Special harvest of Basswood honey now available!

BASSWOOD HONEY: Scot Smotherman is obsessed with bees. He’s also one of our owners, so we get to share some rare treats like this batch of Basswood Honey from his North Carolina hives.

Basswood (Linden) honey is prized for its unique mint and herbal flavor and gut-healthy therapeutic properties. Basswood’s nectar flow usually lasts only 2-3 weeks, but when conditions are right, these trees produce significant amounts of nectar that bees love. Most Basswood honey comes from northern climates, but the Appalachians provide the best source of this honey in the South.

This batch of Basswood honey comes from our hives located near the NC/TN border at 4000ft elevation. This is the first year of 3 years at this location that we have harvested Basswood honey, so grab it while it lasts, and check out our local honey selection, at Wellness Emporium Woodbury!

Elderberry Syrup now in larger 16 oz bottle!

ELDERBERRY SYRUP: Half Hill Farm’s popular Elderberry Syrup now comes in a 16 oz bottle of family-sized immune support! Elderberries are packed with phytonutrients that support a healthy immune response when your family needs it the most.

We make ours with only the best and most simple ingredients: organic elderberries, local honey, organic ginger, organic cinnamon and organic clove. This refrigerated product is not available to ship, but you can buy both 8oz and 16oz sizes at our stores:

Stock up on functional honey at Wellness Emporium

FUNCTIONAL HONEY: Did you know there are all kinds of honey with different health benefits based on location and which flowers and plants the bees foraged? We love honey bees and the sweet honey they make. We’re collecting just enough special honey from around the world made with extra bee magic for better health & well being – get stocked at our farm’s store: the Wellness Emporium!

NEEM HONEY – Made by wild bees and responsibly harvested in India and used as a digestive aid. Add to oatmeal or pancakes!

HEMP HONEY – Hemp flower extract infused honey used to help reduce inflammation and anxiety. Add a teaspoon to your favorite tea and get 15mg of full spectrum CBD.

MANUKA HONEY – Made by bees from the Manuka flower in New Zealand and used around the world for gut health. Take by the teaspoon to soothe an upset stomach.

ACACIA HONEY – Made by bees foraging Black Locust tree flowers and used for skin health and immune boosting. Try using on acne or minor scrapes.

WHITE HONEY – Made by bees foraging Himalayan wildflowers. Try on baked bread or Brie cheese and then tell me why not!

LOCAL HONEY – Made by Mr. George Martin’s bees with Manchester area pollen for seasonal allergies. Grandmas would know exactly what to do with this because they buy the quart jars.

Half Hill Farm’s taste of Spring: Honeysuckle Kombucha

NEW FLAVOR: Our farm-foraged Honeysuckle Apple Kombucha is now on tap by the cup or growler refill at Half Hill Farm at the The Arts Center of Cannon County in Woodbury, TN (1424 John Bragg HWY Woodbury, TN 37190) and Wellness Emporium in Bell Buckle, TN (13 Webb Rd. E Bell Buckle, TN 37020) – now open seven days a week! It’s a brief taste of Spring made with all organic ingredients: honeysuckle, apple and local honey!

Our farm’s first honey bee hive

Thursday was a life-long dream come true as we brought our first honey bee hive onto the farm. That’s Vince carefully placing them with Scot Smotherman, a new partner with our farm. Scot’s great-uncle is bee keeper Dr. Ed Perryman of Shelbyville who taught him and countless people across the state how to keep and care for these amazing insects. We are so grateful for Scot sharing his knowledge and getting us this path.

This first colony is a hive of Carniolan bees. With all the rain and cold snaps, we wondered if they’d make it. A day or two later the sun came out, and they got oriented and went to work!

We know it’s a lot of work and commitment, but our goal is to collect as an inspected honey house to make our farm’s first organic hemp-infused CBD honey and share some extra healing love from Woodbury!

Half Hill Farm opens Wellness Emporium in Bell Buckle


left to right: Vince Oropesa, Christian Grantham, Heather Williams, Scot Smotherman, Jenny Hunt

We are very grateful for everyone who made it out Friday to the grand opening of our farm’s second store in historic Bell Buckle, Tennessee. The Wellness Emporium of Bell Buckle features all the products our farm proudly makes in Woodbury, TN plus other health & wellness products like industrial hemp products, extracts and local honey.

Special thanks to our new team member Scot Smotherman (business development), Lori Smith and Jessica Cimon for the wonderful flowers, for Heather Williams with the Chamber for bring the giant scissors, and Mayor Jenny Hunt for the very warm welcome. We look forward to bringing many years of better health & well being to our new friends and neighbors!

FireRoot Apple Cider Vinegar Tonic – the troll chaser

Half Hill Farm’s FireRoot Apple Cider VInegar Tonic – the troll chaser

Our small organic apple orchard here in Woodbury, TN will never produce enough apples for market, but with a little help it will be enough to make some amazing apple cider vinegar tonics!

A famous example that inspired our farm’s first seasonal apple cider vinegar tonic is Rosemary Gladstar’s recipe for Fire Cider. We call our tonic FireRoot, a spicy decoction of certified organic horseradish, onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, orange, lemon, cayenne and black pepper in organic apple cider vinegar & mother lightly sweetened with local honey.

Half Hill Farm’s FireRoot apple cider vinegar tonic is just one way our farm honors traditional folk remedies. Each ounce of prevention will chase your trolls and light a fire under whatever’s thrown your way. FireRoot is available in both 8 oz and 16 oz bottles online or in our retail store in the Arts Center of Cannon County starting Thursday February 2.

Better health and well being
Apple cider vinegar has been used for centuries as a natural folk remedy for indigestion and a host of ailments. Research shows daily use of 1-2 tbsps naturally lowers morning blood sugar levels in people with diabetes, dramatically lowers mealtime glycemic levels associated with chronic diseases, helps people lose weight and may satiate appetite. There is some evidence showing anti-cancer properties, but the mechanism is not well understood. Less is known about widely reported uses as a cold and flu prevention, but it is suspected that apple cider vinegar’s alkalizing affects in the body helps prevent cold & flu. Using apple cider vinegar to decoct ingredients like garlic, ginger, and turmeric certainly helps increase the tonic’s antimicrobial and antiviral potential.*

To make FireRoot, our farm starts with all organic ingredients and unpasteurized apple cider vinegar that contains the mother, the naturally occurring probiotic yeast and bacteria that ferments the cider into vinegar. This will appear as a light sediment, so shake well to get all the botanical goodness in every serving!

How to use FireRoot Apple Cider Vinegar Tonic
If you’re a fan of bold flavor, take a tablespoon of FireRoot every day before or after your biggest meal. By using FireRoot with food, you can also lower your intake of salt and fat. Here are a few suggested uses below. Check back for recipes using FireRoot!

  • Blend FireRoot with flax oil or coconut oil to make an amazing salad dressing!
  • Spice up your chutney recipe by replacing the vinegar with FireRoot.
  • Use FireRoot in place of butter or salt on steamed vegetables or beans or blend into marinades for meats.
  • Blend with Bragg’s, sesame oil, and lemon juice to make a tangy dumpling sauce.

FireRoot is our farm’s first seasonal tonic release this year. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to learn when other tonics will be available.

* Please consult your doctor before using any of our products for health purposes. These statements have not been reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.