Fable Farm: Know The Story Behind Your Food

Tucked away in the rolling countryside of Ashland County, Fable Farm is a testament to the power of growing food with purpose, working in harmony with nature, and fostering a deeper connection between people and the food that nourishes them. It’s a place where animals graze on pasture, heirloom vegetables grow in abundance, and the rhythms of nature are honored.

Today, I want to share not just what Fable Farm produces, but the stories that make it matter- the heart and soul of Fable Farm.

A Foodie Farmer With A Purpose

Farming isn’t just a job to Hannah Basch, it’s her passion. She’s a self proclaimed “foodie farmer” and if you ask she’ll tell you that the whole reason she and her husband, Dennis, bought a farm is because she loves good food.

“Food is my love language.” she says, “Feeding people is how I show I care… and I come from a long line of women who share that language”

If you don’t already know, Hannah is my daughter, and I feel honored to be included in that lineage of women who love cooking and view nourishing their families as something deeply important and valuable. We share the belief that food is the great connector in a world that often feels very disconnected.

“Food is something we engage with every day- it’s one of the most intimate relationships we have. When you know the story behind your food, suddenly you’re not just eating to survive. You understand what went into that food. You know where it came from, how it was grown, how the animals were raised- that they had good lives- and the work that went into it. There’s a respect that comes from that. And it makes you more connected to the world around you.”

– Hannah Basch

Growing Trust

But there’s another reason Hannah felt called to farming. Like many of us, she shares a growing concern with how hard it’s become to find real, clean food.

“The more I learned about nutrition, our modern food system and what we’re actually putting into our bodies? The more concerned I was with how hard it is to find food that hasn’t been stripped of nutrition or tainted by chemicals.”

” I want to feed my kids the healthiest food possible. We work hard to provide that. Just real food. Food you can trust.”

That care shows up in the simplest moments—like her kids walking beside her through the garden, plucking a cherry tomato straight from the vine and popping it into their mouths. “If my kids pick a tomato off the vine and eat it I don’t want to worry that they’re going to have pesticides in their bellies.”

That simple statement sums up the heart of what she’s doing. It’s not only about producing delicious food, it’s about doing it in a way that also produces peace of mind.

Hannah doesn’t just grow food…she grows trust.

It Started With The Eggs

“What came first…?” is the age old question. And if we’re talking about when they grew from feeding just their family to feeding others we have an answer: it started with the eggs 🙂

Hannah and Dennis started their journey with a dozen chickens and a small vegetable garden on just over 3 acres in Medina. As egg production picked up she began selling the eggs. Initially it was just to me and a few other family members. Gradually it expanded to Dennis’s co-workers at the firestation and my fellow yogis at the studio where I teach.

In 2020 they added a black faced sheep their daughter named “Piglet”. But it was the cattle that really sealed their fate as farmers. In 2022, the day that two Dexters (a smaller Irish breed of cattle) moved in, they knew they needed to start looking for a bigger piece of land. And shortly thereafter it happened. Just over 7 acres and a beautiful 1800’s farmhouse was brought to their attention before it even hit the market. Hannah was in love. Three months later the Basch family along with their dog, Maggie, 22 chickens, 3 sheep and 5 heads of cattle moved in.

Regenerative Farming and The Circle Of Life

When Hannah was two and a half, we took her to see her first movie: The Lion King. She was mesmerized. Actually, obsessed might be more accurate.

For the next few years it wasn’t unusual to find her perched on the arm of the sofa, holding a stuffed animal high above her head, belting The Circle of Life at the top of her lungs. I believe that was the seed that grew into her passion for regenerative farming—a method that honors the same circle of life she was so captivated by as a child.

Unlike conventional farming, which often prioritizes yield over long-term health, regenerative farming works with nature to restore soil, increase biodiversity, and strengthen the entire ecosystem. Instead of depleting resources, it builds them.

At Fable Farm, the chickens forage for insects and naturally aerate the pasture. Composted manure from the cattle, sheep, and chickens is returned to the soil as fertilizer. Straw mulch helps retain moisture, reduce erosion, and support heirloom vegetables—no synthetic chemicals needed.

“We work with nature, not against it.” she added. “That means no chemicals, no shortcuts. We focus on healthy soil, sustainable practices, and letting animals and plants do what they were designed to do.”

At its heart, regenerative farming is about the long view—growing food in a way that nourishes the land, the animals, and the people who depend on it. Now and for generations to come.

Lessons From Nature

Hannah came up with the name Fable Farm because a fable is a short story with a moral.

“There are so many lessons to be learned from farming and being close with nature.” she told me. “You’re counting on the rain. Dealing with loss. Celebrating new life. Every season we experience highs and lows, and each one teaches us something valuable. Farming is never perfect but the lessons we learn from it are meaningful.”

The Challenges and Triumphs Of Farming

“When I first started farming someone said to me, ‘You can’t have livestock without deadstock.’ And it’s so true.”

Her favorite sheep, Piglet, was one of those losses. “She was a black sheep, the first animal we started our farm with back in 2020.” Piglet ruptured her abdomen after her last delivery of lambs and ultimately she passed. “That loss stung. She was so friendly and she represented the beginning of our farm. She was also headstrong and very stubborn which made her hard to work with. But I really admired her.”

As she spoke about Piglet’s determination and strong will, I couldn’t help but think about how much I admire those same traits in Hannah. And how they’ve served her well on this journey.

Last Summer Ohio Faced It’s Worst Drought In 25 Years

The unusually dry weather took a toll on the pastures, the primary food source for the farm’s grass-fed Scottish Highland cattle.

“I just remember how green and lush our pastures were in the spring and early summer. We’d worked so hard to get them that way. Our animals are grass fed. It’s scary watching their food disappear, knowing they’re not gaining the weight they should from eating that sweet grass.”

But Scottish Highland cattle are known for being an exceptionally hardy breed that does well in challenging conditions.

“Highlands are tough.” Hannah said. “They’re not picky eaters, and they do really well on pasture—even when it’s not perfect. We still had to supplement with hay during the drought but they held up better than a lot of other breeds would have.”

“There’s always something.” Hannah added, “Overcoming the low points- as much as you don’t want to go through them? They make you stronger. They teach you how not to quit! Faith. Trust. They carry me.”

Resilience Shows Up, Too

“Predators really got us this year.” Hannah shared, “We started with 60 chickens, we were selling 20 dozen eggs a week in the spring. Then between raccoons and other animals we lost 37. It was devastating.”

But with every challenge comes resilience. A new coop was going to cost several thousand dollars that wasn’t in the budget. But they needed to protect their hens. So Hannah and Dennis repurposed scrap wood into a chicken coop in their unused tack room for just $100.

“I was really proud of how we figured it out- It’s not the prettiest, but it works!”

And Then There Are The Magical Moments

There have been lots of animals born on Fable Farm but before last summer Hannah had never delivered an animal completely by herself. One of their cows, Mabel, went into labor while Dennis was on shift. She was having a big calf and she needed help.

“No one could come help me, so I had to rely on what I’d seen,” she said, “and I helped pull the heifer calf out all by myself! Just to watch nature take over again, and to get to be a part of that—it’s so cool.”

As I listened to her talk the concept of farming teaching so many lessons really sank in. In keeping with her farm’s name, she’s created space to hold those stories—the triumphs and the challenges—with reverence.

An Unplanned Expansion

“Another high point? We weren’t planning on expanding our farm last year, but we had an opportunity to lease some land across the street and decided to go for it.”

So they did—leasing four more acres and kicking things off with a “garden party.” The dress code was casual, the guest list small, and instead of hors d’oeuvres, everyone brought garden gloves and muck boots.

Within a couple of hours, a 200 x 100 foot plot was filled with the promise of summer: rows of heirloom vegetables, planted by hand.

“I love heirloom varieties because they’ve stood the test of time,” Hannah said. “They have more flavor, more variety, and they remind us of what food used to taste like before industrial agriculture.”

There were pumpkins, butternut, delicata and patty pan squash, red corn, three kinds of potatoes, sunflowers, cosmos and zinnias. And when the last seed was tucked into the earth, we celebrated with a meal that matched the spirit of the day: grass-fed beef sliders with all the fixings, crispy smashed potatoes, a big salad, and ginger cream shortcakes topped with strawberries and rhubarb ☺️

Produce, Eggs and Sourdough…Oh My!

That unplanned expansion and small community garden party was the beginning of something special. The vegetables we planted became the first Fable Farm produce bundles. A weekly selection of seasonal abundance that people picked up at my house—scheduled just before our weekly family dinners.

It was important to Hannah that the bundles felt like more than just a bag of vegetables. She wanted people to feel a connection. To know what they were getting, how to use it, and where it came from. So we teamed up. Each week, she tucked in a heartfelt note from the farm—sharing what was in the bundle, what was happening at the farm, and what might be coming up next. I paired her letters with recipes to help people use the herbs and veggies in fun and delicious ways.

“I’d always wanted to grow and sell produce but I wasn’t sure how it would go. Now I have people on a waiting list because they want to buy from us every week!”

In addition to produce, she also offered add-ons of pasture-raised eggs and sourdough bread- baked from a starter she’s kept going for 5 years now. In the fall, when produce slowed down, the pumpkins were ready. And over the winter, when the produce all disappeared, the weekly pick ups continued with eggs and some really fabulous sourdough flavors (jalapeno cheddar will always have my heart but strawberry-thyme, manchego, and croissant are all pretty close behind)!

A Future Vision For Fable Farm

Fable Farm is already feeding families with weekly produce bundles, pasture-raised eggs, sourdough bread, grass-fed heritage beef and (very soon!) their own lamb. But Hannah’s dreams don’t stop there.

“My ultimate dream? Hosting farm-to-table dinners,” she said, eyes lighting up. “Where people can come to the farm, see where their food is grown, and enjoy a meal in our 1800s barn.”

She reminded me that their barn was built before Abraham Lincoln was president…it’s seen a lot of history!

Her youngest sister was married there two Septembers ago, the first official event held at Fable Farms, and it made for a beautiful venue. Farm-to-table dinners may be a few years away, but Hannah IS planning her first public event in the barn this summer.

“It’s going to be a Wine & Braid class and I’m really excited about it. People will learn how to make their own garlic braids while sipping wine in the barn…now that’s my kind of class!”

I’ll cheers to that!

You can connect with Hannah and Fable Farm on Facebook or Instagram

Knowing The Story Behind Your Food

This post is the first in a series highlighting the local farmers and food artisans bringing food to our tables in ways that nourish not only our taste buds, but our communities and the land itself. Because when you know the story behind your food—whether it’s a tomato your child can eat right off the vine or a loaf of sourdough shared around the table—you’re choosing something richer. Something rooted. Something real.

I hope this story helps you feel more connected to your food—and the hands and hearts behind it. This is the Breathing part of Breathing and Cooking.

Stay curious, ask questions, and as always… don’t forget to breathe, trust yourself, and enjoy the process ❤️