In 2003, my wife, Alison and I moved from the east coast to Teton Valley, Idaho, only a few miles from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Mostly, to get away from overcrowded highways and live a slower pace lifestyle. I am also a die-hard skier in the winter. So, moving to this area of the west seemed like a perfect fit for many reasons.

The move to such a unique microclimate proved to be a challenge to growing almost anything. At just over 6000 feet in elevation, a short growing season and winter with temperatures that can routinely fall to minus twenty degrees fahrenheit (-20), I had to adapt. I took this as a challenge which I still wrestle with today. However, I have learned a thing or two about growing crops within those extremes.

One of my favorite crops to grow is garlic. We love garlic. Cooking with garlic is without substitute and the smell of cooking garlic always stirs up anticipation of a delicious meal, not to mention all the medicinal benefits garlic offers.

I currently grow 9 varieties of garlic and experimenting with a few more varieties. I began to educate myself about soil tilth, the N-P-K of fertilizers, the necessity of micronutrients, etc. In my obsession to learn everything I could I learned about the negative effects of chemical fertilizers while studying the benefits of growing organically.

In 2014, through divine intervention, Alison and I purchased our forty (40) acre farm in the north end of Teton Valley, complete with jaw dropping views of the Teton mountain range. And thus, Wild Thyme Farm (WTF) was born.

With the acreage that allows us to pursue our dream of operating an organic farm, we expanded from growing garlic to growing anything we want.

As we began doing our research and discovering the benefits of herbs and flowers being used in a medicinal way, we decided to pursue growing medicinal crops on our land. Currently we have Calendula, Chamomile, Feverfew, Bee Balm, Lemon Balm, Oregano, Rosemary, Lavender and yes, Thyme, to name a few.

We have begun infusing natural oils with these herbs and other medicinal herbs for the purpose of creating medicinal salves, lotions and lip balms. With the help and idea of our youngest son, we have added candles, room sprays and wax melts. We like to keep those as "clean" as possible by using beeswax from a local provider (until our bees start producing) 100 soy wax and either essential oils or clean fragrances with no phthalates or prop 65 warning needed.

All that to say, we live on our farm with our two boys, a couple of dogs, a cat, chickens and ducks. We enjoy all this valley has to offer and having a world class ski resort out our back door, doesn't hurt.