This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we spoke with Annie Hasz of Broadwing Farm.

The Berks County, Pennsylvania, farm started in vegetable production but now focuses on grass-fed lamb for meat and pelts.

Hasz also co-runs Rooted Home Herbalism, an annual eight-month course that teaches growing and using herbs.

"We achieved our original dream and we grew loads of produce. We sold at farmers markets and through CSA and then more and more to restaurants," Hasz said. "But I had other interests developing in herbalism. So, as time moved on, things shifted."

Hasz developed an interest in herbalism early in her farming journey. After being mentored by an herbalist from the Lehigh Valley, Hasz pursued clinical herbalism education in Virginia.

And while the term herbalism is relatively new, Hasz said the practice goes back many years.

"It's the use of, or partnering with, plants for some sort of health or enhancement of your life," Hasz said. "I really love to teach basic botany and just help people get really familiar with any plants they're going to encounter."

While Broadwing Farm no longer grows produce for commercial sale, Hasz still grows vegetables along with herbs.

"There's just this feeling for being with plants," Hasz said. "I think that's really the core of my whole interest in all these things is any plants, I'll be into it."

Now, the main part of Broadwing Farm's business comes from sheep.

Hasz raises both Texel sheep and East Friesian sheep to sell both meat and pelts.

"We definitely wanted the meat to be centered, and that they would be great at thriving on grass," Hasz said. "And then just to have nice wool — to be that all-purpose animal."