn, who is a certified herbalist and ethnobotanist, shares her expertise by writing, speaking, and doing workshops on herb folklore and science. “We honestly experience what we believe about living close to the land,” she says. “Mockingbird Meadows is a unique place where we grow, eat, produce, and educate people.” As advocates of Hippocrates’s advice to “Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food,” Dawn and Carson also grow fruits and vegetables for their family’s table.
In addition to 35 bee hives, Mockingbird Meadows has 150 varieties of herbs. They range from aronia to yarrow, but rosa rugosa, an heirloom rose with gorgeous pink flowers, predominates. “Roses are a big herb for us because I use them in many different products and loose-leaf teas,” Dawn says. Mockingbird Meadows also doubles as a sanctuary for endangered herbs such as goldenseal and ginseng through their participation in United Plant Savers.
Signature items include honey spreads, matchas, and herbal infused honey (Tip: the rose petal honey is delish on everything from salmon to goat cheese). All Mockingbird Meadows products are made and shipped on-site, and they’re sold at the farm, select retail stores, and online.
